Zoom poker strategy 6 max. Zoom Poker: game strategy. What is Zoom poker and which online rooms host this cash game

The 6-max format is by far the most popular format online. 6-max games are so popular that they have almost completely replaced the full-ring (or 9-max) format on most poker sites.

If you want to become a successful online player, then having high skills at 6-max tables is a must. If you prefer tournaments or specialize in live games, then a deeper understanding of the game at short tables will have a positive effect on your win rate.

In this article, we will cover the following topics:

• What is 6-Max Poker?
• Open Raising Ranges
• Adjusting Open Raising Ranges
• Open raise sizing
• Calling raises and 3-betting
• How to play from the blinds?
• How to approach the most common post-flop situations?
• Continuation betting on the flop
• Double barreling the turn
• Playing Against a Continuation Bet on the Flop and Turn
• Probe-betting on the turn
• Tips for Dominating Weak Shorthanded Players

Well, to work!

What is 6-Max Poker?

6-max is a format in which only 6 players can be at the table. Classical, full-ring, games allow the participation of 9 people. This means that the positions we play the tightest in 9-max are missing in 6-max: UTG, UTG+1, UTG+2. Thus, in 6-max there are the following positions:

• Lowjack (LJ or EP)
• Hijack (HJ or MP)
• Cut-off (CO)
• Button (BU)
• Small Blind (SB)
• Big blind (BB)

Since there are 3 fewer players in 6-max than in 9-max, the game is looser. As a result, 6-max tables are playing bigger, medium pots, increasing the percentage of players who see the flop, and increasing the number of hands per hour. It is for these reasons that recreational players and pros prefer 6-max - they spend less time folding and more playing their starters.

Even though there are 6-max tournaments today, in this article we will focus on short-handed cash games.

Open Raising Ranges

A solid poker strategy starts preflop. Well-designed open-raising ranges will result in fewer difficult decisions post-flop.

Open raise sizing

When opening, you should use a sizing of 2.25 to 3 big blinds. Smaller sizing will give your opponents great pot odds to call, resulting in multiway pots, and as the number of players in the hand increases, the equity of our hands decreases. On the other hand, raising more would be a mistake since we will already be giving bad odds to ourselves, which in turn will force us to narrow our ranges.

The exception to this rule is when we are on the SB. In the small blind, we should open-raise between 3 and 4 big blinds. This is because the BB player has position and a mandatory investment of 1bb, which will allow him to defend more loosely. You can't do anything about your positional disadvantage, but you can worsen the pot's chances of calling the BB by increasing your sizing.

3-betting as the key to success at 6-max tables

3-betting is a very powerful and profitable weapon if you use it correctly. There are three reasons to 3-bet preflop:

• In order to get value

3-betting with the top of our range allows us to increase the pot already preflop, which will give us the opportunity to extract more profit from weaker hands that our opponent will call with. Many novice players play their strong starters too passively, while playing aggressively with them is more profitable.

• Into a bluff

When we bluff 3-bet, we balance our value 3-betting range and don't let our opponents have equity in their hands. In other words, if you only 3-bet with very strong hands, your opponents can easily exploit you by folding their cards every time you re-raise them. Balancing the same ranges avoids this problem.

As for the second goal of bluff 3-betting (preventing opponents from realizing their hand equity), here's a simple example. Let's say we 3-bet with a hand that has 60% equity against our opponent's winning range and our opponent folds. In this situation, we take the entire pot already preflop and deprive our opponent of 40% of his "legitimate" equity.

• as insulation

When you 3-bet, you reduce the likelihood of a multi-way pot. As you can imagine, it's in your best interest to prevent a multiway pot from being created, as each additional player in the pot will lower your equity. For example, AA wins against a random hand 85% of the time, but against four players, our rockets will only be a small favorite:

When we 3-bet to isolate, it usually ends up with only one player facing us. Against weak players who open (or limp), you can use isolating 3-bets (or raises) to stay heads-up with them and then exploit their leaks.

Calling and 3-betting ranges

Calling and 3-betting ranges in 6-max are even more subject to various changes under the pressure of various factors than open-raising ranges. This is because calling and 3-betting ranges are highly dependent on the positions and play tendencies of the original raiser.

