My ABC’s (online, micro 6max)

I’m just looking for constructive criticism on this. This is what I consider to be my ABC game, I would like some people to go over it and point out anything that they disagree with.
Most of my current play isn’t actually online, but my approach to the live game is way too goofy to discuss, online however I’m currently playing a mix of 25nl and 10nl, both 6 max and my overall strategy for online play is something like as follows:
SB: fold, a lot. If BB is too tight or just not observant I might play back at wide blind steals a fair bit, but I’m really happy to fold. If there’s any doubt, I fold.
BB: Same as SB if it’s raised before me, I just fold a lot. If I see a free flop, I’m folding anything less than TPTK unless someone seems incredibly exploitable (folding almost always). Stronger hands I’ll frequently hang around a bit, but I’m usually just a calling station. However, if it’s raised from BTN or CO by a player who plays a lot wider on the BTN than other positions, I’ll 3bet quite wide. Also, blind vs blind I’m a real bully from the BB, if SB completes I’ll raise 100% of the time, if SB raises I’ll frequently 3bet, have almost completely stopped calling raises here though.
UTG/MP: I’m a nit, I just fold. If I raise, my range is strong enough that anyone who comes along is going to take a lot of heat, doesn’t matter if I’ve got A8s or AA, I’m usually playing my range. The key difference in these positions is that UTG I raise to 5bb and MP I raise to 4bb, if I get 3bet then I 4bet or fold and when I 4bet I’m either: 1) bluffing and done, or 2) I have a hand or am bluffing and stacks are going in real fast once we see a flop. The whole point of these positions is that my range is strong, I never call OOP and am frequently playing shove or fold on the flop after getting 3bet pre-flop.
CO: I raise to 3bb or 4bb (depending on the play style of the guy on my left), still don’t call OOP, I’m either playing pretty much the same as in MP or pretty much the same as when on the BTN, depending on how the guy on my left is playing. If he’s tight or bad, I play like I have the BTN, if he’s loose or good I play like I’m in MP. Basically I’m a scared little school girl when there’s any threat of being OOP and a big tough mean bloke when I think I’ve got position.

Button: 2bb standard raise.
If it’s folded to me I’ll raise 100% of the time, quite simply the blinds can’t play back at me. I am risking 2bb to win their 1.5bb, if they play back a lot then I can tighten up and extract huge value (if they’re bad enough to play back when I’m raising 2bb with 100% of hands, they’re bad enough to play back when I’m raising 3bb with 45% of hands). If they don’t play back some ridiculous amount of the time (and no one does) then the steals are all +EV, the only question is could I get more value with a smaller range and a bigger raise size (value, not folds) but that’s nowhere near enough to make up for all of the times that you have to open fold if you’re raising to 3bb or 4bb and for the fact that you’re risking 3bb or 4bb for their same 1.5bb.
If it’s raised before me.... that’s where I have to actually play poker, and don’t really know what I’m doing. A standard 3bet range from the BTN for me looks something like QQ/AK (value), 22-88, 45s-JTs, 46s-J9s, Axs, A8-AJ (semi-bluffs), obviously it changes depending on who I’m raising. Basically I want to 3bet a lot, I wouldn’t call the 3bet if I was OOP so I should be happy if he would, I would however 4bet a lot lighter than I want (or expect) him to. I am however aware that I either have to be willing to stack or bluffing. I have recently been very strict with my bluff range and will only very rarely (or never?) 3bet with a weaker range.
I really only call with 99-JJ, AQ+ (often with AK), and the whole implied odds range comes in too when there’s a raise and a call before me (if I don’t 3bet with them).


Also, just to be clear. 3bets from blinds are 4x (3x if someone is stealing really wide), BTN I 3bet to 2.5x and all other positions 3x. Changes a little depending on the table though.


Hmm... try as I might I just can’t explain my post-flop play without this getting ridiculously long.
Suffice to say that in early position I’m just shovelling chips in or folding, but when in position:
I cbet a lot and very little, depending on villain.
I basically don’t fold draws on the flop or turn unless I’m against an overbet or have some read on villain. I don’t fold much because I have implied odds when he does have a hand, fold equity when he doesn’t.
When I check back the flop my range is really weak, it’s either air or bluff catchers. If I then call the turn my range is really heavily weighted towards bluff catchers (I play 25nl and 10nl, you be the judge).
I’m intentionally really passive on the turn, it saves me a lot if villain is trapping and the only hands I lose value against are hands that villain would call turn and river with and most of the time neither of us have a hand big enough to play that type of pot, it also under represents my hand so I think I get more calls on the river.
I call river bets with ranges that are very dependent on villain’s bet sizing. I will call an overbet very rarely (way less than most do) and I will call a small bet really light (is high card good?).


Obviously I could then expand this a lot further with adapting to various opponents, but all I’m really looking for with this is to get a few pairs of eyes to go over the foundations of my game.
Rip my ego to shreds.

Couple of things I picked up upon which I would do differently but an interesting set of tactics nonetheless

I would say 5x/4x BB in EP/MP is too large - if you're raising in those positions you have a hand, and people will respect that more than the size of the raise IMO. As well as that, if you have a good hand you do want to induce a call from someone with a weaker hand so that you can get value out of your hand, else you'll only ever be playing against premium hands and then it is far more dependant on the community cards...

Secondly, as for your post-flop play I think you should consider playing early position a little differently. Trapping with TPTK often works well for me in 6max (although I'm only playing 5NL) - villains will try to take down the pot on the flop once you've checked very often with things like AQ on a K54/J85 flop, and if you've hit it allows you to raise and put some serious pressure on them.

Finally, as for SB, I find raising every few hands with a wide range (any ace or king, any connected/suited cards) and folding often to reraises means that you can disguise a big hand very well, and when you do 3bet you can pick up a large pot.

Just my 2cents

Before anyone notices/points it out, the 3bet range with QQ/AK for value is meant to be QQ+/AK. Typo.


Pascal LeFiscal,
Thanks for the response.