Six pack

	Phil Shaw

Six-max no-limit hold’em has become the dominant online cash game format, thanks to the internet age. Unlimited numbers of tables and virtual dealers allow players to engage in high-variance and aggressive games, feeding the desires of gambling junkies.

Six-max also enables pros to maximise their earn by playing more hands and making a greater number of good decisions. Not only that, these games have also allowed countless young internet whizz kids to run up six and seven-figure bankrolls in short periods of time, while changing the very essence of cash poker into a tougher and more muscular entity. In short, players in six-handed games need to be strong in all aspects of the game if they are going to survive.

But what adjustments are necessary if you are a newcomer to six-max poker or a grizzled veteran of live ring games trying to adapt? First of all, as suggested above, aggression is more paramount here than in almost any other form of poker. If you watch any higher limit six- max game online, you will see players raising and re-raising each other pre-flop all the time. Frequently, they will get all their money in on or after the flop – sometimes with fairly dubious hands. This is because it is usually the most aggressive players who win the money.

They do this by forcing their opponents to fold when they have a marginal hand with an aggressive image that allows them to get paid off when they do have a big hand. In the biggest online games, everyone knows this. So, it becomes a battle of aggression with each player trying to get the others to back down, allowing them to take control.

PRE-FLOP

The battle begins pre-flop. In a six-max game, you should almost never be open- limping from any position. Raising three to four times the big blind – with any hand you want to play – will give you the impetus to win the pot by continuation betting the flop if you are called. If you are not called, you will still have taken down the blinds without a showdown.

Similarly, you should not make a habit of passively limping behind another limper pre-flop. If they habitually do this, you should be raising with any type of playable hand to around five times the big blind, in position, to isolate them.

Be prepared to continuation bet the flop if faced with a call. Since this is six-max poker, you can also play a lot more hands in all positions: suited connectors, pairs, Broadway Aces and face cards can all be opened from any position, unless you need to tighten up for some reason (for example, if the table is very loose- aggressive). In late position you can really open up and also play unsuited connectors, weaker Aces and other junk hands – especially on the button where you will always have position and be able to dictate the hand’s play.

From this, it is clear most players will be involved in a lot of hands pre-flop in the average six-max game. And, because it is such a prevalent strategy, most players will also re-raise with a wide range of hands as a way of ‘re-stealing’ (since their opponents will rarely have a strong enough hand to continue) disguising the big hands they would have re-raised with anyway.

Suited connectors, face cards and medium pairs are all non-premium hands that you should be re-raising loose-aggressive openers with some of the time. This balances the times you raise with a big hand like Aces or Kings. You should also be calling with these holdings to keep your opponents guessing about where you are in any particular hand.

At the highest levels you will also see players four-betting, for example, re-reraising with marginal hands. But generally, most opponents who do this will have A-K or a big pair, and you should get out of their way if you don’t.

Against very aggressive opponents who re-raise frequently, you will need to fold a lot of your marginal hands. If they persist, fight back with a mixture of four- betting light, smooth-calling with big pairs, trying to get all-in on the flop and smooth-calling good non-premium hands like K-Q or 6-7 suited. You should be prepared to put all your money in if you hit top pair or a decent draw.

POST-FLOP

In post-flop six-max play, as suggested, most pots will have been raised or re- raised before the flop. It is standard practice for the last raiser to continuation bet 75-100% of the pot and expect to win the majority of the time in most games. However, the higher the limits you play, the more you will see people reacting to this strategy by floating (calling with a weak hand in position hoping to take the pot away later), bluff- raising or smooth-calling with any made hand. In games where people play like this, you will need to mix your continuation bets with check-raises and check-folds in order to keep your opponents off-guard.

Because the starting stacks in six-max games are 100 big blinds, it is still going to be uncommon to see two players get all-in after only a single raise pre-flop with less than very big hands and draws. You need to be careful how you play vulnerable hands like top pair, and you need to consider exercising pot control or folding against extreme aggression if you want to avoid getting ‘stacked’ with them. In pots that have been re-raised pre-flop, however, 20-30 big blinds will have already gone in.

With a continuation bet on the flop, there will be a lot of money to fight for. If the players involved are aggressive – or have a lot of history together – you will often see people bluff-raising with overcards and weak draws like gutshots, putting all their money in with top pair type hands.

The turn and river are interesting streets in single raised pots, as with 100 big blind stacks a player who raises pre- flop and bets close to the pot on every street will usually be able to get his stack all-in by the river. For this reason – and because continuation betting is so prevalent – you also need to be double- barrel bluffing against persistent opponents on the turn a decent percent of the time (especially when the board changes or you pick up outs).

You also need to follow through on the river with an all-in bluff often enough that it balances the times you value bet a big hand and puts your opponent to a difficult decision.

If you follow this general strategy and play aggressively on all streets with well-balanced frequencies, you will be a formidable opponent. And, if you also put in the hours, you will have a good shot at playing in the bigger games, with plenty of reward for your hard work. Before long, you could be making yourself some serious money!