The Basics 
This site endorses the practice of 5 Top ‘Heads-up’ Online Poker Tips
‘Heads-up’ or ‘one-on-one’ poker is a fast paced variation of the usual format. Here are 5 tips to help you on your way.
1 – Positioning
Acting last after the flop is a huge advantage in poker. You get to see your opponent’s action before you make a decision on what to do. This position allows you to win more with your good hands and lose when you have a bad hand and a low budget. Obviously in a normal game you will find yourself in this position more often as players are eliminated, but in heads-up it’ll be every other turn. So be aware and use it to your advantage when it comes round.
2 – Aggressive play
Pre-flop your opponent will not have a strong hand most of the time. If you are lucky enough to have a good starting hand, you must play aggressively. Combine this with the fact that unpaired hands will land in the flop a third of the time and it is easy to see how aggression will win you pots. Remember, if you do not raise the bet then you have not given your opponent an opportunity to fold.
3 – Pot Control
Over time everyone gets their fair share of good and bad hands. To be successful make sure you win bigger than average pots and lose smaller than average pots. Decide whether you have a ‘big-pot’ hand during play and plan your bets to win as many of your opponents chips as possible. With a bad hand you can manage the pot and make sure you end up losing as little as possible. It is of course very important that you study and know the poker hands off by heart in order of priority.
4 – Knowing Your Opponent
Work out as early in the game as possible what hands your opponent frequently raises with, checks and calls your bets with. For instance, is this opponent likely to raise high on a flush draw? Will this opponent check a big pot hand bluff you into to a check-raise or catch you out. Will this player raise an average hand on the river (last card) if you have shown weakness, or instead call and take you on head to head.
5 – Adapting to the competition
In order to get the upper hand on an opponent you must be prepared to adjust your play. If they are conservative betters start raising more, if they call too often you should minimise your bluffs but raise larger amounts with a big pot hand. Whoever you face, think about ways to adapt your play that will take maximum advantage of their style.
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