Playing by sense of smell

Articles / John Tabatabai / 07 January 2010 / 2 Comments

One of things that makes heads up poker such a complex and skilful game is that for the most part, you have to be trusting your instincts and making constant marginal plays in order to be successful. Heads up you have to play more hands than in any other form of poker, and as a result, frequently you will encounter very hard spots that can only be solved properly by trusting your instincts about the opponent and the flow of the game.

This is an extremely hard thing to learn (or teach for that matter), as so much of it relies on past experience and how you are feeling about specific situations. As a result, probably the best advice about improving is to do with what kinds of games you pick to slowly build up both your experience of heads up play, as well as your trust in yourself and your heads up game.

The best place to learn heads up play in these terms is easily the heads up sit and go. The small buy in, coupled with the fact that you usually get a lot of hands in, provide a great arena to build up a sound knowledge of the dynamic of heads up play. They also provide a great way to learn about the more complex aspects of deep heads up play, as you typically start with more than a hundred big blinds, a point which will quickly show you the importance of position and multi street plays if/when you move to cash games or higher stake tournaments.

Building up a solid experience of heads up play is one of the most useful tools a poker player can add to their arsenal. Not only will it allow you to become more proficient at winning tournaments, but it also opens the door to some of the most lucrative cash games available, with the extra skill level of heads up play really increasing your edge against weak players.

Arguably the single most important way to becoming a good heads up play is to practice as much as possible and learn to trust your reads. Heads up play is fundamentally about trying to get inside your opponent's head, and think about each play in relation to the previous ones and your knowledge of their individual style, and this requires instincts that must be honed through extensive play more than anything else.

Read More Heads Up Strategy Articles
Read Annette Obrestad Strategy Articles
Read Sorel Mizzi Strategy Articles
Read more John Tabatabai Articles

Catch John at the Betfair Cash Tables

Comments (2)

1. Barry Woods | 12 January 2010

   Oh sure, win a friggin' Aussie Millions Heads up tournament, and you're an expert! lol. Good info, tabby

2. Tom Dwan | 12 November 2010

   I agree. Someone went all in, and I could smell sh#t. I knew, then that he was bluffing and I called him.