Do you prefer 9-max NL or 6-max and why?

I used to always be partial to 9-max because that's what I cut my teeth on in live games and home games when I started playing 23 years ago. But over the last couple of years, I have really enjoyed the 6-max tables as well. I like the faster paced action and to me it feels a little more like poker was meant to be. When you see poker in the old westerns, you don't see 9 or 10 cowboys around a poker table. You'd see 4-6 players around a table in the saloon, and as silly as it might seem, I just feel like that's the way poker was meant to be. I still will play a full ring game when I go out to the casinos, but I just really think 6-max is a much purer form of the game.

So if given the choice, are you going 9-max or 6-max online?

I prefer 9 max (less variance and is more easy to know the opponent hand, range...)
your analogy between the old western cowboys and a 6 max table makes sense.

I play both. I like 6 max for the action but seem to do a lot better with full ring.

Have been playing the 9 max full ring on Stars lately and now the action is like 6 max speed wise. So far so good

I prefer 9 max, for me its "classic" poker played on big tournaments. But 6 max is also good for me, I often look more on the blind structure than players per table.

Yeah, I still do play 9-max from time to time. I guess it's just a different game. I feel like it's much more straight-forward because you need much stronger cards to go deep into a hand because there are more players. I feel like it's more of a card-catching contest.

Whereas I feel 6-max is a much more "gravel in yer' guts" form of poker, like that saloon comparison I was talking about.

I always prefer 6- max! The two modes of games are good. I think that in 9- max the variance is less, but i love 6- max

I started off with 9-max as most beginners do and I've had to move out of my comfort zone a little for 6-max.

It's good experience though because if you're going to win tournaments you will have to figure out how to play at tables with fewer players.

I play both, I prefer 9 max at tournaments and 6 max at SnGs

I prefer 9max mtts and 6max cash games, I have been playing 9max more, I know more about blind stealing, push play and other stuff more than 6max

I like to play both, but prefer 9-max than 6-max. The main reason I prefer to play 9-max than 6-max is that the blind does not punish me very fast and there you can play a lit bit more relaxed and comfortable without getting fast decisions and it is possible to make some mistakes and to get back into the game.

When I play tournaments, most of the times I play tight so I prefer 9 players tables. But when I play cash games I prefer the 6 players tables because I play more aggressively (don’t know why this happens).

I also cut my teeth playing 9-handed, but I've come to appreciate playing 6-handed too. In the late stages of a 9-handed MTT, the tables usually become shorthanded anyway, so having good 6-handed fundamentals comes in "handy" for both formats.

I prefer 6 max.

6 max for me. More action to play and less waiting for a hand imo.

I play 6max cause there isnt 9max tables on my network but i prefer 9max. Best reason is i hate when there are just few people and everyone folds when i have AA

6 max. Because I needless to see some miracles on 6 max.

The 9-max is good as well as the 6-max, I prefer one of them depending on my mood. Of course, in Omaha, 6-max is the way to go, although there isn't much 9-max anymore.

I always prefer 9 man instead of 6.

It's a matter to play more or less weak hands, more patience to wait for better cards to come accordingly to the blind structure, of course

6 is good before blinds get too high

I prefer 9-max because I don't like it when I am at a table where only 6 people are playing and at least 1 of them is sitting out.

I love playing 6 max

I prefer 6-max because there is constant action

I prefer 6-max

6 max is more profitable. At 9 max, from UTG, UTG+1 and UTG+2 you have very small win rate. BB and SB bigger loss, than in 6 max.
If you play in small room, no traffic, like 5 tables 6 max and one 9 max, then this table is very good. Because at this 5 tables you play let's say vs 3 regs, at 9 max they are the same. 9 max with 3 regs is pretty cool.
Otherwise , if you have good rakeback, you can play 40% more hands at 9 max. If this is a big room, with traffic. But I don't know about this. 2020 year, can be difficult to find one...

I like to play 9-max tables, and 6-max I only play Zoom tables

I prefer full ring tables. 9 max has less variance for my tiny bankroll.

I prefer full ring, but I would rather be on a good 6-max table than a bad full ring table. If you are a cash game grinder you should ideally be able to play both formats well for better table selection.

For me the main difference is, that there tend to be a bit more "fighting" going on at 6-max with for instance regulars 3-betting you 12% of the time. And since this is not, why I play poker, I often find it better to be on full ring tables, where I have to contend less with that sort of thing, which allow me to better focus on the fish.

