Hi Guys Thought it was about time I posed another strategy question. Bit of a general one really, nothing for the statisticians to get their teeth into I'm afraid. Are there any strategies specific to 1&1 play? Cheers Reachy
1 on 1's 1 on 1's are generally simpler than regular sit & go's. A lot of the guesswork is taken out. From the very beginning, you already know exactly who will get the last bet, and the math complexities are simplified because you only have to worry about the one opponent. Generally the only decisions you have to worry about are--"do you take the high or the low?" and "at what point do you make your move?" I like to play a little more aggressively if my opponent gets to act last on the last hand, because it's much harder to win if you don't have the lead. I also may play my hands a little differently in 1 on 1. If I have the high over my opponent on a given hand, and the cards are such that we're likely to have the same fate, I may abandon basic strategy to avoid a possible swing in my opponent's favor.
I think they are a little "easier"... But I will qualify that by saying that it's because there is only the one person to track and for the other reasons you state. I haven't played a heck of a lot of them but I was wondering whether you do need to be more aggressive from the outset because having a good lead over your opponent is so beneficial. If you get a good lead in the early hands you are less likely to be swung by one player than you are if you have 3 or 4 opponents chasing you. An analogy I have come up with is the Tour de France! When you have several hundred riders setting off on a long stage they tend to stick together in the peleton, not going at full pelt, and usually over the last few miles they go for it. Occasionally a few will try and break away ealier but more often than not they get caught by the peleton, and overtaken because it's much harder work to sprint off on your own than to stick with the group. If it were just 2 cyclists racing over that same course then either sticking together till the last few miles or trying to break away ealier on could be equally effective. If you stick together it comes down to who is the best sprinter. If you break away then the rider behind you doesn't have the benefit of the peleton to reel you back in again so as long as you can maintain a consistant pace you should be fine. What do you think? Cheers Reachy
Early Leads My thinking is that an early lead is not that important. You get the last bet on roughly half the hands, so there are plenty of opportunities to take the lead later. Both players are likely to have swings go their way at some point during the game, so it's difficult to protect that lead anyway. As long as you roughly keep pace, it should be ok. In my opinion, the best strategy is to take the high over your opponent on the third to last hand in which you have the last bet. If you don't take the lead, try again two hands later. From that point on, try to correlate as best you can, and hope the opponent doesn't get a lucky swing.
Similar to what I do... That's probably a very similar strategy to me. I tend to wait until just after the 1/2 way point and then make my moves. Or do I? Cheers Reachy
I try to keep the lead I usually try to keep the lead through out the match. If I lose it I bet high enough to try and regain it again. Now if I am on the button on the last hand I will play sightly more aggressive trying to not only get the lead, but at least over a 1/2 max. bet lead going into the last hand (if possible). Most of the games I have won having even lasted the full 15 hands. This is why starting off small is such a good idea. But than I have had several of the last hand swings to lose after leading the entire game, which are always fun...LOL
