Head Games: Heads-Up Cash Game Advice from the Best in the World

Craig Tapscott: When you first started to dip your toes into the heads-up poker arena what were the most important lessons you learned?

Daniel Cates: I learned quite a few lessons actually. One big one that comes to mind was that not everyone views poker as I do. That was a huge realization for me. I discovered early on that it was important to figure out what my opponents were doing and adjust appropriately. The problem is that many players often think their opponents will do as they do, and then they plan in advance for it. Instead, players should be more focused on what their opponent actually does during a session.

Another important point I have to make in regard to this topic is that sometimes balancing an opponent’s range ends up not being the best option, as it all depends on who you are playing. If you focus too much on being balanced against most of your opponents or how you think about poker strategy, what will happen is that you will miss out on too much Expected Value (EV).

Jason Les: The single most important lesson I learned getting into heads-up poker was the importance of being willing to play. Like anything in life, you get better by challenging yourself and pushing yourself to new levels. You need to get out there and play a lot of hands and not be scared about who you play. Additionally, players should make responsible bankroll decisions and get out there and battle with players they know are better than them. It’s the best tool for learning you have at your disposal.

I also learned how crucial it is to be honest with yourself. Too often players want to chalk up losing to “running bad.” I see that quite often. That’s going to be true a lot of the time, but you should always be asking yourself if there’s something you could be doing better. My advice is to take the time to study the game, look over hands, and be honest with yourself about how you’re playing and what you could do better. 

Doug Polk: I can remember to this day my first-ever session of heads-up poker. I played a $2 winner take all multi-table tournament on PokerStars. I made it all the way to the finals, and agreed to chop the final prize pool with the player I ended up facing off against. I remember thinking to myself – ‘I think I’ve found the best form of poker.’ At that point I decided to go back to full ring and six max for who knows what reason, and it wasn’t until a few years later that I returned to where I had my first success (albeit at a micro level).

The lessons of heads-up poker are a bit different than that of conventional poker. You have to learn about how to play a wide array of hands. In a nine-handed game, you can play very conservative and base much of your strategy around being dealt premium holdings. In heads-up poker, this isn’t the case. I don’t have a specific example of learning this lesson; but I had this value instilled in me from the get go. In fact, I think a large reason this worked out well for me was having a background in competitive video gaming. In gaming, you have to take every small edge you are able to get for yourself. So it was a fairly natural transition over into the world of heads-up poker.

Another lesson that I learned was how much money can fly by in the blink of an eye. It is quite common in competitive heads-up matches online for one player to win or lose 10-20 buy-ins in a session. Normally you end with a small result either way, but it can snowball out of control and one player will lose a lot of buy-ins. I think the mark of a great heads-up no-limit player is how well they play when they are down a lot of buy-ins, as many players crumble under the pressure in these scenarios. The guys who go on monkey tilt and put off a bunch of buy-ins when losing will never be able to make it to the top of the totem pole.

In a heads-up match, one of the most unique aspects is that you can make substantial changes to your opponent. Oftentimes I will play people that think I simply will bluff too much, or the exact opposite. Because of this, there is such a massive realm of adjustments that you can make to maximize your profitability against a given opponent. Because of the consistency of these spots, you get a lot of chances to extract this value. This is why I believe the game of heads-up is the best game of poker.

Craig Tapscott: How has the game evolved since you first started playing heads-up? And what kinds of things do you need to do to stay ahead of the curve to be a successful winning player?

Daniel Cates: In general, people have gotten better. Most players have learned how to use software, run simulations, and apply math to their game more than in the past. As a result, I have run more simulations myself, done some more analysis on their games using software, and learned how to use or had software created for me. That being said, there are still plenty of spots out there and usually players make very human mistakes.

Jason Les: The game has been getting tougher over time. A lot of professionals aren’t making the same huge mistakes that they used to and people are much less fearful than ever. There are some pretty fierce opponents out there. That being said, there is still plenty of opportunities out there for people who work hard and know what they’re doing. Unfortunately, I can’t get too specific, because I’m still trying to make a living at this game too.

To stay ahead of the learning curve, I would suggest following the advice I gave in my first answer. Challenge yourself with the people you play and be honest with yourself when you review your game away from the table. Look at hands, think about how they could have been played differently, and think about which one of those alternatives might be best suited for the opponent type you’re playing. Most importantly, don’t give up.

Doug Polk: The game of heads-up no-limit has grown considerably tougher over the course of my career playing it. Players have put a lot of hours of work into their game to try and solve different parts of it. There are also a lot more resources as far as programs go, to help people try to analyze their game and look for ways to improve. The result of these changes is that poker is getting tougher by the day.

Back in the day when two regulars played, people would often lose massive chunks of their bankroll. And, for the most part, they were okay with it because they would get many opportunities to win it back. Now that those guys are gone, players tend to be a bit more selective with where they swing for the fences. This has caused the overall player pool to be much more cautious. I would say, as the currently considered world top heads-up no limit player, that I would only get action from players who believe they are in the top five or so. It doesn’t make sense for them to play me when they have a list of players they feel are worse that will also play them.

Nowadays, I don’t spend too much of my time working on no-limit. I think the journey has somewhat ended for me. I rarely play and there are not any battles left to fight. I am looking to try to find some transitional opportunities like Pot-limit Omaha or 8-Game, and hopefully I can make a splash in those player pools. ♠

Daniel “Jungleman” Cates has been a respected high stakes cash game professional for many years. The world-renowned poker phenom started building his foundation of success at an early age, as math and science always piqued Cates’ interest. Even though Cates has achieved substantial success in his young career, he still remembers the grind and is dedicated to helping other aspiring poker players and is a much sought out poker coach. Cates currently lives in London, England.

Jason Les is an online high-stakes heads-up no-limit cash specialist from Costa Mesa, CA. He is widely considered one of the best in his field. When he’s not at home, he travels to Vancouver, B.C. to play online and various tournament stops around the world for the super high roller events. 

Doug Polk is considered one of the best if not the best heads-up no-limit high stakes cash game player in the world. He is also a very skilled tournament player with more than $4.8 million in career cashes. In 2014 he won the Super High Roller II at Bellagio for $1.6 million.