6 Or 9 Handed

[banksa 0]

when u guys play 6 handed do u guys play differnt then u do when u play 9 i seem to do better at 9 handed is there anything that could help me when playing 6 hand or short handed

[jmbreslin 0]

6-handed is a more aggressive game, you have to loosen up a bit and be more active. In full ring you can play tighter and be more patient.

[potatoman 0]

Two easy ways to illustrate the differences:1) In six max, when you're UTG, you would want to play as if you were in a 9 handed game, and the first three players folded to you. So hands like AJo, KTs, etc, become playable, where in a 9 handed game, you may want to fold these UTG.2 ) In a cash game, you are actually paying to play, and not just rake.The blinds can be thought of as a fee to see the next series of cards. In a nine 9 handed game, with blinds $10/$20, each hand "costs" $3.33.With the same blinds in a six max game, each hand "costs" you $5.So in a 9 handed game, you can afford to be patient and wait for big edges to come up - cards, flops, donks making obvious mistakes etc.In six max, with the increased cost to play, you can no long afford to be patient. Or else, it will be very difficult to keep pace with the blinds. So you need to be more aggressive and push people and your edges a bit more.6 max keeps people from being bored. It also allows expert players to put their opponents in tougher positions and force them to make hard decisions. The more tough decisions you can force your opponent to make, the more likely they'll screw up and you'll profit.The downside is 6 max is a tougher format to play and variance is likely to be increased. Finally, without writing a book, big cards AKQJT, etc go up in value in six max while small pairs, suited connectors, go down in value.If you're new to poker, I would stick to 9 max until you feel you're very comfortable there, before switching over to 6 max.

[Vinny_Barberino 0]

It depends on your style. I play really loose, not really all that smart lol, and just try to bully the table in cash games. I am profitable at my style, and its way more entertaining. I guess I am a bit of an action player, so 6-max fits me. The format allows me to broaden my opening ranges, and I don't seem to get as much pushback from the tighter players. If you are more into exploiting small edges and the EV concept of poker, I think full ring is always going to be a better bet. It's easier to assign ranges to your opponents, play tighter, and as said earlier, I think the total of how much it costs you a hand in comparison potatoman gave says a lot.

[banksa 0]

yea i am newish i only been playing for real money for like not even a year yet but i am learning alot thanks guys

[antistuff 0]

it took me a long time to get comfortable playing shorthanded. it could just be a personality thing though.

[banksa 0]

yea i am starting to play a few on those heads up 2 dollar sit and go's i think i that is the weak link in my game cause i do have little heads up play

[Crazy Cypriot 0]

Definitely a very different game - i do much better 6 handed

[qnshustler 0]

Funny to see this topic today actually. Last night I played in one of Bodog's "mini-series" events (if your unfamiliar its not important anyway) for $11 buy-in, and was very pissed when the tourny started and I realized it was a 6-handed tourny. I have stayed away from shorthanded games for a long time because I generally like to play tighter and just feel more comfortable at full tables. I suppose my personal game as well as my understanding of how to better play shorthanded games have both improved a lot though, because from the get-go I made the adjustments I felt I needed to and was really able to run over my tables throughout the tournament (I finished 7th out of 300, a $135 cash). Like everyone says though, shorthanded you need to be more aggressive and more active than at a full table. I definitely noticed my stats throughout reflected me being a lot looser, raising and 3-betting preflop much more often than I normally would and taking advantage of the players who failed to loosen up. Sensing the right time to change gears for a while was also a huge thing for me. When you get the idea that people are getting fed up with your play and are starting to fight back you need to adjust to keep them from figuring you out.

[banksa 0]

yea i been playing limit six handed i really like it alot

[JettyZ 0]

I personally like playing 6-handed more, because if there's any more players, I tend to get bad beats a lot more often even if I play supertight.It's not a bad idea to be aggressive on 9-handed tables, though. A lot of players fold their hand preflop at 9-handed tables much more often.

[DonMcCoy 0]

Two easy ways to illustrate the differences:1) In six max, when you're UTG, you would want to play as if you were in a 9 handed game, and the first three players folded to you. So hands like AJo, KTs, etc, become playable, where in a 9 handed game, you may want to fold these UTG.2 ) In a cash game, you are actually paying to play, and not just rake.The blinds can be thought of as a fee to see the next series of cards. In a nine 9 handed game, with blinds $10/$20, each hand "costs" $3.33.With the same blinds in a six max game, each hand "costs" you $5.So in a 9 handed game, you can afford to be patient and wait for big edges to come up - cards, flops, donks making obvious mistakes etc.In six max, with the increased cost to play, you can no long afford to be patient. Or else, it will be very difficult to keep pace with the blinds. So you need to be more aggressive and push people and your edges a bit more.6 max keeps people from being bored. It also allows expert players to put their opponents in tougher positions and force them to make hard decisions. The more tough decisions you can force your opponent to make, the more likely they'll screw up and you'll profit.The downside is 6 max is a tougher format to play and variance is likely to be increased. Finally, without writing a book, big cards AKQJT, etc go up in value in six max while small pairs, suited connectors, go down in value.If you're new to poker, I would stick to 9 max until you feel you're very comfortable there, before switching over to 6 max.

I like this answer the best...In a nutshell... You're going to be in the blinds more often in a 6 max than you are in a 9 max... Therefore your starting hand requirements go down. You have to play more hands to keep up. Does this make sense?