Final Table Takedown: Andjelko Andrejevic Shares Heads-Up Play Strategy for a WPT Title

Andjelko Andrejevic was born in Belgrade, Serbia. In March 1999, his parents moved to Miami, FL. As luck would have it, his dad worked for the US embassy and they were able to obtain visas easier than most. During his senior year in high school, Andrejevic started playing small home games and $5 sit-and-gos with friends. Upon turning 18, he went to his first casino and fell in love with poker. He opened an online account and learned the game. When Black Friday closed online play, he turned to live cash games and some tournaments. Two years later, he became a professional. In June of 2016, he won the Card Player Poker Tour IV Deep Stack Extravaganza III at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Andrejevic has more than $3.4 million in career tournament cashes.

Event: 2016 World Poker Tour Amsterdam Main Event
Players: 318 • Entry: $3,739 • First Prize: $228,000 • Finish: 1st

Key Concepts: Aggression; Continuation betting; Hand ranges

Craig Tapscott: As you head into heads-up play at this final table did you have a plan of attack in mind?

Andjelko Andrejevic: Fara was playing the final table pretty tight and very solid, so unless something drastically changed, I was just going to be the aggressor during heads-up play. My plan was to apply as much pressure in the right spots as I could. That being said, my plan was to limp a lot of buttons and play as deep as possible post-flop.

CT: Why did you choose two heads-up hands to share?

AA: I think heads-up play is an interesting game because you’re forced to play more hands with much wider ranges and that creates different spots and leveling wars. It’s fun. You’re also playing for the most equity, which makes it even more fun.  

CT: What do you think determines a great heads-up player?

AA:  I think a great heads-up player is consistently adjusting to his opponent and using every new piece of information to exploit him or her. In regards to tournament poker, by the time it gets to heads-up play, the stacks are too shallow and you have to heavily rely on the math, making the analytical side just as important.

CT: What are the kinds of work you did to improve your game?

AA: Well my experience playing heads-up cash games has helped me exponentially improve, mainly through the repetition of being in different spots over and over.

CT: From what you had seen so far of Fara’s heads-up game, what weaknesses were you zeroing in on?

AA: I was mainly targeting post-flop turn and river play. I was aware that his preflop aggression when I opened buttons was pretty good, but I thought post-flop in position I had a huge advantage. 

Andrejevic raises to 250,000 from the button holding Q 7. Fara calls.

Flop:  A 6 6 (pot: 520,000)

Fara checks. Andrejevic bets 200,000. Fara calls.

CT: Before we go any further into the hand, can you share your thoughts on continuation betting? Some players do it too much and others not enough. And is this particular spot always a c-bet in your opinion?

AA: Every spot varies, but I think, overall, that continuation betting accomplishes a lot with the right hand range. It definitely makes it easier to define the other player’s range. In this hand, I choose to bet to get him to fold king- or queen-high type hands and it folds out his equity as well. And on later streets I can represent more hands by betting this flop. 

Turn: K (pot: 920,000)

Fara leads out for 350,000.

CT: What do you make of that bet? It seems odd.

AA: My first thought was it doesn’t make any sense at all. Why would he lead any ace or 6 and not let me continue bluffing? Also, he was defending fairly tight from the big blind, so I don’t expect to see many 6-x hands. I figured he check/called with some sort of flush draw and led the turn to take it down there or by the river.

CT: So you’re going to put him to the test? Apply a little pressure.

AA: Yes. I think it’s the best play.

Andrejevic raises to 800,000. Fara calls.

CT: Were you surprised at the call? And what do you make of his hand at this point?

AA: It was such a strange line for him to take. But I still wasn’t sure of his hand range. But I was leaning towards A-x and flush draws.

River: Q (pot: 2,520,000)

AA: I paired up my queen, but I sincerely doubt I have any showdown value. It’s a pretty bad river card for me to bluff, since it’s one of the cards I figured completed his hand.

Fara checks.

AA: After he checked I waited a little while and then ended up just giving up.

Andrejevic checks. Fara reveals A 7 and wins the pot of 2,520,000.

AA: He had A-7. That really threw me off as to why he would play the hand that way. I’m still wondering what would have happened if the river bricked and I jammed. Would he have called? 

Key Concepts: Aggression; Stack sizes; Bet sizing; Hand reading

Fara opens to 350,000 from the button. Andrejevic calls from the big blind holding 10 8.

Flop: 8 5 3 (pot: 730,000)

Andrejevic checks. Fara bets 375,000.

CT: You have flopped top pair. What’s the best play?

AA: I’m okay with check-raising and going with it. I’ve got top pair and a backdoor-flush draw. I also don’t expect him to fold any pairs to my raise since my hand looks more draw heavy than the actual hand I’m holding.

Andrejevic raises to 850,000. Fara calls.

Turn: 7 (pot: 2,430,000)

CT: The flush and a possible straight came in. What’s your read on Fara’s hand range after he called your check-raise?

AA: You’re right. It was not the turn card I was looking for. But I was expecting he would just three-bet jam the flop with most flush draws, so I discounted flushes in his range. So, I made the decision to continue betting the turn for value.

Andrejevic bets 800,000.

CT: Isn’t that kind of a small bet in relation to the pot size?

AA: I know. It was here where I misclicked, so to speak. I should have bet more, because I gave him too good of a price to call by only betting 800,000 into 2.4 million.

CT: What would have been a more appropriate sizing?

AA: I think I should have fired around 1.3 – 1.4 million to give him an incorrect price to call.

CT: Share some of your thoughts on bet sizing strategy in general. How does a player improve that part of his game?

AA: Before I decide to bet or choose a bet sizing, I try to figure out what I am trying to accomplish. You have to learn to ask yourself – am I bluffing or value betting? And will my opponent only continue with a very strong range versus this size bet or can I induce a float?  I think one of the main keys is experience. Pay attention at the table. Watch how people respond to different bet sizes. This will help you adjust or exploit your opponent accordingly.

CT: And how does an opponent’s bet sizing help you break down their hand range?

AA: Betting sizing varies differently with each opponent. As I said, be observant. For example, certain players always bet small on the river for value, while others will bomb it for maximum value. I look for the bet sizing tendencies my opponent takes on the flop, turn, and river and how far they deviate from their ‘standard’ over time to determine hand strength. 

Fara calls.

CT: Does Fara’s call further define his range for you?

AA: Yes. At this point I guess he has some sort of pair and gutter such as 5-4, 5-6, 6-6, 4-4, 3-4 or some A-x with a diamond draw.

River: 2 (pot: 4,030,000)

CT: That’s not a good card at all.

AA: It is probably one of the worst cards I could have seen on the river. There’s about 4 million in the pot and at this point I don’t think I can bet this river.

CT: Why?

AA: Because I can’t get most flushes to fold. So I decided to…

Andrejevic checks.

CT: What’s going through your mind now?

AA: Well Fara went into the tank. I was thinking what I would do if he jammed. I think he only jams for value Q or better hands for the flush. If he is holding the J or 10, he might bet on the smaller side. But I also felt that there were not many hands that held the K, Q, or J that he would have gotten to the river with.

Tomas checks and reveals 8 6. Andrejevic wins the pot of 4,030,000.

CT: Looking back on the hand, would you have played it any differently? And what did you take away from this hand that would assist you in your strategy against Fara moving forward?

AA: I wouldn’t have changed anything else with the hand except my turn bet, which priced in too many of his hands. At this point in the match he was getting stickier on flops and turns, so I knew I would have to tighten my range. He also wasn’t bluffing me on rivers enough, which made some river folds easier later in the match. ♠