Ed Miller's new Artilce on 6-Max (PRE FLOP)

[mojobluesman]

The biggest problem I have playing 6-Max is that a high percentage of the time the pot will be opened for a raise because it's a short handed game.

In a full ring game, I feel comfortable folding my marginal hands when it's raised in front of me because the raiser will tend to have a very strong hand. That's not always the case in 6-max where the opener could be raising with any number of hands just like a mid position player might raise if he's first in in a full ring game.

How do you correctly lower your pre-flop standards in a 6-max game and make the cold-call or re-raise to account for the different pre flop raising standards you find in short handed games?

[axioma]

not to be a nit, but the concepts that apply to full ring are the same ones that apply to 6-max.

you 3 bet preflop because you want to isolate and/or push equity edge.

obviously you lower your standards the shorter you get because you determine that the raiser has lowered thiers.

the amount you adjust of course, just like in full ring, greatly depends upon the opponent who raised.

if anything, 6-max play just emphisises how ridiculosly sub-optimal preflop generalites are.

[mojobluesman]

It's the extent to lower your standards (in general) that I find very difficult to pin down because there hasn't really been enough discussion. The obvious ones are easy.

[axioma]

there has been almost endless discussion on the topic, which boards have you been reading?

search the HUSH archives for "preflop standards" ec..

my point was that "general" 3 betting guidelines will not help you much, if at all. 3 betting is *far* more player dependant than a simple preflop raise.

When playing 6-max it is rarely correct to cold call. The read you have on the player that open raised should determine your course of action. Many times you should be isolating the fish by three betting and you can significantly lower the the three betting standards you have from ring games.