I wana become a 6-max NL winner

[Big Bend]

I know this is a limit forum but I wana get some advice from here. I'm a long term winner at 6-max limit games.. Its been my main source of poker income for 2 years now. I've dabbled a little in NL ring but never tried to master it before. Anyway I'm ready to tackle the NL stuff and I want to concentrate on 6-max there too. I've read a buncha books lately on NL (HOH1&2, Gordon's Little Green Book, etc) but none of them mention shorthanded aggressive play.

Anyway looking for advice on how to adjust from 6-max limit to 6-max NL. I'm gona start at the bottom (.05/.10 $10) and work my way up. Should be a fun ride...

Thanks.. BB

[jba]

I would play several thousand full ring first. I think it's much more forgiving and you'll get a much better sense of hand values etc...

Also do you ever play any live games of any sort? I find that playing a little live (limit or NL) slows the game down a ton, lets me pick up SICK reads that you never dream of online (but are often just betting pattern reads not physical tells) that can really help you study the game more carefully

my $.02

[Big Bend]

I've never played live NL ring, just limit. Figure I'm ready to tackle that too next time I head to the casino.

Online tho ya I should probably do full ring NL first but whats the fun in that. I hate losing with TPTK in full games seems like they have a better chance of holding up in 6-max NL.. duno..

Anyway with my 6-max limit stats are VPIP is 23%, PFR 14%, TA 2.7, WTSD 35%, W$SD 52%. Should my 6-max NL stats and starting hand guidelines be fairly similar?

Thanks again... BB

[Guruman]

In general, nl is about trapping while limit is about value betting. You can do things like slowplay until the river with a flopped set if you think that your opponent will pay you off. That's a big nono in limit.

Both of those Harrington books are awesome, and should probably be worn out for NL to the same extent that SSH is worn out for limit ring.

I think the main thing that's relevant in NL that doesn't matter in limit is the stack size of the opposition. Slowplaying is worthless if the villain's got no stack to pay off with. Bluffing is also useless if villain has already committed 2/3 of his stack pf. Having a big stack matters in NL. Going up against a small stack can swing a decision from raise to fold.

I'd read the NL forums here, and check out Negranu's site as well.

[Guruman]

If you've read the harrington books, you should know that your VPIP is relative to your style.

The tight style that Harrington uses would lead to a much lower vpip than in limit games because hands with mainly top pair value [like KQo] become much more dangerous. TPTK is not worth calling a big raise with.

The looser style sees a lot of cheap flops, and tries to flop monsters or bluff out weakies when it misses. It requires the ability to read hands and make raises and laydowns postflop that bear little relationship to the cards. This style would naturally lead to a much higher vpip, as you're trying to get in cheap in late position vs a couple of worthy stacks. The cards matter less here.

[Big Bend]

Thanks for the advice I really apprecaite it. Few more thoughts...

In 6-max limit I never open limp, and I never cold call raises. Seems like there are alot more opportunities to do that in 6-max NL games.. ie cold call a preflop 3x BB raise with a low PP and hope to hit a set, or open limp with suited connectors. That trapping vs value betting thing I gota get used to. Folding TP/OP to a big raise I have yet to master.

My 6-max style has always been very TAG.. that loose stuff ain't for me. Hopefully that still translates into a winning forumla in 6-max NL.

Thanks again... BB

[Guruman]

I'm not a NL Guru (hell I'm not a poker guru), but I think that most good NL players will only cc if they have a good read on a villain's range and can make the appropriate laydown on the flop. They also probably rely on being able to take free cards.

Openlimping is probably safer in NL than it is in limit, since a LRR often ends with the words "all in". Players may be more wary of this, and less inclined to raise for value with a top pair type pf hand like a couple of broadways. Small pairs probably don't raise vs openlimpers as much either, since they'd rather hit a set and try to get all in.

These type of questions are definately better answered in the NL forums though.

[noir]

http://archiveserver.twoplustwo.com/show...o=14&fpart=

It's a link to the NL retro thread, featuring vintage posts from the masked one.