.5/1 to 1/2 (6-max) transition

[Yobz]

Hey guys, been here a while and I've been doing .5/1 for a while. I feel like I can 4-table it pretty well but I feel like I'm a little over-aggressive for such low limits. I think I can better use my aggression in a 6-max table and with the party reload my bankroll will actually have 450BB for 1/2. Do you think I should move up?
Quick stats:
Only have 5k hands at .5/1 and I know this is not nearly enough (yes I really do know) and have been pulling in 4BB/100 or so. VPIP of 18% PFR 9%, 3-4 agg for flop/turn and 2.5 for river.

Should I take the jump? Anyone have hands on me in the PT database and wanna make some (preferably mean, so that I can learn) comments?

Thanks!

[Greg J]

I am moving up soon, and was wondering if I'm cut out for the SH game. What are the differences that you see? Can you better take down really bad players? I'm not of the dynamic.

[Yobz]

I'm really not sure, I was hoping to get more opinions here. I think there is a lot more blind stealing and more agg overall. You play the same looseness preflop but raise more and your vpip ends up being higher because you play UTG as if it were MP2. Anyone else can feel free to comment [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Greg J]

There is no guide to making the transistion that I am aware of. If anyone knows of one please post a link or something.

Yeas I would imagine VP would go up. Also, I would imagine you can get better reads playing multiple tables, and this would allow you to better isolate the fish.

[mikeyKay]

i have only played about 2500 hands at party 1/2 6 max, but i think its the softest game i have ever played in. the players are real bad, and i think if you have the basics down, you should be able to beat the game. try to raise PF if you are the first one in, and just keep your aggression up through the hand. i dont have much more general advice, but im guessing if you search the HUSH forum you can find a bunch of posts with basic info for shorthanded.

i would say to give it a shot, and if you drop 100BB's or so, drop down for a bit.

-mike

[bonanz]

[ QUOTE ]
If anyone knows of one please post a link or something.

[/ QUOTE ]
linkity link

enjoy

[Yobz]

Read them all: took a while but was great. Esp the inducing bluffs on turn/river was very clear and formulated what i always couldnt

[skunkworks]

I definitely recommend learning how to play SH. The Party 6-max tables tend to attract more of the "action" players, and the higher number of hands dealt per hour means that on average you'll have more opportunities to exploit bad play. It's also a great place to start sharpening up your real poker skills after having cruised a bit at the .50/1 level (where robotic play will win money but won't teach you very much beyond the fundamentals).

Fortunately, the 1/2 6-max level is decently stocked with passive calling stations. The link to Guido's post is a great place to get started learning a different game. A few of the notable adjustments:

1) Preflop raising requirements -- you'll be doing a lot more raising with unsuited high cards (KJo, A9o, etc.) as well as small-to-mid pairs if you think you can isolate weak players, knock the blinds out, or get the pot HU. Basically, hands that are "showdownable" are great. One great rule is to almost always open-raise with any playable hand. This means raising A7s in CO-1, raising QJo UTG, and a lot of other normally strange plays. Take note that PF hand recommendations are only a guideline; shorthanded play is dynamic, and you will have to make the proper adjustments to the type of players you play against and the mood of the table.

2) Aggression -- You need to be aggressive enough to squeeze value out of your marginal hands and get paid on your monsters without getting caught up in trying to run passive players over. Trying to run passive players over is something I eventually learned not to do =). Your PT agg. numbers look great.

3) You'll be doing plenty of value-betting, which may or may not be normal for you. It sounds like it is normal for you.

4) You'll need to brush up on your turn and river play. In full-ring games, the pot is often large enough to warrant a calldown on many losers. This might not be the case in a 6-max game. You'll be betting TPBK on the turn, and when you get checkraised, you'll need to be comfortable with determining whether to call down or not. A lot of this has to do with player reads. So yeah, I guess I should mention player reads.

5) Player reads -- Please pay attention to whether the guy who C/R'ed you on the turn or river is capable of bluff-raising or not.

I suggest starting out gradually by mixing in one table of 1/2 6-max as a change of pace. Watch your PT numbers and make sure that they look okay as you progress. At 1/2, I'm somewhat loose at 26-27 VP$IP, with a PF raise around 13-14%, Won when seeing flop 36-37%, etc. If your numbers deviate a fair amount, you'll want to evaluate whether it's good/bad luck or good/bad play.

[helpmeout]

$1/$2 6max is pretty weak you want to be playing 20-30% of hands but mainly you have to be aggressive.

Raise stuff like QJ ATo KJo, way more hands if you are in steal position.

Bet bottom pair on the flop vs 1 opponent or after one has checked vs 2.

Bet things like gutshots and overcards as long as you think people will fold.

1 pair usually wins vs 1-2 opponents so dont be passive when you hit the flop, its usually the best hand.

Dont worry about only playing 5k hands, I have only played 16k hands from 50c/$1-$5/$10. I only 2table though so I concentrate on each table much more.

If you feel you have an edge and can spot weak players then you are ready as long as you have a good BR and a good winrate.

If you start off bad and end up with only a 200BR then just move back down to 50c/$1.

Your flop and turn aggression are a bit agro for 50c/$1 but they wont be for $1/$2. My PFR was about 14 in $1/$2 6max I think anywhere between 12 and 18 is probably ok.

[Yobz]

Thanks for all your comments, they are greatly appreciated! I'm going to relax a tiny bit and then start my 1/2 6-max adventure [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]