Part II - Heads-Up Play

In my last column, I discussed some key hands that I played while winning the PokerStars Nightly Hundred Grand tournament. These tournaments typically attract around 900 players, with first place paying approximately $30,000. This column is going to look at some of the heads-up play, which lasted roughly 50 hands.

I had $820,000 in chips, compared to my opponent's $1,025,000. The blinds were $15,000-$30,000, with a $1,500 ante. My opponent was a rather straightforward, relatively passive player. When heads-up play began, I switched my style by calling a lot preflop rather than raising, as I had been doing earlier. This strategy enabled me to keep the pots small in order to minimize my risk on any given hand.

In hand No. 509, he moved all in for $488,000 and I folded deuces. At best, I was in a coin-flip situation, and the worst case was that I was a 4-1 dog. This hand indicated that my opponent didn't want to play flops.

I was a little unlucky again on hand No. 510. I had 6-5 on a Q-4-3 flop. We both checked and a 5 came on the turn. My opponent bet $40,000 and I called. The river was a deuce, giving us both a straight, as he showed 6-4.

In hand No. 514, I called and my opponent moved all in for $508,000, indicating once again that he preferred not to see flops.

In hand No. 518, I elected to simply call with A-K suited, hoping to set a trap, but my opponent didn't fall for it and I picked up the pot on a flop of king high.

In hand No. 522, I limped in from the button with 4-2 suited. The flop was 5-4-2 rainbow. My opponent checked and I bet $50,000. He pushed all in to $470,000 and I called. He showed 7-3 and hit a straight on the river.

At this point, it was important to keep my cool and continue to play my game. This tournament had gone on for a little more than seven hours, and we were basically playing for about $12,000, which was the difference between first and second place. I had played too long to start getting desperate and upset over bad beats.

My opponent now held about $1 million in chips, while I had about $800,000. By hand No. 532, I was down to $710,000. I called from the button with 9-7 offsuit. The flop came 10-9-8 and my opponent checked. I bet $50,000 and he called. The turn was a jack and we both checked. The river was a 4 and my opponent checked. I bet $150,000 and he called with 9-6. I now had the slightest of chip leads.

In hand No. 534, I called from the button with the 8 3 . The flop came 8-5-4, all spades, and my opponent bet $70,000. The turn was a 5 and we both checked. The river was the A , and my opponent bet $130,000. Betting the river in this situation was risky, so I thought his bet easily could be a bluff, and called him. He showed the Q 7 , indicating that he was getting a little desperate to try to make a play.

The blinds moved to $25,000-$50,000, with a $2,500 ante. My opponent had $600,000 in chips. He limped in from the button and I pushed him all in again with K-Q offsuit, hoping to pick up the $105,000 in the pot. At this point, the blinds and antes were worth a lot, given my opponent's stack of $600,000. He folded.

In hand No. 537, my opponent pushed all in for $491,000 and I folded A-5 suited. He hadn't pushed too frequently, so I was probably a dog, and possibly a big one. If I was a favorite, I would be only a small one. I certainly might take this risk against a top-flight opponent, but in this particular case it didn't seem necessary to take this big a risk at this particular time.

In hand No. 538, I limped in with pocket queens, hoping to trap, and picked up the pot on a ragged flop. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my opponent to take the bait!

In hand No. 543, my opponent limped in from the button and I pushed all in with 9-6 suited. This might seem risky, but he hadn't tested me yet with a change in style. His raises generally indicated strength, while his calls indicated weakness. A hand of 9-6 suited certainly isn't extremely strong, but it would play well enough if my opponent called. He folded.

In the final hand, I limped in with K-Q offsuit and the flop came K-9-2. We both checked. The turn was my money card - a queen! My opponent bet $70,000 and I put him all in for an additional $340,000, and he showed K-9.

This was a long heads-up match with a lot of ups and downs. When you have an advantage over your opponent, it is important to pick your spots and try to avoid high-risk plays. At the same time, you want to continue to put the pressure on your opponent when possible. In this particular match, I tried to keep the pots small and pick them up when my opponent showed weakness. These little pots add up over time, giving you a big advantage over your opponent.

Matthew's third book, co-authored with Ian Taylor, is titled The Poker Mindset: Essential Attitudes for Poker Success. You can ask Matthew questions in his forum at www.InternetTexasHoldem.com.