I’m sitting in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport writing this. A few brief words regarding heads-up limit hold’em.

First, one of my favorite words; balance. This is critical in short-handed and especially heads up play. You must play in such a way as to be very unpredictable, showing your opponent many possible betting patterns for strong hands and weak hands. You must call on the button with powerhouses and weakies. You must check raise with great hands, good ones, draws and sometimes nothing. But you must also bet out with these same hands. You must check-call, check–raise. Call twice on the button and raise the river with very good hands and buffs. never let your opponent detect a real pattern in your play.

Similarly, watch your opponent for patterns. There is only one of him, so you can watch every play and review every hand you see. Almost all players will fall into patterns once in a while.

Sometimes I deliberately create a pattern (like check on the button on the flop and fold when he bets the turn) just so I can raise shortly thereafter when he feels safe betting out on the turn with nothing.

The button is more valuable in this game than any other (even though several pros and others think I am wrong). Exploit it. It is almost never correct to fold on the button in a cash game. Really, the only time I fold is to help convince the opponent it is a good idea so he will fold too.

It is very had to lay down a pair. It can happen, but they are good often enough to justify playing (unless you opponent has not work out that bluffs and semi-bluffs are critical and frequent in this game.

Don’t always semi-bluff though. It is often right, but again, avoiding doing the same thing the same way is critical. The more confused you can make it for your opponent, the more predictable he becomes, which is the goal.