One of the most puzzling situations in online poker is when you play head’s up, unlike at the casino. The game takes a whole different face when it’s just you and someone else. One of the main ways the game changes when you’re playing head’s up is the value of the hands. When there are only two of you playing, hands like top pair become a potential monster. After an entire tournament of playing top pair as a low-to-moderate hand, it can be a bit daunting to risk your stack on it. If you’re holding top pair in a head’s up situation, here are a few things to consider.

How does your opponent play poker? Can you scare him out with a big raise? Would he play to the river with rags? Taking the time to get to know your opponent will give you a better idea of what his hand is when you and him are facing off.

What does the board look like? Are there any possible hands that can beat yours? If there are straight or flush possibilities, your top pair should start looking a lot less playable.

How big is the pot? If the pot is a sizeable one and you’ve got the top pair, figure out if the risk is worth the reward. If a $5 call has a chance of winning you a $50 pot, that top pair is probably worth playing.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 10:49 am and is filed under Cheats + Games, Wheel Of Luck, World Of Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.