How do you guys play six handed poker?

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TheLostEyeball

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Hello!

First of all I'm new. I have been playing poker for a few years but I just resonantly got into six handed poker. I find its a lot of fun and moves very fast paced. There is also enough fish in it to make a decent profit. I have been playing the $10+$1 SnGs for the last month and I have been able to make a steady Roi.

I am just wondering how you guys play six handed SnG's?
 
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jdeliverer

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I'm guessing this is spam, since it's your first post and you immediately linked to another site. But if it's not, this is a pretty good discussion question.

One important thing to recognize is that the payout structure is different for 6 player SnGs. In 9 player sngs you play to make the top 3, then you play to win. In 6 player games once you make the money you are already heads up.

How does this affect us? Well, the rewards for 1st are less than in a 9 player tournament. We want to be playing more conservatively on the bubble in a 6 player tournament, hoping to get heads up (which already more than doubles your investment pre-rake), and then play for the win. Other than on the bubble, in my experience you just play it as you would any other tournament when shorthanded. The only real difference is that you probably are not used to playing deepstacked and 6-handed (which will happen in the first few rounds).

Adjust to playing deepstacked, 6-handed poker by staying tight. You can afford to fold a bit more than you "should", since players tend to overcompensate for the shorthandedness. You can score big when you have a good hand, and afford to lose a few big blinds in the first few rounds.
 
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TheLostEyeball

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jdeliverer said:
I'm guessing this is spam, since it's your first post and you immediately linked to another site. But if it's not, this is a pretty good discussion question.

One important thing to recognize is that the payout structure is different for 6 player SnGs. In 9 player sngs you play to make the top 3, then you play to win. In 6 player games once you make the money you are already heads up.

How does this affect us? Well, the rewards for 1st are less than in a 9 player tournament. We want to be playing more conservatively on the bubble in a 6 player tournament, hoping to get heads up (which already more than doubles your investment pre-rake), and then play for the win. Other than on the bubble, in my experience you just play it as you would any other tournament when shorthanded. The only real difference is that you probably are not used to playing deepstacked and 6-handed (which will happen in the first few rounds).

Adjust to playing deepstacked, 6-handed poker by staying tight. You can afford to fold a bit more than you "should", since players tend to overcompensate for the shorthandedness. You can score big when you have a good hand, and afford to lose a few big blinds in the first few rounds.
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Hey!

Should I take down that link? I wasn't sure if it was against the rules or not?

I was always under the impression to be aggressive in six handed games. I have since then learned that you are supposed to be tight in this format.

I constantly have chipleaders pushing people all in, when its four-handed only to be called by KK or QQ and they will have like A7.

I think its hilarious.

When it gets to bubble play, that is kind of where I get nervous. Do you have any suggestions for bubble play?
 
lektrikguy

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You get people pushing with A 7 no matter how many people are on the table. In 6 handed there is more action since there are only 5 opponents instead of 8.

And there's no problem posting a link as long as it doesn't turn out to be yours and you're trying to sign people up.
 
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TheLostEyeball

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lektrikguy said:
You get people pushing with A 7 no matter how many people are on the table. In 6 handed there is more action since there are only 5 opponents instead of 8.

And there's no problem posting a link as long as it doesn't turn out to be yours and you're trying to sign people up.
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Its interesting to see so much aggression though. When you look at the payout structure you have to come in first at least once in a while to be profitable.
 
lektrikguy

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TheLostEyeball said:
Its interesting to see so much aggression though. When you look at the payout structure you have to come in first at least once in a while to be profitable.
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True, but in lower stakes they'll push with a 30/70 hand. Happens all the time. I play low stakes and am still amazed how much faith they put in Ace rag.
 
robert_wrath

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Short handed play usually opens up a wider range of starting hands. One is likely to play more toward position with hands such as J/7 on the button. Take advantage of this for in low stakes buy ins, these players are crazy loose of the start. Tighten your opening play and wait out the loose aggressive players. The actual game begins when your down to 4 players. Take it from there!
 
absoluthamm

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lektrikguy said:
True, but in lower stakes they'll push with a 30/70 hand. Happens all the time. I play low stakes and am still amazed how much faith they put in Ace rag.
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Not to mention how many times it ends up holding up...lol
 
Pascal-lf

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I've started playing low stakes (~$2) 6 max, turbo SnGs recently :)

As it's turbo, I've found the best strategy is to hold tight apart from monsters in the early rounds, until you are down to about 10 - 15 blinds. Note who is loose, tight, etc, and employ this to judge when to push and fold. Get to 4k chips and you'll make the heads up money.

Last one I played this morning I was even until the late rounds with 4 people left then knocked out 2 people with a couple of monsters (AA v AJ and AK v A7) :)
 
LeanAndMean

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i cannot win 6 handed SNGs. I consistently place in 9 handed. So this is an interesting thread to me. I had always heard to loosen up short handed, and have been doing so in these. You say to be tight, well I will try that, anything to lead to a better result than I am getting now!! And I recall in a televised WPT the announcer saying "five handed, any A is a raise," So that means raising A rag. What are your thoughts on that?
 
absoluthamm

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LeanAndMean said:
And I recall in a televised WPT the announcer saying "five handed, any A is a raise," So that means raising A rag. What are your thoughts on that?
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Can't remember what the strategy is called but in MTTs and SnG's there is a "theory" that you should raise with your Ace-x given that x is bigger than the number of players acting behind you.

Example: 6 handed you are the CO and it folds to you, so there are 3 players to act behind you, and you are dealt A4(suit doesn't matter from what I remember). In this situation it would be advisable to put in a raise because your kicker is higher than the number of players left, but if you had A3 or A2 it would be best to throw it away. The theory obviously has it's flaws, but the general reasoning is that since there are less people behind you then there is a less likelyhood one will have an Ace higher than yours.
 
Pascal-lf

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How would you calculate the probability that at least one other person holds an A if you do when it is 60 handed?

I know it's 70% 9 handed :)
 
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