Heads up against loose aggressive players
"All LAGs have one key weakness that they always struggle to overcome, and one it you need to think clearly about to exploit: The mathematics."
As anyone who has had the misfortune of playing a very high grade loose-aggressive player heads-up will testify, at points in battles with these players it can feel like you are simply being engulfed in an endless hail of bets and re-raises. Poker is a game where fearlessness and aggression are often substantially rewarded, and players who are masters of constantly putting you to the test thrive on the confusion and hardship that such a style throws an opponent into.
Weak players effectively capitulate to this style - either trying to set constant 'traps' that simply give their opponents free cards and fail to build big pots, or simply back-down completely, and just do little but fold away their whole stack waiting for a hand. Even strong players can have immense problems dealing with this sort of player - particularly if the LAG is running well - but learning to counter them is crucial to taking your place in the upper echelons of heads up poker.
The first and most crucial aspect of dealing with good LAGs is to not panic. It can be very confusing dealing with so many bets and so many possible hand combinations, but all LAGs have one key weakness that they always struggle to overcome, and one it you need to think clearly about to exploit: The mathematics.
As they play so many hands, they habitually have the worst of it. This means they have to bluff at a higher frequency than is often optimum, and this means they regularly struggle to keep consistency and balance in their play. Bluffing is essentially an elaborate storytelling exercise, and to be able to compare and contrast the stories that you are being told over time is the key to surviving the blizzard of raises and picking off the bets at the right time.
The very worst thing that can happen when confronted by a lot of information is to shut down. Just because a problem looks complex does not mean it actually is, and often the constant raising from LAGs gives out far too much information, and very clear patterns can be observed and acted on. What appears to be something unnerving and endless can quickly become something simple and easy to play, and giving yourself the best shot at finding the patterns behind their play is crucial to beating all LAGs.
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