Heads Up Aggressive Play

[vegas]

OK, I know that you need to get aggresive in heads up play, but does your level of aggresiveness change depending on chip counts and/or who is on the button?

Here is an example from last night.
Blinds are 300/600. I am in the BB with about $2,700 in chips (after the $600). I am dealt 89s. SB limps in. He now has about $6,100 in chips.

I moved all-in because I have a good drawing hand, but know that my hand is very beatable. The SB calls.

Did I get too aggresive here, or was this the right time to move all in?

BTW, we were both playing tight so I took his call to indicate that his hand was not overly strong.

[Happy Extinction]

Perhaps too aggressive. But it depends. You need to geta feel for your opponent if you haven't already.

Usually, when it gets down to heads up, I immdeiately raise 2xbb with just about anything (assuming I am not very low in chips).

1)Does he fold? If he folds, I start to think that he respects 2xbb and will fold to it everytime if he doesn't have premium hands

2) Does he call? Hmm...could be the type that calls 2xbb everytime, so I will need to make it 3x or all in when I have raises. Also, bluffs may not work against this guy

3) Does he go all in? Could be the type that just wants to get it over with and will go all in with anything - supe aggressive.

A couple more raises here and there will tell mw what I need to know.

Anyway, once I have some sort of feel for my opponent, then I just concentrate on looking for opportunities to be aggressive. Mix it up alot. If I have raised a bunch of times and I get AK - just call? If i haven't been raising, steal a blind. Try to think everytime how the other guy peceives your bet.

The biggest think I have noticed is that people do silly things heads up, so be patient and don't do silly things. Do calculated things.

[Expunge]

I think you were too aggressive. when in the bb and the sb checks to me i usually will see the flop for free. the occasions that i reraise are typically those in which i have a good hand that is difficult to play post flop. (mostly the pocket pairs). I do occasionaly raise on other medium hands preflop such as QT, J9 which hides what i have when i do it.

[vegas]

I agree with your posts. I felt like I was too agressive. My thinking was that both of us were playing tight so a big raise would allow me to steal $600 in chips.

I like the idea of a standard raise of 2xBB or 3xBB to get a feeling for if he will call or fold in such situations.

BTW, I caught the flush and won the hand, but I knew I got lucky (he had AQ).

[MNBridge]

Drawing hands go WAY down in value heads up.

I prefer to attack with high cards when heads up. And almost always raise in the blinds. I might muck 27, 39, etc.