6 Max Holdem Starting Hands
The workbook is 100 pages in length and is targeted for 100NL cash game hold’em players and below. 6-max Poker Starting Hand Charts admin 2019-07-16T22:37:25+00:00. This book will cover small stakes online 6 max ring games. All hands will be assumed to be 6 handed, though other situations will be discussed. The focus of this book will be the progression of a hand through preflop, flop, turn, and river. Your hand ranges in general should adjust and be contrary to the way the game is playing. In first position in a 6-max game you should generally limit your opening hands to medium pairs and above, very strong Ace-x hands, and KQ suited. On the button you can raise any suited connectors, JT offsuit, any two face cards, all paired hands and strong aces. Believe Your Opponents. Please watch: 'Free Poker Coaching Program - Rounder University' - New Room to Check out: RounderCasino.com T.
Group 1: any two cards
Group 2: any two cards you found in your wallet (Blockbuster, Visa, library card)
Har har! Not really. But yes, the starting requirements are a lot looser and a lot more vague than in a full ring game. I don’t consult a chart – a lot of it is based on feel more than anything. At a more passive table, you can play or raise with any two high cards (A-J), any pocket pair, and any suited connectors. Suited gappers are playable as well, as are some hands like AT, A9, KT, K9 in late position. At a more aggressive table it depends how much you want to mix it up. I like to often let others drive and try to snake their chips away with implied value hands – little pairs, suited connectors and gappers. With other people raising and betting hard, those hands are potentially devastating.
I think I wrote something up recently, but for me it’s about like this:
Raise from any seat: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, AKs, AKo, AQs, AQo, AJs, AJo, ATs, KQs, KQo.
May raise or call from any seat: All pocket pairs 22 through 88, all suited connectors from 78s to Qjs, and all suited gappers from T8s to KJs. QJo.
Call or raise in late position only: Suited connectors 45s through 67s, suited gappers 46s through 79s, Ax suited, ATs, ATo, A9s, A9o, A8s, A8o, KTs, KTo, K9s, K9o, K8s, Q9s.
On the “may raise” hands, I generally would prefer to limp or (even better) call someone else’s raise with them, but I will raise at times for a change-up, or in late position to steal blinds, or I might min-raise to juice the pot if a lot of people are playing. That depends on position and table texture.
Small blind… a lot of people in 6max play any two in the small blind. I don’t like to. It’s a waste of money. You can complete with any of the above hands, and I add in some interesting (i.e. crappy) hands at times, such as any suited high card/low card combo like Kxs or Axs, some suited two gappers like J8 and T7. I am more likely to complete if there are fewer people playing. If everyone folded to me (somehow), I’ll complete with anything or even raise anything and try to outplay the big blind player. If 4 people limped in and you’re completing with J3o though, you’re pissing money away.
My range of hands played doesn’t change much from game to game, but I am more likely to raise at a passive table and more likely to limp or call a raise at an aggressive table. Passive tables give up a lot of small pots to the aggressor; aggressive/loose tables won’t reward you constantly like that but will pay off in a big way when you hit a monster on the flop. So my starting requirements are about the same, but I play them somewhat differently.
I also must stress that this is what’s working for me. It might not work for everybody. It’s a pretty loose set of hands, and at times I even add in some stuff that really looks garbagy like 24 suited. I don’t recommend this if you’re not used to 6max. I have found some of these weird hands useful, for table image and for the occasional busting someone out, but it’s not wise to think “OK, 34 suited is playable” and start playing it from any seat, all the time. If you’re just getting into 6max, I’d chop off some of the lower suited connectors and most of the gappers, and play a tighter, easier game for a while until you’re comfortable…
The key difference between full ring and shorthanded cash games involves the number of poker players. Full ring is essentially a standard poker game where nine or ten players are seated. While some poker rooms offer a maximum of five seats in their shorthanded cash games, most are usually limited to a maximum of six seats, which is why they are commonly referred to as “6-max” tables.
