GrinderSchool: Articles

I figure as more and more of our members improve their ring-game play they will be diving into HU cash poker. I have a good deal of experience playing HU Cash and SNGs, here is some basic advice:

1. Table select really well
-- Try to avoid regulars, especially the tighter ones. There are plenty of opponents to choose from, so why make life difficult on yourself?

2. Set stop-loss limits
-- Tilt is a huge reason why some good HU players go busto. I set my losses at 2 buy-ins per opponent and 5 buy-ins per day. Momentum (and variance) is HUGE in HU poker, so even if you feel you are better than your opponent, if you have dropped multiple buy-ins to them it's generally tough to reverse the flow of the match.

3. Play very loose in position
-- Position is paramount in HU poker. Seeing how there are only 2 players involved in every pot, getting to see your opponent's actions first is paramount. The best HU players understand this, leading to my next point.

4. Play very tight out of position
-- I rarely call normal 3-4bb raises OOP. There are times where it is correct to do so, but generally I like to 3bet/fold PF OOP. It makes marginal hands easier to play and being the aggressor can help you to win pots you normally wouldn't otherwise. A general example would be your opponent opens TT to 3x otb and you 3bet 88 to 11bbs, he calls. The flop comes Axx, you cbet and win the pot.

5. Take notes, adjust to your opponent. TAKE YOUR TIME
-- Take your time when playing someone (1 table max when starting) and take good notes and then ask yourself "how can I exploit this?" A side benefit from taking notes, taking your time, and making good decisions is that playing slower can really tilt some opponents. People like HU because of the action. If you are playing slower the sense of fast-action goes away, and might force/coerce your opponent to make spewy plays benefiting you.