today was the first time i played the 6-max $.5/$1 tables on pokerstars for a length of time. they seem to be very profitable since im up almost $80 in a few hours playing them but i have a few questions about short handed play in general

what types of hands should you add when its short-handed? Do you limp with most A-x and raise with A-x suited? Play a lot more suited cards and connectors from the button? Right now im averaging about 35% flops seen out of the blinds is that too high and what is the average?

do you wanna bet out if you catch any part of the flop and see what happens from there?

is the main goal to try and isolate people and raise more pre-flop and 3-bet more?

Axo sucks. I open raise from the Button and *sometimes* the CO.

Everything else you talked about is very dependant.

I'm a bit more AG then Wrto, Ax suited I raise, Axo 8 or above I raise.

I play 6 max one way blinding aggression.

For me 6 max is more about aggression and smart non ABC poker play then it is about 98 suited on the button is a good call against a limper UTG. Not trying to say any two cards will win you the pot, but it's less about proper cards to play in this spot preflop as it is post flop play.

6 max is ALL post flop play. If you are not a good player after the flop you are dead in this game.

For other people the game is about trying to play a full table with the first few spots folding. I don't agree with this line of thinking. I don't have a set of rules I like to play at a short table. It's not a full table with the first positions folding, it's a totally different brand of limit unto itself. I don't always blind steal even though I can, I don't always raise KQs UTG, I sometimes raise in MP with J8s.

As for your last few questions. 35% is alright. I am up between 39%-42% but again I am extremely aggressive.

For the do you want to bet any catch on the flop, well yes and no. I really can't sit here an explain the difference one card can make on a flop. I've written over 6 different situations and each one probably wouldn't make any sense on their own so I deleted them. I just can't put into simple words playing out a board that doesn't fit in favor with what you have been taught about full table play.

Your main goal isn't about isolating. You hardly ever are going to be able to isolate one person preflop. It's just not going to happen. You want to raise more pre-flop to build pots where you are a heavy favorite in when you don't need to catch something to improve. PP's hold much greater weight here then they do on a full table. Any A holds great value much more so then any other card you can hold in your hand. From pokertracker my top 5 hands where I have won the most money all hold an A of some sort. 3 betting is good when you have hidden cards or a monster that someone is betting into. 3 betting is also very good when you hold mid pair on a board like 5 7 10 when there was a preflop raiser involved. A lot of people try and steal pots with high cards more so then you will see at a full table. Not always but usually a re-raise to a bet on a board like this is from Ax or Paintx that didn't hit and wants you to fold.

I think I might start a Smash posting of all my 6 max hands because this is getting to long winded and probably not making any sense.

"Any ace holds much value" isn't a good way to make money SH.

Weak aces are playable in certain situations. Never UTG and hardly ever in MP.

I agree that there is more aggression, but it's smart aggression. You can't go around raising for shits and giggles.

The J8s hand, for example, is a very dependent raise.

6-max is about smart, very aggressive, non-ABC poker. But you can't play any two cards because you think you play good postflop. A8o should not be a raise. A9o is a raise from MP...but a fold from UTG. There are preflop standards. And unless the situation is right, deviation from the standard is generally wrong.

Most players play too aggresively 6-max... Thats why WRTO plays the way he does, 6-max is easy to beat if you play it smart, very very profitable, just get used to the variance as well as some donks will beat you with there K-4 to a raise preflop catching the 4 on the river etc..