Micro NLHE 6-max Adjustments

[frob23]

As I mentioned in another thread, I am going to try and tackle 6-max for the next few months. I am a moderately successful full-ring player but don't seem to have any consistent results playing 6-max and am actually down at the moment for all my recorded sessions.

I am looking for some good general advice on adjustments to make when playing 6-max. Especially when talking about the micro levels (2NL up to 10NL). Obviously something that works at $5/$10NL 6-max is probably not going to work real well in the micros unless it's just absolutely pure +EV no matter how the opponents react.

Any advice is welcome. Example hands are also welcome too. And I might post a couple in here for commentary. Or I'll post the in the hand discussion area and link to them from here.

Also, some good solid articles on beating 6-max would be appreciated. So if you have any links laying around, I'll be glad to check them out.

And, finally, videos would be great. If you know of any free videos commenting on 6-max play, that would be awesome. I can't afford any of the coaching sites and I've watched most of their sample videos. It also seems that most of those sites are for games above the super-micro limits I am currently playing.

Any help would be appreciated. I am going to master these things... and move up. You will see.

[hollygirl]

hey frob i play mostly 6 max and 4. the biggest thing is that it is a roller coaster. come out big pre with top hands. and remeber that everyone there draws to all flushes and str8's that really all i do and im doing ok at 4max and 6 max not really top strategy but it helps me out

[frecklers]

If you don't already use one I would suggest you use a game selector. The key to beating 6 max IMO is having as many fish as poss on your table.

Certainly on full tilt there are numerous 50+ VPIP players at the lower stakes. It's pointless sitting at a table full of regs.

I played with a roll much too small for stakes I was playing as you do get an awful lot of suckouts and in the end I busted at 6 max.


You probably should have 20+ BI and I was playing around 10.


I had 3 or 4 private coaching sessions from a cardrunners coach and the general advice seemed to be Be selective Pre Flop (pairs, Big A's primarily) I was advised to limit my use of suited connectors.

You tend to make your money from Value betting Top pair type hands and your sets. I was advised to value bet like crazy!! Slow playing not required if your table selection is good.

AK, QQ,KK,AA you should always be prepared to get it in pre (Although opponent stats will dictate how you treat QQ & AK)

I'm reckon my biggest leak at lower stakes 6 max cash was actually failing to recognise that FISH don't understand complex play and you can't bluff them off top pair lol.

Brakes need to go on as soon as a draw comes in as the fish will draw like crazy.


Like you mention cardrunners etc. tend to focus on bigger stakes and at those levels the game changes dramatically.

Basic TAG style should be profitable at micro stakes

[Wyte22]

TAG style can work at 6max, but you gotta take into consideration that it is not nearly as effective as it is at Full Ring.

TAG players don't embrace varience as much and they don't like tougher decisions that 6-max brings. Also, you have to loosen your raising range requirements for certain positions to make some money because the blinds come around faster. No longer can you just play 22% of your hands and be profitable, probably playing less than 28% of your hands in 6-max over several hundred hand samples (based on session at a time not overall) is too tight and will cost you money.

Also on BIs, i think going up at least 5-7 BIs more at the same level for 6-max as you would have for Full ring, to compensate for the increased varience.

I agree with Frecklers, Value betting is key in 6max (espically micro stakes) but reading action is even more important at micro stakes. Sometimes the fish will be playing all kinds of garbage that makes 2 pair, etc... and it can be very well disguised. It is just go on read, action leading up to that street and value of hands .v. range of opp hands given how much they play, how many hands they show down, quality of hands shown down. Positional bluffing is almost non-existent in 6max micro-stakes.

[frecklers]

I agree you need to loosen up positional raise range Wyte. I think you can aslo get away with 3 betting relatively lite or squeezing positional raise / callers etc. Plus semi bluff 3 betting cbetted flops etc. At $.25 / $.50 I reckon I was opening up any pair from pretty much any position and my coach seemed to be suggesting that this was +ev, so I went along with him. I was more catious EP however with A10 & AJ (probably opening mainly from mid position with AJ and relatively late with A10)


My stats were rated as Semi Loose / Agressive by standard PT3 auto rate and I reckon I was profitable (just underolled for the limits I was playing). I blew some serious buy ins also tilting over getting hit by real lunatics like 70 VPIP types. (you really gotta learn to deal with getting dumped on and avoid the temptation to start lowering your standards to much against these players).

