I SUCK at Short Handed I Need Help!!!!!!!!

[El Tigre]

Okay so I have been playing the 3-6 and 5-10 6 max games at WSEX the last couple weeks. I've learned that I suck at shorthanded holdem. I just cant seem to do anything right. I know you have to play looser and more agressive, but it seems I seem to always do it in the wrong spots. I think a big problem is my small blind play, like what do to when everyone folds and i have 87s or K5 or A2. I seem to get beasted on when I calldown on boards where i have bottom pair or ace high on a dry board. Also I have a lot of trouble laying down hands like top pair to checkraises on the turn.
Okay thats enough of the ranting I have some actual questions.

1.Are there times, like say you have 2nd pair out of position where you try to keep the pots small and go into checkcall mode, or are you betting and calling raises?

2.How loose do you raise on the Button? first in, or with 1 limper?

3.How loosely do you raise your SB when everyone has folded?

4. How loosely do you defend your blinds to an apparent steal raise from the CO or Button? Are you 3 betting all of the hands you are defending or are you smooth calling?

5. Do you ever fold semi big hands to turn checkraises?
Say you have A10 on a 10 9 7 5? with a flush card coming
Say you have A10 on a 10 9 9 8?
Say you have A10 on an A 5 4 3?
Say you have A 10 on an A J 9 J?

6.Do you put stop losses on your sessions at all like say 30BB?

7.What type of boards are you looking to call down weakly say with A high when you have called a raise from the button and the flop is J 5 2 rainbow? or when you call a raise from the BB with 87s and the flop is J 8 5? Are you checkraising these?

8. Do you ever get fancy, with checkraise bluffs, or donkbet bluffs when scarecards come. How much bluffing do you do?

9. I remember seeing a short handed preflop chart here sometime ago, however the link i have for it doesnt work, does anyone have it, or have something like it?

I know I'm asking a lot with this, and I THANK YOU GREATLY for your effort in responding. Also I think that this will not only help me but will help you as you think about your responses, and could help your game.

THANKS AGAIN GUYS, I will be reading and posting as much as I can, as I am tired of tilting off huge amounts of my bankroll because I cant even beat 5-10 6max!!!!

[TomBrooks]

Learning to play SH at 5/10 has got to be a rather expensive proposition unless you are fabulously wealthy. I suggest you consider it a learning experience and do it the inexpensive way--drop down...way down. If you think you can come into a new game and learn it and make big money, or even break even at anything other than micro or low limits at the same time, I think you are mistaken.

Also, get and follow the starting hand chart and do not play looser than it says until you can identify the tables and places where you can and you are sure about you're play.

[El Tigre]

I agree but i have played probably 60k hands of shorthanded, and still havent quite figured it out. I will have weeks where I cannot lose a hand, and others where I cannot win one. I think I am playing too loose preflop but dont really know as I dont have a guideline as there is in SSHE. Also the rakeback at WSEX equates to like 2.5BB/100 so even with margianally losing I'm still showing a profit.

[Oink]

FWIW I play 2/4 - 5/10 and run at 28/21, ASB 40, Fold BB to steal 45.

1) Yes, e.g.: I open KJ OTB, BB 3 bets flop comes QJx. Say I defend K6 against BTN steal and flop comes 962, here I raise for value and to see where I am at. Basically it depends on how likely it is that villain calls with a worse hand and how likely it is he is gonna 3 bet with a better hand.

2) My raise first in OTB is around 40-45%. With 1 limper it depends hugely on that limpers quality and the blinds. But I would guess its around 20%.

3) First in in a 1-2 blind structure: 50-55% but depends on the BB's fold BB to steal. If he is tight enough I raise any 2.

4) Depends on villain's ASB. Say its 35%, then I call 50% HU against CO and 65% HU against BTN and 85% against SB.

5) That would take a very good read for me to fold in any of those spots. Villain needs to be VERY straight forward and passive and/or the pot needs to be small.

6) Yes but not at 30BB. Last night I went 75BB down within the first 45 minutes and ended up at +20BB. The swings are to big to start crying when dropping 30BB.

7) That would depend on villain's range. 6max is to dynamic to hand out rigid guidelines for this.

8) Yes, in big pots against weak tight players with low WTSD. But I doubt its more than once in 200 hands

9) I suggest finding that chart, watching coaching videos and using pokerstove to work out your starting hand requirements. Stoxtrader's coaching videos has helped me big time on this and other issues.

[ChexNFX]

60k is not a very long time.

[Bullitos]

For some people it is [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]