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Poker Heads Up

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by presenocfurove 2021. 1. 14. 13:32

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People often ask me, what is the best free poker HUD these days? A poker HUD by the way is short for 'heads up display' which gives you absolutely vital information on your poker opponents.
For example, what percentage of hands they play, how often they call on the flop, how much they go to showdown and much, much more.Poker heads up championship

How To Play: To control Texas Hold'Em Poker Heads Up, simply use your finger to control if you use your mobile phone or tablet. Or use your keyboard and mouse if you play it on your desktop.This game doesn't require installation. You can play immediately on your mobile phone, tablet or desktop devices. A pair of eights heads-up against a suited Q-J is a fifty-fifty proposition. The higher suited cards would have an edge against a lower pair, such as 2’s or 3’s, since the board itself can sometimes destroy little pairs. Common Pre-Flop Match-Ups (Non Pairs) The following heads-up confrontations contain no pairs. Two high cards vs.


This allows you to understand the player type you are up against, put them on a range of hands, figure out when to bet, raise and fold against them and let's you know if you can bluff them or not.
All of this information is extremely useful especially when you are multi-tabling online poker or if you play Zoom. It allows you to keep track of dozens of opponents all at the same time and get precise reads.
As a 10+ year professional poker player I believe using a good HUD is essential to your success in online poker. And the HUD that I use is also the #1 HUD used by other pros as well.
In this article I am going to reveal the best free poker HUD for 2020.

Best Free Poker HUD for 2020


Now let me start by saying that the idea of a totally free poker HUD is just silly. These are highly sophisticated programs that take years of development and an entire software team in place to create.
They also require constant software updates as online poker sites change their software. And a customer service team in place to help you with any tech issues you may have.
So if you want to find a poker HUD that is actually going to help you succeed in online poker in 2020, then there is no way that it is going to be completely free!
The best poker HUD for 2020 is PokerTracker. And it really isn't even close. This is also the poker HUD that I have personally relied on for nearly a decade now as an online poker pro.
Many people do not realize that PokerTracker actually does have a 30 day free trial version allowing you to test out the powerful capabilities of this poker tracking software and HUD.
There is a reason why PokerTracker is still by far the #1 poker HUD choice for poker pros in 2020. Here is a look at my screen while I use the PokerTracker HUD on PokerStars.
You can see how it gives me detailed information on each one of my opponents. All of these numbers refer to stuff like how many hands they play, how often they bet the flop and so on.
PokerTracker also has the most HUD stats and filters for plugging your leaks of any poker tracking program available on the market today.
Lastly, PokerTracker is the only free poker HUD out there that is available for both Mac and Windows based computers.
You can download the free trial of PokerTracker right here.

Best Free Poker HUD for 2020 - What Can PokerTracker Do For You?


As a poker pro I use PokerTracker 4 every single day both at the poker tables and away from them. Regarding the HUD, I pretty much always have this on when playing online poker.
My poker HUD allows me to always have information available on my opponents right on my poker table, such as:
  • Percentage of hands that they play
  • Percentage of hands that they raise with
  • Percentage of the time they raise the flop
  • Percentage of the time they go to showdown

And so much more. This information is absolutely invaluable in helping me form my game-plan and strategy against them at the poker tables.
For example, Player A goes to showdown too much, I don't want to bluff him. But Player B rarely goes to showdown, I want to bluff him!
And the best thing about the free PokerTracker HUD is you can set up the entire thing in less than 5 minutes. I even made a video showing you how.

Bottom line, if you take online poker seriously then you should at least try using the free PokerTracker HUD and see if it helps you. For me, as a poker pro, I do not play without it.
You can download the free trial of the PokerTracker HUD right here.

What Else Can This Free Poker HUD Do?


The other thing that many people fail to realize about PokerTracker is that the best feature of it is the ability to find your own leaks at the poker table and then plug them.
For me personally, as a poker pro, this has saved me tens of thousands of dollars over the years. I also use PokerTracker to study my opponents away from the tables in order to create the best strategies to beat them.
Now how do I do all this?
Well, this is where the back-end filters inside PokerTracker help you. In order to use them just open up the Cash Filters box (or Tournament Filters box if you play tournaments), as shown below.
After that choose Actions and Opportunities and go ahead and filter for any scenario possible. For example, maybe playing Ace King in the blinds is giving you trouble?
Just filter for all hands where you played Ace King from the blinds and you will be able to see your wins and losses and replay all the hands as well.
This allows you to find out why you might be losing in this situation. You can also use the PokerTracker LeakFinder to assist you in this.
I conjunction with PokerTracker I also recommend that you start learning some advanced poker strategy so that you understand how to beat good players.
You need to know the advanced math, game theory and exploitative strategy to consistently win especially as you move up the stakes.

