Six Max Baby Steps

[MrWookie]

For my 1000th post, I figured I should post something a little more substantial than "fold preflop," or "stick it in her pooper." I'll leave it up to you guys to decide if this is actually worth reading, but it's at least longer.

I've been thinking quite a bit about 6 max play lately. Mostly this is because I've been playing it that much. I found Absolute's 6 max games are much softer than it's full ring play, and I can never seem to run out of bonus there. I also found myself helping another 2+2er make his first foray into 6 max play, and every other day or so we seem to get a post here about people feeling lost at 1/2 6 max. While I'm a perpetual student of 6 max, and poker in general, I have managed to learn a few things and compile a pretty good deal of information from the forums here, specifically about taking those first few baby steps.

About a month ago, someone posted a poll in both HUSH and small stakes (sorry, lost the link) asking if people thought learning full ring or short handed play was more difficult. The overwhelming response from both forums was, to the surprise of virtually no one, that people thought learning 6 max play was more difficult. One poster chimed in, though, with a comment that rang very true: every full ring player encounters situations resembling 6 max play every single time they play, but a 6 max player will never see many situations from full ring. A similar thesis was also discussed by Ed Miller in his April 2005 article on preflop play in short handed situations. He argued that the commonly stated idea, "In shorthanded games you pay the blinds more often, so you have to play more hands to compensate," was incorrect. Instead, he stated, "Playing in a shorthanded game is theoretically no different from playing in a full game where some players have folded. Being under the gun in a four-handed game is the same situation as being one off the button in a ten-handed game where everyone has folded to you."

When people talk about short-handed situations, they are frequently talking in the same breath about all the adjustments you need to make: how you need to be more aggressive, how you need to defend your blinds, how you need to find value in marginal hands, how A high has showdown value, how you should never open-limp, how all these maniacs will 3-bet with anything, etc. All these things are true, for the most part, but there are two major undertones here that are incorrect: one, that 6 max play is significantly different from full ring play, and two, that these are things you shouldn't be doing in full ring play.

Those two thoughts, I believe, are the two biggest issues that people have when they start out in 6 max play, myself included. Short-handed play gets filed in their heads as a completely different game, and people walk into it looking to make radical adjustments in their play. Sensible, winning 2+2ers will do things like try to steal against loose blinds with J2o, call down with Q high, defend their big blind from a tight player with 93s, and 3-bet a turn check/raise from a passive player after a scare card drops when holding second pair. Most 2+2ers wouldn't dream of doing these things in a full ring game, and yet it happens all the time when you put a good player at his first 6 max table.

Six max play is still poker. Repeat that. Six max play is still poker - the same game we know and love, and know how to beat. Pot odds still apply. Bottom pair is is not the nuts. Turn check/raises on paired boards from passive players still tend to mean sad things for AA. Sets can still get cracked. Sometimes, yes, the other guy does have the flush. Never forget the things you learned from SSH and from the thousands of hands of full ring you've played up to this point. The same fundamentals still apply. Any experienced 2+2er should be able to sit down at a 6 max table and make NO adjustments from their full ring play and still be successful. All he or she needs to do is play every hand as if it was folded to MP2.

That's the real trick, though, and that's the reason why people talk about all the adjustments you need to make. People are making adjustments to 6 max play because they are lacking in important concepts from full ring play. That is also why most veterans say playing 1/2 6 max is crucial before moving up to 2/4 and beyond. If you're lacking in one of the "adjustments" you need to make, you are an incomplete poker player, even strictly in terms of full ring play.

Therein lies the beauty of 6 max play. It brings to the fore concepts that you can ignore in full ring play and still be a winning player. For example, in full ring play, you check a garbage hand in the BB after the CO open-limps, the button limps, and the SB folds. On the flop, you hit second pair on a ragged flop. The natural inclination of many full ring players is to just check/fold and not give the hand a second thought. You don't have to when playing full ring. You'll get paid off well enough when you make it to the river holding the nut flush and the pot is still five handed to make up for the very slim EV in the previous hand. When you're playing short-handed, however, there is no way you can possibly get paid off as well as full ring when you hit something good. Therefore, you had better start finding value elsewhere, or else those blinds are going to eat you alive.

