If you’re new to poker, or even if you’re a seasoned player, learning how to play heads-up is a great way to improve your skills. Here’s how to do it:
1. Sit down at a table with a partner.
2. Deal five cards face down to each player.
3. Turn over the last card and place it face up on the table in front of you.
This is your “hole card.”.
4. Play passes clockwise around the table, with each player following the lead of the person to their left.
5. When it’s your turn, you must either: (a) Play one of your five cards, or (b) Pass.
If you choose to play one of your cards, do so by placing it face down in front of you and turning over the top card of your deck (this is your “stack”). If you choose to pass, put your hand on top of your stack and wait for someone else to take a turn.
6. The goal is to make as many straight or flush combinations as possible using only the four cards in your hand.
For example, if you have an Ace, 2nd through 5th cards are all Queens, and the 6th card is a Jack, you would make a straight (Q-J-2-3-A). If another player had an Ace as their hole card and also made a straight with their four Queens, they would win the hand (since they have two more Queens than you).
