Just as there are differences between tournament play and cash game play, there are also some significant differences between full-table play (9 or 10 player tables) and 6-max tables. If you are considering making the switch, you will need to take these variances into account.

Why 6-max?
6-max cash games are popular among online poker players because they allow for a higher volume of hands played, and less players to keep track of, among other elements. But if you're new to the 6-max scene, you need to know how to adjust your playing style. Position becomes even more important, hand-selection needs to be adjusted, and the aggression factor is definitely elevated.

That's why we created The Ultimate Guide to 6-Max Table Games

We cover the important stuff:

• Opening Your Hand Range
• Tightening Up Bet Sizing
• Maximize Player Intelligence/Info

Click the link to read our guide, and leave a comment here. What did you learn? Did we miss anything? I'd love to hear from any members playing 6-Max right now as well!

Link don't work

Originally Posted by SuckMyTilt

Link don't work

It works.

Originally Posted by SuckMyTilt

Link don't work

Works for me. What browser are you using?

Originally Posted by Tammy

Works for me. What browser are you using?

Using my Samsung S8 and I just click the link and it don't work

To play 6-max cash you have to have experience, there are players who are specialists in that modality, the majority of players who play that modality are experienced players and it is not recommended for beginner players, besides the cash player in that modality is very aggressive

Anyone know how I can go about viewing this link?

As the game has more action with fewer players, the general trend is the common player of 6 does not do 3bet as much as recommended. A good regular table player of 6 usually has a frequency of 3bet a bit more than the average player.

Excellent article .... I liked it a lot ... very explanatory among the differences of probabilities that many hands have in cash tables (9) and cash tables (6). It is very true that today in the different online poker sites players are preferring to play at the cash tables (6). I like to play at the cash tables (9) but I am considering starting to play at the cash tables (6) and this article gave me a lot of important information to consider when playing at the cash tables (6) .
Excellent article ... thanks

This is one of the articles that I love, because I am a fan of playing cash tables of 6 people, both in holdem and in PLO .. and it is interesting to open your range with initial positions with premium hands since anyone here can clean the table, in these cash tables there is too much variance, and as the article says, INTELLIGENCE IS CRUCIAL, and to know at what moment to move your best hand, and the position here is also important, I recommend you to read this article a lot and so you will have more knowledge of playing casg tables and raising your level when you have improved the micro ..

Love this article, I dont play 6 max as much as full=ring but i do pay more attention to my position . I open up my starting hands much more playing my mid pairs more aggressive .limping in at a 6 max game usually always respond in a raise so if your not committed its better to fold. It is easier to gain info on players just because there are many more hands played, easier to see how players respond to the blind plays

Thank you for this excellent article, I like to play a lot sngs 6 max, so this guide will help me much.
I think to play table 6 players, at first we must have patience, if the table is aggressive, can sometimes enter ITM, without winning a single hand, sometimes happened to me, I go into itm without winning a single hand, are so aggressive a player eliminates the rest, the negative is that it is difficult to win the HU, because the villain has more chips.

I did not have good cash experiences but I already played 6 max. I tell you it's very tense. Your range should be very wide and should be prepared for many bads. Range reading is essential.

Originally Posted by SuckMyTilt

Anyone know how I can go about viewing this link?

I'm going to see if I can get that figured out. Do you know the default browser for your phone? Do you have Chrome installed?

Originally Posted by SuckMyTilt

Using my Samsung S8 and I just click the link and it don't work

Are you using the CaedsChat app or phone browser?

Great article a lot of helpful tips main thing with heads up,threeway 4-max,6-max or full 8 or 9 players tables is too know all your percentages and positional plays like this article covered.
With tournament tables breaking during a game it constantly changes the percentages.
Sounds easy in theory yes
Be aggressive as blinds come around fast in 6 max unless sense strength and win lol.
Easier said than done but agree each format needs to be studied inside and out and you need to tackle that game with everything you got,
Bit of luck and help from the poker Gods will do the rest.

This topic has helped me improve my perceptions of 6-game table statistics. Although at these agent tables end up paying more BB in SB, the volume of hands seen are higher and the chances of gains and losses also in my opinion.
In the beginning there is always a self-questioning about why in these tables the number of players are bigger, even if you pay more in BB than in the tables of 9 players. At first I had some restrictions to play on the 6 tables but now I already happened and this topic will help improve my perfom.

Originally Posted by Tammy

Are you using the CaedsChat app or phone browser?

I use the tapatalk app

Very interesting article, with very valuable knowledge! I have tried six-max, but I usually play 9 players tables. I cannot say I prefer one of them, it depends from the circumstances and my appetite! It is sure that now we have a valuable guide for 6-max!

Interesting , the fact that the early positions in a 6 handed game are pretty much eliminated ...
Due to the strong hands being reduced .
To open the range of your opening hands in a 6 handed game is actually a good idea , maybe just not at the beginning of the game - for me . I tend to lose if I shove on a strong hand , no matter what !
So, following these instructions after you have built a stack is good.
I do like the percentages that they give for you as a "guide" , the ODDS for 6 handed games seem better then the 9 handed games , and now I am almost wishing all games would be 6 handed instead of 9 !

