[SixForty]

[ QUOTE ]
But the discussion should revolve more around what's the optimal strategy to maximize your EV

[/ QUOTE ]

Dazarath, I must thank you immensely today. I've been thinking about this all day, and sort of realized where I was thinking wrong. And that one line of yours really hits it home. It sums up exactly where my thoughts and my realization process was going.

Sort of an epiphany! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Basically, my way of viewing it was more of a "how can I best avoid losing situations". Almost a "trying to minimize -EV" philosophy. When I should really be trying to think of "trying to maximize +EV"

When I have 3 people and two blinds behind me to act, with 1.5 small bets in the pot, then you are right, it shouldn't really matter how I got there. Whether I'm UTG in 6-handed, or the first 4 people folded 10-handed, my EV for that hand should be the same. And I should play it the same.

(With the whole concept of "an urgency to play because the blinds come around quicker", I think I was bringing in some of my tournament strategies to a ring game when they shouldn't really apply here in the same manner. Urgency in a tournament is different than urgency due to blind frequancy. Sorry about the confusion)

But in realizing this, the biggest thing is that I've realized my late position play in a full ring game can stand to be a LOT more aggressive. I should be looking at it the other way around. My play from MP2 in a full ring game when 4 people fold should match good UTG opening strategy from 6-max.

I guess a lot of my opening strategy from later position in full ring play has been suffering due to the fact that I didn't feel I had a sense of urgency because the blinds don't come around as often. But now I realize that the frequency of the blinds shouldn't even really effect my play at all here.

So I think it's time for me to get more serious about playing some 6-max, and then head back to my full ring games and implement my new found experiences into that play.

Thanks Dazarath - you've made me re-evaluate a whole section of my game that I always though was good, but now realize can improve probably a whole lot more!

If we ever sit down at a table together, drinks are on me for the evening!