One of the most popular forms of Sit & Go, heads-up is all about non-stop action. There are only two players and they both play until one of them has all the chips and scoops the prize money.
Unlike with a ten-seat table in heads-up you will be paying blinds every hand, and if you don’t loosen up significantly you will rapidly find yourself anteing away, and your opponent will run you over by winning small pot after small pot. For this reason, playing more hands from the button, where you will be in position the whole hand, is essential, as is playing a reasonable number of hands out of position against loose players. Of course this depends largely on the type of player you are up against and the stack sizes you have.
Another big difference from normal Sit & Go’s is the lack of ICM considerations. With only one prize you are essentially playing a cash game freezeout where your chips have a linear value throughout the match, and therefore you should be pushing every small chip edge., unlike in a standard Sit & Go where that is often the wrong decision because it benefits players who aren’t in the hand who have a chance to move up if you get in a confrontation.
Loose, but not that loose
Although aggressive play is beneficial in this type of game, you would be advised to be not quite so aggressive in heads-up Sit & Go as you would be in a cash game equivalent for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the stacks are shallower from the outset and they decrease as the game develops and the blinds rise, reducing your implied odds and opportunity to win bigger pots. Secondly, as you’re not able to rebuy if you lose a significant portion of your stack, you need to protect a certain chunk of chips. Otherwise you’ll limit your ability to take advantage of a weaker opponent and you’ll have to win multiple pots to take the game down. For these reasons, some caution is advisable in the early stages, unless you develop a decent chip lead and want to press your advantage home.