Good Read , and some great tips , thanks again for the interesting article - it was very helpful !

In 6-Max Cash Gamesyou have to be more aggressive but with good poker cards as it is a faster game with fewer players

ok except for my passive aggressive behavior "limping alot"...my style of play was made for 6 max ...so why do I not play them more? .....don't know... but will start looking for these games.


I do think I already adjust for fewer players on a table ...as many MTTs get to lower feilds like when 21 are still in split between 3 tables....so I get the whole fewer hands seen more blinds per hour stuff....

For a long time now I've opened my range /aggroed with restraint in the freeroll MTTs...so I'm good to go i think. When's our next 6 handed tourney?

oh and Tammy ...you said 69 in that thread..lol.

The article is very good, a lot of useful tips. For beginners 6 max play harder, there are many difficult decisions !But I like 6 max because more hands are playing and the game is more aggressive !

I personally liked the article very much. The best way to win at the 6-max tables is to value bet with your strong hands, since the love of calls is the most common face among low-limit players. That is why slow-play in most cases will be less effective. Do not be afraid to bet big, especially against weak (inelastic) opponents, who usually do not pay attention to sizing tells.

When I play cash games online I always play 6 max. I like to open a wide range of hands so 6 max naturally fits my playing style. The article was good but the one thing it didn’t talk about was 3-betting. I 3-bet about the same from the blinds as in a full ring game but 3-bet more from the button and cut-off as using position in very important in 6-max.

When I go to look for a cash table, there seems to always be more available tables of 6 max than 8/9 max, so it makes sense to learn how to play on them.

I just bought "Harrington on Online Cash Games - 6 Max No Limit Hold'em" and he said it was better to learn 6 max first, rather than learn 9 max and then learn 6 max. He indicated there were too many bad habits to unlearn if you learn 9 max first. I am still at the beginning of the book because I got distracted with Phil Gordon's Little Green Book which I checked out from the library, so I have to read it before the due date.

I did see a lot of what I read in Harrington's introduction echoed in the article. Great article and a lot that makes sense. I am looking forward to going more in depth with Harrington's book, I have read a few of the examples already. That is the great thing about his books.

The game at the tables of 6-max is much loose and more aggressive than at a full ring. I would advise a beginner to start with a 9-max. Nevertheless, the choice between 6-max and 9-max is an individual choice for each player - if a player is more aggressive and likes to play a lot of hands, then 6-max tables are exactly what he needs

After reading your guide, I learned for myself some information about which I had not really thought in particular for me was an interesting table: CHANCES of ANOTHER PLAYER HAVING HIGHER POCKET PAIR. It was a direct opening huge thank you CC! The article was interesting and in some ways intriguing to me. I confess mathematics poker I learned not until the end of.

amazing article I've been playing 6-max cash games since I started playing poker and till now did not know lot of things that are told in this article huge Thanks CardsChat cause I will definetly will be opening my range and defending more my blinds realy really helpful article I believe this will definetly improve my game on the tables,, I knew about Pocket pairs being stronger but not about the aces statistics once again Thanks CC!

Thank you Cardschat for this important information, in my case, I dont like to play 6 players mtt's but cash game of 6 players are my favorites, I think the game is more dynamic because more hands are seen.

Thanks for the great tutorial. There are a lot of statistics about which I did not even think. 6-max is my favorite format with blinds of 0,01 / 0,02. In cash games I try to play aggressively, this is a good way to make some money, not afraid to lose a big bank. However, when playing in the small blinds, players very often rely on luck and often win with a weak hand, and this is often a problem.

Thanks for the guide, i will definitely read it as I was just thinking about it

very good article and excellent explanation about why to expand the ranges, and I liked the detailed explanation about the difference of probabilities that have hands on a table of 6-max and one of 9 or 10 players, is so complete the article that I have saved to study it with more time.

I avoid 6-max like the plague. So many times I wrongly enter a tourney only to find out its a 6-max. Even at regular tourneys, I struggle when for some reason I have to adjust my play in 6 players. I will bookmark this article, to revisit it from time to time.

Would like a standard starting hands by position although the article gives a selection of hands. Also the maths seems interesting, although I am not sure if Pokerstars rng agree with that

Good article.

I agree abou the part which concerns the opening ranges, they should be a bit wide than full-ring games, but I would say that for beginners there is no reason to include dangerous speculative hands that require solid postflop game.

6max require a lot of experience, but they can give you a good monthly volume if you grind them hard.

very iterestig and useful article, but i don't play cash, i don't know why but i think it's just not for me, i didn't have good results in cash and i never enjoy playing it

Anyone able to post a different link????

I play rarely 6 max because blind come faster.
But some room doesn't have full ring cash table so I play 6 max.

This article reminds me that collecting intelligence is very important and I should do it more.

