What I'm saying mostly is that if your end goal is to play high stakes
Well first off my end goal is to make the most money I can. If I can learn to 24-table FR 200nl and that's the most profitable I'll do it. If I can beat the $200/$400 HUNL games 1-tabling for more, I'll do that. I am assuming though that if I can continue to improve and get better that the limits that will be the most profitable are higher than 200nl though. I really don't care if I can play nosebleeds or even any higher than I am now. I want to work as hard as I can and get as far as my ability will let me, and use that to make the most profit.
1. you need to learn 6max because most of higher stakes online poker is 6max
2. you need to focus on BB/100 more than on volume
I actually didn't realize #1 was the case but I just took a look at the
pokerstars tables. There are right now 3 1knl FR tables going and 16 1knl 6max tables going.
#2 I agree, but I don't believe the 2 contradict each other, especially when I can go back and look at
hands for a long time and with tools/help from people here one at a time. Sure there's a point, but I don't believe I'm playing enough to hurt my winrate much. I've done some outside studying of most of the regs so I've got a decent idea of how most of them play beyond the simple VP$IP/PFR and other stats.
but i also think that 6max by nature has the potential to be more profitable than FR. There's a lot more of marginal situations where good players have an edge over lesser ones.
Makes sense, wider ranges means tougher decisions.
To some extent, you have the same effect with FR and 6max. FR is somewhat simpler. Oversimplifying, it's mostly TAGness and nut peddling.
I know you said you're oversimplifying, but I totally disagree with this statement. Just in the games I'm playing there is a significant amount of light 3 and 4-betting,
bluff shoves, and other standard poker moves. Now to some extent the way FR becomes more interesting is basically when it turns into 6max and you have a CO or button open, but I just wanted to emphasize that FR is definitely not just TAG nut-peddling.
6max is more complex than that. Depends more on players and less on cards. And more complex means a better edge for the best players, including you.
It's true that rake is a bit higher at 6max, but that's irrelevant for the higher stakes, because rake is capped, and therefore it is just a tiny dent in a good high stakes player's win rate. What matters most is to play a game that is difficult enough for excellent players to have an edge over merely good ones.
This does make a good bit of sense.
I guess I'll continue to give 6max a try. Definitely more aggro, but from what I've played of 50nl 6max I've discovered 2 things:
1. I am profitable in the game
2. I still have a long ways to go and a hell of a lot of leaks to close before I can consider myself even a decent player.