.jpg "Ultimate Moving From Full Ring to 6-Max Cheat Sheet")
This article was written by blackrain79.com contributor Fran Ferlan.
6-max Texas Hold’em games (6 players) is pretty much the norm for online poker these days, and it’s no wonder.
The pace of action is a lot faster compared to full ring (9 player) games, which makes the game much more exciting.
However, it can also be a bit intimidating at first if you’re switching from a full ring game to 6-max.
You need to know the right strategy, what hands to play and what adjustments to make after the flop as well.
So I decided to write this ultimate moving from full ring to 6-max cheat sheet for you.
Let's jump into it!
1. Full Ring to 6-Max Cheat Sheet: Play a Looser Range
When you play a full ring game, your best bet is to keep things simple and play a tight and aggressive (TAG) strategy.
TAG strategy involves only playing strong starting hands, playing them aggressively both preflop and post flop, and using the power of position to your advantage.
While this strategy works quite well in most low stakes poker games regardless of the format, you’re still going to need to make some adjustments when you transition to a 6-max game.
That’s because you won’t have the luxury of waiting around for premium hands only.
If you play too tight in a 6-max game, you will likely bleed a lot of money because you have to pay the blinds more often than in a full ring game.
You have to pay 1.5 big blinds for every 6 hands you play, as opposed to every 9 or 10 hands in a full ring game.
Other players are also more likely to notice you’re playing too tight.
This means they may start targeting you by trying to steal your blinds all the time, or trying to bluff you out of pots post flop.
So you don’t have the luxury of “hiding in the crowd” as you would in a full ring game.
Play These Hands in 6-Max Poker:
- All Pocket Pairs: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22
- All good Aces: AK, AQ, AJ, AT, A9
- All suited Aces: A♥️7♥️, A♠️4♠️ etc.
- All broadway hands: KQ, KJ etc.
- All suited connectors: T♦️9♦️, 9♣️8♣️ etc.
This is a good starting point for now. You can add more later when you get more experienc.
You will have to fight back a lot more in a 6-max game, as these games tend to be a lot more dynamic.
The good news is that 6-max can also be a lot more profitable, since you have a lot more opportunities to use your skill edge.
For these reasons, it’s advised to play around 20% of all starting hands (see above) in a 6-max game, compared to 15% of hands you would play in a full ring.
It’s worth mentioning that this is still considered tight for 6-max.
As you get more comfortable with the format, you expand your preflop range even more, and start playing a loose and aggressive (LAG) poker strategy.
LAG strategy is by far the most profitable strategy to employ in a 6-max game, because a lot of players at the lower stakes are going to have a hard time playing against it.
The general principles will still apply, of course.
The only difference between TAG and LAG strategy is the number of hands you choose to play preflop.
Since you will be playing wider ranges with a LAG strategy, you will naturally encounter a lot more marginal post flop spots.
This means you need to be more comfortable with playing certain spots even without a particularly strong hand.
This is where your skill edge can truly shine, because you can start using advanced strategies like double barreling, triple barreling, thin value betting and so on.
This is something I discussed in my latest video on YouTube.
2. Full Ring to 6-Max Cheat Sheet: Steal the Blinds More Often
To steal the blinds means to open-raise in late table positions (cutoff, button, and small blind) with the intention of getting the blinds to fold and taking down the pot preflop.
There are two main reasons why blind stealing becomes a big factor in a 6-max strategy:
a) you have a lot more blind stealing opportunities compared to full ring and
b) players in the blind usually won’t have anything decent, so they will usually just give up their blinds without too much of a fight.
Effective blind stealing can help you offset the fact that you have to pay the blinds relatively often.
In a full ring game, you won’t get many blind stealing opportunities, since another player will often just open-raise before you get a chance to act.
You can only blind steal if you’re the first player to enter the pot in late table position.
This happens a lot more often in 6-max, so it’s important to incorporate blind stealing into your preflop arsenal.
The beauty of this strategy is that you often don’t even need a particularly strong hand to pull it off.
In fact, your hand strength (or lack thereof) is often completely irrelevant.
What matters more is the playing tendencies of the players in the blinds.
If a player overfolds to stealing attempts, you can often blind steal with just about any two random cards.
To overfold means to fold more often than would be considered “optimal”. In other words, it means folding so much that you leave yourself vulnerable to getting exploited.
Of course, it’s better to blind steal with hands that have at least some sort of playability post flop in case you get called.
But if your hand is even remotely playable, chances are you can attempt to blind steal with it.
You should do most of your blind stealing when you’re playing on the button, as you will always play in position post flop.
When playing on the button, you can often get away with playing an insanely wide range.
This is especially the case if you have very passive players left to act in the blinds.
You can often play as much as 40%, or even close to 50% of all starting hands on the button.