In general, the tighter our opponent's opening range, the tighter our calling and 3-betting range should be, and vice versa. Let's compare tight and loose ranges to highlight this difference.

Below you can see the tight range of MP vs EP:

• Red - 3bet
  
• Orange - 3-bet or call
  
• Green - call
  
• Blue - fold

Now take a look at the loose range between BU and CO:

As you can see, the BU value range is much wider than the MP value range. It is this wider value range that allows the BU to 3-bet more bluff hands (the BU keeps its ranges balanced).

• If your hand is too weak to 3-bet but too strong to fold, then you should call;
• Consider 3-betting with hands that seem slightly weak to play (break-even or slightly losing hands are usually good candidates to 3-bet);
• Hands that have a high level of playability when called are usually good for bluff 3-bets as well. Here we are talking about single-suited connectors. These hands increase our flop texture coverage frequency after 3-betting (this concept is somewhat overrated, but still relevant).

These tips apply to all positions, but there's something else to keep in mind when we're facing an open raise from the blinds.

Playing the SB against an open raise

When you're in the small blind and are facing a raise, you should be leaning towards 3-betting with your entire continuation range, as long as the size of the open isn't too small. Against a small open sizing from a loose player, your pot odds and your hand may justify calling.

The reason why we should mainly 3-bet the SB is so that we can mitigate our positional disadvantage by 3-betting. If our opponent only calls a 3-bet, then we will come to the flop with range advantage and initiative, which will make it easier to play out of position.

Playing in the BB against an open raise

The BB position is unique in that the player in it puts 1bb into the pot without ever having received their cards. This gives the BB "discount" to a potential call after facing an open raise. This is why we can call with the widest range in the BB compared to other positions.

You can be especially loose against open raises from the SB, as you will have a positional advantage on your side. Given the fact that many players will try to steal (or limp) at a high frequency from the SB, after calling you will be able to play against a wide range in position. This setup is a recipe for a high win rate.

Now that we've covered the basics of non-preflop play, let's move on to postflop.

Postflop play at 6-max tables

This area of ​​short-handed strategy includes tons of theoretical material, so you can always find something to improve your game. In fact, good post-flop play is so complex that even the best supercomputers in the world have been unable to develop a perfect optimal strategy (GTO).

c-betting

A c-bet is a bet coming from a player who was the aggressor on the previous street. This section is all about c-betting strategy and how we should react to c-bets from our opponents.

We'll start by talking about c-betting the flop in and out of position, because there's a huge difference between these two strategic aspects.

Flop c-bets in position

With position, you gain a huge advantage over your opponent, as on every street you will be able to act last. Therefore, you will be able to bluff and bet for value more effectively.

There are several strategies that, when executed correctly, work great in position:

• You will be able to use small sizing with high frequency;

This c-bet strategy works best on dry and uncoordinated textures (eg: A♣️9♠5♣️, Q♦️Q 6♣️, J♦️6♠2 ). On these boards, we can bet small with a high frequency because it would be difficult for a player out of position to continue with the required frequency. It follows that the average player will frequently make the mistake of folding their hands too frequently. This will allow you to increase the profitability of your bluffs.

• You will be able to bet big with less frequency and a more polarized range.

This c-bet strategy tends to work best on wet and coordinated textures (eg: Q♠J♠8♣️, 9♦️8♣️7 ). Why? The point is that on these textures your opponent will have a fair number of combinations in his range to continue the game, and you want to give him the worst pot odds to call while forcing him to continue with these hands (otherwise he will overfold, allowing us to extract value with our bluffs).

You can be more liberal with your value bets in position. Hands like top pair with a good kicker should be valued on wet textures. On dry boards where you want to use smaller c-bet sizes, you can bet all your pairs to

You should still continue to bluff with hands that have a chance to improve on the turn or river (draws and backdoor draws).

Flop c-betting out of position

Generally, you want to implement a defensive strategy by betting less than in position when you are out of position. This is because you will be in an informational predicament throughout the hand.

