1v1 Texas hold'em (NL)

1v1 no-limit hold'em is sometimes called a lottery. Some people say that the player that gets the best cards wins. This is a very common BUT faulty conclusion!

Even if you do not play 1v1 poker it is very useful to know some strategies about is, since it is very powerful in tournament play when it comes to the end with 3 or 2 players.

1v1 no-limit is in fact one of the most efficient game types for making profit from your poker skills. Two basic facts support this statement:

1. In the long run, each player is dealt the same amount of good cards.

2. Since each player has the same amount of good cards, the player with the best skills will win MORE OFTEN than the worse player.

So.... how do you become a skilled 1v1 player?

Well... the first thing is, read these guidelines for a better understanding of 1v1-NL-hold'em poker tactics and second, practice on some 1v1-NL-hold'em games with play money before you try the real thing.

Starting the game

In the beginning of the game, play tight. When you get a feel for who you are facing, you can vary up your game a bit and use the weaknesses of your opponent.

1v1 pre-flop

There are some ground rules to think about pre-flop. If you sit on the small-blind and get a very bad hand, for example 2, 8 offsuit, DON'T bother paying up the big blind playing it. You have a significant lower chance of hitting a hand than your opponent, no matter what cards he got. Simply give up the blind and wait for next hand.

If you sit on the big blind and get the hand above, ONLY see the flop if the opponent has NOT raised the big blind. If he raised it, fold the hand. Always!

If you get a great hand, like AA or KK, it isn't always the best to pre-raise it. You DO want to play it and you only got 1 opponent, remember. If you raise it there is a chance he will fold and you don't want that. Hopefully the opponent hit a pair on the flop, and raises you instead! Call this raise unless there are obvious likely better hands, like 3-cards flush or so.

1v1 post-flop

After the flop you know much about how good your final hand will be. If you got 'the nuts' you might want so slow-play it in the hope of your opponent catching something. Actually you should slow-play most of your strong hands. One example, imagine you have K,9 offsuit and the flop comes out K,9,4. This means you have two pair and a very strong hand in 1v1 hold'em. But if you are in first position and bets this, it is very likely your opponent will fold UNLESS he has a King. But if you check it, your opponent might raise on any pair of his. Use this and raise him on the turn or river! However, almost never slow-play "half-good" hands like highest pair.

Adapt your play

When you get a feel of how your opponent plays you should adapt your play towards him and use his weaknesses. If your opponent fits into any of the categories below, use the advice in your play:

Opponent:

"A caller" - If you are up to an opponent who calls you almost always, make sure to play your good hands aggressively by betting increasingly each betting round. Also, play your weak hands very carefully, don't give anything away!

"A super-tight player" - If you notice your opponent only plays his real strong hands and folds his average hands, you want him to think you are a loose player. Try bluffing a bit and show him some bluff hands after the hand is played. This will cause him to play more loose and this you can use while hitting a strong hand.

"The aggressive player" - When you are up against an aggressive player, who keeps doubling the pot on every hand, SLOW PLAY him when you hit your hand and fold your crap hands early. He will not want to lose the pot he built up so, after slow-playing him, turn his own tactics against him.

"The unpredictable player" - If you, after playing a reasonable amount of hands, and the game is even, still can't figure out your opponent, leave the game! Probably this game will end by one of you getting 'the nuts' and the other one getting a almost as big hand. You will both go all-in and the best hand wins. Avoid these games since they likely to result in you losing money.

"The better player" - If you are up against a better player, leave! Don't take the chance of staying.

"The regular shark" - Sometimes you recognise names you've played with before. If you do, and lost to him before, don't try a revenge. Why would you be better than him now? Leave the table and look for other opponents.

Hopefully this article has given you some guidelines on how to play efficient 1v1-poker. Also remember it takes a lot of practise to learn to recognize your opponents.