6max

I've learnt a lot about 6max the past couple of weeks - I've always been told that it's just FR with the first 3 seats missing, but I find that's an incomplete generalisation. In game theory terms, a FR game where the first 3 seats have folded should play exactly the same as a 6max game (well, minor card-removal effects aside). I think if you compare aggressive mid- or high-stakes games you will find the two games play very similarly in terms of aggression, because people are playing closer to GTO.

Micro- and small-stakes is a different matter though, and I've noticed that they are governed by some kind of mentality. In FR games it's all "nit nit nit, omg he c/r'ed turn, I better fold middle set...", compared to the "he's clearly shoving this brick as a bluff because it's such a brick and he would never expect me to expect him to bluff here... oops he was bluffing with the best hand" of 6max.

Obviously these are slightly exaggerated but some of the things I see at the table just astound me, and I see a lot of really awful spew from a large proportion of the regs at 6max. In a lot of common spots they screw up because of their over-aggressive mentality - e.g. squeezing 88 and snapping off someone's JJ backraise, bombing the river with 2nd pair when the FD hits, cold-4betting TT vs 2 regs and getting it in with no history, the list goes on. It seems a lot of people don't really know why they're betting/raising, they just "know" it's good to be a super-aggressive play-machine.

I confess, I've been guilty of stacking off too light or making retarded bluffs and chalking it up to coolers when it's really down to a lack of objective hand-reading, and seeing everything through my "6max goggles". Not just against other regs, but against fish too, and I now remember that not giving fish any credit was one of the leaks I plugged a year ago in FR, just before moving up to SSNL from the micros (go figure). Things like this are very easy to fix, and make a huge impact on your winrate, much moreso than learning to float, barrel, c/r bluff and be a pain in the ass (not that these aren't good to know if you can apply them correctly).

I guess the other important thing I've learnt about 6max is that variance runs really high in these games, especially if you're fairly new to the game and your winrate probably isn't that high (I don't think I've quite settled in yet). Below is my July graph so far:

The second half of the graph is almost entirely 50NL, and I've been playing a lot more solidly than in the first half of the graph. Note the 15BI downswing and the 15BI upswing in the final 2k hands - the swings really are pretty huge and it's good to know they go both ways and not just downwards. One of the things that has kept me sane through this stretch is seeing graphs from people like Ronfar, nanonoko, vinivici etc. - I have some serious respect for those guys and their results show that a good work ethic and sheer perseverance gets the gold. I'm sure they have to put up with big swings like this every week and yet we don't hear a single word from them about it.

This post is pretty long already so I'll leave you with a fun HH, this is the first time this has happened to me and I'm glad I wasn't on the receiving end:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

SB: $66.05
BB: $54.40
UTG: $69.35
MP: $53.80
Hero (CO): $74.60
BTN: $50.00

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with J T
1 fold, MP calls $0.50, Hero raises to $2.50, BTN calls $2.50, 2 folds, MP calls $2

Flop: ($8.25) 8 J J (3 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $4.50, BTN calls $4.50, MP folds

Turn: ($17.25) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $10.50, BTN calls $10.50

River: ($38.25) J (2 players)
Hero bets $57.10 all in, BTN calls $32.50 all in

Final Pot: $103.25
Hero shows J T (four of a kind, Jacks)
BTN mucks 8 8
Hero wins $100.25
(Rake: $3.00)

- HappyPixel