Also I find, that 6-max tables are extremely easy to break, mainly because they rarely have more than 1 fish on each table. So often it can be really difficult to keep a table going, and I sometimes feel, like I am in an airport spending way more time getting in and out of tables than actually playing.

This is also because, I dont want to accept the seat directly to the right of the only fish, and unsurpricingly this is often the one available, because other regs dont want it either. This whole table selection process is more extreme at 6-max, and in generel its a bit tiring and part of the reason, why I have largely moved from cash games to tournaments.

Personally I prefer 6 max, you get to play more hands and can three-bet lighter. I think it does make sense to play full ring for the first while when moving to cash, then go to 6-max.

6 max you can be a little more loose

6 max open up that range and I'm not talking about the ROVER .........
boooom that just happened

I would say there is more edge in 6-max but easier to become profitable on a full-time table.

I find 6 max the game goes by quicker.

It depends, 6 max is more loose than 9. Think about your poker style and make your decision. And search for tables with more fishes on it

I prefer full ring tables, but i play both FR and 6max.

I am an absolute 9-max grinder.

In my opinion, it offers much easier decisions in some close spots with the extra people at the table. I also feel that players that have slightly tighter tendencies can also benefit more from playing at a 9 handed table. However, if a 6 max game had some relatively week players playing in it, I do not mind at all sitting down at a 6-max. Any fewer than that in a cash game is where I start to struggle a little bit and need to improve my game!

I prefer 6 max as it's played with wider ranges and is very post flop driven.

In my case I prefer 6 faster to identify and faster the game and with less risk

Please correct me if I am wrong but I really think while playing 6 max you have less preflop and postflop thinking just because it is easier to construct relevant ranges.

I prefer to play on the 6 format max. because I think it is easier to deal with these opponents. especially when you decide to play a more aggressive style of play. moreover your opponents are also forced to increase their playing frequencies because of the blinds. which reduces the risks of ending up playing against max hands each time.

The difference is not only in the speed of the game, but also in the range of hands, since there are no early positions. If you play at 1 table then 6-max is perfect

Online I prefer 9-handed because I play about 8 tables. It's hard to keep up with making decisions at 8 tables 6-max.

I fully agree with your statement. I can also play 9 max, but prefer if there is a choice of tables with the fewest players. it's easier for me to keep track and take notes on each player.

I believe 6-max can be more profitable for aggresive strategies given the fact that we all brick most of the time. So it feels like it's a great opportunity for picking up the dead money when it's possible. If you like a slower paced game you can go for 9 handed since you can wait a lot longer and give yourself the opportunity to be ahead more often than your opponents.

i like 9 cause you get to see more hands nd maybe run in to some fishy

Originally Posted by scrappypower

i like 9 cause you get to see more hands and maybe run into some fishy

You'll find that you will see more hands per hour at 6 max.

At the moment i mostly play freerolls and they are all for 9, so when i try my hand at St & Go i choose 9 players to improve myself.

Somebody just asked me this exact same question in my AMA thread here on CardsChat.

From my personal experience my winrates are pretty similar over my entire career between 9max and 6max games.

So I don't think there is a big difference in profitability. Recreational players like to play both.

Therefore, my advice is always just to play the format that you enjoy the most. Some people like the faster paced, more bluffy game of 6max.

Some people like the more robotic nitty 9max games where you can auto-pilot more and also play more tables at once.

Originally Posted by DeuceParade

Do you prefer 9-max NL or 6-max and why?

I used to always be partial to 9-max because that's what I cut my teeth on in live games and home games when I started playing 23 years ago. But over the last couple of years, I have really enjoyed the 6-max tables as well. I like the faster paced action and to me it feels a little more like poker was meant to be. When you see poker in the old westerns, you don't see 9 or 10 cowboys around a poker table. You'd see 4-6 players around a table in the saloon, and as silly as it might seem, I just feel like that's the way poker was meant to be. I still will play a full ring game when I go out to the casinos, but I just really think 6-max is a much purer form of the game.

So if given the choice, are you going 9-max or 6-max online?

A very good question! I believe that if I play at a table with 9 seats, then my chance of losing increases significantly due to the fact that the game will be supported by many people. And such a table is hard to control, so I only prefer a 6-seat table

Both of these options suit me well, but mostly, I play 9-max more often.

I prefer 9. The more the merrier. More action with the more players. With 6 the same aggressive player or players tend to dominate play. With 9, more players, more hands to keep them in check.