Thursday, February 24th, 2005
Opening Standards in 6-Max
I feel like I have learned a ridiculous amount about playing short handed and heads up in the last few weeks. The amount of information that is out there is pretty intense, but I think that with a little work and playing experience, any competent player can achieve a 2BB/100 winrate after a while. 6-max/short-handed games are so completely different from regular ring games that I am not sure that I could make a dime at the latter right now.
Anyway, when I first started playing these games at the beginning of the month, I was posting a VPIP of 40 or so and an agression factor (af) in the high 3s. I have calmed my LAGiness somewhat and feel like I am in a nice groove now – VPIP around 26, PFR of 17+…and a lower af (high 2s). I’ll post exact stats at the end of the month. One thing I am focusing on right now may be the least important – pre-flop play. In 6-max/short-handed games, you make your money post-flop, but I feel like if you go into battle with crap cards you are going to kill your chances. My philosophy is to keep the pre-flop limping to an absolute minimum and *never* open with a call. Here is what I am looking like pre-flop and I would appreciate any comments:
Open for a Raise from Any Positon (UTG, MP, CO, Button)
AA-77, AKs-A8s, AKo-AJo, KQs-KTs, KQo, QJs, JTs
Open for a Raise starting from MP, CO, or Button
The above, plus 66-44, ATo-A9o, K9s, KJo, QTs
Open for a Raise starting from CO or Button
The above plus 33-22, A7s-A2s, A8o, K8s, KT-K9, Q9s, QJ, QT, J9s, J8s, JT
Open for a raise from the Button
The above plus A7o-A2o, Q8s, T9s
I am tinkering with open-limping small pairs and small suited aces early in passive games, but the stuff at party is so unpredictable that I usually get burned. I took MEBenhoe’s starting hand chart, played with it a bit, and turned it into an Excel spreadsheet that prints out on one page if anyone is interested. It doesn’t include blind play, but as I am finding – that is a whole different ballgame anyway (read the HU section in HEPFAP for this stuff).
I went to war at Intertops last night. And when I say war, I mean I stripped down to my underwear and put on some slippers and fired up four tables of 6-max. I finished off the bonus pretty quickly and ended up +14BB, for a net profit of $128. What does it say about me that I was mildly disappointed to not be up more than that? Two months ago I would have been ecstatic not to LOSE money. Hell. Two weeks ago. Still, it says a lot for how much my game has progressed in just the short term and I am eager to take on the Party reload this weekend. Anyway, I cashed out of there last night and logged into the sportsbook this morning and transferred to neteller. If Intertops holds true to form, I should see that money next Wednesday at the earliest.
In other news, Pokerroom is holding me to my 3,000 raked hands for $300 bonus – but at least I talked them into making it a non-expiring bonus. Now I can clear it at my leisure. I will still try and take advantage of that big 30% to $300 reload though – just need to move some more money.
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 24th, 2005 at 11:06 am by Posted By Chris and is filed under Bonuses, Ring Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
February 24th, 2005 at 10:58 pm
It’s interesting to compare your starting hands with my list. I’m a fairly tight 6-max player pre-flop (somewhere around 19% VPIP, 13% PFR), which probably works against me in these games. I just haven’t found a way to open up my game and play weaker hands in profitable positions. I’m still beating Party 1/2 6 max for 3BB/100, so I shouldn’t complain too much. Still, I feel like I’m leaving money on the table at points.
Anyway, for comparison’s sake, here’s my 6max preflop chart. I break hands down into 2 groups. Group 1 hands are hands that I’ll raise with in any position. The top half of the Group 1 hands will reraise a raiser, otherwise it’s a fold – no coldcalling here. Group 2 hands are playable in CO and the Button, either to open-raise with or to limp in with if there are limpers already in.
Group 1:
AA-88, AKs-A8s, KQs-K9s, QJs, AK-AJ, KQ-KJ.
Group 2:
77-22, A7s-A6s, K8s, QTs, JTs-J8s, T9s-T8s, 98s-97s, AT-A8, QJ-QT, JT.
February 25th, 2005 at 10:36 am
Well, you are obviously having success with that, but I definitely think you could open it up a bit and get some more value. If you are hitting 3BB/100 you are probably a dman good post-flop player, which means it won’t kill you to open-raise from MP with 77-55, QTs, JTs, and AT. A lot of folks advocate opening 77 with a raise from anywhere.
Are you not re-raising with AKo and AQo? What’s the reasoning there? If you look at your own starting hands chart, you’ll see that those hands are still way ahead of a lot of open raises and you can probaly expand what you are up against when you consider the crap that the typical party 6maxer is raising with (I have seen pre-flop capped with A3o).
I know I always cite 2+2, but just for comparison’s sake, the general consensus there seems to be around 25 vpip and 17% pfr – as skilled as you are, it definitely sounds like you might be leaving some money out there by not opening with some of these hands in MP – and losing even more by not re-raising more often.
No cold-calling is cool – I only do it for one bet if I am on the button and there are going to be at least 3 others in the hand with me and I have a wired pair or suited ace. Easy to let that stuff go if the flop misses you.
February 25th, 2005 at 10:59 am
I’ll start moving some hands up to Group 1 like you suggest, and will probably throw in the rest of the suited aces into the bottom group. I’ll have 1400 raked hands to play on Party, so that should give me a decent check on this new list. I’ve always heard numbers around 25 VPIP being best, but I’ve had my years of tight full-ring training telling me that even a VPIP of 19 was too loose.
BTW, When I said I reraise with the top half of my group 1 hands, I actually meant something like AA-JJ, AKs-AJs, KQs, AK-AQ, KQ. I’m always going to raise AKo, no matter what!
February 25th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
Sounds good. You just keep your TAGness as far away from Subby5000 this weekend as possible…got it?
February 26th, 2005 at 2:48 pm
“Read the Blog!”
Really…why do we have these blogs? Come on now…don’t give me that “it’s for myself” bit – if it was really just for you, a simple Word document would suffice. Or a nice leather bound book, with some burnt out…
February 26th, 2005 at 5:52 pm
Enjoyed the post – I haven’t played 6-max in a while (aside from this morning). I’ll definitely give your hands a try. I’d love a link to your Excel spreadsheet if you don’t mind. Or drop it in an email. Thanks!
February 26th, 2005 at 8:36 pm
Shelly – absolutely…it is actually on my computer at work, so I’ll email it to you on Monday if that’s cool with you…
Thanks!
February 28th, 2005 at 4:50 am
Just found your blog, and I like reading about other poker players out there. I have been playing full ring games for a while now and am looking at 6-handed for a change of pace. If you could send me the excel chart as well that’d be nice.
October 4th, 2005 at 3:50 pm
a
October 4th, 2005 at 3:52 pm
c
October 4th, 2005 at 3:53 pm
I disagree with your opinion
October 4th, 2005 at 4:18 pm
awesome
April 6th, 2006 at 8:17 am
what if the table is 5 handed? could use some advise here
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