Need Advice, should I change to 6 max?

I've played FR ever since I started, but lately I've been hating it.

I mean it could be cause I've had some bad sessions, plus the try at 12 tabling that owned me. But now that I moved down and i'm reading every hand, trying to put people on a range, taking good notes, etc. I'm noticing a few things that I hate about FR.

1. Say there is a huge fish, thats running at like 50/30/1, but he's got position on me and I just can't eat him, cause i'm not getting the right cards, hard to squeeze cause i'm out of position. I'm just sitting there waiting for a hand and watching him getting eaten by everyone else.
( Sucks even more when he rivered me twice today with a 2 and 3 outer for my stack, and people were eating away my money )

2. When I do have a read on someone, say I know he's weak, I still can't make a play on him that often because there are usually a lot more players behind me.

3. Now that I moved down in number of table and i'm still trying to play a tight game and read through the hands, the action is really slow. (Down to 4 or 6 depends on how i'm feeling )

4. A lot of my sessions go win a few small pots, then BAM, 1 pot i get stacked, i'm down ( either cause of suckout or close call )


So i've been wanting to try out 6-max for a bit now, but too pussy to change since I have no experience in it and i've been FR this whole time.
The only reason I started FR is cause of the small variance and I can multitable like a mofo. Since I ain't multitabling that much right now and I freaking suck. Thought I should give 6 max a try.

Any suggestions??

1. Pick seats better. Changing games won't fix this.
2. Why are you seeing so many 7-way flops then?
3. Then play more tables. Changing games won't fix this.
4. Welcome to poker. Changing games won't fix this.

What's your goal? out play your opponents? or is it to win money? This game at the micros is about making consistent mathematically sound decisions. This all starts with putting poeple on ranges and whether you play FR or 6 Max is irrelevant. If you fail FR cause you don't put poeple on ranges you will fail at 6 max.

mmm for 2, i'm not playing the 7-way flops. I'm letting it go preflop and letting someone else take him.

And ya, I get the whole seat selection thing, but usually I get a table by getting on a waiting list and I don't have choice when it comes to picking a seat. I usually stay if theres a huge fish anywhere on the table.

Should I go on tables with a couple of empty seats then? and try and pick out a spot?

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Originally Posted by Fedora

Should I go on tables with a couple of empty seats then? and try and pick out a spot?

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I've been wondering about this myself. The tables seem to fill up too fast to be able to seat select.

However, against fish, that's really not too much of a problem. If you get a good starting hand (don't try to bluff fish) and raise 3x or 4x the big blind, the tight players fold and the fish call the majority of the time. It's easy to play OOP against a fish. Give him a little line, then sink the hook in. The point is to bet your hands preflop to isolate the fish. If you have Poker Tracker, etc, it's so easy to predict who will call or fold to your bets/raises.

You should try 6-max if you're curious. Drop down a level or two while you adjust. If you're at 2NL now, just play 1 or 2 tables of 6-max. Just play smart and you'll be fine. You must have the patience to fold your crap hands and wait for good ones. Poker doesn't play like a FPS video game. It's boring unless you enjoy the challenge of learning to play properly. If you're too bored to slow down and learn, then you should probably quit playing. Figure out why you suck and change your game to get better.

Good Luck

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fedora

And ya, I get the whole seat selection thing, but usually I get a table by getting on a waiting list and I don't have choice when it comes to picking a seat. I usually stay if theres a huge fish anywhere on the table.

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This is the source of your complaints then. A fish on your right is worth much more than a fish on your left. Just keep in mind too that a fish on the table is worth more than no fish on the table, all else being equal.

Keep in mind too that just because your turn on a waiting list comes up, that doesn't mean you have to take the seat. It just means you have the option to take the seat. During your session you should have an idea of what the worst seat/table you're on is, and make some effort to get off of it and into a better seat.

For example, I often mark players who 3-bet a lot with a certain color so that if they sit on my immediate left I'll know what's up without having to wait until the HUD kicks in. Then I can sit out and find another table (or an other seat at the same table if desirable).

These seat selection issues are EV decisions just like any other poker decision and affect your bottom line just as much.

You might also find it worthwhile to start flagging super nits as a certain color so if you see an open seat with them to your left you'll know that's a great seat and you'll pick up tons of blinds and act last in many more pots.

I sometimes even stand up and rejoin the waiting list if there's a huge fish to my left, or I'm deep with some reg on my left but the table is still good.

The best table selection is still to select empty tables imo. You can reseat to the left of the fish before it fills up, and after it fills up you can decide if it's worth it to stay.

Don't feel entitled to win someones money. Focus on the moment and try to play your best. Avoid short term goals yadda yadda.

starting your own tables so the recreational players can sit down is always good for you game.

If you're just running bad, switching to 6max won't make any difference. It'll end when it ends.

If your results have gotten worse because you've developed leaks, moving to 6max won't fix them, although it may help somewhat if your problem is over-aggression. On the other hand, if it's something else, you might find thing goinf from bad to worse because the play is more aggressive.