Thinking about trying short-handed...opinions/suggestions?

[underminedsk]

I play 25 and 50NL, full 10 person ring games with a decent amount of sucess. At these tables I always just camp out and wait for people to pay me off on my made hands.

However, occasionally I'll be at one of these ten person tables and alot of people get taken out/leave, and its left with me and 2-4 other people at a table. In this situation, I have been switching from TAGG to a very loose aggressive style(raising 50% or more of the hands preflop to to 4x-8xbb, and pushing people around postflop). I've noticed that almost every time, I seem to force the other players to make the dumbest mistakes against me. Usually I end up taking out everyone else at the table, sometimes twice or three times if they buy back in before they get sick of being pushed around, make some lame insult at me in chat, and leave in disgust.

Anyway, I've never even concidered playing 5-6 max NL before, but can I expect to play the same kind of weak players at these tables, or will the aggression be alot higher there? Because I've also discovered that if someone is playing an even LAGGier style against me short handed, I cannot control the table anymore and I leak chips badly.

Do you guys think I could be as sucessful playing this way at 5-6 max tables?

Anyway, I was just wondering if you all had any opinions about this, or suggestions about sucessful play at short handed HE.

Thx

[dalecooper]

6max tables attract LAggs, but less so at the 25 and 50 levels. I found those to be still pretty weak/tight, especially during the day, and I was crushing them with well-timed bluffs and controlled aggression. The 100 level (where I'm out now - Smackin Ya Up is there too) can be rough on LAgg players, because there are a lot of them already plus a lot of calling stations. If you're not getting called down by someone with middle pair, you're in a raise war with another player like you that likes to raise a lot.

My advice would be to try 50 6max, which I found very easy to beat, and if your bankroll supports it later, try 100 for a few days at least. From how you describe your game I think you'll find 50 easy to beat; not so sure about anything higher. More adjustments are necessary.

[underminedsk]

Yes exactly. With LAGG, I prefrebly want tables full of weak/tight pushovers that I can bully around until they get tired of it and make a bad mistake by bluffing/calling me at the wrong time.

[SmackinYaUp]

I like your style, under. Shorthanded games are usually more profitable because you're seeing more hands per hour against weak opponents. You need to be able to change gears because camping in some shorthanded games works just fine while in other games you can get in there and start pushing people around.

[underminedsk]

When exactly do I camp though? I have a tough time against good LAGGs, because if I camp out they steal my blinds alot and I dont get enough made hands to make up for whatever hands they push me out of.
(I probably should just leave such tables anyway)

obviously I would camp out at a table full of calling stations /weak, loose passives, but is it as simple as this?

[SmackinYaUp]

When exactly do I camp though? I have a tough time against good LAGGs, because if I camp out they steal my blinds alot and I dont get enough made hands to make up for whatever hands they push me out of.
(I probably should just leave such tables anyway)

obviously I would camp out at a table full of calling stations /weak, loose passives, but is it as simple as this?

If the table is too laggy for me I just leave. Should probably take the time to learn to deal with them, but I hate not having the lead in my own pots.

But yea, thats the general idea. If they are going to call you down theres no need to bet anything but real hands.

[alias2211]

i have found that 6MAX has improved my post flop game immensely, which contributes to my game improvement overall. you have to be willing to be heads up a lot in 6MAX: raise, fold around to a single blind caller happens regularly. if you're up for the challenge, it sounds like you are, give it a shot for enough hands to get through some of the swing. i seriously don't know why i hadn't given it a chance before, and now it's my preference.