do you use effective M?

Dr1Gonzo · #1 10-13-2006, 06:32 AM

In case you don't know, effective M refers to your actual M and the number of players on your table.
It is calculated by:

M x (Number of players on table/10)
Note: edited this to read 10 instead of full no. of players

So, you have an M of 10 on the final table but it is now 5 handed. Your effective M is therefore:
10 x 5/10 = 5

This is supposed to indicate how aggressive you should be but it effectively turns 3xBB raise situations into pushes.

Does anyone actually use this? I really only see it happening when there's 2 tables left in an MTT just before players reach the final table...and then on the final table itself.

Kieran · #2 10-13-2006, 06:34 AM

Why does the size of a full table matter? Surely playing 5/6 is no different to playing 5/10.

Dr1Gonzo · #3 10-13-2006, 06:59 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Why does the size of a full table matter? Surely playing 5/6 is no different to playing 5/10.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you more aggressive at a 6 handed table than at a 10 handed table?...because you should be

diebitter · #4 10-13-2006, 07:26 AM

Yes, I use it.

It's important as it reflects how many hands you play if you were to just fold. An M of 10 at a full table is an M of 5 at a 5-handed table, because you would actually on play half the hands you would at a full table if you were folding everying. Your opportunities to get good hands are therefore halved.

Dr1Gonzo · #5 10-13-2006, 07:30 AM

Most final tables then, possibly until you get to the last 3, should be all-in fests if everyone is playing to this strategy?

Optisizer · #6 10-13-2006, 07:49 AM

M helps me keeping track of the urgency with which I need to play, not what types of plays I need to do. For that I still use multiples of BB. Besides, my playing frequency and aggression tend to increase naturally anyway at a short-handed table, simply by assuming a six-handed UTG hand being equal to a first-in MP hand at a full table

Jeff76 · #7 10-13-2006, 07:54 AM

I was just thinking about this recently. I do not use effective M for pushbotting. While effective M DOES tell me how desperate I am, it doesn't change the percentage that the blinds and antes will add to my stack. With antes I am only typically adding ~1.75 BB to my stack at a short handed table, so pushbotting with an effective M of 5 (adding 1.75BB to a 17.5BB stack) at a short table is less valuable than with a real M of 5 (adding 2BB to a 10BB stack) at a full table. So I am not pushing 15-20BB with a marginal hand just because we are short handed.

I AM however opening my range and playing a lot short handed. But since I'm normally opening light from late positions anyway, this is only natural. I just think of short tables as full tables where the first couple of people have already folded to me. With 15-20 BB I have enough to put pressure on the blinds PF without comitting my entire stack.

Jeff76 · #8 10-13-2006, 07:59 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Why does the size of a full table matter? Surely playing 5/6 is no different to playing 5/10.

[/ QUOTE ]Size matters because with a low effective M you are in more danger of blind out than you appear. At a full table with an M of 10 You have 90 hands you'll be able to see before you are blinded out. This means you have to find a spot, but you've still got some time. With and M of 10 at a 6 person table, you are only going to see 60 more hands if you don't find a spot, so your situation is a little more dire. Especially given that the last 30 or so of these hands hardly count because you dont have any FE. If you are 4 handed, you have 40 more hands before you blind out.

diebitter · #9 10-13-2006, 08:00 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Most final tables then, possibly until you get to the last 3, should be all-in fests if everyone is playing to this strategy?

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess but it doesn't happen that way. Surviving when you have a small stack and there are other small/medium stacks that could go any time >>>>>>>>>> M play.

Kieran · #10 10-13-2006, 08:48 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why does the size of a full table matter? Surely playing 5/6 is no different to playing 5/10.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you more aggressive at a 6 handed table than at a 10 handed table?...because you should be

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, but I'm no more or less aggressive playing 5-handed and a 6-max table than I am playing 5-handed at a 10-max table, which was my point about full table size.