Quick Thoughts on Heads-Up Poker

What is heads-up poker about? It's about skills. Sure. It could be about luck. Except most poker players won't agree. It's about tilt. The real game of heads-up doesn't happen until one guy is on tilt. It's about figuring out how to tilt your opponent. It's about knowing when your opponent is on tilt and when he is off it. So you can put him back on.

It's about destroying your opponent and dismantling his game, down to pieces. There's no room in playing nice. Because when the game is two people, if you're not the winner, you're the loser.

It's about control. Control the tempo of the game, control when your opponent tilts, control yourself so you don't tilt.

It's about aggression. Aggression is a good way to gain control. But over-aggression is a good way to lose control, of yourself. It's about passivity. Being passive while maintaining control is an art, but it's an art worth mastering.

Most importantly, it's about making the table a living hell for the guy sitting across from you and making him regret ever sitting down.