starting requirements

[Gazza]

I have been doing pretty well over 2 months in the 5-10 6 max Party games but I am still a little unsure about what hands to play UTG and UTG+1. I would be interested to hear players views on hands such as K10o, Q10o, Q9s, 98s etc. I feel these hands are too weak to open regularly for 2 bets in a 6 handed game but may be worth limping in, especially if the game is passive. I know many players regard limping as a lynching offfence in short-handed but I am not convinced this is so bad with 6 players. And what about Ax. It seems to me that A8 and above are profitable in these games. Also, is there any decent literature devoted to the short-handed game?

[DocHollyday]

Hi Gazza,

Generally I don't consider a 6 handed game shorthanded, because it's just not! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
With 6 people I do only small adjustments to my starting hands, means I wouldn't play any hand you mentioned UTG generally, unless it's really a loose/passive game with many players seeing the flop but seldom preflop raises. Then hand like 89s become worth playing (in my eyes). For Ax I just can tell you that I made bad experience playing those, so those hands are not playable for me (may be for others it is). Too many times you got to chase against A+better kicker.

Hope this helped!

[bigpooch]

It's best to take the raise or fold approach in most of
these 6 max games that are played. Any offsuit hand KTo,
QTo or worse should be a small loser in most fields (and
although Turbo Texas Hold'em does play awful, simulating
these hands do show a -EV but what does it know?) utg.
QJo seems to be a borderline hand: see the thread about
this marginal hand!

On the other hand, Q9s and 98s or even 87s should be
played at least occasionally as stated in HFAP but you do
have to exercise better judgment with these suited
connectors. Perhaps you might play the worst suited
connectors about 1/4 of the time. Keep in mind that you
should probably be raising almost all the time if you are
first one in. The question then is: what do you limp in
with besides AA and KK?

And about Axo utg in 6max: why bother? TTH also yields
a -EV and you would have to have a really readable big
blind to play A9o to expect to make anything with this
hand (or just a bunch of clowns!). The worst nonsuited
ace that seems profitable utg in most 6 max fields is ATo
and even that sometimes spells trouble! A9o seems much
more likely to be +EV after two players have folded in a
6 max table.

As a summary, six handed doesn't seem so short when you
are utg.

[stripsqueez]

do a search for starting hand threads in this forum as this has been discussed many times

i regard limping as a lynching offence, but its a personal view - i can accept that you may do OK limping with some hands - i do however reserve my right to abuse all limpers in short handed

i play lots of 5 max at paradise and its been of considerable benefit to me to see that a hand like QJo or K10o is an auto fold UTG 6 handed but worth a raise a lot of the time UTG 5 handed

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

[Gazza]

Thanks for your views. I believe the opposition is a key factor in what hands you can play. The 5-10 games at Party vary wildly from extremely tough (get up, find another game unless we're feeling very stubborn) to a Poker player's dream. In the latter case you can obviously get away with a few more hands, even UTG, as they pay you off with anything (or nothing)

[davidross]

I dont play any of the hands you mentioned UTG 6 handed. KJ and QJ and AT I will play though.

I limp a lot UTG in these games with small suited Aces, AA, KK and the hands mentioned above. If there is a strong player in teh game who keeps raising my limps I will change, but otherwise I find the bad players will play Kx and Qx for a limp, but not against a raise. As a result raising with QJ, I am almost certainly only called by a better hand who has position on me.