Today a champion will be crowned (braceleted?) in the $5,000 Heads-Up World Championship. They will have won eight matches in a row, plus two out of three in the final.
After covering three heads-up events in the last few months, I've been able to speak with a number of players about their strategy. Some just take it one hand at a time, letting things play themselves out. Others come out firing, keep firing, and often go down firing. But a few of these players have separated themselves from the pack with a well-rounded approach that can be summed up in one word:
Position.
A conversation with Paul Wasicka underlined the importance of this concept.
"I don't recommend playing that many raised pots out of position—I just don’t call very much from the big blind." He says it's much better to re-raise from the big blind with two big cards, or a decent ace. By playing small pots in position on the button, you can have a terrible hand but win pots easily based on your reads.
"Usually I am going to do one of two things in the big blind when I’m head-up; fold or re-raise." Paul recommends a re-raise that's about 4x their bet. This puts the pressure on your opponent to release his hand or play a big pot with an inferior holding. If they come back over the top, it's obviously time to re-evaluate.
Having the button when you are heads-up means you have the ability to gain the neccessary information you need before you act. "I can have a much worse hand, but even if I know they have an overpair I can take the pot away based on the texture of the board."
Professionals admit that you are never a huge favorite in heads-up play because of the high level of variance. And with only one match to decide a victor, playing in position will give you a much-needed edge on your opponent.
