Poker can typically be played with anywhere between 2 and 10 players per table,
depending on the exact variant. Yet, 6️⃣ for some reason, 6-handed tables have become a
clear favourite in the online poker environment when compared to its heads-up 6️⃣ and
full-ring counterparts.
What is the reason for this?
Why Is 6-max poker so
Popular?
There are doubtless many reasons why players pick 6️⃣ 6-max of poker over other
forms of poker. But, there is one reason that seems the most likely. 6-max poker 6️⃣ has
the perfect balance of action. What do we mean by this?
It’s pretty easy to get bored
at a full-ring 6️⃣ table. We might have to play a considerable number of poker hands before
we find ourselves in an exciting situation. 6️⃣ The first 3 seats at a full-ring table are
barely playable and, in the majority of cases, we are forced 6️⃣ to wait for strong premium
holdings. Assuming we do get dealt a premium, it can sometimes be tough to get 6️⃣ any
decent action because the average full-ring (FR) player is very tight.
A heads up (HU)
match is the complete opposite. 6️⃣ We are involved in pretty much every hand, and any 2
cards can be playable from the BTN/SB. We don’t 6️⃣ get any breathing space whatsoever and
need to be constantly alert. HU is a great choice for action junkies, but 6️⃣ can be too
intense for many players.
We also potentially lose the feeling of “anonymity” that some
players value. In a 6️⃣ 6-max or FR game, our opponents will not have all of their
attention constantly fixated on us. In HU, our 6️⃣ opponent is watching our every move,
scrutinizing us, looking for leaks. Some players don’t like the additional pressure
this feeling 6️⃣ brings.
So now when we consider something like 6-max poker, we should be
able to see why many players pick it 6️⃣ as their game of choice. We should also remember,
that some of these choices have a bit of a knock-on 6️⃣ or “trending” effect. The majority
of cash game players pick 6-max, so when a new cash game player arrives on 6️⃣ the scene,
they might opt to pick 6-max games, because it is typically considered “cooler” by the
community.
6-max poker vs 6️⃣ Other Variants
The general idea is that the more shorthanded
the format, the wider the ranges it is considered correct to 6️⃣ play. So, a decent
tight-aggressive 6-max poker regular might play 23% of all hands dealt, while a decent
tight-aggressive full-ring 6️⃣ regular only plays about 16%, or even tighter in some
cases.
In HU games, it can be considered correct to play 6️⃣ 100% range when we are first
to act in the BTN/SB. Our overall playable range would be well above 50% 6️⃣ when we take
into consideration both positions.
6-max poker does share some similarities with other
variants. Poker position strategy is important. 6️⃣ So typically the later our position,
the more hands it can be correct to play.
As a rough guide for our 6️⃣ raising range
assuming the action is folded around to us preflop -
UTG – 14%
MP – 18%
CO – 27%
BTN –
48%
SB 6️⃣ – 36%
The same is true when we consider preflop 3betting (a re-raise when facing
an open-raise from our opponents).
MP 4%
CO 6️⃣ 6%
BTN 9%
SB 8%
BB 8%
It’s also a general
trend that the more shorthanded we play, the wider postflop ranges will get 6️⃣ on average.
So, assuming we face a flop raise we should give a full-ring regular a large amount of
credit, 6️⃣ while we give a 6-max regular less credit.
By the time we consider HU games,
flop raises are typically a lot 6️⃣ more commonplace and are not necessarily representative
of an especially strong range. A decent 6max poker player will be raising 6️⃣ around 15% of
flop-cbets. The average player raises a lot less than this, however.
Population
Tendencies
In order to become a strong 6️⃣ six max player, it can be worth knowing a few of
the common tendencies we will see in such games, 6️⃣ and how they differ from optimal
values.
As an example, the average 6-max poker player does not 3bet as much as 6️⃣ is
recommended. A good 6-max regular will typically have a 3bet frequency of around 7-10%.
The average 6-max poker player 6️⃣ at lower limit games is likely to 3bet closer to 4% of
hands.
This information has an effect on how we 6️⃣ should respond when facing a 3bet from
an unknown opponent. It’s essentially going to be fine to fold a huge 6️⃣ percentage
against 3bets since the average player is not really 3betting us that much.
When
high-level players are involved in a 6️⃣ 6-max poker battle, it is common for them to fold
to 3bets just under 60% of the time. But assuming 6️⃣ we are playing low limit 6-max poker
games we can make an exploitative adjustment and fold even as much as 6️⃣ 70% of the
time.