The #1 Poker HUD Used By Pros in 2020


Another one of my favorite things to do is study my opponents in order to create the strategies to beat them. You can just load up the My Reports tab in PokerTracker and then study their hands and run filters as well.
I often improve my own game by simply studying the best players in my games and just copying their strategies!
Look, there is absolutely no shame in this. Clearly, what they are doing is working because they are winning big. Just learn the poker strategies they are using incorporate it into your own game.
PokerTracker allows you to do all this and more. This is why it is my #1 recommended free poker HUD and tracking software for 2020 online poker games.
Lastly, the ability to keep track of all your results and even graph them as well is another great feature of PokerTracker.
And the PokerTracker 4 graph also allows you to see your red line (non-showdown winnings) as well. This is crucial in letting you know if you are bluffing too much or too little.
Once again, there is a reason why PokerTracker is consistently voted as the #1 HUD by online poker pros in 2020. This is the best poker tracking software available today.
You can download the free trial of the PokerTracker 4 HUD right here.
By the way, I should mention that while PokerTracker is my #1 recommended poker software tool (available for both Windows and Mac at the link above), it is not the only piece of poker software that I use.
For the full list of all the poker software tools that I use as an online poker pro in 2020, click here.

Final Thoughts


If you take online poker seriously then it is necessary that you use a tracking program and HUD in my opinion. There are many free poker HUDs available these days but by far the best one (and the choice of most poker pros) is PokerTracker.
If you play Zoom poker in particular (or if you multi-table), PokerTracker is by far the best HUD out there because it allows you to easily keep track of all your opponents.
I have personally been using the PokerTracker 4 HUD for nearly 10 years now as a pro since it was first released.
And the reason why is because PokerTracker 4 has the best HUD available for online poker with the most statistics that is also the easiest to setup on your poker tables.
PokerTracker also has the best back-end database and filters of any poker tracking program that I have ever seen.
This allows you to not only study your own game, find your leaks and plug them, but also to study all of your opponents in PokerTracker as well.
One of my favorite things to do is study the biggest winners in my own poker games and simply copy some of the strategies that they are using!
Bottom line, if you take online poker seriously in 2020 then you owe it to yourself to get a good poker HUD.
To download the free trial version of the PokerTracker HUD right now, click here.
Let me know in the comments below what free poker HUD you use at the poker tables.
And if you want to know the poker strategies that I use as a pro, then make sure you also pick up a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Please note that the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that at no cost to you I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase the full version of PokerTracker.

Once heads up is achieved in a home game or pub poker tournament, the most common questions that I hear is, “who goes first?” “who gets dealt the first card?” or “who has the button?” In fact, the most common time that gameplay rule violations occur at the poker table is when I am down to heads up. This is because the rules for heads to head or one on one play in Texas Hold’em can be a bit confusing.

According to heads up poker rules, the dealer posts the small blind and the other player posts the big blind. The first card is dealt to the player in the Big Blind. The dealer acts first pre-flop and the big blind acts first on the flop, turn, and river. The dealer always goes last on the flop, turn, and river.

Why Does the Dealer Post the Small Blind?

If the blinds were reversed and the player on the button posted the big blind, the rules for order of play would be violated. In Texas Hold’em, the Big Blind is required to act last before the flop. Therefore, by default, the player on the button must post the Small Blind in heads-up play.

Additionally, if the dealer was the big blind and decided to fold, he would be folding his big blind to the small blind; another violation of the basic rules. Some might also argue that this “discounted” price of folding is part of the basic advantage of the button.

However, this is just an incidental advantage obtained just by following the rules correctly and was not designed to give preference to one player or the other. To put it another way, the rules came first, before the optimal strategy to play within the bounds of those rules was formulated.

Why Does the Dealer Go First Before the Flop?

The player on the button acts first for the same reason he posts the small blind, to maintain the correct order of play. Some might argue that acting last before the flop offers a type of position advantage and that the button should have that edge in heads-up. However, the button does not have that type of favor when there are 3 or more players at the table, so why should the rules alter when it’s down to heads up? The button never acts last pre-flop, no matter how many players are at the table.

Poker Heads Up Championship

Why Does the Big Blind Go First After the Flop?

The rules of poker state that the button must always act last after the flop. While this might seem like a departure from the rules, since the small blind does act first after the flop in non-heads-up play, it really isn’t. Indeed, it doesn’t matter what position a player sits in, if the button is involved in the hand, they are required to go first.

What If the Button Open Folds Before the Flop?