This may seem quite excessive at first, but remember that you should be playing wider ranges in a 6-max game!
Also, the objective of playing a lot of these hands is not to play for a big pot post flop.
Rather, it’s about using fold equity to pick up a few easy pots preflop.
Fold equity refers to the percentage chance of your opponent folding to your bet.
The more often your opponent folds, the bigger your fold equity and vice versa.
Getting into the habit of looking for blind stealing opportunities is a great way to start transitioning from a TAG strategy to a LAG strategy.
So which hands should you blind steal with?
Again, this will depend on the playing tendencies of your opponents, but as a general rule, you can blind steal with just about any hand that’s not complete trash.
This goes for button blind stealing, and you should exercise more caution when stealing from the cutoff and the small blind.
Here are some example hands you should blind steal with on the button:
A♥3♠
T♣7♣
8♠7♦
Q♥5♥
K♠3♠
For a more detailed breakdown on the blind stealing strategy, check out my ultimate blind stealing cheat sheet.
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3. Adjust to Your Oppponents in 6-Max Poker
6-max is a lot more dynamic than full ring since you’ll be facing less opponents.
This means that you’ll need to play more hands on average to stay afloat, but it also means that you should pay more attention to your opponents and their playing tendencies.
This is a lot easier to do when you’re playing shorthanded because
a) you have less opponents to pay attention to and
b) you will have more opportunities to get involved in hands with the same players.
Instead of just waiting around for a decent hand, 6-max is all about adjusting and exploiting individual playing tendencies from your opponents.
The general principles of game selection and seat selection still apply, of course.
Ideally, you want to play in games with at least one recreational player around.
Bonus points if you also play in position against the recreational player(s).
If you’re playing in a 6-max game with 5 other regular players, chances are you’re only going to trade money back and forth.
This is also true for full ring games, but it’s even more pronounced in 6-max because of the frequent blind posting.
Aside from aiming to play in games with recreational players, you should also pay attention to your other opponents.
Even the regular players will have some leaks in their game, even though they won't be as obvious as those of recreational players.
For example, some regulars will play way too straightforwardly for a 6-max game, and they will play a very predictable style of poker.
They will usually play on the tighter side, and they will rarely (if ever) go out of line with some sort of a crazy bluff.
You will not make a ton of money against players like these, because they won’t make as many huge fundamental mistakes like recreational players.
But you can still exploit their playstyle by applying the right amount of pressure at the right time.
These players will usually give you the benefit of the doubt if you show a lot of strength, and they will just “let you have it this time”.
Here are some ways common ways you can exploit weak and tight players in 6-max games:
a) steal their blinds more often
b) 3-bet bluff against their late position open-raises
c) double barrel and triple barrel bluff
d) call them on the flop and take a stab at the turn when they check to you
e) check-raise them on hard to hit flops or on flops where you have a strong draw.
You get the picture. When you opt for a strong line like in the examples above, most players are going to have a hard time calling you down unless they happen to have a very strong hand.
And again, having a very strong hand in 6-max is more of an exception than the rule, so players will usually just give up the pot altogether.
In fact, most of the players you will encounter in low stakes 6-max games are going to fall in these two categories: recreational players and weak regulars.
There will also be a few decent regulars who are going to play some mix between a TAG and a LAG strategy.
They may also have some leaks in their game, but you will have to look extra hard to find them.
So the best way to deal with these players is avoid getting involved in hands with them unless you absolutely have to, especially when you’re playing out of position.
These players will usually play quite aggressively, both preflop and post flop, and they will put you in a lot of difficult spots where you have to make a decision for a lot of your chips.
You can keep them in check by throwing out an occasional light 3-bet against their stealing attempts.
You can also defend your blinds with a stronger part of your range.
Post flop you can float them with a wider range and try to take down the pot on future streets.
If you do decide to float them, however, be prepared to face more bets on future streets, as these players are likely to keep applying the pressure throughout the hand.
If a very aggressive player is seated to your left, however, you should know that you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle.
It’s very hard to play against a decent player out of position, even if you play decently well yourself.
A very aggressive player on your left can make your life difficult by:
a) flat calling you and 3-betting you wider in BU vs CO battles (button versus cutoff)
b) 3-bet restealing against your stealing attempts
c) floating you post flop and using their positional advantage against you.
So if you have very aggressive players at your left, your best bet is to just try to find another table unless you happen to have recreational players at your current table.
If that’s not an option, try tightening up your open-raising range from late positions so you don’t get punished by the LAG player.
If you find it frustrating to play against aggressive players, check out my full guide on how to beat LAG players with a few simple adjustments.
4. Transitioning to 6-Max: 3-bet Bluff More
Blind stealing is a huge part of 6-max poker, but you also need to prevent other players from stealing your own blinds.
This means you will need to defend your blinds with a wider range.
