Feuled by seemingly nonstop television coverage and internet access in nearly every house, internet Texas Hold 'em is exploding. There are dozens of online poker rooms, with over 75,000 players often playing at the most popular site, Party Poker. While there is money to be made everywhere, the shorthanded games offer some of the best opportunities to make a healthy living.
The standard poker table in an online poker room has ten seats. However, the poker rooms also offer shorthanded games where a maximum of six players sit at the table. The rules of the game are the same, but the strategies employed should be vastly different to take advantage of the different conditions. I liken it to tennis?singles and doubles are similar, but to be an effective doubles player one must approach the game with a vastly different mindset.
The most important component to playing winning poker, whether it be shorthanded or at full tables, is starting hand selection. The vast majority of starting hands are losers in the long run. There is a limit poker concept called Expected Value (EV) which is basically the number of big bets a player can expect to win per hand if he were to play that hand thousands of times. A positive EV hand is one that will make money for you in the long run and winning Texas Hold 'em players stick with these starting hands.
In shorthanded games, many of the hands that are ?EV at a ten man table become profitable. The reason for this is that with fewer opponents there is a lower probability of running up against a really strong hand. Because of this fact, thousands of players gravitate from the full tables to the 6-man variety. This is why our opportunity lies at the smaller tables. There is a very high correlation between these players' lack of adherence to sound starting hands and poor post-flop play. These players tend to lack sound fundamentals in all facets of their games.
We know that the competition is weak at 6-max tables, but how do we take advantage of it? Two words: controlled aggression. When we have a solid hand, we must raise and bet. Timidity is a mortal sin in shorthanded games. Simple mathematics will prove this point. An unpaired hand will miss the flop over sixty percent of the time. If we've raised and isolated ourselves to one opponent, the odds are in our favor that he has no pair after the flop. So, whether we've hit the flop or not, we have a good chance of winning the pot with a bet right there. If we've raised with a solid hand, we are probably in the driver's seat when both players have hit the flop, both players have missed and we have hit and they have missed. Only when we miss and they hit are we in trouble.
The hands we choose to play or raise depend on many factors: the number of opponents, the style of play of our opponents, the skill of our opponents, and most importantly our position. It's a vast generalization, but in general it's usually not prudent to enter the pot unless you're holding a pair or two cards nine or higher. If we are the first to enter the pot and a couple of players have folded, most of these hands should be raised. Remember, if we are given the chance to raise and isolate to one opponent, we are in a commanding position. This is often possible at a tight table or in a "blind stealing" position?one of the last to act in a pot that has not been entered.
This has been just a brief introduction to the opportunities present at shorthanded play. Many players avoid playing shorthanded due to their unfamiliarity with the game, but by making a few simple adjustments in your game you will win big at shorthanded internet poker.
Greg Dwyer is a professional poker player who makes his living playing Texas Hold 'em on the internet. Visit one of his websites for more articles on poker strategy: http://www.pokercentral.us and http://www.hittheflop.com
The growth in online poker has been phenomenal over the... Read More
Most poker players fall into one of four categories, and... Read More
At one point in time our society believed that gambling... Read More
Do You Know the Best and Worst Roulette Bets?The outcome... Read More
Examples of pre-game research are to see how the teams... Read More
Maybe you haven't played online roulette before, or you are... Read More
Now that the 2005 World Series of Poker has finished,... Read More
The Club Cal Neva sports book is located on the... Read More
Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of converting... Read More
Slot machines have become over the last hundred years, one... Read More
Over 29,000 poker players came to Las Vegas from 40... Read More
We are For Sale By Owners, "FSBOs." We spend our... Read More
Many players try to beat roulette by buying a "sure... Read More
Casinos and other forms of gambling are popping up in... Read More
His palms are sweaty and his heart is racing, but... Read More
What's the difference between an amateur and a professional when... Read More
Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of the... Read More
Poker is one game that has influenced almost whole of... Read More
Note: The goal of this article is to give you... Read More
Whether your new to the slots or a seasoned player... Read More
The word class, used by handicapper is no abstraction. The... Read More
Are You Using These? Are They Being Used Against You?Let's... Read More
You should only play games that your bankroll will allow.... Read More
The "Language" of Poker BetsWe humans are very perceptive creatures.... Read More
It is in one's best interest to know all your... Read More
Many people believe professional-level sports bettors win at least 60%... Read More
The very first slot machine (called 'Liberty Bell') was created... Read More
The origins of the phrase "poker nuts" are uncertain although... Read More
Maybe you haven't played online roulette before, or you are... Read More
Alternatively called as Hazard, Craps has been here since centuries.... Read More
Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of Martingale... Read More
From the drama TILT made by ESPN to the deal... Read More
Offshore sportsbooks are also the result of many regulations the... Read More
The Truth about Roulette Systems and How to Win! Casinos... Read More
The Club Cal Neva sports book is located on the... Read More
Select Advantageous TablesTable selection is one of the most overlooked... Read More
The term "Roulette" is derived from a French word meaning... Read More
Whether it is on the street or online, one cannot... Read More
Against the popular belief, gambling did not originate in the... Read More
The MIT Blackjack Team Story What's the first... Read More
Are you a poker player? Can't get the guys together... Read More
1. Always play with money you can afford to lose.Let's... Read More
Playing online poker for a living is absolutely doable, but... Read More
Most poker players fall into one of four categories, and... Read More
As the game of Poker is scaling new heights, casinos... Read More
In the AFC East I expect to see the Patriots... Read More
Is your lack of confidence hurting your poker profits in... Read More
The "Language" of Poker BetsWe humans are very perceptive creatures.... Read More
As many experts have said, poker is a game that... Read More
Did you miss the lottery jackpot because the planets were... Read More
Why is online gambling the latest craze to hit the... Read More
Gambling is something that millions of people enjoy for entertainment.... Read More
From the drama TILT made by ESPN to the deal... Read More
Modern casino slots are controlled by computer chips and software,... Read More
Poker's new upsurge in popularity in is due to televised... Read More
Alternatively called as Hazard, Craps has been here since centuries.... Read More
Not many people argue that gambling and playing at casinos... Read More
Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secrets of come... Read More
With literally thousands of online casinos on the internet, it... Read More
Before I begin to describe how we prepared for and... Read More
Previously I've written about tournament end games, and about how... Read More
Video poker is an easy game to learn to play... Read More
Position is even more important in 6-max play than in... Read More
Over the years, the various gambling games and the gambling... Read More
According to the Wire Act, one is not permitted to... Read More
A successful Texas hold em player is one who maximizes... Read More
Casino & Gambling |