When the button folds, he relinquishes the small blind to the player in the big blind, the button moves, and the next hand begins. If the button just calls, the player in the big blind has the option to check back or raise. You may have heard the dealer say “option” to the big blind before.

Are Poker Odds Different in Heads-Up?

No. The math of poker remains exactly the same, no matter how many players are involved in the game. The cool thing is that calculating the odds is simplified since there are never any multi-way pots when you are playing one on one.

Are the Heads up Rules the Same for Cash Games and Tournaments?

Yes, the order of play and the rules for posting blinds remains exactly the same, no matter the format. The only real difference you will see, when watching cash versus tournaments, is that the latter often has antes paid in on top of the blinds.

Are These Rules the Same for Pot Limit Omaha?

Yes, the rules of heads-up play remain the same for all flop-style games that have a button and two blinds, including limit hold’em, no-limit hold’em, and Omaha.

Strategic Adjustments For Heads-Up Play

Once you have the rules of how one on one gameplay works, you can focus all of your attention on winning. The key to crushing the competition is in making targeted adjustments based on your opponent’s style of play.

Poker Heads Up Display

The biggest adjustment that should be made when playing heads up revolves around how often you raise and call and how assertive you should be when it comes to fighting for pots. As a rule, as tables become more short-handed, your overall level of aggression should increase. When play is down to just you and one other people your level of aggressiveness should range anywhere from combative to downright maniacal. What controls your frequencies in this regard is the nature of your opponent.

In order to thrive in and succeed one-on-one, you have to drastically loosen your requirements for getting involved and continuing into later streets. As the old saying goes, it’s very hard to make a pair. Often, high card will be the best hand on the flop in a heads-up battle. Therefore, you definitely do not want to play fit or fold when there is only one other opponent.

Feel Out Your Opponent Early

The early stages of a heads-up match are very similar to boxing. Unless you are really familiar with how your opponent plays, you will need to feel him or her out in the first few hands. For the most part, my general strategy is to raise any two hands from the button but defend a bit on the tight side in the big blind. By using this method, here are a few things you are looking to find out along with the adjustments that you can make as a result:

Pre-Flop Heads-Up Adjustments

  1. Your Opponent Is Folding to Steals Often
    Count your blessings if this is the case. Playing against a fit or fold opponent when down to two players is the best case scenario. Keep stealing any two cards until he or she adjusts. You may find that you have the majority of the chips before this happens!
  2. Your Opponent Seems to Be Defending Every Time
    If you open your first 5 hands and get called or raised 5 times, it may be time to re-evaluate your strategy. Even so, I would almost never reduce my opening frequency down below 50% in a heads up match.
  3. Your Opponent Is Stealing Often
    So your opponent has open-raised the first 8 hands or so in the match. It is time to start playing back at him and the best way to do this is to flat call all of your high card hands, even Q2o, and anything that is suited or has any flopability (is that a word)? For example, something like 74o is an easy flat against someone who opens practically any two cards.
  4. Your Opponent Is Folding the Button Often
    If your opponent is open-folding the button more than half the time, it is safe to tighten up your flatting and 3-betting range substantially. The free money you are getting from your opponent’s folds means that you are practically free rolling the big blind. How cool is that? Ramp up the aggression on the button and the match will be over soon (usually in your favor).

Post-Flop Heads-Up Strategy

Your opponent’s pre-flop tendencies will tend to bleed over into their post-flop play. Therefore, if a person is stealing wide pre-flop expect them to bluff a lot and take very weak ranges to later streets.

Wpt Heads Up Poker

If a person is folding a lot pre-flop and/or stealing narrowly, you would be well-served to give their bets and raises a lot more respect after the flop. Otherwise, my advice is to play a very stabby small ball style and try to keep most pots small while you feel our your opponent. Building a really aggressive image will pay dividends should you actually pick up a strong hand.

Poker Heads Up Championship

Summary

In live games where the players do the dealing, heads up play is the most common part of a tournament that the gameplay rules of poker are violated. More frequently than you might think, either the incorrect person gets dealt to first or the order of play is reversed.

It makes sense that sometimes people forget the heads-up rules since it can be rather rare to make it to heads-up in a tournament. It’s easy to see how the rules can be forgotten when a player might only achieve heads up once every few months. Even so, once the reasons behind why the dealing and playing order are understood, it all makes perfect sense.

Poker Heads Up Strategy

Once you have the rules down, I suggest that you spend a few hours practicing at home with a family member. That way the heads up rules will be followed to the tee next time you find yourself as one of the last two players in your next local event. Besides, you should be focusing on adjusting your strategy and beating your opponent, not on who goes first or whatever. Good luck, now go win that thing!