Many more concepts come out to play like this. Preflop strategy changes because open limping is a no-no, just like it is for later positions in full ring (check out Ollie's hand in the second thread, too - not only his good play, but his last sentence). Reads, real reads, become more important, because you'll find yourself heads-up with the same people more often. Hand reading becomes more important because you have to know when your bottom pair has some value. Unimproved overcard and underpair (and more underpair) play become more important because you'd better be extracting some value here as well. It's a big part of your win rate. When you find yourself playing in the blinds 66% more often, you'd darn well better find a good way to minimize your losses, given that everyone loses money from the blinds. The thing is, these situations come up in full ring as well, but people are too used to taking the easy route and folding. As NPA said in one of the articles I linked above, "...you guys are hesitant to play marginal hands in spots that are profitable but uncomfortable. Yes, you aren't thrilled that you have unimproved ace-king in a big pot, but that's what you got, and you have to make the best play with it. It seems that some of you don't want to make the correct play because it MIGHT (note caps) leave you with a "tough" river decision." Playing 6 max forces you to make the tough decisions and play correctly in the uncomfortable spots that you may have been avoiding because of how much of your winnings comes from the sum of all the marginal situations you encounter. The best part, though, is that the ability to play in these marginal situations in 6 max play will do nothing but improve your full ring play as well. Just remember, though, that there's still a difference between a marginal hand and a truly awful one.

I guess as long as I'm citing everything under the sun, here are a couple more good threads with links to other good threads.

Once I finally realized that I was playing the same game at a 6 max table as I was and should have been at a full ring table, it was pretty easy to tell that I had become a better poker player. I was going to play my same good, solid poker game no matter how many people were sitting at the table. I knew I had gone from toddling and falling on my ass to being able to take a few good steps. Next up: jogging, running, strutting, and dancing.

[gharp]

Nice post! Congrats on 1000, and thanks for the collection of links.

I had the same problems when I first started playing 6-max (I need to raise with every Ax!, etc). In fact, I may have done everything you mentioned in that paragraph at some point in my first several sessions. I've learned to slow down, but I'm still working at it. It's been pretty rewarding (and fun) so far.

[Firefly]

Beautiful post. Straight to the favourites.

I'll probally start 1/2 6-max fairly soon. I'm going to get up to 450BB before i start (because i'm a wuss) I find 6-max to be alot of fun. Being agressive is fun, playing the opponents is fun. Agreed that it is still poker, but passive play has no calling in 6-max, it's either bet or bust. All 6-max players should also be constantly reading HUSH. It's a great fourm with lots of advice. Anyhow, good post and good luck

[Nfinity]

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I also found myself helping another 2+2er make his first foray into 6 max play

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Sweet I got mentioned!!


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Sensible, winning 2+2ers will do things like try to steal against loose blinds with J2o, call down with Q high, defend their big blind from a tight player with 93s, and 3-bet a turn check/raise from a passive player after a scare card drops when holding second pair.

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You said you wouldn't tell. At least you didn't mention the 75o, or the folded straight on the river. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]


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Six max play is still poker. Repeat that. Six max play is still poker

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This is probably the single most important advice you gave me. I came to realize that some of the reason that 6-max is more profitable than full, besides the more playable hands and hands per hour, is that the fish play looser at 6-max.(yep, it's possible.) If, however, you fail to grasp this concept, your virtually negating that positive aspect of 6-max play. Toss in the added bonus of being able to make bone-headed loose plays at an excelerated Hands/hr., and you start hemoraghing money.

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Once I finally realized that I was playing the same game at a 6 max table as I was and should have been at a full ring table, it was pretty easy to tell that I had become a better poker player.

