Trying to make the move to 6max - Suggestions?

As of late, i've been 4 tabling 1/2 with 3 full ring and 1 6max game, with a little extra focus being put on my 6max game. I'm trying to slowly make the transition to playing more 6max. As with any new game, I'm sure there are OBVIOUS huge leaks that people make when they first start. Any insight into 6max that people can offer so my growing pains aren't so bad?

1. I see lots of AXo being played and calling to river with A high. Clearly the calling down can't be profitable, but is it even THINKABLE to play AXo for anything other than a blind steal? A4o being played UTG regularly? really?! can't be profitable. these MUST just be fishy fishies.

2. Position is more important in 6max, yes? However, don't certain hands strengthen as well since less cards are being dealt? Like very marginal hands such as QJo UTG? Certainly not a great hand and something i never EVER play in early pos in full ring, but as first or second to act 6 max, is this hand worth entering the pot early with?

3. Big pocket pair - i see a LOT of people not 3 betting with their QQ and KK pre-flop so that they can check raise flop or turn.. I'm sure there are instances even in full ring games here and there in higher limits against tricky players where this is appropriate. But is this something regularly done in 6 max?

4. PF raising - NOT including blind steals, do you open it up a bit, or stick to the usual PF raise-able hands? Clearly I'm raising 77-AA and KJs and better, but what about KTs, QTs, JTs, AJo, KQ, KJo and others? I suppose everyone agrees AJo, but what about others...

...Just any general tidbits for a newbie to 6max would be great!

[Robk]

start by reading the threads linked to here, and the threads linked to in those threads.
link

[kahntrutahn]

you are thinking, you will do well...

The most important thing I've learned so far in about 10 days of playing 6 max is that the world will not crumble if you don't stick to a strict guideline for preflop hands. In a lot of games I will open raise QTo/66 or better depending on how I've been playing. If I've been playing a lot of hands lately or I've been getting played back at a lot even when I raise from early position then I stick to slightly better hands.

Then some simple stuff is that if I'm first into a pot I come in raising.

As for AXo, it still isn't a good hand. Depending on the game I may open with AX from CO if I think it can win me the blinds, but at 1/2 this doesn't happen a ton. Opening from button/sb I come in raising.

About slowplaying big pairs, I think it's pretty stupid. In the past week the only time I've "slowplayed" a big pair was one time with AA on the button when they had been folding to my button raise the past few orbits and another time from the BB when the button opened. In a heads up pot it's not that bad, but it's probably better to just put the bets in while you have the best hand. In multiway pots slowplaying is obviously horrible.

Ace high most certainly can have showdown value in shorthanded games. In fact, against certain players you can actually value bet Ace high with good kicker to get called by a worse kicker (or by retards that call down with J high). You're going to be showing down a lot more marginal hands.

I think the most important thing #2 I've learned so far that I can suggest is: get good at value betting.

I went from playing 2/4 full to 1/2 6 max and I'm pissed at myself that I didn't switch to shorthanded earlier. You get way more hands per hour, plus you get to play a lot of hands you'd never play in full games. Playing 4 tables I'm almost always involved in a hand, unlike full where I'm usually sitting and waiting forever.