The BlackChipPoker Blog http://www.blackchippoker.com/blog/blog1.php en-US http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 Back to 6max after a long hiatus http://www.blackchippoker.com/blog/blog1.php/2009/07/10/back-to-6max-after-a-long-hiatus Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:22:47 +0000 Hunter Bick, aka "BeachJustice" Uncategorized 2@http://www.blackchippoker.com/blog/ <p>For the first time in probably 7 months I&#8217;m really enjoying playing 6max again. Throughout my poker career I&#8217;ve tended to go on 6-8 month binges of learning other games. A little over a year ago I pretty much just dove head first into learning HU NL, I spent all of my time working on it and I was able to hire a very successful nosebleed HU winner to coach me. After playing so much HU, I would just get really bored whenever I tried to play 6max because there was so much less action and I&#8217;d try to use some bluffs that would be considered thin in HU, but they are just too thin in 6max, so my results would not be what I wanted. But for some reason in June of this year I felt like playing 6max again and am doing so with a renewed focus and a completely different approach to the game. Because the hand ranges are so much narrower in 6max I&#8217;ve found that its just very easy to know where my opponents are, and I can play my hand accordingly. Heads up teaches you how to hand read like nothing else can, and bringing that ability back into 6max is helping a lot. I&#8217;m still trying to find a nice balance for my aggression though, as I&#8217;ve definitely dropped a few stacks on bluffs that just were not going to work often enough against the opponent in question. But overall the results have been really good, and much better than in the past, which is cool.</p> <p> I was thinking the other day about how glad I am that I skipped the WSOP this year. So far in my poker career I&#8217;ve gone every other year, which I think is about right for me. I always end up staying too long, because any more than a week in Vegas in July just starts to wear you down. The little things like the crowds, waiting for a poker table, having to wait in the heat for 10 minutes to get a cab, or having to carry a bankroll around on you all just start to get irritating. After a week I just want to get back to the cool breezes of the 90 degree North Carolina summer and relax in my house where I have everything I need. Besides, after a couple live sessions at 20/hands an hour, I want to pull my hair out I get so bored and can&#8217;t wait to get back online and play 250 an hour. When I do go its definitely a blast, the food and the shows rarely disappoint, the plethora of free alcohol for providing minimal action on the floor, and all that is definitely killer. But the next time I go, I&#8217;m going to learn tournament strategy for the stud games, 2-7 NL, and maybe Omaha hi/lo. The reason being is that it winning a NL hold&#8217;em bracelet that has 3k people in it will always be a long shot, whereas the smaller events like 2-7 or Razz, will only see a couple hundred people. If winning a bracelet is the goal, I think that&#8217;s the way to do it. </p> <p>Anyway, that&#8217;s all I&#8217;ve got, I haven&#8217;t blogged in over a year so it feels to good to write again. Catch you guys later.</p><div class="item_footer"><p><small><a href="http://www.blackchippoker.com/blog/blog1.php/2009/07/10/back-to-6max-after-a-long-hiatus">Original post</a> blogged on <a href="http://b2evolution.net/">b2evolution</a>.</small></p></div> For the first time in probably 7 months I’m really enjoying playing 6max again. Throughout my poker career I’ve tended to go on 6-8 month binges of learning other games. A little over a year ago I pretty much just dove head first into learning HU NL, I spent all of my time working on it and I was able to hire a very successful nosebleed HU winner to coach me. After playing so much HU, I would just get really bored whenever I tried to play 6max because there was so much less action and I’d try to use some bluffs that would be considered thin in HU, but they are just too thin in 6max, so my results would not be what I wanted. But for some reason in June of this year I felt like playing 6max again and am doing so with a renewed focus and a completely different approach to the game. Because the hand ranges are so much narrower in 6max I’ve found that its just very easy to know where my opponents are, and I can play my hand accordingly. Heads up teaches you how to hand read like nothing else can, and bringing that ability back into 6max is helping a lot. I’m still trying to find a nice balance for my aggression though, as I’ve definitely dropped a few stacks on bluffs that just were not going to work often enough against the opponent in question. But overall the results have been really good, and much better than in the past, which is cool.

I was thinking the other day about how glad I am that I skipped the WSOP this year. So far in my poker career I’ve gone every other year, which I think is about right for me. I always end up staying too long, because any more than a week in Vegas in July just starts to wear you down. The little things like the crowds, waiting for a poker table, having to wait in the heat for 10 minutes to get a cab, or having to carry a bankroll around on you all just start to get irritating. After a week I just want to get back to the cool breezes of the 90 degree North Carolina summer and relax in my house where I have everything I need. Besides, after a couple live sessions at 20/hands an hour, I want to pull my hair out I get so bored and can’t wait to get back online and play 250 an hour. When I do go its definitely a blast, the food and the shows rarely disappoint, the plethora of free alcohol for providing minimal action on the floor, and all that is definitely killer. But the next time I go, I’m going to learn tournament strategy for the stud games, 2-7 NL, and maybe Omaha hi/lo. The reason being is that it winning a NL hold’em bracelet that has 3k people in it will always be a long shot, whereas the smaller events like 2-7 or Razz, will only see a couple hundred people. If winning a bracelet is the goal, I think that’s the way to do it.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got, I haven’t blogged in over a year so it feels to good to write again. Catch you guys later.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

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