The 6-max cash games are hugely popular online. Some poker players prefer these shorthanded cash games simply because they like to play against fewer opponents and they get to see more hands. Others prefer the standard full ring cash games, perhaps because they’re more like the cash games that are found in live poker venues.
Strategic Considerations
Even though the only difference between the two formats is the variation in table size, they play very differently.
Starting Hand Selection
Full ring cash games allows a player to play tight by being conservative with their moves and holding out and only committing when a very strong hand comes their way. Since the blinds are paid more frequently and there are fewer players in shorthanded games, starting hand values go up significantly. When you play 6-max cash games you need to play more poker hands and play them more aggressively. Anything that is playable in mid-position in a full ring game is generally playable in any position in 6-max games. You’ll also find that you can be the first raiser much more often when in late position, simply because there are fewer players.
Aggression Adjustment
Without a doubt, one of the most important separations between a full ring and a shorthanded game is the level of aggression. If you’re making the switch from full ring to 6-max cash games then you already know that you need to open up your range of starting hands. Aggressive play is always important in poker, but even more so in shorthanded games because you must maximize your ability to play and win with marginal and lighter holdings. This does not immediately relegate the more traditional full ring conservative players, but overly tight play will certainly can count against you. In the same vein, shorthanded games can sometimes tempt players to loosen up too much and play too many weak hands, which can lead to their downfall.
Positional Considerations
Position is important in all forms of poker as it is obvious that it is more desirable to act last rather than first. Playing a hand from early position In a full ring cash game is a much bigger disadvantage than in shorthanded games, since there are more opponents who can enter the pot after you’ve acted. However this doesn’t mean your table position should be disregarded when playing 6-max. Players are more likely to miss the flop in shorthanded games which makes position very valuable post-flop. If you’re out of position then you’re opponents will have more opportunities to exploit you by stealing pots when you miss the flop.
Increased Opportunities
6-max cash games are more profitable for skilled poker players. If you’re fortunate enough to be seated with an inferior opponent then you’ll be involved in many more pots with them. This means you can exploit your edge over these weak player far more than you ever could in a full ring game, simply because there are fewer competing players. The skilled poker player also benefits from playing 6-max games because of the wider range of hands that are played, and the knowledge of how to play these hands against weaker opponents, who might be clueless.
Bluffing and Value Betting
Although there are increased opportunities in shorthanded games and it is generally easier to bluff, you need to temper this with the realization that your fellow poker players know that aggressive play is the order of the day and you’ll get called much more frequently. That is the bad news – the good news is that due to the prevalent mind set in shorthanded games your value bets have a much higher likelihood of being called.
In shorthanded games you may be able to confuse your opponents by making value bets that are larger than normal. These larger bets may seem like bluffs as they appear to be discouraging a call. The contrarian nature of poker (strong is weak and weak is strong) many times makes an opponent even more willing to call. Try betting about one and one half times the pot as a value bet and you might be surprised at how often you’ll be called.
Higher Variance
You’ll experience larger swings in shorthanded games. This is simply because players will be involved in more pots with weaker hands, and betting them more aggressively. Your style of play will influence how much variance you personally experience. If there is greater variance in shorthanded games, then it stands to reason that handling the highs and lows will require a larger than normal bankroll than full ring games.
What Should You Play?
This will depend on your style of poker and your thirst for action. If it’s action you crave then shorthanded play should be your game of choice. By nature of the fewer number of players, you will be forced to play more hands than when at a full table. The playable hand values go up significantly and since there are less players to act behind you, aggressive play is essential. You simply cannot just sit there and wait for premium cards.
If you’re starting out then it’s generally better to begin by playing full ring games. This will allow you to build a solid foundation and learn the basics of good cash game play with less risk to your bankroll and your ego. Once you’ve gained the necessary experience and skills you can then progress to the shorthanded 6-max tables and get a feel for what kind of mixture of patience and aggression that’s required to succeed.
Related Lessons
By Tim Ryerson
Best Starting Hands Holdem
Tim is from London, England and has been playing poker since the late 1990’s. He is the ‘Editor-in-Chief’ at Pokerology.com and is responsible for all the content on the website.