Calling Station

[SirFWALGMan]

Does anyone hate the 6-side game as much as I do? There is so much bluffing going on that you almost have to become a calling station, except when you do that you get screwed. I played a little 3/6 and it threw my game so far off for the past two days that I have made all of $20, and could be down as much as 2-3 buyins. I finally have smacked myself hard and decided to get back to fundemental play, stop playing the 6-sided tables, and start kicking some ass again! It worked well last night.

Does anyone else always have to struggle against being bluffed? Part of me wants to see what the person has just to say "Nah Nah, you did not bluff me!". I constantly have to fight against this urge. Hopefully I can put it behind me some day. It is SOO stupid!

[GeoffM]

I try to steer clear of the short-handed games. This is probably my biggest weakness in poker, and generally when I am playing in a sit-n-go I will struggle unless I am either short stack or chip leader. I am not very good when I am middle of the pack with 5 guys left. Stick with the tight play at a 10 man table and it will pay off better in the long run.

[Talking Poker]

Don't take this wrong, but guys like you are the ones who pay guys like me a lot of money in 6 seated games.

Here's a tip for you to try out some time. Stop calling. If you are putting money into the pot, raise. Or else just fold. Obviously you can't raise/fold 100% of the time, but start raising or folding more and calling less, and I think you'll have more success.

[Aequitas58]

If you are a full table player with a set strategy, playing in a 6-handed (or any other) short handed game will throw you completely off track. Short handed games are GREAT for your bankroll if you are comfortable playing them. The key is aggression.

It's hard to stress this enough. TP is right with raising. I suggest either staying far away from these tables or reading some good material on short handed games.

G'luck.

[Aequitas58]

I just saw this line. I disagree.

In a 4-6 person shorthanded game as opposed to a full game, skill is more of a factor. Cards speak less. Flops, and subsequently, showdowns, simply don't happen as much.

More is to be said about "playing" the player.

Aggression.

[GeoffM]

I have never heard someone say this about online poker. Showdowns happen virtually always, too many idiots on line that for some reason I am still trying to figure out actually like losing money.

[Aequitas58]

I'm not speaking generally for "online poker." I'm talking about shorthanded games vs. full ring games. There are less flops and less showdowns. Check it out for yourself.

I don't think people like losing money, but I think poker is addictive and people like "taking a shot". The sad thing is, for the majority of those players, when they do win they don't cash out. They just play it out and wind up losing all of it.

[2Tone]

There's so much emphasis on the differences between Limit and NL, but I almost think the difference between six and 10 players at the table is so great that you can sort say there are four kinds of Hold 'Em.

I do fine in NL SNGs when it gets down to the final few players, but have learned the hard way to stay away from short handed NL cash games, at least for now. I'm just not comfortable with the hyper aggression you need with top pair when there's a possible straight on the board, at least when it's real cash. The difference between NL chips and cash would be another great thread ...

That said, I do think that if you can master/stomach short handed NL, your BB's an hour can potentially far exceed a full ring game.

[Aequitas58]

[Comments above in BOLD.]

A lot of money can be made playing shorthanded NL - it's amazing. The swings can (and usually are) worse than a full game, so be prepared to play and gamble.

[SirFWALGMan]

I totally agree with you and try to stay as FAR away from being a calling station as possible. My aggression factor sucks though. I think I will take your advice. If I would not raise with AK overcards on a small board then I probably should just fold them on the flop when they miss. Maybe sometimes I hit the Ace and win, but I probably give more money away because I will check or call.

[Tilter]

I can't play short handed games. Not to good at it, but it is a necessity to learn if you want to become better at poker. Hopefully SNGs will help improve that skill.

[Charlie Frank]

You've answered your own question. You've established the problem and solution.

1. There is a lot of bluffing.
2. Folding means you've folded the best hands.
3. Calling gets you screwed.
4. This leaves the only possible option: can you guess it?

CF

[SirFWALGMan]

Ummm. Fold? heh.

[SirFWALGMan]

Hey thanks for your advice. I tried it tonight and it worked really well on one table, and so-so on another. I basically said If I am going to stay in, I am going to bet or raise. Period. I ended up out on one table. Got busted by really bad luck, and a little bit of betting when I probably should have folded. Alot less than before though.

I ended up almost trippled up at the other table. I was with alot of calling stations, LAGS, and one Maniac! It was sweet! So I basically ended up about 20BB. I always bet scary flops, and folded against any strength I saw. Usually people folded to me. I also raised when I was likely to have the best hand to protect my Q high, etc.. I got called to the river with 2nd and 3rd pairs alot and that helped. Not a bad night. I will continue to try and get more aggresive, and read a little more to try and tweak my game for this new level.

[nutbag]

Sounds like you enjoyed it. Once I learned the style of 6 handed, it was really hard for me to go back to a full table outside of NL tourney play. There just seems to be so much more art in it than the calculated play necessary for 10 handed.

[Jackass_man]

I love playing Nl 6-seated cash games , It's where you can sit down and destroy the table. Many times I've sat down with a third of what the rest of the table has in $ and 2 hours later have the majority of it sitting in front of me. I find the full ring games really slow, but they also have the potential for bigger pots since you'll have more people seeing flops. In shorthanded games its generally heads up or 3 ppl per hand thats where bluffimg really comes into play if I find a table with alot of tight players I'm going to try and steal every pot I play. with loose players i'm gonna set a trap and take everything they got. Controlled aggresion is everything, since there is less players ppl will be playing more hands usually. It all comes down to table dynamics and changing your playing style accordingly.

[DaTruPoker]

i avoid shorthanded tables as much as possible, as I am not yet a good enough player to be able to consistently outplay my oppnents. however, if i do play shorthanded I raise always preflop if first one into the pot, and will often re raise with ace-mid to take the blinds down.