Stick to 6max or go back to FR? Please also give me feedback on my stats

Hello I'd like opinions and what is the best format to be playing. I've recently been grinding a hell of a lot at 6max tables. It's great when you're winning some good big pots but probably over the past week I've played 10k hands and 80% are raised pre flop.

Now a raise pre flop in FR usually signifies something so if it's a big raise and I had a middle pair I'd fold, however at 6max I feel I need to call based on the fact a hell of a lot of the raises are purely out to steal blinds and a number of times I've taken down pots when retaliating.
If I hit trips then most of the time it's good but these people will keep throwing money in and sometimes if it's a dangerous board I will just call the river bet only for them to show over something like Q,10...or something just as bad.

The swings are crazy though, I've been down 4 buy-ins in a matter of minutes then half an hour later I'm back up and so on. I guess the reason question is what is best for me to play? The slow play at full ring "sometimes" leads me calling marginal hands.

The pros of 6max:
Fast action and usually quite big pots (only if you're winning them though lol)
The rate I'm building VPP's/Fpp's is brilliant. Had over 600 in past week and at silver star and got my $10.00 bonus.
Negatives:
Far to aggressive and sometimes I'm calling with marginal hands because I know they are on the steal. Often folding though later stages..which I don't know if I should be doing!

What's your options and best strategy of playing 6max? Do you have to play TIGHTER or LOOSER? I think sometimes being more loose helps as most pots are raised anyway..
Should I be calling raises with middle pair pre flop?

Here are some stats please could someone give me an idea of if I'm doing anything wrong, what is it? I really don't understand anything apart from the actual graph...Is my graph a "normal" looking graph or is it to swingy in places or?

ps: I went all in with Kings for a $10.00 pre-flop, instinct told me he had aces which he did but I still called. Is this just mandatory in cash games to call all-ins pref lop with kings?

some poor logic in OP, dont call raises because there has been alot of action and you feel you need to call lol theres a tonne of factors you need to think about such as ranges, player type, table dynamics, image, board texture etc to base a decision off. Dont just think he raised big therefore he has a big hand sure some people do that but the river pot bluff is common from retards.

6max is more aggressive obviously and you should be flatting small pairs IP in both 6max and FR, especially FR since you want hands that are going to play well multiway more or hit a stronger hand and sets are strong ldo. in general I usually run 24/20 at 6max and around 14/11ish in FR so "looser".

yes always call all ins with Kings please at micros.

as far as your stats, it looks like you limp too much and dont raise enough preflop, do you open limp ? do you over call instead of isolating limpers?
your vpip/pfr are too far from eachother so they should be 12/10 or 12/9ish not 12/6 the range needs to be tighter its showing your too passive atm.

6max you need to loosen up abit and steal WAY WAY more 20% steal is absolutely tiny you need to be at 40ish widen your stealing ranges in CO and BTN.

pretty small samples but hope you can get something outta the reply lol

Sorry I couldn't see the images you posted. Basically it sounds as though you have played primarily FR games previously. 6 max tables are very different as you have seen. The play is far looser over all and they seem to attract less experienced players in my opinion. What should you be playing? I think the answer is staring you in the face. Which tables have been more profitable for you?


You made a comment,


“Now a raise preflop in FR usually signifies something so if it's a big raise and I had a middle pair I'd fold”


You would fold 99 to a “min button raise” while in the BB? I hope not! What I mean by this is that 6 max games are like real estate, “location, location, location”. Well, position, position, position! I think everything at these tables are magnified. That's why it's easier to catch the weaker players because what may be a small mistake at a FR game is huge at 6 max.


In a nutshell play solid poker. Pay attention to position. Use a heads up program that will help target the loose aggressive players. But don't play the stats! If a player has VPIP 90 and PFR of 80 NEVER assume they have nothing! Those stats just tell you they are less likely to have a hand preflop.


Swings. Yes the swings are larger here. I think the key to controlling them is to not get involved in a lot of huge pots. The weak players are attracted to the large pots and a quick return. It's not uncommon to see a player shove with a medium flush draw with a small pot. Why risk your entire stack to win the blinds? It makes no sense. Why risk your entire stack calling a donk with middle or top pair when you can chip away at their stack chunk by chunk easily with minimal risk? Try and avoid calling allin raises with less than the 3rd nuts or better. That alone will reduce the down swings in your game.