I agree also that you need to be prepared to make higher variance plays at 6 max although I was not playing at real Micro Micro stakes and I have been advised that you should tighten up the lower you go.

As far as hand reading goes if your table selection is good a lot of the poorer players are loose passive and so they tend to telegraph their big hands. So unless your near nuts you can pretty much lay down as soon as they start to force the action.

I might actually revisit 6 max again myself as I reckon I have just about got my TILT under control these days ( and you can't afford to tilt in that game)

[frob23]

Here's an example hand from one of my 6-max sessions a couple days ago. I posted it over on 2p2 but never got any comments on it. It probably wasn't interesting enough to them or they thought it should be obviousl

http://www.rakeback.com/poker-forum/...743/#post39211

Take a look and see if that's what you'd do in my spot against an over-betting LAG-tard.

[frob23]

I still am not sure exactly how much adjustment I need to be making. But I have resorted to playing pretty close to how I played full ring.

The major differences are:

* I never open limp (not even with hands where I might in full ring at a weak table because it encourages people to limp behind). I know that isn't a great habit at full ring either but it can be profitable at the right table.

* I'll often raise after limpers with a hand like a small pair or suited connectors... since the implied odds of a multi-way pot just aren't there in 6-max.

* I'll 3 bet more often with hands like TT-QQ and even AQs. Which are hands where I might just call a raise (depending on the player) pre-flop in full ring.

* I almost never play dominated Aces even if they are suited. I might raise with a hand like that from the Button in order to steal the blinds but it's not to take a flop with the hand. Hands like A9s are just never profitable in 6-max. I can get away with them in full ring games because in many pots you can expect people to hit a worse flush once in a while. And with more people, you get more expected value.

* I raise a LOT more often when it folds to me on the Button and somewhat more often in the CO. I will raise almost any two cards from the Button if the blinds are passive enough.

That is pretty much it so far. I think. There might be other adjustments that I have made and am forgetting for the moment.

[Silent_Ac3s]

All I play is low/micro stakes 6 max games, and am trying to improve my game still as well. I know of a free website with some extremely useful instructional videos. I will post the link here for others to see if it is acceptable by rakeback.com? This other site also offers rakeback, so I doubt it would be appropriate... lol. Because I do LOVE this site (it is my homepage) and don't want to take away any customers!

IMO the biggest aspect of 6 handed games is maximizing plays with position. At the lower stakes don't overkill it though, it is still unecessary to raise with weaker hands ( 4 5s, 10 8o etc) because people are much less likely to fold to your plays.
Be ready to adjust your game to the shortstacks because they are all over the place, and are sometimes tough to c-bet into without getting committed to the pot.
Look out for your stations also so you can maximize value from them when you do hit a hand.
Lastly, avoid limping/calling preflop as much as possible like you said.


ABC poker is the best way through. Don't force anything.

[keanosdog]

All I play is low/micro stakes 6 max games, and am trying to improve my game still as well. I know of a free website with some extremely useful instructional videos. I will post the link here for others to see if it is acceptable by rakeback.com? This other site also offers rakeback, so I doubt it would be appropriate... lol. Because I do LOVE this site (it is my homepage) and don't want to take away any customers!

IMO the biggest aspect of 6 handed games is maximizing plays with position. At the lower stakes don't overkill it though, it is still unecessary to raise with weaker hands ( 4 5s, 10 8o etc) because people are much less likely to fold to your plays.
Be ready to adjust your game to the shortstacks because they are all over the place, and are sometimes tough to c-bet into without getting committed to the pot.
Look out for your stations also so you can maximize value from them when you do hit a hand.
Lastly, avoid limping/calling preflop as much as possible like you said.


ABC poker is the best way through. Don't force anything.

hey bud , if you have that link i'd appreciate it.