Playing Heads Up can be the toughest part of any game. Read on to see if you improve and take the pot.
Every heads-up encounter I've contested has been different and I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this. Personally I like to adapt my play depending on my opponents style. If they're coming out all guns blazing then I'll take the back seat and let them dictate the pace, whereas if theyre employing a tight solid style, I'll step up and take the lead.
I like to mix up my play from the button and hazarding a guess I'd say it's 75% raise, 20% call and 5% pass. I'll raise and call with anything and fold some filth once ina while.
I usually go 3x Big Blind although I know less does appear to be the in-vogue bet at the moment.
If the game is a heads-up match as opposed to the last two standing in a competition, then yes. I'll take it easy at the start just to see how the land lies.
I like the appearance of a solid image that has the goodies when looked up and then this (hopefully) can be exploited later on.
Small ball would be my style of choice, but you do need to have a flexible approach to the match and adapt to the flow of the game.
A passive opponent will be your easier foe as all it should take is a little aggression to wear them down. The very aggressive opponent will give you the maximum bang for your buck and you will be forced to find some spots to play back at them or they'll just run over you. Look to trap and you must throw in the odd re-raise to try and slow them down.
Keep your ego in check and fold away when you miss and just hope that they're pot committed when you hit.
When the blinds get that big you're both approaching 10x Big Blinds or less, the game has reached the point where it's just a case of trying to get your chips in first with any reasonable holding. It's a very fine line and obviously opponent dependant, but a seasoned player should have a sufficient feel for what the opponents pushing range is from the button. With that range in mind sometimes (a good) Q-high is enough to call with.