Six- or 10-Handed Tables … Which Are Better?

A few years ago some poker sites began offering tables with six seats rather than the typical 10. Players didn't flock to them right away, but recently their popularity has soared. Log on to any of the major sites, and you'll probably see as many six-handed tables as 10-handed ones, if not more.

Are these short-handed tables preferable? That is a question you should certainly ask yourself, if you haven't already. But before we delve into your situation, let me discuss my own personal preference. If given the choice, with all other things being equal, I will almost always take the 10-handed table, and here's why.

My Reasoning

To some degree, everyone either plays too loose or too tight. That includes me and, yes, even you. The closer you can come to being "just right," the better off you'll be, but no player in the world can exercise perfect degrees of looseness or tightness.

With that in mind, let me state four simple facts:

• More people play too loose rather than too tight.
• In the right situations, loose players offer a much greater profit potential than tight ones.
• In a 10-handed game, tight play is generally rewarded. Loose players will get picked apart by opponents playing superior cards.
• As your number of opponents goes down, your op timal degree of looseness goes up.

What does all of this mean? In a nutshell, it means that I would prefer to be against loose players in a game where they get most punished for their looseness. That means playing in a full 10-handed game, where I can wait patiently while they splash around in numerous pots, and then drop the hammer on them when I have the goods.

If, like me, you consider yourself to be a patient, tight-aggressive player, then you probably prefer 10-handed tables for similar reasons. But, if tight-aggressive is not your style, then such games might not play to your strengths. In fact, if you fit any one of the following three criteria, you might be better off at six-handed tables:

You Have a Need for Action

Maybe you get bored waiting for premium hands while playing against nine opponents. If you find that your concentration and focus waver as a result of that boredom, then you're probably better off in the six-handed games. You won't get punished as much for playing more hands, and you'll probably be able to stay more focused, since you'll be involved in the action more often.

You Characterize Yourself as Loose-Aggressive

This point overlaps somewhat with the previous one, since loose-aggressive players generally crave action. But despite their need to gamble, such players can win consistently, as long as they choose their games carefully.

For example, let's look at an expert high-limit player. Part of what makes him an expert is that he can adjust properly to the number of opponents he is facing. If he finds himself at a 10-handed table, he can play an appropriately tight game. But, as the number of players at his table goes down, he compensates by correctly becoming more loose-aggressive. Since high-limit experts often find themselves at a short-handed table (because it's not always easy to find 10 players willing to play for high stakes, especially against expert competition), they often adopt a loose-aggressive persona. They adjust their playing style to fit their table.

What I'm suggesting is that you, as a loose-aggressive player, essentially do the opposite. Namely, choose the table that fits your style. And since your style favors short-handed play, go with the six-handed tables as opposed to the 10-handed ones.

Of course, just being a loose-aggressive player doesn't mean you'll be successful. You still need to make solid plays and to use your aggressiveness at the correct times. However, the mere act of recognizing your style of play, and fully exploiting it by playing against fewer opponents, should make a big difference in your overall results.

You Get Back Part of Your Rake Through an Affiliate Program

Huh? What does this have to do with anything? Actually, it's probably the No. 1 reason that the popularity of six-handed tables has taken off, so it would be irresponsible of me to ignore it.

For those who don't know, affiliate programs give players an incentive to sign other players up on a given site. Then the referring player gets a cut of the other's action, usually by receiving part of his rake. For instance, if the referred player wins a pot that gets raked for $3, the referring player might get 60¢.

As could be expected, there are people who have taken advantage of this system by opening a player's account under their own affiliateship, and thus collecting part of their own rake back. At this point, I must state very clearly that online sites absolutely do not condone this activity, and the players who do this are running the very real risk of having their accounts closed. But since this activity is taking place, I feel it is appropriate to address it.

Now, let's get back to the issue of six vs. 10-handed tables. If you are one of those players collecting part of your own rake back, then you have reason to play at short-handed tables. In terms of sheer number of pots, the fewer opponents you are facing, the more pots you stand to win. That translates to more rake collected from you, which in turn becomes a higher amount of rake refunded to you.

It might seem counterintuitive to purposely pay more rake, but the key lies in your results. Obviously, if your results are clearly better at 10-handed tables, then that's where you should be. However, if you are able to consistently generate equally good results at both six-handed and 10-handed tables, then ul timately the six-handed ones will prove more profitable. Let's say you play at both a 10-handed and a six-handed table and you leave each with a $100 profit. You probably needed to win a greater number of pots, and thus pay more rake, in generating the $100 win at the six-handed table. Therefore you'll have more rake refunded from that game, and that can add up significantly over time.

The Bottom Line

I've found that 10-handed games work better for me, but that doesn't mean the same will be true for you. Maybe you'll find that six-handed games are more to your liking. Just make sure you're playing them for the right reasons. If you're playing six-handed because you crave action, I like your chances better than at the 10-handed table, but that doesn't mean I like your chances overall. Maybe you should consider playing heads-up games instead. Or, if all else fails, there's always craps.

On the other hand, you're much better off if you play six-handed games for one or more of the following reasons:

• Your natural loose-aggressive playing style works well against five opponents, which gives you an edge over the ones whose playing style is not suited for six-handed play.
• You have learned how to adjust to the demands of six-handed games, which gives you an edge over those who haven't made the proper adjustments.
• You gain more from some form of rake refund.

If you fit any of those categories, then six-handed tables may be the ones for you.

Matt Lessinger's Book of Bluffs is now available everywhere. You can purchase it by visiting www.cardplayer.com and clicking "shop online." You can find other articles of Matt's in his "Bet With Less" column in Card Player magazine. Also, please check out his new website at www.mattlessinger.com.

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