Hey guys!

Welcome to my newest PLO report called Six Max Secrets.

In the following pages I'm going to teach you four different and valuable secrets that will help
you beat the six max PLO games in the current environment of online poker.
I've learned these four secrets both from personal experience, and from coaching more than
200 students in the last several years. In my opinion, these are the major keys to not only
becomes a winning player in today's shorthanded games, but also graduating from the low
stakes by using proper fundamentals and make a smooth transition into the mid-stakes games.
Are you ready to learn? Let's move on.

Look for cheap bluffs

More Late Position Steals
Widen your range versus weaker players

The first secret probably won't surprise you. Even the most novice PLO players understand that
in order to be successful in shorthanded PLO, the presence and importance of aggression
cannot be underestimated. What most players don't understand is HOW to appear more
aggressive than they really are.
The key to Secret #1 is to find that sweet spot where we can play as aggressively as possible
without being too spewy. Ideally, our goal is to have an image that is aggressive enough to get
paid off when we are value betting, but not overly aggressive to the point where none of our
bluffs get any credit.
The best players in the world understand this balance and are always looking for as many
cheap bluffs as possible, so your opponents are forced to think that you're capable of having
bluffs in your range later on in your value betting scenarios.
Another way to appear aggressive is by stealing more from late position. A common mistake
made by many low stakes players is generalizing their HUD statistics. Meaning that if they notice
a given opponent playing a VPIP/PFR of 27/22, they fail to take into account the distribution of
hands they play from each position.
In other words, someone playing 27/22 doesn't necessarily mean they have a 27% VPIP and a
22% PFR from each seat at the table. Those stats are an average of all hands played, but most
players are too lazy or don't know how to get a more accurate idea of the percentages people
are playing from each position.
Therefore, when given the opportunity, it's important to put as many hands as you profitably
can in your late position calling and opening ranges as possible, so that you can play tighter
from Under the Gun and Middle Position. All the while avoiding looking too nitty and increasing
the odds you'll get paid when you have a stronger range.
In case you're wondering, I think the optimal pre-flop stats at a typical low stakes table hovers
somewhere around 25% VPIP and 20% PFR. In terms of late position opening ranges, depending

on the table dynamic, it's OK to open somewhere around 40-45% from the Cutoff and 55-65%
or more form the Button when it gets folded to you. This type of range should be tightened or
widened depending on who's in the BTN and the blinds, but these numbers are good starting
points to work with.
Finally, make sure to play more hands when weaker players are involved. This doesn't mean
you have a license to play trash hands or to spew around because a weak player is in the pot,
but you shouldn't be afraid to seize opportunities where weak
players are in the pot or are likely to get involved, particularly
if you have position on them.
DON'T FORGET, THE MOST

PROFITABLE

SCENARIOS IN SIX MAX GAMES ARE TO PLAY

HEADS-UP IN POSITION VERSUS
One way to exercise aggression is when a weak player limps,
OPPONENTS.
or a weak player opens and we are in position and have the
chance to three-bet and isolate him. Don't forget, the most
profitable scenarios in six max games are to play heads-up in position versus weaker opponents.
When this opportunity arises, be sure you put yourself in a situation where you can capitalize on
it.

WEAKER

Continuation betting tendencies

Won When Saw Flop (49+)
Bet vs Missed C-bet
Three-bet IP vs OOP
VPIP IP vs OOP
Stack size
Personal History/Dynamic

Secret #2 has to do with accurate note-taking or more specifically, recording key information
about our opponent's tendencies at the tables. In the state of today's games, it's not enough to
label someone as a LAG or TAG, or fish or regular. You need to force yourself to be more detailed
and specific about their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, note taking at the low stakes is a
good habit to get into because the higher you move up, the smaller the player pool gets, the
better those players are and, as a result, the edges gained from every read can be the difference
between winning and losing.
Look at it this way. Regardless of how good or bad someone is, each player is at least TRYING to
win in one way or another. Loose aggressive players believe that the best way to win is by
applying aggression relentlessly and repeatedly putting their opponents into difficult decision
on each street. Loose passive players believe that the way to win is to see a lot of cheap flops by
limping, see if they flop something good and continue with
the hand accordingly. The important thing to note is that
even if some players have an unconventional or incorrect
EVEN IF SOME PLAYERS HAVE AN UNCONVENTIONAL
OR INCORRECT WAY OF PLAYING, EVERYONE HAS
way of playing, everyone has the same goal of winning and
THE SAME GOAL OF WINNING AND YOU CAN USE
you can use the information you gather from their
THE INFORMATION YOU GATHER FROM THEIR
tendencies to get an idea of how to exploit them. In Secret
TENDENCIES TO GET AN IDEA OF HOW TO EXPLOIT
#2 we will go over 6 characteristics that I look for to help me
THEM.
navigate the best lines to take against my opponents.
C-betting tendencies:
I typically look for a reliable indicator of whether or not they c-bet air when they're supposed
to. The best example of this is on dry boards. Say I see an opponent raises in late position and
he gets called by one player in the blinds. Let's pretend that on a JJ5 rainbow flop, he elects to
check back and then folds to a turn lead. Although this seems like an insignificant hand that
doesn't hold any valuable information, I can glean many important elements from it.