However, playing from the blinds will put you at a disadvantage throughout the hand, as you’ll be playing the hand out of position.
The only exception to this rule is when you’re playing in the big blind against the small blind.
So instead of just flat calling preflop with a wider range, you defend your blinds more aggressively by adopting a light 3-bet into your arsenal.
To light 3-bet means to raise against another player’s open-raise with the intention of getting them to fold and taking down the pot preflop.
This is different from 3-betting for value, where you expect to get called by a lot of weaker hands.
In a full ring game, a 3-bet preflop usually indicates a strong hand, as most players will be 3-betting for value.
When it comes to 6-max, though, 3-bet bluffing becomes a huge part of the preflop strategy.
If you throw out an occasional light 3-bet, your opponents will have to think twice about stealing your blinds with impunity.
Better yet, by adding a few bluffs in your 3-betting range, your opponents will have a hard time putting you on your exact hand.
So once you actually do wake up with a monster hand, they will be more likely to actually pay you off.
As a general rule, it’s better to 3-bet bluff against late position open-raises as opposed to early position opens.
That’s because players will open-raise significantly wider ranges in late table positions (i.e. the button and the cutoff).
And a lot of hands in that range simply won’t be able to stand the pressure of a 3-bet.
This means you can pick up a lot of easy money preflop, as you will encounter late position opens quite often in 6-max.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard and 3-bet at every opportunity.
If you decide to 3-bet, it’s better to do so with hands that have at least some sort of playability post flop in case you get called.
You can light 3-bet with speculative hands like small pocket pairs or suited connectors, for example.
These hands are going to be hard to play out of position without the initiative, because you will miss the flop more often than not.
So you can just try to take down the pot preflop and avoid a lot of marginal post flop spots altogether.
And if you get called, you have some equity to fall back on, since these hands have great nuts potential.
But by far the best 3-bet bluffing hands are small suited Aces (A5s through A2s).
These hands have great post flop playability, as they can connect with the flop in more than one way.
Aside from the potential of making a top pair, they have an insane nuts potential with the ability to make both straights and nut flushes.
Suited Aces also have blocker power, which makes them great for 3-bet bluffing.
A blocker is a card in your hand that reduces the number of strong combinations from your opponent’s range.
For example, if you have an Ace in your hand, it’s less likely for your opponent to have strong combos like pocket Aces, Ace-King, Ace-Queen and so on.
An Ace blocker reduces the number of combos of pocket Aces from 6 to only 3, and the number of Ace-King combos from 16 to 12.
This makes your opponent more likely to fold to your 3-bet, which is the primary objective of light 3-betting.
6-Max Poker Example #1
Cash Game, Effective Stack Size: 100 BB
You are dealt A♦3♦ in the SB (small blind). Villain open-raises to 2.5 BB from the CO (cutoff).
You: ???
You should 3-bet to 10 BB.
3-betting in this spot is usually preferable to flat calling for a few reasons.
If you call here, the big blind can call behind you, which means you will be playing the hand out of position against two players with an easily dominated hand.
Worse yet, the big blind can go for a 3-bet squeeze, which can put you in a tough position.
For these reasons, calling in the small blind is rarely going to be the best option.
A much better alternative is to go for a light 3-bet.
If you 3-bet here, you will often just take down the pot right away, since a lot of hands in the cutoff’s open-raising range can’t call a 3-bet profitably.
And even if you get called, you’ll get to the flop as the preflop aggressor, which gives you the opportunity to keep applying the pressure post flop.
You also have a decent hand that can hit the flop in more than one way, which gives you multiple ways to win the pot post flop.
These days, it’s not enough to wait around for the nuts to be a profitable long term winner in this game.
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5. 9-max to 6-Max Cheat Sheet: Float the Flop More Often
Since players will be playing wider ranges on average, this means they will often miss the flop completely.
So it’s a big mistake to assume that players always have a strong hand when they make big bets post flop.
This may be true for some players, but even tighter players will have to contend with the fact that most of their hands are going to miss most flops.
In no-limit hold’em, hands miss the flop 2 out of 3 times on average.
And if a player is playing a wider range preflop, they’re going to miss the flop completely even more frequently.
It’s actually very rare to make a very strong combination in no-limit hold’em, so most of the time players will either miss the board completely, or they will have some medium strength hand.
So one key adjustment to make in 6-max is to float on the flop with a wider range, especially when you’re playing in position.
To float the flop means to call the flop c-bet with the intention of taking down the pot on future streets, usually with a bluff.
The beauty of this strategy is that your hand strength is often totally irrelevant.
What matters more is how your opponent is going to act on future streets.
A lot of players at the lower stakes will fire a standard c-bet just because they think they should, but will give up fairly easily on the turn if they don’t have a very strong hand (which won’t be the case most of the time).
