6max is supposed to be more profitable...

[fretelöo]

... right?

I'm sure everyone heard this from someone during their poker career - that you should move over to 6max as soon as possible as it's more profitable than FR.

This might seem like a very naive question - but why is that so? Over in the SSSH forum, they have an extensive faq with all kinds of interesting stuff in it, but that question goes by unanswered.

Tbh, I have some problems understanding that.

There are a few things I could think of:

1) You play more hands
2) Single pair-type hands gain strenght

however, shouldn't that be offset by

3) SC's going down in value as your implied odds for flushes and straights tend to decrease?
4) etc.

I don't think it's just as easy as all fish playing 6max and therefore it being more profitable and all.

Reason for asking: There are a few sites I play on where it would be a lot easier to clear boni with 6max than FR, but if I don't even know why I should be playing it... [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[bbbushu]

freteloo,

this is by no means a comprehensive answer but i think it's mainly due to the idea that you can take fuller advantage of any edge you have over your opponents by playing more hands against them as well as stressing marginal edges (that they may not know about) and pushing thin value in places where most players don't think to get maximum bang from their hand.

the vast minority of profit in any poker should probably come from flushes and straights, etc, and short-handed more than makes up for decreased implied odds if hero knows how to play good top-pair hands (and drawing hands, which certainly still have their place).

i play it because full ring is too boring (tbh, so is 6 max lol even though i kinda suck at it sometimes) and its more fun.

if you're better than your villain, you should make more money at a short table than a full one.

if you're freteloo...

bbbushu

[DavidC]

no, 6-max is a less profitable structure than full ring.

just like limit is a less profitable structure than no-limit

However... follow the fish, because that's more profitable than any structure, or for that matter, any particular type of poker.

[Bona]

I decided to try to learn to play 6 max effectively, specifically to learn better blind stealing and blind defense play. I also struggle with a weak tight nature and thought 6 max might help me overcome that. Now those were my goals and I think maybe I have made some progress in those departments (with more work needed [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img])

But the biggest improvement I have noticed since I started with 6 max is reading players. I think because there are fewer of them (although sometimes the turnover is wild) I am often better able to get a read and as a result am more confident playing according to the read. Is that a result of playing 6 max? or just playing more hands and getting more experience in general? Don't know for sure but I think 6 max is helping me improve my game.

[Marquis]

Your 6max opponents play worse, that's the only reason.

[bozlax]

[ QUOTE ]
I decided to try to learn to play 6 max effectively, specifically to learn better blind stealing and blind defense play.

[/ QUOTE ]

fwiw, the first of these is a terrible reason to play micro-limit short-handed. You can't steal. Period. Part of what makes mlsh so profitable is the pervasive, "everybody's so aggro, you never know when they have a hand" attitude that makes players look you up on a paired board with jack-high. However, that makes pure stealing nearly impossible.

Blind defense, of course, is strengthened, for the exact same reason. "Oh, I'm playing 6-max, so I should raise any two suited cards in the CO if it's folded/limped to me."

[bravos1]

[ QUOTE ]
no, 6-max is a less profitable structure than full ring.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure I agree w/ this. It is true that you pay the blinds more, but so do your opponents. You opponents will play significantly worse than you in their blinds and the 6max structure magnifies your opponents weaknesses because even they are playing more hands (worse hands in 6m) than FR, and play them just as poorly and sometimes worse.

You do lose some implieds regarding draws, but make up for that in the increased equity of hands like one pair or even Ace high.

With that said, I am playing more 6max of late and have been getting my azz handed to me more than I have hoped for, but variance sucks, and I keep plugging along.

Any structure where poor opponents play even more hands is a good structure for a good player!

[BigBadBabar]

what's a micro limit? at 1/2 and 2/4 there's lots of blind stealing.

[bravos1]

[ QUOTE ]
what's a micro limit? at 1/2 and 2/4 there's lots of blind stealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I concur... and the even fold sometimes [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[BigBadBabar]

mine gets stolen all the time [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]