First, we can infer what level this opponent is on. Almost any competent player should know to
bet this flop with any hand that is incapable of winning at showdown. This is a very dry board
that misses most ranges and as such, his decision not to c-bet means he lacks an understanding
of board texture reading and fundamental poker theory. I would definitely write down in my
notes that he does not c-bet his air on dry boards because it will provide me with important
hand reading information later on in the session, and allow me to play a wider range of hands
against him because of this key read.
Won When Saw Flop:
Another important stat that I pay attention to is WWSF. This stat provides us with a reliable
indicator of how aggressive an opponent is on the flop, not only in terms of his c-betting
frequency, but also in terms of his check-raising and flop raising frequencies. I've noticed players
with a high WWSF tend to be more aggressive in dry flops, so that helps me take better lines in
the sense of getting more value with strong hands and committing less chips when I know my
opponent won't let me get away with much.
If you're looking for a specific number to go by, I'd say anyone with a WWSF over 49 or 50 is
quite capable of bluffing or semi-bluffing very light on the flop. If this number is over 50, you
can be confident they are getting out of line.
Bet vs Missed C-bet:
Another key statistic that I've used over the years is bet vs missed c-bet. This number tells us
how often a player bets when checked to on the flop without the pre-flop initiative. Let's say I
open form the Cutoff, get called by the Button and everyone else folds. The flop comes down
783 two-tone.
I can look at his bet vs missed c-bet statistic on my HUD, get an idea of how often my opponent
will bet if I check instead of c-betting. In this way, I can make a decision whether or not to c-bet
more effectively, because I have a better idea of when to check-raise or if he'll give up on these
flops overall.
VPIP and 3bet IP vs OOP:
The next two key statistics in Secret #2 share similar characteristics and benefits. Weaker
opponents will typically lack the positional awareness that competent players do. As I
mentioned earlier, every player has a different approach to trying to win, including how often
they call or three-bet when they are in position compared to when they are out of position.

This information is valuable for a few reasons:

A. If you know how tight or loose a player is from a certain position, you can have a greater
understanding of how a certain board texture fit into their range, and as a result save
yourself from burning a c-bet on a flop that hits their too strongly, or get extra value
when you know you'll get paid.
B. In general, the wider someone is pre-flop, the wider you can barrel them on later
streets.
C. If you know a certain player three-bets more aggressively in a certain situation, you can
start four betting a wider range or make a disciplined fold versus a tight 3betting range.

Stack size:
Another note I like to take down is how opponent's tendencies vary depending on their stack
depth. In today's games there is a prevalence of short stacked players in the games and it's
pretty common to see them being willing to get it in with very wide ranges when only 40 big
blinds deep and then nit it up once they double up to 80 blinds.
Stack sizes can also affect an opponents three-betting tendencies. Some players three-bet a lot
more when shallow and some when deep. At the shallow tables, there is a tendency to be
somewhat tighter when deep because no one wants to bust a large stack since they can't just
reload to 100 big blinds.
Personal History / Dynamic.
Last, this is a very important part of Secret #2. Make sure to write down some notes if you
develop an interesting history with another player. If you see someone make a terrible bluff or
maybe he thinks you're a lunatic and has paid you off really lightly. Most players get lost in the
habit of only marking down what they think of another player's game, but it's important to note
what other players see you do and take into consideration how they will adjust in future hands.

Pre-flop
Proper sizing depends on:
Player tendencies
Stack Sizes
One of the most common questions I get from students deal with what kind of open sizing to
use pre-flop. Truthfully, I've seen a lot of successful players employ a variety of open sizes in
shorthanded games, so for now I'll share with you my standard opening sizes from all positions
and then talk about what the necessary table dynamics would need to be for me to adjust my
default approach.
Before we hop into the discussion, I want to mention that how you select your open sizing
depends entirely on the player types at the table (particularly in the blinds) and what the stack
sizes are.
As a general rule, if the table is looser you will want to
tighten up your opening range and use a bigger opening
sizing. Conversely, at a tighter table you can open more
frequently and use a smaller sizing. If there are weak or loose
players in the blinds, you want to use bigger open sizing,
because the majority of your profit comes from picking up
dead money when they check-fold, or building a big pot
when value betting against them.

