All About ICM
ICM is an acronym that stands for Independent Chip Model. It is a mathematical formula that calculates your equity in push situations. In heads-up play, when your stack drops below the Yellow M-Zone, you must shift from small-ball to push/fold poker. However, in order to make good decisions you must know which hands are mathematically correct to push, and you must know which hands to call when your opponent pushes. This is where ICM comes in.
There are a few good ICM calculators on the market. Most people use these tools to review hand histories after a game to evaluate their push/fold decisions. I use a tool called SitNGo Wizard to evaluate my heads-up play post-game (some refer to this tool as SNG Wizard). Most ICM tools will only allow you to evaluate situations where someone pushes in front of you, or everyone folds to you. SitNGo Wizard will also calculate situations where someone limps or raises in front of you. The interface for SitNGo Wizard is also the best of the ICM tools.
ICM is an acronym that stands for Independent Chip Model. It is a mathematical formula that calculates your equity in push situations. In heads-up play, when your stack drops below the Yellow M-Zone, you must shift from small-ball to push/fold poker. However, in order to make good decisions you must know which hands are mathematically correct to push, and you must know which hands to call when your opponent pushes. This is where ICM comes in.
There are a few good ICM calculators on the market. Most people use these tools to review hand histories after a game to evaluate their push/fold decisions. I use a tool called SitNGo Wizard to evaluate my heads-up play post-game (some refer to this tool as SNG Wizard). Most ICM tools will only allow you to evaluate situations where someone pushes in front of you, or everyone folds to you. SitNGo Wizard will also calculate situations where someone limps or raises in front of you. The interface for SitNGo Wizard is also the best of the ICM tools.
Through an evaluation of your play you can identify mistakes, learn from them, and apply them to your next heads-up match. I will go into great detail on ICM and push/fold decisions in the advanced lesson on ICM.
Most Flops Miss
During heads-up play, most flops miss most hands. About 2/3rd's of the time the flop will miss you and your opponent. If you flop a pair, even bottom pair, the odds are in your favor that you have the best hand. Likewise, if you miss the flop, the odds are in your favor that your opponent missed also. Unless you are playing against a “trappy” player (covered in the advanced lessons), the spoils in heads-up poker usually go to the more aggressive player. We will cover post-flop aggression in the next two sections.
Next: Heads Up Play (3)
