Alabama Gambling Forum - Poker, Pari-mutuel facilities, Casinos

arcfinn · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 12

What is the best way to play heads up when you are short-stacked and getting horrible cards. I have $2500 to $7500 and getting cards like 7,2 10,4.... BB was $500 and opponent was putting me all in if I called. After getting blinded down, I went all in with J,2 (my best cards heads up) and lost. Opponent critisized me saying in heads up you cant wait for premium cards. I was just waiting for any face card or connectors before putting all in, not waiting for premium hands I'm at a loss on how to play this. If I'm going to have to go all-in, shouldn't I wait for at least one decent card?

chris · Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 39

I agree with the player. Really once you get right around 5000 in chips at this point the cards really don't matter. Now it's just getting lucky. Sometimes you just can't wait for cards.

norshvind · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 29

You may be right. I just finished 2nd again going all in with ak and losing to t4. It sucks that it comes down to those kind of draws to finish a sng.

lork · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 36

I don't necessarily agree. Depends on how close you are to being blinded out, and how aggressive your opponent is. Suited connectors have less value, pp's have more value, and big cards have more value.

crazypete · Joined: 29 Dec 2005 Posts: 15

Once you are heads up, if you are in the SB, your cards aren't what is terribly important. It's your opponents cards that matter. If they have 49o in the BB, are they going to call a $1,500 raise? Nope, so you just added the BB ($500) to your stack.
Heads up in a SNG is largely about luck, there's not much you can do but hope to win atleast 50% of the time. I recently had AK go up against 44 - flop comes ThJhQs, giving me the nut straight. Turn was a heart, river was a heart - and one of my oponents 4s? You bet, a heart to give him the runner-runner flush.
I've also gone all-in on a bluff before with 83o and gotten called by JJ, only to have the flop come 83x and my 2-pair hold up. Point is, there is largely nothing you can do. The blinds are so high, your move from the SB is typically all-in or fold - calling is a waste. Let's say on average you only see 30% of the flops at a full table. If you keep that up heads up and fold 2 of every 3 hands, you're likely to not every finsih first.