Heads up Limit Hold Em cash games are quickly becoming a very popular and very profitable type of poker game. Many No Limit Hold Em players take a break from No Limit poker and jump down to Limit Heads up games, where they often make very basic errors that are easily exploited. Playing Limit Hold Em heads up is not necessarily an easy game. In fact, it takes a lot of good hand reading skills and courage.
For example, calling three bets with ace high is not an uncommon thing to see in heads up Limit Hold Em games. Nonetheless, it is difficult to do this with a hand like ace high or fourth pair. Hands of this nature, even though they are good hands when playing heads up, are difficult hands to call three bets with. Players will have an easier time playing hands like these if they understand relative hands strength.
Hand Strength
Since heads up games only include two players, hand values change. Playing a-7 from middle position in a full ring game leaves the player very vulnerable to players holding an ace with a higher kicker. In heads up matches, this vulnerability disappears, since the likelihood of both players having an ace in a heads up match is very unlikely. For this reason, an ace is a very strong holding. Small pairs are much stronger in Limit Hold Em than they are in No Limit, since Limit bets are not enough to drive the small pairs out. Getting to a showdown cheaply should be the case with any small pair or an ace high hand that does not hit.
Position
Since Limit Hold Em is about winning or saving a few extra bets, having position is very valuable in heads up Limit games. Having the button is so important, since the player will be last to act on every street. Having position also makes it much easier to steal pots. Whenever an opponent checks to the button, the button player should bet almost every time. A bet should take down the pot a good 80% of the time. We know this because if the player out of position and hits a piece of the flop, he would probably bet since that is typical strategy in Limit Hold Em. When a player has the button, he should want to make the pot as big as he can. When he does not have position, he will want to keep the pots smaller.
