Make Your Play with Heads Up Poker Tournaments at 888poker

Heads Up Poker Tournaments pit player against player in a battle for dominance. If you enjoy fierce competition and intense playing sessions, then Heads Up Tournaments are for you. These unique poker tourneys feature just 2 players per table. Players battle it out in grueling sessions until one of the players has scooped up all the chips. Table winners compete against other table winners, playing additional rounds of these poker tournaments until a single champion has been crowned. Heads Up encounters are the ultimate one-on-one poker challenge, and they are available at 888poker!

With Heads Up SNGs (Sit & Go’s), contests begin once a pre-set number of players have registered for the tournament. This can range from 2, 4, 8, 12 etcetera. The Heads Up MTTs (Multi-Table Tournaments) do not have any late registration fees. Plus, they immediately begin once the poker room is ready to roll. Typically, Heads Up MTTs will commence with an even or odd number of players. The number of runners could include the following set: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32… or 1, 3, 7, 11, 25… etcetera. With odd numbers, some of the players get first-round byes and advance to latter stages.

Players will note that Heads Up Poker Tournaments do not allow players to transfer over chips from previous rounds. Once a round has been completed, the chipstack resets to the original value and the competition continues.

Best Reasons to Play Heads-Up Poker Tournaments

Is a Heads-Up Poker Tournament right for you? Take a look at the pros and cons of playing these exciting poker contests:

Pros of Heads-Up Poker Tournaments

• Heads Up Tourneys require players to play most every hand dealt. This is a great way to gain lots of experience with a variety of starting hands. Typically, you’d only be required to play strong starting hands but in Heads-Up Tournaments you can play them all.
• If you’re eager to chase down the dollars, you’ll definitely want to sharpen your poker playing skills in Heads Up Poker Tournaments. Take that experience with you to Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs) and Sit & Go’s (S&Gs).
• Heads Up Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs) offer players lengthy breaks between playing sessions. You can take your time between rounds of play, making these ideal poker tournaments to play. Typically, players must wait for other tables to open up before advancing through these tournaments.

Cons of Heads-Up Poker Tournaments

• Once you start playing Heads-Up MTTs, you will not have any time or energy to complete in Multi-Tabling at other poker tournaments. They are time and energy intensive and require your undivided attention.
• It can take time between Heads-Up MTTs, and this can be a little disconcerting. However, you can always get in the action with cash games.

The Big Question: Are Heads-Up Poker Tournaments Right for You?

Do you enjoy playing ‘Loose’ poker games? Do you enjoy playing a wide variety of starting hands? If so, then Heads-Up Poker Tournaments are the ideal poker contests for you to play. These tournaments offer pretty favorable chances of winning hands, since there are only 2 players competing at every table.

There’s another aspect of Heads Up Poker Tournaments that may appeal to you: psychology. If you enjoy trying to figure out what makes players tick, then these tourneys are ideal. There is no better way to learn the inner workings of another player’s mind than a close-up encounter with Heads Up Tournaments. You can put your poker prowess to the test, employ different tactics and strategies, and make creative plays.  The goal of course is to outwit your opponents and grind them out of the tournament.

Top Tips for Playing Heads-Up Poker Tournaments

Now that you know the pros and cons of Heads-Up Poker Tournaments, it’s time for some tips on how to play them well:

• Stay Loose, Play Loose – With Heads-Up Poker Tournaments you’re going to find that you will be playing many more starting hands. Forget a ‘Premium Hands Only’ approach and bluff more.
• Focus on Your Opponent – Learn to play mind games in Heads-Up Tournaments. Since you’re up against one opponent at a time, you will have to learn as much as you can as quickly as possible. Focus on their strengths and weaknesses; learn to exploit your opponent’s mistakes as often as possible. That’s how winning is done!
• Change Things Up – Protect your stack as much as possible. When the blinds start increasing, you’ll want to cut back on the amount of your open-raises. This will protect your stack.
• Just Chill – Remember that Heads-Up Tournaments are lengthy affairs. These poker tourneys are made up of multiple rounds of play. You may find that you only cash in Round 4 or later. So, focus on playing your normal game and take it one round at a time.
• Watch the Blinds – The rapidly increasing blinds will eat into your stack. Tailor your playing style based on how fast the blinds are increasing. You may have to switch between tight and passive play, mix up bet sizes, and vary the range of hands you play.

For more poker tournament playing tips, click here!