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Six max Strategy
Thought I'd start a thread for the minority interest group that is the standard 6max format.
With the reward skewed to the winner taking 3.9xBI and 2nd 2.1xBI I find them
a) More interesting to play
b) More rewarding financially (on a per game basis)
...than the alternative DYM format.
Slower structure and you play to a finish meaning you get more value for your £1 and you get to play Heads Up making it I believe a better structure for learning tournament play.
If there is anyone out there willing to join a discussion - happy to share thoughts on strategy.
With the reward skewed to the winner taking 3.9xBI and 2nd 2.1xBI I find them
a) More interesting to play
b) More rewarding financially (on a per game basis)
...than the alternative DYM format.
Slower structure and you play to a finish meaning you get more value for your £1 and you get to play Heads Up making it I believe a better structure for learning tournament play.
If there is anyone out there willing to join a discussion - happy to share thoughts on strategy.
Comments
I started out by speculating a lot, e.g. calling in position with suited connectors in position trying to hit flops but probably playing too many hands and following the passive herd fit/fold types. The odds just aren't there to go looking for miracle flops and the reward isn't there in a STT structure either.
I then started to pretty much sit out the first few rounds, barring exceptional positions and very strong hands.
Lately I have loosened up again but in a more targeted way - generally in a 6 max at lower buy ins there are 2/3 poor exploitable players and so there is obviously value to be had in exploiting them. I now read those players quicker and better then I used to so have found myself making "hero" calls against loose bluffers and chipping away at the passive calling stations to build stacks in earlier rounds better than I used to. Results are improving with more cashes being 1st place than 2nd which makes a huge difference to profits.
I would expect (but don't know) that ROI %s are higher for the best 6max players than dymers?
Certainly my experience anyway.
Essentially, though, sitting tight until you develop an idea of what the villains are doing isn't a bad idea. That shouldn't take you more than the first level or two. After that, decide whether sitting out and waiting for a big hand to stack villains playing a wide range or getting in there and stealing blinds and c-betting lots against tight players is the way to go.
In the mid stages, when stacks hit around 20BB effective, you need to get your 3-bet shove range sorted out. Below about 12BB open-shove/call ranges are critical, much the same as DYM's. Unlike DYM's, you can't afford to fold down to fewer than 8BB or so as you have less fold equity and decent players will just be building their stacks against you. You can't ladder into the money as often, obviously, with only 1/3 of the field paid instead of 1/2.
Being short on the bubble every time will just lead you to lose money, whereas just making the bubble every time in DYM's will see you win money.
The call button is still your enemy, though. ICM and bubble factor will basically tell you that you need a call to be very +cEV to actually make it +EV. Fold equity remains huge.
They're similar to DYM's in lots of ways but there is a fair bit more to them on top of the skills needed to win in DYM's.
It's tough to say whether the actual edge is greater in SNG's because a lot of beginners start out playing DYM's, particularly on Sky, so there may be a wider base of weak players in DYM's. I dunno. However, if you took the same six players and had them play 1000 DYM's and 1000 "standard" SNG's, the best player would make more money in the SNG's than the DYM's.