Against these “turn honest” players, you can almost print money at will by taking a stab at the pot every time they check to you on the turn.
That’s because they are highly likely to just keep barreling if they have anything worth betting with.
And if they don’t, this almost always indicates a fairly weak range, and they’re basically letting you know they’re ready to give up the hand altogether.
Most players at the lower stakes will not protect their checking ranges properly, so a turn check is almost always a sign of weakness.
Of course, if you do decide to employ this strategy, it’s better to float the flop with hands that have at least some chance for improvement on future streets.
For example, calling on the flop with an inside straight draw is usually a losing play, because you only have around a 17% chance of hitting your outs on the turn and river.
This means that you usually won’t be getting sufficient pot odds on a call.
If you want to know how to use pot odds to make better decisions at the felt, check out my ultimate poker odds cheat sheet.
However, this assumes that the only way for you to win the pot is to hit your outs and make the best hand at showdown.
But you can also win the pot by making your opponent fold on future streets.
So floating the flop with an inside straight draw could be a good idea, because you can either
a) make the best hand by showdown or
b) make your opponent fold by taking a stab at the pot when they check to you on future streets.
Floating the flop is a good way to deal with overly aggressive opponents, especially when you’re playing in position against them.
Against them, you should be prepared to go for a double float from time to time, as well.
To double float means to call both flop AND turn bets with the intention of taking down the pot on the river.
A lot of players simply won’t have the fortitude to fire that third shell on the river without a very strong hand.
So when they check to you on the river, they are usually just hoping for a cheap showdown.
Again, most players just won’t slowplay their monster hands on the river out of fear that you will check back, and they’re going to miss out on a ton of value.
This means you can put a tremendous amount of pressure on them by making a big river bet.
It’s worth noting that this is a high risk, high reward strategy, because the only way for you to win the pot is by making your opponent fold their hand.
If your hand has some showdown value, it’s usually better to just check back and try to realize your equity instead.
Moving to 6-Max Poker Example #2
You are dealt 5♦5♣ on the BU (button). Villain open-raises to 2.5 BB from MP (middle position). You call.
Pot: 6.5 BB
Flop: 7♥4♠2♦
Villain bets 3 BB.
You: ???
You should call.
This is a good spot to go for a float, because it’s very unlikely your opponent made a monster hand on this flop.
Your hand strength is not great, but you still could very well have the best hand on this board, as the villain's range is going to contain a lot of broadway hands that missed the flop completely.
You also have outs to improve to a set, as well as a backdoor straight draw.
So if villain checks to you on the turn, you can just bet half pot and take down the pot right away.
If they keep barreling on the turn, you can either go for a double float if you pick up some equity, or you can just give up if villain doesn’t look like they’re going to fold their hand anytime soon.
Full Ring to 6-Max Cheat Sheet - Summary
Transitioning from 6-max poker to full ring is usually easier than the other way around.
6-max poker is a lot faster and dynamic, which means you can’t just hide in the crowd and wait around for the nuts all day.
However, 6-max can also be more profitable than full ring, since your knowledge of advanced poker strategy really comes into play here.
To sum up, here are key adjustments you should make to your game when transitioning to short handed poker.
1. Play looser ranges preflop
6-max or full ring, tight is still right, but you do need to expand your starting hand selection, especially in late table positions.
You should aim to play around 20% of all starting hands in 6-max on average, and you can expand it even further when adopting a loose and aggressive (LAG) strategy.
2. Steal the blinds more often
Blind stealing is a great way to pick up a few easy pots preflop, and it helps you survive frequent blind posting.
It’s also a good way to start practising the LAG strategy, as you’re gradually expanding your open-raising range from late positions.
3. Adjust to your opponents
Exploiting your opponents is a big part of the 6-max strategy, as you’re going to get involved in more pots with the same players more often.
This means you should pay more attention to your opponents playing tendencies, their betting patterns, timing tells, and so on.
4. 3-bet bluff more often
To prevent your opponents from stealing your own blinds, you should add a light 3-bet to your preflop arsenal.
Throwing out an occasional 3-bet will prevent your opponents from stealing your blinds with impunity, and you will also be more likely to get paid off once you actually do get dealt a monster hand.
5. Float the flop more often
Calling on the flop (preferably in position) against players who c-bet too much is a great way to use their aggression against them.
Against “turn honest” players, call them down lighter on the flop, then look for opportunities to steal the pot on future streets.
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This article was written by Fran Ferlan
Poker player, writer and coach
Specializing in live and online cash games
For coaching enquiries, contact Fran at fran.redline@gmail.com
Or apply directly for poker coaching with Fran, right here
Lastly, if you want to know the complete strategy I use to make $2000+ per month in small/mid stakes games, grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
Lastly, if you want to know the complete strategy I use to make $2000+ per month in small/mid stakes games, grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.