HOW YOU SELECT YOUR OPEN SIZING DEPENDS

ENTIRELY ON THE PLAYER TYPES AT THE TABLE

(PARTICULARLY

IN THE BLINDS) AND WHAT THE

STACK SIZES ARE.

Moreover, as stacks get shorter, you want to reduce your open sizing from all position. This is
because you want to leave yourself with room to maneuver post-flop, and also because since
stacks are smaller, you don't want to open for pot and then commit yourself to calling a threebet versus a short-stack with a weak hand.

Pot Sizes Raise from UTG/MP

Given this, with 100bb stacks in six-max, I typically open for pot from UTG and MP. There are
several reasons for this, the two main ones being that when I open for pot, I find that other
players are less likely to fight back against me. Since UTG and MP are the worst spots to open at
the table, I want to do my best to steal position from the other players and give myself the

opportunity to play in position against a caller in the blinds. This is particularly effective if there
is a weak player in the blinds.
Secondly, my opening range from these two positions is typically quite strong. As a result, I
don't mind playing a big pot with these hands, so I want to maximize the amount of money
from calls pre-flop. I say that if people are more likely to call than re-raise in PLO than in NLHE,
why not play big pots with big hands?

3x from Cutoff
2.5x from BTN

As I move around the table to the final two positions, I reduce my open sizing since I'll be
opening more frequently and am more likely to be in position. I like to make it 3x from the
Cutoff and 2.5x from the Button. These sizes allow me to
open with more hands, get a better price on my steal, and
leave me with higher SPR in position post-flop. Remember
IN PLO, THE PROFITABILITY OF YOUR PRE-FLOP
DECISION IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE POST-FLOP
that in PLO, the profitability of your pre-flop decision is
SITUATION IT CREATES.
only as good as the post-flop situation it creates.
Flop Sizing
Play exploitably against unknowns.
C-bet small with bluffs, big with value hands.
Let's talk about some general flop sizing concepts that will help us make more money on the
felt. The first and perhaps the golden rule of low stakes poker, is that balance is a terrible,
terrible word. In fact, you want to play as exploitable as possible versus most opponents,
because most of the time you're losing money if your primary goal is to incorporate a game plan
of being balanced in all facets of your game.
Most players have leaks that are bad enough to the point where you fail to maximize the full
value from their leak if you don't play exploitably in some way. A good example of this is against
unknowns or weaker players that aren't adjusting to your
play. Of course, this changes once you identify who the
YOU WANT TO PLAY AS EXPLOITABLE AS POSSIBLE
regulars are or you develop a history with some player.
VERSUS MOST OPPONENTS, BECAUSE MOST OF
When that happens, balance considerations do become
THE TIME YOU'RE LOSING MONEY IF YOUR
important. Until then, however, I want you to think about
PRIMARY GOAL IS TO INCORPORATE A GAME PLAN
ways you can use sizing to maximize your profit.
OF BEING BALANCED IN ALL FACETS OF YOUR
GAME.

One way to do this is to c-bet small with bluffs and bigger with value hands. Most players in the
low stakes play straightforward at the lower stakes when facing c-bets. In many cases when we
miss the flop, we are attempting to c-bet and get a good price on our bluff.
On the other hand, when we have something strong and the board texture is such that we are
likely to get at least a call a high percentage of the time, it's wise to choose a bigger sizing so we
can build a pot and add more big blinds to our win-rate.
Overall, any time you are likely on remaining aggressive on later streets, whether as a bluff or
value bet, it's a good idea to choose a larger flop sizing.

