6max or Full Table?

[Nizer]

Just wondering what you guys play and your reasons for it. I usually play around 3-4 tables of 6max at a time. I like the faster action and it seems easier to develop a read because there are less players. Also, medicore hands like AJo in late position become stronger because of the decreased amount of players. What are your thoughts?

[__Dan__]

I always seem to do much better at 6max, no idea why.

[jmontis]

Too tight players usually get killed in good 6 max games, but if you catch in the right spot, you'll get paid off big.

Last night I had a huge stack from playing semi-tight against 4 strong LAG players, who were throwing bluffs and huge raises out of nowhere. I mean it was one of the best games i've been in for a few months.

I ended the night with an extremely bad beat (2 outter for almost my whole stack at $100 NL), but I would play a game like that any day of the week.

If you're a tight NL player, you better learn to read people, because there are 10 other good loose ones who like to throw big bets at players like you.

[aislephive]

I like playing with up to 10 players. You tend to get a couple morons out of the bunch who seem to want to help your cause for a new car. They try to steal the blinds with weak hands and try to make rereaises with weak aces. And it's sooo easy to tell when they're pot commited.

[Miffed22001]

I play six max simply because i find the tight (near camper) style too difficult to play all that well on a 10person table. 6 max gives you oppertunity to play more cards in more positions and also a lot more flops are available to steal with not so good cards.
The only possible downside is that you dont win many big multi way pots unless obvious draws are on the table. Therefore you have to consistently play decent poker with few if no mistakes to make this type of table pay well imo.

[BIGandRICH]

i love playing at a 6max table full of unaware weaktights that just refuse to bluff. Its hilarious to gradually take money off them little by little, folding to their agression. And then owning them when you hit a straight to there TPTK.. and just watch those critical comments fly.. "What the hell was that, this guy raises 69o, what an idiot"

[underminedsk]

I just started playing 6max 100NL recently, and I like it alot. You can get a much better feel for table texture, and like other people have said, you can make more moves and take down pots uncontested. Watching how the other players are playing is really important at 6max, but I think its more profitable. If the table is full of laggs, let them do your betting for you. If it's full of calling stations, then make a hand and value bet them to death. If its full of weak tights (the best) then raise and raise and raise and raise until they get fed up and start making mistakes out of frustration.

[spino1i]

I play both. 10-max at 600/1000 NL is still somewhat a camping game, but 6-max at 600/1000 NL is anything but a camping game.

In 10-max you can sit there and fold almost every hand you see and wait for good hands to raise with and slowly take money off of people. At least this is what I do. Not as much bluffing happens in 10-max, since people tend to have better hands on average and its harder to bluff them out.

In 6-max however, the average hand is much weaker and bluffing is very important. My play ultimately depends on the other players at the table. If the table is too tight and conservative I raise the hell out of them and keep stealing pots and blinds. If its too aggressive, then I set a gazillion bear traps on people and keep getting paid off by playing ultra passive. Knowing what players you are up against is much more important in 6-max.

So in short, 6-max in my opinion involves a LOT more skill and imagination than 10-max where you can get by with playing ABC cookie-cutter poker.