6-max, 8-max or 10-max?

I've been playing 6-max since I started playing NL online, but I've noticed that most of the guys on this forum are playing 8 player and 10 player tables. Is there something I'm missing here...? Why is more players better?

I play both short-handed and full.

More players is usually "easier" because you need better cards to win hands more often, so decisions are easier to make - you'll be folding 80% of hands pre-flop and dumping non-nut hands more frequently because there are 9 other people who could beat you. Short-handed, you need to regularly make decisions on whether top pair weak kicker (or another non-monster hand) is enough to win a decent-sized pot; you need to know whether to raise J8s on the button; you need to play the PLAYERS more than the cards.

If you're lucky, and play at low stakes, you'll find a lot of the tables are weak tight donks who don't understand that they need to play looser at 6max, and you can bully them 3/4 of the time and fold to their very obvious good hands whenever they actually deign to bet.

I haven't noticed this at all actually. The players I've been playign with on stars at 6-max play trash hands and bet big on their middle pairs or top pairs with weak kicker.

So I've been four tabling at 10-max on stars the past three hours at 10 NL and I must say...

Holy shit! These tables are tighter than a cat's anus! After playing 6-max for the past month, this is like playing poker on easy mode. No more people calling with A trash K trash Q trash and hitting, and its so easy to bluff these people. I highly recommend 10 max now.

Personally, at the lower limits I like to find a nice loose 10 max table and set/nutcamp. Easy sailing normally. Suprisingly, most morons announce when they have good hands and even let you push them off when they miss. What I mean by loose is alot of preflop callers in there w/ bad hands. Loose/Passive is the way to go for the easy money. I can play SHed pretty well but playing like 6-8 10 max tables keeps the money rolling in w/ little effort? As I always say, If it ain't broke...DONT FIX IT!

I even find that I don't need to make a set w/ some of my lower pps to win. If I have em in late position and the flop is like 774 to my 55 I can often take it down w/ a PSB

Well, the difference is summed up in Dan Harringtons' book, vol two. With the short tables, you need to be a bit more skilled. If you just started playing NL I would suggest you spend a bit of time on a full ring table first. There is a different skill level need to play at six max tables. The blinds are gonna come around to you more often.
As for hands, you can lower you hand requirements on the six max tables because the likelihood of one player having the same card as yours on the flop is much lower. So when the flop goes J 8 4, the likelihood of one or two opponents hand one of the cards is reduced.
I am getting better with the six max tables; Whereas I would not play Ace Ten except on the button and maybe suited, in a six handed game, this is a good card. As for Aces, Ace Eight is the cutoff for me. I don't play Ace Seven or lower in most cases. Ever so often, I will play a suited Ace ONLY if I can see a cheap flop.
What is beginning to increase my results is RAISING with suited connectors and one gappers. The board hits me, I am stacking my opponent because he/she thinks I missed my hand and now I am bluffing. Well, it works. Tonight I won three buy ins from my oopponents with this. Good luck.

If you want steady (albeit low) and somewhat low variance income, play full ring.

If you want to get better at postflop and pull your hair out every time you get raised with a strong but vulnerable holding, while making more money if you are good (although the variance is high), play shorthanded.

After playing 10 max tables at the 50nl level. I decided to give 50 nl 6 max ago. After 10,000 hands I am running 10BB/100 it seems to be alot easier for me and a lot more exciting. As Renton stated you will be having to make tough decisions all the time. I have called all ins preflops (halfstack) with things like A10s because I was getting annoyed with a manaic and figured I had the better hand. I was right and had the better preflop hand and won. If you can play a loose agressive game and have good postflop skills, I would recommend 6 max. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea I would suggest playing 10 max then.

Originally Posted by RevolverX

I haven't noticed this at all actually. The players I've been playign with on stars at 6-max play trash hands and bet big on their middle pairs or top pairs with weak kicker.

same thing i've noticed. and wow some guy just went off on me because i raised $1 on the button with j-9 off with 3 limpers who all ended up calling. flop came 7-8-10 rainbow, some douche picked up trip 8s, bet 2, i call, 1 other caller. turn is a jack (scared me for a sec), trippy bets, I reraise, he goes all-in, I call and double up nicely to the tune of "nice play you stupid fucking fish raising j-9 offsuit you fucking retard."

i simply said "fish has your money" and left.

Originally Posted by Renton

If you want steady (albeit low) and somewhat low variance income, play full ring.

If you want to get better at postflop and pull your hair out every time you get raised with a strong but vulnerable holding, while making more money if you are good (although the variance is high), play shorthanded.

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Renton, couldn't stop laughing at this! I began to play 6max about four weeks ago and I couldn't stop noticing this fact. You will get reraised and a decision is neccessary. I see a lot of players enter the hand with any ole thing. Whereas I tend to stick to the stronger hands. Initially, I got too caught up in the relaxed hand requirements, bud I soon realized that you still have to play a decent pair preflop. Position is of the utmost importance. If you don't have a strong hand in early position, don't get involved. Unless, I am on a rush and I want to raise with the Daniel Negrenau type hands (suited connectors and one-gappers) to try and break a bunch of limpers.