Two-player poker has its own rhythm. With only one opponent, every hand becomes a direct contest, and decisions arrive faster than at a crowded table.
This format shows up everywhere: in cash games when a table breaks down to two seats, in sit & go lobbies that start heads-up, and in the final stages of tournaments when one player faces another for the last remaining chips.
The cards follow the same ranking system as regular Texas Hold’em, yet the structure and pace create a different kind of pressure.
What Is Heads Up Poker?
Heads-up simply means exactly two players are dealt in from the start—the label does not change any rulebook detail, but it does mark a shift into a faster phase where each decision has a direct impact on one opponent only.
Heads up poker uses the standard 52-card deck and classic Texas Hold’em hand rankings. The structure changes instead through shorter seating, different blind behavior, and stack sizes that often look larger in big-blind terms than at casual home games:
- Hand rankings and deck: Both players draw from a 52-card deck, and classic Texas Hold’em rankings decide the winner, so a flush still beats a straight, and full houses still outrank both.
- Buy-ins and stack depth: Regulated cash rooms link buy-ins to blind size, often using minimums around 40 big blinds and maximums near 100 big blinds.
- Blinds and posting rules: Two-handed tables use a small blind and big blind, with the small blind usually holding the button. Both blinds must be posted before cards are dealt, and standard no-limit betting rules apply from there.
- Button and deal order: The button moves to the other player every hand. The small blind/button receives the first hole card, acts first preflop, then acts last on every postflop street, which magnifies the importance of position.
Common online stakes start at micro limits such as 0.01 / 0.02 or 0.05 / 0.10, then climb through higher blind tiers, and regulated sites still tie minimum and maximum buy-ins to those blinds, so stacks do not drop too short.
Some live cardrooms and online poker sites add extra policies to stabilize short-handed action, such as minimum-hand requirements before a player can leave a seat at certain stakes, which PokerStars introduced in July 2025 for select cash games.That type of rule keeps heads-up and short-handed tables from breaking as soon as one stack gains a quick lead.
How To Play Heads Up Poker: Preflop
Open wider than at a full table, without drifting into random gambling. One opponent means your range can stretch, yet every hand still needs a purpose. Folding everything but premiums bleeds blinds, calling everything builds pots with weak kickers.
Common online games use an open size around 2–3 times the big blind from the button. Three-bets from the big blind often sit in the 7–10 big blind range, large enough to punish loose opens without turning every pot into an all-in.
Facing a 7–9 big blind three-bet, continuing with about the top third of that range (pairs, suited aces, strong broadways, best suited connectors) is a good starting point.
Modern heads-up solvers land on button open ranges around 70–80% of hands at 100 big blinds and big blind continues around 55–60% versus a 2.5x raise. Those outputs come from solved 100 BB trees with standard 2.5x opens and full postflop branches.
In most real-money games, big blind defense sits near 40–45%, so even standard 2.5x opens on the button tend to perform better than pure theory expects until opponents adjust. Think in tiers: strong hands raise or re-raise, middling hands open but rarely call big three-bets, and speculative hands enter mainly in position.
Hands arrive much faster in heads-up games than at full tables, so bankroll swings can escalate quickly. Set a clear stop-loss and a fixed session length in advance, and step away once either line is hit, even when online tools make it easy to keep playing.
Postflop Strategy In Heads Up Texas Hold’em
Boards connect with both players more often in a heads up poker game than at a crowded table, so postflop play leans on steady aggression. Waiting around for only top pairs or better leaves too much money on the felt. C-bets, check-raises, and light value bets all matter.
A practical starting point is to continuation bet about half the time on dry boards that favor your range, using smaller bets around one-third of the pot. Larger bets closer to two-thirds of the pot fit better on wetter boards full of draws and combo hands. Shorter stacks, roughly 40 big blinds or less, push the strategy toward committing earlier with top pairs and strong draws.
On a board like Q♣J♦4♥, Q♠T♠ has roughly 60% equity (in common heads-up solver outputs) against a strong draw such as T♠9♠ at around 40 big blinds effective, so stacking off with top pair and a decent kicker in that spot is usually standard, not a punt.
In position, calling more often keeps weaker holdings in and balances your range. Out of position, check-raises work as a counter to automatic c-bets, but using them every time makes your line too easy to read.
