Pokeriad / Learn / Heads-up poker
How do you play heads-up poker?
Updated November 2026
Heads-up poker is one player against one other. The button posts the small blind, acts first before the flop and last after it, and you have to play far more hands than at a full table.
Half of the hands you're dealt are better than average here, and a hand you'd fold in a ring game can be worth a raise.
| Button | Small blind, acts first preflop |
|---|---|
| Other player | Big blind, acts first after flop |
| Blinds per 100 hands | 75 big blinds |
| Hands above average | 88 of 169 |
Winning against one hand
How do the blinds work?
With two players the button is the small blind. So the button acts first before the flop and last on every street after it. The other player posts the big blind. Our guide on playing with two people covers setting up a game.
Order of action
Why can't you fold as much?
Because the blinds come round every two hands. At a nine-player table you pay 1.5 big blinds every nine hands. Heads-up, it's every two hands, which is 4.5 times as much. Fold every hand and you lose 75 big blinds per 100.
Cost per hand
Which hands go up in value?
Anything with a high card, and small pairs. Against one random hand, 88 of the 169 starting hands win more than half the time. At a full table those same hands look very different.
How often the hand wins
Against 1 opponent and against 8
How should you play it?
- Raise most hands on the buttonYou have position after the flop, so you can play a wide range.
- Defend your big blind moreYou've already paid and you're getting a good price.
- Bet when your opponent checksMost hands miss most flops, so someone has to take the pot.
- Value bet thinnerOne pair is a good hand here. Our page on value betting shows how.
- Watch your stackIn a heads-up match, short stacks should use a push/fold chart.
What changes the most from a full table?
You need to win pots without great cards. A pair is often the best hand. High cards win at showdown. You'll also see the same opponent every hand, so patterns show up quickly and you need to change what you do before they notice what you're doing.
Pair of twos
Are you ready to play one on one?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask
Who gets the button first?
Usually each player draws a card, and the highest takes the button. It moves every hand after that.
Are ranges wider heads-up?
Much wider, because the blinds are so expensive.
Is heads-up good for beginners?
It's a great way to learn quickly, since you play every hand. It's also easy to lose money fast against a stronger player.
How the numbers on this page were worked out
We dealt each of the 169 starting hands 60,000 times against 1 and 8 random opponents, and counted how often each one won with ties shared. The blind cost is arithmetic.
Know someone who wants to play you one on one?
Send them this first, or don't.