PLO 6-max

First time trying short-handed.

On Party $50 now at a table where I am the only one under 83% VP$IP. Is this normal?

[BluffTHIS!]

Well we get to have an exchange outside of the philosophy forum. I don't use PT and so can't really discuss specific stats like that, however in any 6-max games of any kind you simply have to play more pots to stay ahead of the blind cost. And if you don't it will get even worse because you won't get enough action on your good hands. I play the 1K and 2K tables and only occasionally does a 1K 6-max get going on party, and I really wish they would add 6-max in the 2K level. While you can't let yourself turn into a calling station, the stone cold nuts will not be out there nearly as much and Q flushes will often be worth playing as if it were the nuts. Also, you simply need to be more aggressive in any shorter handed game and this means raising more preflop with a wider variety of hands and if you can get headsup then betting the flop when you get any piece of it. If you don't do these things as mentioned above, then the blind cost overhead will be a substantial drain on your earn.

Thanks for reply. My old bread-n-butter game used to be NLHE 6-max so I'm familiar with SH adjustments, but the looseness (pre and post) of some of the players is crazy. I hope to have hit a goldmine here.

[BluffTHIS!]

I play a lot of 1K 6-max too as well as full nl and plo. The thing in plo though is that you won't as often have an opponent crushed on the flop and turn like you would in nlhe. Since the nuts are not out there quite as often you will frequently have to gun it out with more marginal holdings even if the other players are loose. This also means value betting the river thinner with lower flushes and non-nut straights that on a full table would merely be bluff catchers. Even if you are the best player on a 6-max plo table, your edge won't be quite as good as it might seem since one of your primary edges, preflop starting standards, has to be adjusted lower and this means the loose players who have just a little bit of preflop discretion won't be punished as much for their normal tendencies. Also of course the variance is higher in 6-max plo vs nlhe for these reasons and also frequently because plo 6-max is a LAG's paradise where his bullying won't run into the nuts as often but will put the other players to more tough decisions that would be easy folds on a full table.

In these super loose, small stakes games, short-handed games, almost all of your money is going to be won/lost based upon your post-flop decisions.

[Acesover8s]

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however in any 6-max games of any kind you simply have to play more pots to stay ahead of the blind cost.

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This really isn't true. Because blinds are not a true cost of doing business,the money is not suck, you retain some equity within them (and of course, even more in a short game than a full game).

This concept has more bearing in a limit game, where the blinds are a larger fraction of the avergae potsize.

This, however is true:

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And if you don't it will get even worse because you won't get enough action on your good hands.

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Although probably not so much on party.