Fold kings preflop or not? Usually no. But it all depends on what happened ahead of you, how they have been playing and go with your gut (a lot to be said for that and had you done it you would not have lost $10)! I've laid down KK many times preflop at 6 max. Example, 2 donks shove all in PF, 2 other players that have played very few hands and always flip over the nuts call. It is a pretty good bet one of those tight players have AA, KK or AK. Why risk your stack when the odds of being beat are that high? I prefer to win a lot of smaller pots than one big one. You may win that one but the next most likely won't turn out as well. A good player shouldn't need to gamble!

EDIT: Now I can see your stats. Wow you play a tight passive game! Loosen up a little, within reason. Try something as basic as raising with any ace on the button. Use that tight image to your advantage! Semi bluff more often. Don't go crazy with bluffing though. Regular stone cold bluffs at micro is a losing proposition! But you do need to open up your game more for 6 max.

Jurn8 said:

some poor logic in OP, dont call raises because there has been alot of action and you feel you need to call lol theres a tonne of factors you need to think about such as ranges, player type, table dynamics, image, board texture etc to base a decision off. Dont just think he raised big therefore he has a big hand sure some people do that but the river pot bluff is common from retards.

6max is more aggressive obviously and you should be flatting small pairs IP in both 6max and FR, especially FR since you want hands that are going to play well multiway more or hit a stronger hand and sets are strong ldo. in general I usually run 24/20 at 6max and around 14/11ish in FR so "looser".

yes always call all ins with Kings please at micros.

as far as your stats, it looks like you limp too much and dont raise enough preflop, do you open limp ? do you over call instead of isolating limpers?
your vpip/pfr are too far from eachother so they should be 12/10 or 12/9ish not 12/6 the range needs to be tighter its showing your too passive atm.

6max you need to loosen up abit and steal WAY WAY more 20% steal is absolutely tiny you need to be at 40ish widen your stealing ranges in CO and BTN.

pretty small samples but hope you can get something outta the reply lol

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Thanks for the reply.

I don't assume (at 6max more so) that they are raising with premium hands that's why I said I started calling if I had position based on a lot of raises with Q,10 os or even worse.

As for small pairs, I mean't more in FR I'd lay down if there was a significant raise and another raise, should of been more clear on that and in 6max I'm always calling with a middle pair pre flop.

As for the limping, I will limp in late position with suited connectors and sometimes just connected cards especially if high connected cards and have sort of idea on the table. What do you mean by open limp? Is that early position and just flat calling? I rarely do that if that's what you mean, I'm either folding early position or raising. I will limp in early position with a small/middle pair and then expect a raise which I'll call.

As for stealing, yeah I'm going to work on that more I just find a raise is often re raised so it's picking the cards to which I'm willing to call that re raise with which I struggle with.

Thanks for the reply.

if they re raise then so be it, people dont 3bet you light at micros that much and calling them will get you into even more trouble so just fold the marginals for the moment while your still at the micros

Zorfox said:

Sorry I couldn't see the images you posted. Basically it sounds as though you have played primarily FR games previously. 6 max tables are very different as you have seen. The play is far looser over all and they seem to attract less experienced players in my opinion. What should you be playing? I think the answer is staring you in the face. Which tables have been more profitable for you?

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Well I'm not sure if my sample is big enough to determine which is best. Here are my profit/losses:

I'm showing most profit in the 6max tables, howeevr I'm down $10.00 at 2NL but up at 5NL by $12.00 and $18.00 at 10NL. FR I'm showing profit at both limits of $8.00/$7.00 at 2NL,5NL.

Zorfox said:

You made a comment,

“Now a raise preflop in FR usually signifies something so if it's a big raise and I had a middle pair I'd fold”

You would fold 99 to a “min button raise” while in the BB? I hope not! What I mean by this is that 6 max games are like real estate, “location, location, location”. Well, position, position, position! I think everything at these tables are magnified. That's why it's easier to catch the weaker players because what may be a small mistake at a FR game is huge at 6 max.

Click to expand...

No,no. min raise buttons I will re-raise if a good hand. I'd re-raise in BB with 9'9s if only min raised.

Zorfox said:

In a nutshell play solid poker. Pay attention to position. Use a heads up program that will help target the loose aggressive players. But don't play the stats! If a player has VPIP 90 and PFR of 80 NEVER assume they have nothing! Those stats just tell you they are less likely to have a hand preflop.

Click to expand...

This was my original question, do I play more solid or looser? I find playing to tight not profitable really as 80% of pots are raised in 6max preflop and a lot of the time it's for the steal and they have nothing and will fold to a re-raise.

