I figure my weakest spot in NL at this point is shorthanded, so I've started playing the 6-max $25 tables on Stars just to get a feel for it. While I know that aggression is the key here, these guys don't seem to have very much control at all and just think raising and betting almost randomly is the way to win. So, I've been playing fairly tight, up a bit but not enough hands to really say much.

Anyhow, I don't really have much of a "strategy" here, and that makes me rather uncomfortable. So, here are some thoughts.

First, in comparison to a full table, one has simply chopped off the first three positions. So, I figure my normal "MP playable" hands are playable UTG and UTG+1. That's all suited connectors, all pairs, unsuited big cards J or better, suited big cards T or better. This is a very tight hand selection in comparison to the rest of the table as a rule, but I think it's not too bad with a table playing ridiculously loose.

Then there's the question of raise or not. I'm really inclined to limp on all of these (from 54s to AA) as long as the rest of the table is so raise-crazy. I see almost no fold equity here (thins the field a little, but the continuation bet is almost pointless).

Where I see raising a lot is LP, however (essentially on all of these hands). They'll always call, and then something like a 1/2 pot continuation bet seems reasonable if checked to.

By 6-max standards that's not really many hands, but it seems to me pretty decent at hopelessly loose tables.

I think the real switch up would be raising any ace from any position, but I think it presupposes some reasonable fold equity (ideally on the flop) on the part of the rest of the table.

Opinions?

At the level that you are playing short handed means playing pretty tight in the first two seats, passive with the speculative hands and expectation to attempt to steal on the flop in the next two, I play the small blind tighter than the button and the big blind I call a 3x raise with any hand I would limp.

That was a massive run on sentence of a basic strategy, the real strategy in six max is in hand reading and knowing your opponent. 10 or 9 handed is an endurance contest, nothing bores me more than folding A7h when it should at least be played for a limp. You can at reasonable discretion start to open up in six max and bet with the best nothing with your suited ace a little more, most people over compensate for the game though. KJs you may be able to call a raise if the opponent raises small and medium pairs, if you are willing to either go deep when you think you are ahead or back off when be. With good hand reading skills against very aggressive opponents you will look like a moron 30% of time the upside is the 70% of the time you do do it right.

Your stakes you have to assume you have a weak tight ninny or two the rest calling station and you. This leaves little room to "play" the man. I often bluff or continuation bet once out of position, in position when I miss I might not or might depending on the board and number of callers. If you step up to the $50 or $100 game you will find you can play more poker and less cards, at the $200 game I found I can play a mix of poker and cards opponent dependant and the $400 game that I can most hands are over with at the turn that aren't being played all in.

The $200 game has solid opposition sometimes and table selection becomes an issue for me, the $100 game most tables are beatable unless you are in the absolute wrong seat.

Taking a similiar strategy to your late position full table loose raise strategy at Prima doesn't start until $100 and some $50 tables. The dividing factor to success is the number of stations in your games. If I have a massive stack 3x or 4x the buy in, I accept the variance of raising up 66 or QJs and betting every flop because I have more than enough room to dodge or push hard regardless of my holdings.

Well, what's probably true here is that you can do pretty well at a full ring game with just a generic strategy, but I don't think you can do REALLY well even there if you're not constantly playing the players and making adjustments.

Of course, at full table, there are just a LOT of things you have to watch out for if you start making moves.