These numbers assume a reasonably active opponent; tighten your defending and bluffing ranges against very aggressive players who barrel often, and open or c-bet slightly wider against tight opponents who fold too much preflop and on early streets.
Two-Player Poker Games vs Traditional Formats
The same heads up poker rules and stack guidelines apply across the various poker formats, which differ mostly in how heads up poker blinds move and how quickly new hands appear.
Here is a comparison of heads-up against other popular poker formats:
Format / Game Type | Structure | Typical Stakes (online) | Blind / Level Behavior | Buy-in or Rake Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heads-up cash (NLHE) | Cash game, 2 seats | Micro to high stakes | Fixed blinds, no level changes, button alternates each hand | Raked pots with capped rake per hand |
| 6-max cash (NLHE) | Cash game, 6 seats | Micro to high stakes | Fixed blinds, more orbits before blinds hit again | Raked pots with capped rake per hand |
| Full-ring cash (NLHE) | Cash game, 8–9 seats | Micro to mid/high stakes | Fixed blinds, slowest blind rotation | Raked pots with capped rake per hand |
| Heads-up Sit & Go (NLHE) | Single-table SNG, 2 seats | Low to mid stakes | Blinds increase on a fixed time schedule | Fixed buy-in plus entry fee |
| Standard Sit & Go (6–9 players) | Single-table SNG | Low to mid stakes | Timed blind increases, more players per level | Fixed buy-in plus entry fee |
| Multi-table tournament (MTT) | Large-field MTT | Wide range, low to high | Blinds move through full structure over many levels | Single buy-in (plus fee) or re-entry format |
| Fast-fold cash (Zoom-style) | Cash game pool | Micro to mid stakes | Fixed blinds, instant move to new table/hand | Raked pots with capped rake per hand |
Games vary by jurisdiction, license, and individual operator. Check the current lobby information and local gambling rules before playing real-money poker games. Information in the table is derived from WSOP official structure sheets from July 2025.
Practical Setup: Can You Play Poker With Two People?
The answer is yes, as long as the setup respects standard blinds in heads up poker, the button, and basic etiquette. Two friends can run a small-stakes cash game at home, sit together at a live table that currently has empty seats, or meet at a dedicated heads-up table inside an online poker lobby.
- Choose stakes that both players can comfortably afford, linking buy-ins to a multiple of the big blind.
- Assign the button and small blind to one player and the big blind to the other, then swap positions after every hand.
- Shuffle, cut, and deal two hole cards to each player, then run the usual flop, turn, and river betting rounds while keeping pots and chip stacks clear.
- Track blind levels or agree on a time limit so both players know when the session will end.
Frequent Heads Up Leaks And Simple Fixes
Many beginners jump into heads up poker without checking for a few basic leaks. Use these benchmarks as a quick audit.
These targets sit close to what modern solvers recommend at 100 big blinds, but they lean exploitative because live and online pool data from coaches and tracking tools often show big blind defense and three-bet frequencies well below those solver baselines.
- Folding too often on the button: At 80–100 big blinds, aim to open around 60–70% of hands on the button; dropping below roughly 40% is usually too tight.
- Under-defending the big blind: Versus 2–2.5x opens, a solid baseline is to continue with about 55–65% of hands in the big blind; folding more than around 50% versus small opens gives up too many pots.
- Only betting with strong hands: On boards that suit your range, target betting around 50–60% of your hands in position, with roughly half of those bets coming from draws and lighter holdings.
- Ignoring stack sizes: As stacks fall under about 40 big blinds, trim opens toward 2–2.5x and add more three-bet shoves; with 25 big blinds or less, avoid flat-calling three-bets that already risk over a third of your stack.
- Auto-c-betting every flop: Aim for an overall continuation-bet frequency in the 45–60% range, closer to 65–70% on dry ace-high or king-high boards and nearer 30–40% on low, coordinated textures.
Final Pot: Two-Player Poker
Heads-up poker strips the game down to its core, since every decision lands in a direct contest instead of getting lost in a full-ring crowd.
Players who spend time in this format usually gain a clearer sense of how ranges interact, how position shifts value, and how stack depth shapes every choice.
Treat that intensity with care and use heads-up play as a focused format for problem-solving and measured competition.
Remember to always play responsibly (21+). T&Cs apply.