Zorfox said:

Fold kings preflop or not? Usually no. But it all depends on what happened ahead of you, how they have been playing and go with your gut (a lot to be said for that and had you done it you would not have lost $10)! I've laid down KK many times preflop at 6 max. Example, 2 donks shove all in PF, 2 other players that have played very few hands and always flip over the nuts call. It is a pretty good bet one of those tight players have AA, KK or AK. Why risk your stack when the odds of being beat are that high? I prefer to win a lot of smaller pots than one big one. You may win that one but the next most likely won't turn out as well. A good player shouldn't need to gamble!

Click to expand...

Well I multi-table so it's more difficult to keep track on it all, the only reads I have is a player I see who's being very loose. I sensed he had Aces, the only reason I called was all he did pre-flop was go all-in. There was no raising previously so I called thinking he might have A,K,A,Q but gut feeling was Aces and we both stacked off. Obviously if you know he has aces you should let the kings go, I just sometimes can't help myself lol.

Zorfox said:

EDIT: Now I can see your stats. Wow you play a tight passive game! Loosen up a little, within reason. Try something as basic as raising with any ace on the button. Use that tight image to your advantage! Semi bluff more often. Don't go crazy with bluffing though. Regular stone cold bluffs at micro is a losing proposition! But you do need to open up your game more for 6 max.

Click to expand...

Ahh. Well more recently I'v loosened up. Probarly the last 10k hands. I used to play very tight but found it wasn't really working for me..since I stopped being such a nit I'v been more comfortable as odd as it sounds.

Thanks for the reply, it's helped.

ramdeebam said:

Well I'm not sure if my sample is big enough to determine which is best. Here are my profit/losses:

I'm showing most profit in the 6max tables, howeevr I'm down $10.00 at 2NL but up at 5NL by $12.00 and $18.00 at 10NL. FR I'm showing profit at both limits of $8.00/$7.00 at 2NL,5NL.

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Based on your stats I would put you in the FR games. I would certainly play the 10NL if you have more than a hundred bucks though. There seems to be little to no difference in skill level between the two.

ramdeebam said:

No,no. min raise buttons I will re-raise if a good hand. I'd re-raise in BB with 9'9s if only min raised.

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Good to hear, otherwise, "when do you want to play" .

ramdeebam said:

This was my original question, do I play more solid or looser? I find playing to tight not profitable really as 80% of pots are raised in 6max preflop and a lot of the time it's for the steal and they have nothing and will fold to a re-raise.

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Without question, looser. But if you don't feel comfortable doing that stay at FR.

ramdeebam said:

Well I multi-table so it's more difficult to keep track on it all, the only reads I have is a player I see who's being very loose. I sensed he had Aces, the only reason I called was all he did pre-flop was go all-in. There was no raising previously so I called thinking he might have A,K,A,Q but gut feeling was Aces and we both stacked off. Obviously if you know he has aces you should let the kings go, I just sometimes can't help myself lol.

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The HUD in your PT program should help a lot multi tabling. Try adding some more stats to the HUD display to give you more information at a glance. But still avoid playing just the stats. Donks do get hands and usually shove when they do making it a costly mistake.

The hand where you had KK sounds like you were up against a SSS donk. They sit with the minimum buyin and shove with a narrow range of hands, 10s or better, AK, AQ, AJ, A10s (and those are the tight SSS donks!). In that spot your KK dominated most of his range and I would have snap called as well.

Never, ever open limp (and by open limping I mean just calling the blinds when no one else has entered the pot) in 6-max. Suited connectors on the Button is an auto-raise, unless the blinds are 3-bet monkeys.

In addition, playing 6-max does not imply that you can call raises lighter than you do in FR. What it means is that you can open raise a bit lighter due to fewer number of players on the table. Cold calling gives you no initiative which means you'll have to almost always fold to a c-bet should you miss.

As Zorfox said, position is everything. So try to isolate limpers when you have position with good hands (any pocket pairs, and TPGK heavy hands).

Stats are far too tight at 6max, you need to loosen up a lot.

Don't open limp, ever, and rarely limp behind.

3bet more and steal more.

FWIW I'd say you're on a heater so don't be too results orientated.

Pascal LeFiscal said:

Stats are far too tight at 6max, you need to loosen up a lot.

Don't open limp, ever, and rarely limp behind.

3bet more and steal more.

FWIW I'd say you're on a heater so don't be too results orientated.

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Ok thanks.

Believe me I'm not on a heater! My top pairs are still in the red

Your top pairs will probably always be in the red