Initial Musings w/ 6Max Limit.

Aequitas58 · #1 08-09-05, 05:40 AM

I'm venturing into 6Max. I've decided that $1/2 LHE is where I'll start. My weenie roll is nowhere near the regulatory 300BB rule of thumb, but I tried playing lower stakes and it just hasn't been fun.

Anyway.

After playing a little over 300 hands in the last 2 days (single-tabling) I'm hitting 5.15 BB/100. (I realize this sample size is incredibly small...) but for those out there w/ PT who also play 6max limit: what are you averaging?

Q1: What is "successful" at this game? Is 5BB/100 where you want to be? Is that less than where I want to be?

Q2: Is your BB/100 radically different at different levels? Ie: your BB/100 at $2/4, $3/6, $5/10, etc?

Looking for some guidance - shabi, TP, etc. Don't make me go to 2+2!!! And again, I realize my sample size is small. Kinda like my bankroll.

PS: Feel free to PM if your reply contains information you'd rather not publicize (ie: your BB/100 statistic...)

PPS: These 6max games are very fun! More variance than full ring, but I'm hoping I can stay on variance's good side until building a little more. One bad day will put me out of commission.

nutbag · #2 08-09-05, 08:38 AM

You probably won't be able to go back to a full limit game once you start 6max, it's so much more interesting or challenging. Regarding the 5BB/100, I didn't have poker tracker at the time, but calculated about a 12-15/hr rate at that level single and sometimes double tabling, so it was probably pretty similar. Value betting and barely ever bluffing (but semi bluffing for free cards and the like) go such a long way at 1/2.

Shabi posted his pokertracker stats at 3/6 for 20,000 and a good discussion followed, so looking that up would be good.

You're at party, right? If you move up to 3/6, (i'm pretty sure they don't have 2/4/) the average player is better, but just having to make 1/3 of your winrate makes it easier to make more money, though your bankroll is probably limiting you from doing that any time soon. My attempts at 5/10 have been full of variance, both because they were very short and the average 5/10 player is much more aggressive than at lower levels. Table selection becomes much more important.

If you hit the evil side of variance, double tabling .5/1 might be good, as the play there is just atrocious(where my gf is learning).

I don't play much NL outside of tourneys. Being previously a NL player, do you find that limit can still be interesting enough when you have a much smaller amount of money on the line each hand?

Aequitas58 · #3 08-09-05, 01:00 PM

Thanks for replying. See my comments above.

kkirk1329 · #4 08-09-05, 01:18 PM

i know i started palying 6 max and i havent stopped, i think its a whole lot more fun and you get to play more...more hands because not as many people are at the table

PShabi · #5 08-09-05, 05:37 PM

Lou,

5BB/100 is just not something you can sustain long run.

2BB/100 is pretty damn good. I've seen people in the 2.xxbb/100 range over a substantial amount of hands.

My stats are no long hosted and the link is dead. But at 20k I was "only" at 1BB/100.

My goal is to reach and sustain 2bb/100.

However, I've read some really good posts by some players that are way above my level. They suggest that even after 20k, if you're running at 1.5BB that could really be breaking even or 3bb. You need at least 100k hands before you see variance start to balance out.

300 hands is nothing. I play that in an hour and a half. FYI, at 5/10 I lost 15BB in 13 hands. I also had a private discussion with TP where he told me about an insane downswing he had once.

You need PokerTracker.

Aequitas58 · #6 08-09-05, 06:19 PM

See above.

PShabi · #7 08-09-05, 06:47 PM

Yeah bro,

'tis difficult.

Didn't realize you already had the tracker. You plan on sticking at this game?

Hope you do.

Post some hands to discuss. Benefits all of us.

Aequitas58 · #8 08-09-05, 07:07 PM

For now, yes. I hope I can build somewhat of a bankroll, but if I bust out, then I'll just have to wait until October when I get a paycheck.

IMO, this game is more fun than NL, but I think I prefer NL when I'm playing live. Ahh well. When I get some interesting hands, I'll throw them up.

Talking Poker · #9 08-09-05, 11:32 PM

Anyone who isn't new to this forum knows I LOVE 6 max. It's my bread and butter. I play $5/$10 most of the time, but have played some 10/20 as well. I don't have my PT numbers in front of me right now (I'm on my laptop), but I think my BB/100 is in the 2.5 - 3 range for 5/10.

Actually, checking my little spreadshet here, I see I'm at 3.1 BB/100 in 5/10 6 max... I don't have numbers for lower limits (my PT may have some from last month's bankroll building contest - it would be a very small sample size) , but I think it's safe to assume they would be the same or more likely better than my 5/10 numbers.

As pshabi said, be prepared for variance. The story I told him was when I dropped (are you ready?) $1371 over the course of 195 hands one day about a year ago. This was at 10/20, but that's still about 70 BBs in under 200 hands. Gotta love the -35 BB/100 hand rate. That was my all time worst session of poker. I've had some monster runs to the good too, of course, but the point is, there can be some sick variance in 6 max.