Technically this means we are exploitable, but since most of our opponents will
not adjust, we are 6️⃣ the ones exploiting them for having too tight of a 3bet range.
Here
are some additional population tendencies that make our 6️⃣ lives a lot easier and allow us
to find an exploitative response to various 6-max poker situations.
The average player
raises 6️⃣ 7% of flops instead of the recommended 15%. We can give a ton of credit to flop
raises.
The average player 6️⃣ will never 3bet bluff any street…ever. We can fold anything
but premiums against a flop 3bet for example.
Pot-sized bets are 6️⃣ typically a sign of a
premium holding and rarely a bluff.
Triple barrels are heavily weighted towards value
and should be 6️⃣ given a ton of respect.
Turn raise (2bet) is usually the nuts.
River
raise (2bet) is usually the nuts.
There are doubtless many 6️⃣ more population tendencies
that can improve the exploitative side of our game, but this list is a good place to
6️⃣ start.
Identifying Fish
There are 6 available seats at a 6-handed poker table, and not
all of them are equal. Some seats 6️⃣ are better than others. It depends on who else is at
the table and how they are arranged.
The general objective 6️⃣ is to “get position” on a
weaker player. By “position” we mean sitting directly to that player’s left. This means
6️⃣ in the majority of cases we will act after that player on each street. The only
exception is when he 6️⃣ is on the BTN, and we are in the SB.
The scenario we don’t like is
when we have a strong, 6️⃣ aggressive opponent directly to our left. In many cases, this
can be the difference between making money or losing money 6️⃣ in a given session.
But how
do we identify the weaker players in the first place. There are two very easy
6️⃣ ways.
This player has a tendency to open limp Good 6-max poker players rarely, if ever,
open-limp. As soon as we 6️⃣ see a player who prefers to limp the majority of his preflop
holdings rather than come in for a raise, 6️⃣ we have likely identified a weak opponent.
This player does not have the rebuy option enabled Good 6-max regulars typically 6️⃣ use
the “rebuy” feature to automatically top-up their stack when they lose chips. In most
cases, this top-up amount will 6️⃣ be 100bb, but sometimes it will be another round number
such as 40bb or 50bb, depending on their exact strategy. 6️⃣ If we see a player with a
random looking stack-size (76bb for example), and he clearly does not have the
6️⃣ auto-rebuy function enabled, we have likely found a weaker opponent. We can use this to
help us table select effectively. 6️⃣ The best targets are players with stacks between 50bb
and 99bb.
6-max – Standard Bet-Sizing
Another way we can identify weaker opponents 6️⃣ is
to look out for unorthodox bet-sizings. Naturally, very good players make use of
unorthodox bet-sizings, but good players are 6️⃣ few and far between. This means that on
any given occasion where we see our opponent using a non-standard sizing, 6️⃣ we have
likely identified a fish.
In order to recognize non-standard sizings, though, we need a
rough idea of what standard 6️⃣ sizings are. Here are some of the most common
ones.
Open-Raise – Anywhere between 2bb and 4bb, but most frequently between 6️⃣ 2 and
2.5bb.
3bet – Usually about 3 times the size of the open raise
4bet – Usually about 2.2
– 2.5 6️⃣ times the size of the 3bet. (3x 4bets are a big tell in many cases)
5bet – All-in
assuming 100bb effective 6️⃣ stacks
Cbet in -
Single-Raised-Pot – 66% pot
3bet Pot – 50%
pot (or just over)
4bet Pot – 33% pot (or just over)
Flop 6️⃣ raise -
Single Raised Pot – 3
times the size of the cbet
3bet Pot – 2.2-2.5 times the size of the 6️⃣ cbet
4bet Pot –
Either a jam or a min-raise
Naturally this is not an exhaustive list, but it should be
enough 6️⃣ to help us identify weaker opponents by their bet-sizing.
6-max is Fun
The most
important thing when first trying out 6-max poker 6️⃣ is to think deeply about the action.
But also to enjoy the experience, especially if we come from a full-ring 6️⃣ background. We
might find it refreshing that we can get involved a little bit more and not spend the
majority 6️⃣ of our time waiting for premium holdings.
6-max poker, in essence, feels a
little bit closer to the true nature of 6️⃣ the game – the pace is faster, more exciting,
and we get to see a lot more action.
