Heads Up play in No Limit Poker is the most exciting form of poker ever. It is the ultimate Mano-on-Mano competition there is. Whether you have reached the final table in a MTT or SitNGo or are going Heads Up directly, you are about to match your wits against another in an attempt to take home all of the chips. To be a good Heads Up player you have to know every single human aspect of No Limit Poker. Heads up play is also enormously fun and is a great way to hone your skills.

The strategy you utilize in Heads Up will be different depending on the amount of chips you have as opposed to your opponent. This article will be about you both having even stacks. Part II will be if you are the short stack and Part III will be if you are in control of a large majority of the chips.

POSITION
Position is very important in all aspects of No Limit Poker and Heads Up is no different. The button traditionally posts the small blind (SB) in this format, and therefore acts first before the flop but last after it, so you will want to play more of your attacking game from the button/SB and be more defensive from the big blind (BB).

AGGRESSION
When you are Heads Up and both you and your opponents stacks are essentially even you have to play with aggression. The weak of heart get steam rolled in heads-up poker. You need to cause your opponent to fold more often then you do. There is only one viable poker strategy - bet and raise. You want to get out in front as early as possible as taking the chip lead will allow you to channel your aggression in different ways. Always raise with those Aces, Kings, Face/kicker, mid-high suited connectors and pocket pairs because they'll reap long term value.

KNOW WHEN TO HOLD THEM, KNOW WHEN TO FOLD THEM
You have to know when to fold your cards. You won’t be ahead every hand You have to know when to get rid of a dominated hand and the key is to fold early and when you are in trouble rather than late. When the blinds are high don’t chase your straight and flush draws as you will spew too many chips if you don’t hit them and if you do, your opponent should be astute enough to realize it and get away from the hand leaving you with little to show.

USING THE ALL IN MOVE
After you have been playing for some time and the blinds are starting to become a factor, the All In can be your best friend. If you have managed to build a slight chip lead then using the all in can be effective as your opponent knows you have him covered and if he gambles and is wrong then he is done. Take advantage of your chip lead if you have one. Make your opponent sweat. If they are constantly having to make a do or die decision, most likely they will break and go all in with a poor hand.

Practice your heads up game at low stakes and learn to tweak your game accordingly. Mix up your play, raises, calls and folds, and in the end, you, the better player, usually wins out.