Knowing When To Quit
Marcus Bateman
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Marcus Bateman /
05 May 2009 /
2 Comments
With the ever expanding popularity of heads up games, many of the best spots to play in are now one on one games. Weak players seem to be attracted to these games because the variance is extremely high, which means it gives them a realistic shot at making a big score through that massive double up.
The reality is that these players will always lose over the long run, because they are not only weak in the actual game, but also because they do not adhere to adequate bankroll management standards and the variance will bust them over and over again. As a result, some of the best tables to sit at are heads up tables - you only need to encounter one or two of these players to expect a large profit over a session.
However, there are still a great many very skilled heads up specialists. These players are usually extremely easy to spot after a short period, as they will be playing a pretty optimum number of hands and really using position to maximum effect. It is extremely easy to let your ego take over in these sort of situations, and to sit having a long and grueling match against someone who is obviously extremely skilled.
This is hardly ever a good idea though, and mostly you will be wasting your time paying any other skilled heads up player as you simply have a substantially smaller edge than you would if you just sat in a few other games and waited for a fish.
Sometimes in poker the best move is to just wait for a better game. No matter how confident you feel about your playing ability, the reality is that on any particular day there are probably quite a few players who will be playing better than you, and avoiding them is as much a skill as learning to spot and take advantage of weakness.
Always remember that letting someone go can often be as infuriating to them as making a big fold or great call. If they feel they have an an edge over you and you quit, you will not only probably save yourself a lot of money, but you will also torment your opponent no end.
Choosing Between The Games
Heads Up Sit and Go - The Nature of the Beast
Passing Up Small Edges
Heads Up Sit and Goes: Balance
Rope a Dope
Adapting Your Play In Heads Up
Get Valueback at Betfair Poker
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ThriftyGambler | 05 May 2009
Interesting choice of picture at the top - I'm not sure there's a lot of reading to be done between the lines there!
A quality article - nice work.
thedude | 24 May 2009
In this article you say that the variance is extremely high, but in article "Heads Up Sit and Go - The Nature of the Beast" you write "The variance is very low in these games, as they combine many features which allow skill to shine through over the short term"