The final secret I have for you today doesn't necessarily involve any poker theory per se, but it
does involve using some implied logic, and in my opinion, it's the best question you can ask
yourself in any moment where you're faced with a close or marginal decision. This is a tip I
picked up from chatting some poker strategy with Jungleman a couple of years ago at the WSOP.
I asked him what he felt like he did better than anyone else in the world, and after a couple
moments of thought, he explained that he thought he did an exceptional job of always having
an accurate idea of what his opponent thought he had. Perhaps not necessarily how his
opponent would respond, or what his threshold for calling a bet were, but he definitely always
has an objectively keen understanding of what his hand looks like.
Now, of course this concept varies depending on the dynamic you have with a given player and
what level they're on. Most of the straightforward and basic opponents, which I call Level 1
players, typically care less about what it looks like you have. They're still trying to figure out
what the hell they have! And then just bet their hand according to its strength.
As you move up or play more regulars at the low levels, this secret becomes more important
and the game revolves more around what your hand looks like than what it actually is. From
personal experience, I've learned that most players are hesitant to execute high level, expensive
bluffs, particularly on later streets.
That's why I always tell my students that one of the easiest ways to make a big fold or not call
down incorrectly on later streets is to ask yourself this very question. Be very cautious when
people are willing to put money into the pot when it looks like
you are holding something good. Of course, things change if
I ALWAYS TELL MY STUDENTS THAT ONE OF
you've taken a weak line or under-represented your hand, but I
THE EASIEST WAYS TO MAKE A BIG FOLD OR
find that at the lower levels and without an established history
SAVE
YOU
FROM
CALLING
DOWN
between players, the best approach is to typically give less credit
INCORRECTLY ON LATER STREETS IS TO ASK
YOURSELF THIS VERY QUESTION.
to your average player, rather than more. Assume that people
aren't out to get you or run a big bluff on you.
Most importantly, beyond the situations where we are faced with a big river bet or big checkraise on a dry board, this is an excellent question to ask yourself every hand, simply because it
forces you to think about all of the important factors you should be considering. And also makes
sure that you are constantly putting in the effort to refine your lines and tell a more credible

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story. If you strive to put more thought into objectively figuring out what your opponents think
of you, then you will inevitably win more money and program your brain to develop higher level
poker skills.
This is a hand I played a while ago and I wanted to show it to
you guys because I think it incorporates a lot of the stuff we
went over in this report, but especially what I'm going to
focus on is the thought process and constantly being aware
of what our opponent thinks we have.

IF

YOU STRIVE TO PUT MORE THOUGHT INTO

OBJECTIVELY

FIGURING

OUT

WHAT

YOUR

OPPONENTS THINK OF YOU, THEN YOU WILL

INEVITABLY WIN MORE MONEY AND PROGRAM
YOUR BRAIN TO DEVELOP HIGHER LEVEL POKER
SKILLS.

$1/$2 Pot Limit Omaha, 5 players

UTG $474.50
CO $535.67
BTN $220.90
SB $201.50
Hero (BB) $324.20
Pre-flop: ($3, 5 players) Hero is BB KJT7
3 folds, SB raises to $6, Hero raises to $18, SB calls.
It folds around to the SB who raises for 3 big blinds and we re-raise pot in the big blind and he
calls. I don't have any history with this player, and this particular opponent is playing a 38 VPIP /
31 PFR after 43 hands. He seems to have aggressive tendencies but no real solid reads on this
player.
Flop: AA9 ($36, 2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.
Our opponent checks and we decide to check back with King high and two backdoor flush
draws. I would label this board texture as being very static, that is to say the nuts is not
vulnerable to getting outdrawn in later streets.
Against a more straightforward opponent or even an unknown player I would normally go
ahead and c-bet this flop since we will be able to take it down very often. Versus this aggressive
opponent that we know is capable of bluffing, I actually think checking back might seem more
credible than betting, since he expects us to c-bet our air here very often.

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I decide to take an unconventional line and check back on the flop in order to get more credit
for having something stronger with more showdown value. We also get more information about
his range depending on his turn line.
Turn: 4 ($36, 2 players)
SB bets $20, Hero calls.
He decides to bet the turn, so it's possible he has an Ace or that he thinks that we are the kind
of player who would check back with a weak range on this flop. Without much information, I
still think we can assume most opponents won't bet the river without an Ace since we can
credibly be slow playing an Ace once we call the turn.
River: 4 ($76, 2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $21, SB folds.
Our opponent now checks the river and even though our King high might be good, I think
betting the river and getting him off non-Ace hands is a better option than checking it down.
Before we choose a sizing, let's imagine ourselves holding trips or better on this river versus
what seems to be a weak range. We want to try to give off the impression that we're value
betting thin and trying to get a crying call. I decide to bet $21, but that might have been too
small. I think betting something like $38 would still make a lot of sense for our line but also
discourage some of his curiosity calls.
Our opponent folds and we take the pot down with a very credible story. Of course this was a
creative and unconventional play, and at the lower stakes I still would recommend just c-betting
the flop versus most players, but hopefully this hand illustrates our point and Secret #4.

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