Heads-Up Play: Winning the Title

Heads-up for a tournament title is a different game from the full-table poker you’ve played all day. With only two players, you’re in a blind every hand, hand values change completely, and passivity is punished fast. It’s also where the biggest pay jump in the tournament is decided. Players who adjust to heads-up quickly win far more titles than their skill at full tables alone would suggest.

Key takeaways

• Heads-up, the button is the small blind and acts first preflop, last after the flop.
• Ranges are very wide: any ace, most kings and many weak-looking hands are strong heads-up.
• Raise most buttons; defend the big blind with a wide range.
• With 10bb, the button shoves about 58% of hands and the big blind calls about 38% in equilibrium.
• ICM is gone heads-up (only first and second remain): play for chips.

How heads-up works

• The button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop.
• The other player posts the big blind and acts last before the flop, first after it.
• You’re in a blind every single hand, so you can’t wait for good cards.

A useful mindset shift: at a full table, a random hand is usually worse than several others. Heads-up, it’s against one random hand — so average hands become strong.

Hand	Equity against one random hand
A-2 offsuit	~55%
K-7 offsuit	~55%
Q-8 suited	~56%
5-5	~60%
J-T offsuit	~55%

Button strategy

• Raise most hands — a common range is 70–90% at 25bb+, using a small size (2–2.5bb, or a min-raise).
• Limping some hands can be a legitimate strategy heads-up, especially with deeper stacks, but a consistent raise-first strategy is simpler and hard to exploit for most players.
• With 15bb or less, move towards shove-or-fold, or a mix of min-raises and shoves.

Big blind strategy

You close the action preflop and get a good price, so defend wide — often 60–70% or more of hands against a min-raise. 3-bet strong hands and some bluffs, and use 3-bet shoves at 12–25bb.

Heads-up push-fold

The push-fold charts were calculated for exactly this situation — small blind vs big blind. At 10bb:

• Button (small blind) shoves about 58% of hands.
• Big blind calls about 38%.

At 5bb, it’s about 71% and 62%. When stacks are this short, the maths decides; know the charts and don’t agonise.

Heads-up for the title

Tournament · heads-up · 18bb effective

Hero (BB)Q6

▶ Replay

1. Preflop

   Pot 1.5bb

   • Button min-raises to 2bb
   • Hero calls — Q-6 suited is well ahead of the average hand heads-up

2. Flop

   Pot 4bb

   Q93

   • Hero checks, Button bets 1.3bb
   • Hero calls: top pair is a strong hand heads-up

3. Turn

   Pot 6.6bb

   7

   • Hero checks, Button checks

4. River

   Pot 6.6bb

   2

   • Hero bets 4bb for value — worse queens, nines and pairs will call
   • Button calls with 9-8

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Heads-up after the flop

• Pairs are strong. Any pair is often the best hand; top pair is usually worth value betting.
• Bet more often when checked to — your opponent misses the flop most of the time too.
• Don’t fold too much. Against a wide range, bluff-catching with a pair is often correct.
• Keep sizes small on most flops; ranges are wide and weak on both sides.

ICM disappears

With two players left, the remaining prize money is simply first and second place. Every chip you win moves you towards the bigger prize in a straight line, so you can play for chips again. The only exception: if the two of you agree a deal, the maths changes — see Final Table Strategy.

Adjusting to your opponent

Heads-up, you play every hand against the same person, so reads matter enormously:

Opponent	Adjustment
Folds too much to raises	Raise almost every button; 3-bet more
Calls too much	Value bet thinner; bluff less
Plays scared of losing the title	Apply constant pressure
Very aggressive	Call down lighter; let them bluff; trap with strong hands

You’ve finished the Tournament Mastery course

Take the Stage 3 quiz to earn your final tournament badge. Next, try a different game with the PLO4 course — or put your skills to work in our tournament calendar.

Quick check

Heads-up, who acts first before the flop?

The big blindThe button (small blind)Whoever has more chipsIt alternates by street

Check answer

The button posts the small blind and acts first preflop, then last on every later street.

Quick check

Heads-up with 10bb each, roughly what share of hands should the button shove in equilibrium?

About 20%About 38%About 58%About 95%

Check answer

About 58%, while the big blind calls about 38%.