I particularly like full-ring games, because my strategy is built around that fact. As mentioned in the article, the game is faster making it necessary to open more range and observe more players. Even with Huds, tracking is necessary, as they are more experienced players tending to modify their games more often, making their statistics obsolete.

Originally Posted by Tammy

Just as there are differences between tournament play and cash game play, there are also some significant differences between full-table play (9 or 10 player tables) and 6-max tables. If you are considering making the switch, you will need to take these variances into account.

Why 6-max?
6-max cash games are popular among online poker players because they allow for a higher volume of hands played, and less players to keep track of, among other elements. But if you're new to the 6-max scene, you need to know how to adjust your playing style. Position becomes even more important, hand-selection needs to be adjusted, and the aggression factor is definitely elevated.

That's why we created The Ultimate Guide to 6-Max Table Games

We cover the important stuff:

• Opening Your Hand Range
• Tightening Up Bet Sizing
• Maximize Player Intelligence/Info

Click the link to read our guide, and leave a comment here. What did you learn? Did we miss anything? I'd love to hear from any members playing 6-Max right now as well!

After reading the ultimate guide to 6-Max Table games , i have corrected many of my mistaken infos , this guide has help me improve my play , hand range , Bet Size , and the infos i must take about players . i will definitly use what i have learn from this thread in the futur .

Cascading action and wider ranges but cash games still need a better understanding of the game because the game goes always post flop. Very informative article, game like 50NL-100NL zoom are full of great regular players.

Originally Posted by Tammy

Why 6-max?
6-max cash games are popular among online poker players because they allow for a higher volume of hands played,

In fact, the truth is that short tables bring more rake to the room. Therefore, many online poker rooms simply remove longer tables (9-10 players). This does not mean that long tables are less popular - they just bring less rake. The shorter the table - the wider the range of the players' hands. The wider the opening range of players, the more banks with weak, bluff and speculative hands play out. Also at the short tables, players more often put blind people, which speeds up the grinding of bankrolls into rake.

As usual, this is presented as another concern for poker ecology, but in fact the rooms only care about their profits. Always remember this.

Thank you card. Excellent article, a lot of useful tips, and for a long time I have not seen any information about 6 poker tables, and I began to learn how to play with them, they are the most optimal Hold'em and my favorite.

I very rarely play cash games because they have too much aggression and moving. but if I play 6-max only because of the fact that slightly fewer players. I hope that this article will help me to improve the game in the future to join the web cache games.

I just love 6-handed games, but not cash unfortunately. I love the 6-handed turbo SNGs. Therefore I think this article has some interesting aspects. Especially about the chances, that someone else could have a better pair.
I have to say, that I play 6-handed games pretty differently to the 9-handed. Much more aggressive, I would say. As less players as more aggressive, I would say.
But what I don't like much are 6-handed MTT tourneys. I dunno why. I just get not used to them.

Originally Posted by Andrew Popov

In fact, the truth is that short tables bring more rake to the room. Therefore, many online poker rooms simply remove longer tables (9-10 players). This does not mean that long tables are less popular - they just bring less rake. The shorter the table - the wider the range of the players' hands. The wider the opening range of players, the more banks with weak, bluff and speculative hands play out. Also at the short tables, players more often put blind people, which speeds up the grinding of bankrolls into rake.

As usual, this is presented as another concern for poker ecology, but in fact the rooms only care about their profits. Always remember this.

This is unfortunatley so true. Some rooms even have no 9-10 handed games anymore.
Like many iPoker sites. I think, this is a shame.

Focus on a lot of game selection for 6 max cash tables. Since there are usually a lot more short-handed (6 max) tables compared to full-ring, I can maneuver around and swap tables if I notice that everyone around me is playing TAG/Nit tight.

I'm looking for action 6 max tables where there are big pots splashing and looser players playing incorrectly.

I hate memorizing schedules and love formulas, so my way to understand that different scenario is first understanding that the positions are counted from button, so we have 6th BU, 5th CO, 4th HJ, 3rd MP3, 2nd BB, 1st SB. After thinking in how chance each player would have determined hands and how they would play them, so multiplying that chances by the number of players act after you. Ex: you are on MP3 and want to know about chances of each player having QQ, KK, AA. 6 (combos each hand) x 3 (hands), 1326 (total of combos) is for 100 (%) as 18 is for %.
% = 1,35.

So we multiply for 5 and the chances to be runned over by a QQ+ is 1,35 x 5(players) = ~6,79.

Thinking like this we can make a lot of projections.

I do play 6-max Snap poker in 888 when I need to complete a challenge, so I do have the scent of the game in my nostrils. I agree with the article, bar the "intelligence" part as 888 does not allow HUDs.
I would also suggest to cover the "light 3-betting" part that is a common occurence in 6-max.

I am not a cash player. I am terrible in that. But I like 6-max tournaments. In this article I see some rules whic can implement for tournaments too. Aces and middle pocket pairs are worth much more Part about odds calculator will improve my game.