I love playing in the microgaming network and often play in the $2.50 6 Handed Hussle SnG and lately I have been having alot of trouble.
I do all the hard work getting down to the last two, (both of who are paid) and am usually chip leader at around this point but I just crumble.
Heads Up is not my type of game.
In the last four games I've played, i've won 1 and placed 2nd in the other three.
Any tips on how to play Heads Up would be greatly apreciated.

P.s. Aaaaah, I just had my full house busted by quads for the THIRD time today!
That's $20 down the drain.

Ok - this sucks. I was writing a fairly long post and I hit the page back button on my keyboard right below the shift button and poof, all gone.

So, I'll try to see if I can recap what I wrote. First off, I'm just going to note how I play since 1) there's no single way to play HU and 2) I really cannot claim myself to be a great HU player. I can hold my own, but I know I have a lot of room to improve. Also, the SNGs that I play are a bit different (Bodog, 9 player, $2.20 SNGs)

I usually start off a SNG/tourney playing tightly and establish a tight table presence. Once I get to HU, I usually switch gears and start playing more aggressively. If my opponent is playing aggressively, then I buckle down and patiently wait to see how my opponent plays pre/post flop. If my opponent is constantly making large bets, I usually don't get involved unless I have a decent hand. I may even consider a check raise if I think they'll fall for that. I try not to overuse it, but the check raise can neutralize aggressive plays after you use one or two them - they'll begin to adjust to their play - that's when I start playing with more aggression.

Against tight players, I usually play aggressively but also attempt to trap them because they usually don't get involved in big pots unless they have a hand. Generally, my experience is that with tight HU players, the match can go pretty long because they don't go all in unless they become really short stacked or have a formidable hand.

Perhaps in some way, I play the opposite of how my opponent is playing. This is too simple of a characterization though...

Jeester, do you think there a specific type of player you struggle against? A little more info may help.

i usually do ok in heads up...but i follow a guideline hope this helps
there are just you n them in the preflop ck,call or raise these are your options
i dump all bad hands i know i,m in for half an ante but still,playing or calling a bad hand is going to cost you
anything a-10 or above i raise, any pairs i shove hard...and any top 7 hands i push all in
now the bluff...i dont do it often,but watch the opponents play..i,d say 90% of guys i play call all preflop pay careful attention to the speed at which he raises n calls,at this point of the game players are tired,under duress,and they dont have a long wait between calls...its just you and them...exploit it...if he reraises quick without hesitation,,,then raise when he doesnt...mix up your play..hes reading you too..i talk to them...even if they dont respond...i say hey no matter the outcome you played well...i want them to see me as human...not the truth..the truth is i,m a hunter killer looking to rip out your heart...without making a pattern raise 40% of all post flops he checks on...on the flip side i take a stab at a few i miss....your goal is simple...manipulate one person..thats it...cards dont matter once you got in their head...exploit,frustrate,and keep talking...be the nice guy...say nh when he wins,remember its just you n him...make him see a nice guy...then tear his stack to shreds smile and say...good game....if your short stacked the it becomes even more simple fold all hans under top 5 and go all in when you hit/..i,m no negreaneu,but on a table with my focus on you...look out...i,m watching everything...and you should too...as i stated earlier aside from a few hands...the cards at this point are not the issue...hope it helps

the cards at this point are not the issue...hope it helps

I agree totally with this. I dont know how many times I have been in heads up situations and shoved with nothing and had the other player fold. I have raised with the auspicious 7 2 os, and won pots. Or I have played by guidelines and won also. You really have to play the player and mot the cards.

heads up for me is one of my specialities. i mix up my game. i raise a lot. most people play all hands. but sometimes when i have raised every pot preflop, i just fold here and there. just to throw off my opponent, i have folded 10-9s and other similar stuff, just to trick my opponent about hand selections. but overall i apply max pressure, and fold when i have to.

i love heads up. i play very aggressive, even with crap, FTP has a sit n go NBC heads up going on every 5 minutes, its a good game. made it down to 3rd. the only thing that stinks about it. its an elimination tourney. so it starts with 270 players and you have to wait on the other players to win to move on to next round. check it out all its under play money sit n go 270 players. stay by the button to register because they fill up fast

the NBC heads up are fun tournies except for the wait and I agree with mixing it up alot dont let your opponent get a read on you even play some small pots to the end with bad cards just to keep him guessing once or twice with this and they will be confused and over confident

first off if you want to better your heads up game watch some of the better players on the full tilt tables. the one thing you will always notice is the button always raises with position, regardless of the starting cards. doing this will always give you position to take down the pots you raise. i personally never fold my small blind because your getting 3 to 1 odds on your money to make the call. i don't like playing bad hands but it is something you want to feel comfortable doing because you will not be getting a lot of premium starting hands. hope some of this helped.

Wow, thanx for this thread, cos I have the same problem as Jeester...when it comes down to the final 2 it's like I go brain dead and tend to freeze (its like I get flashbacks of previous donkings). It also just seems like my opponents seem to go all in most of the time with nothing...their strategy always seems to be a picture card with any kicker will do, any suited cards even if they are not connectors etc...Im sure you all know what I mean!

I have saved this thread to my desktop now and am going to read and reread all the advice until it really soaks in....hopefully I'll come back in a while and tell you how many tourneys I've won lately....

to improve your heads up play , try playing the heads up competitions online as one of the previous posters has mentioned

Play loose-aggressive, nearly always call (or raise) in SB postion. If your BB is raised, go all-in with almost any two cards. As above though, play the player.

remembr all these things but also remember they are watching you so if you portray one style and switch up later it helps. i ve used this to my advantage alot and if they are trying to figure you out suck it up and drop a couple of chips to look like you are playing the way they figured and then switch gears on em

it all comes back(like the others said) to playing the player is more important than playing the cards. and HU there is only one to play and nobody else is affecting your opponents play, so you can.
nothin worse than another player messin up your mind trip on somebody else.
im no expert(barely a novice) but I know what works for me. and this thread(not only mine)should help any newbies who read and retain the info.
LIVE LONG AND DONKHARD