1.3. Starting situation

In heads-up high cards and pocket pairs become much stronger. While at a full table e.g. suited connectors like 45s have about the same value as 44 pre-flop, in heads-up the pair of fours is already considered a monster, whereas 45s loses much of its worth and is counted among the sub-par hands.

If you are in a heads-up, the circumstances of pushing differentiate between two fundamental cases (e.g. compared to the situation of a button push at the bubble):

• At the most you only have one caller. The chance to face a strong hand is thus smaller.
• The Chip EV is more or less equal to the $EV.

Based on these two facts, it is easier to calculate the EV=$EV for certain actions or situations respectively.

Thus Hero will always be in the small blind hereafter.