Q5s -- this isn't preparing me for 5/10 6-max at all, is it?

Nick C · #1 05-09-2005, 05:07 AM

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
2 folds, Hero raises, SB calls, BB calls.

Flop: (6 SB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets, Hero raises, SB folds, BB calls.

Turn: (5 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.

River: (7 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: 7 BB

All right, so I thought I'd include a hand. I don't know if there's actually much to say about it. (Fold preflop? Bet the river?)

I thought I'd try a little 1/2 6-max to get a better feel for short-handed tables and the BB swings.

But the players seem really bad (that may include me; I have made at least a couple of ridiculous calldowns, among other things), and after 248 hands I'm 34/18/2.5. I guess I'm having trouble taking it seriously.

Maybe I should just go back to 3/6.

I guess what I'm asking is if there's any point to playing 1/2 6-max as sort of a brief interim preparation for the 5/10.

I'm not sure how my situation is BB-wise, either. I've got 300+, but maybe that's not really enough for short tables.

Thoughts?

marand · #2 05-09-2005, 06:19 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
2 folds, Hero raises, SB calls, BB calls.

Flop: (6 SB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets, Hero raises, SB folds, BB calls.

Turn: (5 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.

River: (7 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: 7 BB

All right, so I thought I'd include a hand. I don't know if there's actually much to say about it. (Fold preflop? Bet the river?)

I thought I'd try a little 1/2 6-max to get a better feel for short-handed tables and the BB swings.

But the players seem really bad (that may include me; I have made at least a couple of ridiculous calldowns, among other things), and after 248 hands I'm 34/18/2.5. I guess I'm having trouble taking it seriously.

Maybe I should just go back to 3/6.

I guess what I'm asking is if there's any point to playing 1/2 6-max as sort of a brief interim preparation for the 5/10.

I'm not sure how my situation is BB-wise, either. I've got 300+, but maybe that's not really enough for short tables.

Thoughts?

[/ QUOTE ]

I would fold the hand preflop unless the blinds are total rocks (not very likely). I would play it the same after the flop.

I think 1/2 can prepare you for 5/10 SH if you are new to shorthanded. But, if you feel the limit is too small for you to take it seriously, don't play there.

300BB is not a safe bank roll at 5/10 SH, but if you are a winning player it is unlikely that you would start with a 300BB downswing at any level. I guess it depends on how willing you are to take risks. I have friends who play SH with a 300 BB bankroll, but I don't feel comfortable with less than 1000 BB.

I guess you could jump up to 5/10 and take a stab at it. Move down again if you lose 150 BB (you would still have enough BR left for 3/6 full or 1/2 SH). For what it's worth I have not yet had a 150BB+ downswing in my 50k hands of 5/10 SH.

stripsqueez · #3 05-09-2005, 08:36 AM

i could fold pre-flop but its not a big deal either way so i have no issue with granny on the button

i was playing 10/20 5 max today and i had this hand - more or less - i raised the turn and checked down the river - he showed the equivalent of J3

i think calling the turn is fine - i cant bring myself to bet the river - bad players scare easy so he might have lots of better hands

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

TMFS9 · #4 05-09-2005, 09:58 AM

I think I was in the same situation as you a little while back, where I dropped down from 3/6 to 1/2 6 max to get a feel for shorthanded. And while there are some lessons to learn at 1/2 6 max I didn't find it too worth while. My suggestion is to try another site and try the 2/4 and 3/6 games, as I found that those played more like the 5/10 game than the 1/2 did. This also might help you take the game a little more serious.

imitation · #5 05-09-2005, 10:01 AM

You guys are so weak tight, I open raise Q6o and Qxs on the button [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Hand is fine and actually this is exactly like a common 5/10 hand so I don't know why you're bitching about it exactly??

Nick C · #6 05-09-2005, 11:26 PM

[ QUOTE ]
You guys are so weak tight, I open raise Q6o and Qxs on the button [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Hand is fine and actually this is exactly like a common 5/10 hand so I don't know why you're bitching about it exactly??

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I guess a hand more like this one might have fit the thread title better:

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (6 max, 4 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is UTG with J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
Hero raises, Button calls, 1 fold, BB calls.

Flop: (6.50 SB) Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, Button calls, BB calls.

Turn: (4.75 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, Button checks.

River: (4.75 BB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, Button bets, BB raises, Hero folds, Button calls.

Final Pot: 8.75 BB

Results in white below: 
Button has Ac Qd (one pair, queens).
BB has 7h 3s (straight, seven high).
Outcome: BB wins 8.75 BB. 

Anyway, the tables I was at were on the loose-passive side, and the pots were generally more multiway than at 3/6 full.

I semi-bluffed and bluffed too much and underestimated my opponent's range of hands when I got played back at and just generally didn't adjust very well. In short, I wasn't playing my A game (but, unfortunately, I don't think I have an A game for 6-max at this point).

Nick C · #7 05-09-2005, 11:33 PM

Thanks for the responses. They were helpful.

I've learned enough about 6-max swings in the past two days at 1/2 6-max and also through your responses to decide to stay away from the 5/10 6-max, for the time being. Before moving up, I'd like to build a roll that will give me more of a cushion for downswings and the initial adjustment period.

Oh, and in the posted hand, BB had A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], and MHIG.

SomethingClever · #8 05-09-2005, 11:38 PM

JTo isn't a good hand to raise UTG.... even 4-handed, I'm thinking.

Nick C · #9 05-09-2005, 11:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
JTo isn't a good hand to raise UTG.... even 4-handed, I'm thinking.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're probably right. Among other things, I wasn't going to win the hand preflop, my opponents were unlikely to release a hand like ace-high if the board missed them, and there was obviously no hope of buying the Button. I was playing like it had been folded to me in the CO at a 3/6 full table, which simply wasn't the case.

Alobar · #10 05-09-2005, 11:52 PM

im the only one who raises the turn??