Quote Originally Posted by johnnyBuz
i had a bit of a relapse these past two days and lost my buy-in after being up $100. this always seems to happen and it's do damn frustrating. the cards ran completely dry, i couldn't catch top pair decent kicker to save my life, and i havn't been getting paid off by anyone. on top of that, tables got so much looser and nobody was respecting raises like they used to.

very frustrating.
Variance is far greater in 6-max...its very normal to lose a couple buyins in a session...very normal.

In the meantime, make sure you are building reads and defining where you are in each hand. First, make sure you identify the calling stations and tighten up against them post-flop. Some players will come along to the turn with A-high or any pair. Find out who they are and value bet them to death. Second, figure out who is willing to play back at you and look to trap them by mixing up your play, or else play back at them hard once to settle their punk-ass down. Third, find out who is weak/passive and look to take down pots or else define their holdings with strong bets on the flop.

In general, if I catch a piece of the flop or hold overpair, I make people pay a lot to see a turn, both for value and hand definition. This is essential in 6-max as well as full ring, but the damage can often be greater in 6-max if you don't do so.