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Your on to something here. I'd be willing to wager this is where everyone's problem with their 1/2 transitions is.(mine included) Yes, I'll give you that there are more weak-tighty bonuswhoring rocks at that limit. But take a second to figure out what that means. Does it mean that most of your hands will be short-handed? DING!! Does it mean that you'll be in positions where you may need to defend your blinds more often from possible steal raises? DING!! Does it mean that you'll find yourself in HU situations more, Often with marginal holdings? DING DING!!

My testimonial: With MrWookie's help, and a little bit of studying on my part, I went from hemoraghing money at 6-max(we're talking over 100 BBs in one 4 hr session) to at this moment in the black and on the verge of clearing Absolute's initial sign up bonus. This in the span of about a week. It's not that hard, Don't be scar'd.

I'd like to add a little recommended reading of my own, if I may: First off, re-read the river section of SSH, the part about Value betting on the river especially, this comes up TONS. The Short Handed section of HEFAP, as well as the couple of HU sections in there as well. Finally, the Short Handed section of Inside the Poker mind is excellent(I just got it today, partially for this section.)

MrWookie thanks for your help, and thank you for a wonderful post. See you at Absolute.

[djg40]

Wow, amazing post Wookie. This is the first post that I have put immediately into my favorites. Thanks for all the tips and the links. Awesome.

[MrWookie]

I very much disagree with you when you say that passive play has no place in 6 max. Passive play is correct in exactly the same places as it is in full ring. That is one of my main arguments. Too many 2+2ers blindly ratchet up their aggression in situations where it'd be considered lunacy in full ring, but they justify it, saying "You have to be more aggressive in 6 max!!" If you open-raise A9o in the CO and the button 3-bets you, the standard WA/WB line is typically correct when you spike an A on the flop for exactly the same reasons as it is for full ring. You still don't want KK to fold, and you still might be behind AK. Play the poker you know how to play.

And Nfinity, the mistakes I cited above were deliberatly changed to protect the guilty, but if you want to own up to them, that's your perogative. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Firefly]

Okay, small difference of semantics i think.
Calling is good. But being PASSIVE, is not good. Though I am a 6-max newb, finding the medium between passive and agressive is necessary.
Many full ring players (me included) will see a small pocket pair and limp it generally without thinking too much. Generally you aren't making a huge mistake if you limp a small pp in a full ring game. But if you just limp in 6-max, your error is compounded, because of the agressive nature and short handed nature of the game.

Oh and this:
[ QUOTE ]
If you open-raise A9o in the CO and the button 3-bets you, the standard WA/WB line is typically correct when you spike an A on the flop for exactly the same reasons as it is for full ring. You still don't want KK to fold, and you still might be behind AK. Play the poker you know how to play.

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I totally agree with.

[Nfinity]

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And Nfinity, the mistakes I cited above were deliberatly changed to protect the guilty, but if you want to own up to them, that's your perogative.

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I kinda thought you might have made most of those up. Did I really do those things?

WOW.

Edit: I don't mind bustin' myself out if it gets people to think you might know what your talking about, cuz you do.

[MrWookie]

I disagree with you there, too. If you're on the button with 22, and there are two limpers to you in a 6 max game, limping yourself is AOK, just like full ring. Limping 22 UTG in a full ring game is +EV because you are typically guaranteed an appropriate number of callers. However, if it's folded to you in MP2, open-limping 22 is no longer a good plan. You're less likely to get a good number of limpers along with you.

You are correct, however, in that your average aggression stats will go up relative to your full ring play. You get to be more aggressive in marginal situations because they are more likely to be profitable when there are already fewer people. Don't forget, though, that if you find yourself against few opponents in a full ring game again with a marginal holding, you should be considering the same things about the value of your hand as you would in a 6 max game.

[Firefly]

Okay, same thoughts different wavelengths. I understand where you must have misunderstood me. I type my posts out too quickly sometimes.