Basically you should c-bet the flop with hands that can comfortably bet for value on all three streets (most runouts), as well as some bluffs that can improve to a strong hand on future streets. In situations where you are out of position, you should have a relatively narrow betting range, and it is generally better to follow a mixed strategy with strong hands - that is, sometimes bet and sometimes check.

Why is defensive play so important when we are out of position? Because your opponent preflop will often call your open with a fairly tight range. Thus, you must carefully choose the situations in which to bet against such a spectrum.

For example, on a K♠9♦️6♣️ flop, your c-betting strategy should look something like this:

• Value Range: 66, 99, K9
• Mixed strategy: AK
• Bluff range: QJ, QT, JT, 87s

Hands that can look like solid value hands like KQ should be checked to protect your checking range.

On low flops like T♣️5♦️3♣️ your c-betting strategy should look like this:

• Value Range: 55, 33, TT
• Mixed strategy: AT, JJ, QQ, KK, AA
• Bluff range: 76s, J9s, QJ

CBets on the turn (double barreling)

After our flop c-bet gets called, we should bet the turn with a polarized range: for value and as a bluff.

Choosing hands to value bet on blank turns (see article: " ") is a fairly simple task: just bet the same strong hands you bet on the flop. However, if the turn card is not a blank, then you will have to reevaluate your value range and then continue betting with your new strong hands (for example, you should not bet the turn with a K 9 on a 9♠8♠4 Q♠ board).

As a general rule, we should bet gutshots, OECDs, flush draws as a bluff on the turn, and refuse to bet with unmade hands (such as flop backdoors missed on the turn). However, when the board is dry, you need to get more creative with your bluff range. For example, on a T334 board, you can continue to bluff with QJ/J9 hands (you will have blockers on QT, JT, and T9).

Playing Against a Flop CBet

How you should play the flop versus a continuation bet depends a lot on both players' ranges, bet sizes, and whether you're in or out of position.

• You should play looser when in position and tighter when out of it;
• When out of position, you should check-raise with a range of very strong hands and some draws (gutshots, OECDs, etc.) unless the flop is great for your opponent's range;
• Continuing against c-betting with hands that will have good level playability on the turn. Think in advance on which cards you can call another bet with your hand. If there are not many such cards, then consider folding on the flop. For example, although 33 will often best hand on a J94 flop against your opponent's c-betting range, you should lean towards folding since you only have 2 outs to improve.

Playing Against a CBet on the Turn

Most of the concepts of playing the flop well apply to the turn, but on this street you have a few more opportunities to exploit.

First of all, you can make big folds or light calls depending on how much semi-bluffing is in your opponent's range. For example:

• On draw boards like J♠9 5♠4 you can expect your opponent to bluff at high frequency with one of the many possible draws, so you can make more light calls against his second barrel.
• On dry boards like K♠8♦️2♣️2 your opponent will have to get creative with bluff range formation, and since most players aren't that creative, you can fold more often against second barrels.

You can also call looser on the turn if your opponent isn't very aggressive on the river (which most players are). If the opponent is not going to put you in difficult situation on the river with your average hands, you can comfortably call them on the turn and expect to see showdown relatively often.

Probe-betting on the turn

A prob bet is a bet out of position to a player who had the opportunity to continuation bet on the previous street, but did not do so. As you can imagine, we can only probe bet on the turn and river.

As a general rule, you want to try-betting bluffs with hands that don't have showdown value (gutshots, OECDs, flush draws). If your draw has showdown value, like A-high or a pair, it's usually better to check-call (or even check-raise). Having multiple draws in your checking range will allow you to have unexpectedly strong hands on the river for your opponent, which will benefit your overall strategy.

In cases where there are few draws possible on the board, you can expand your bluffing range by adding some weak hands to it. For example, on T722 you could bet QJ, which has outs to improve often to the best hand.

Of course, you should balance your bluffing range with an appropriate amount of value combinations that you can often bet on the river. However, when picking value hands, don't go below second pair with a top kicker or your range will become too weak to bet for value on the river.

Delayed c-bets

A delayed c-bet is a bet from the preflop aggressor after all players have checked the game on the previous street(s). Delayed c-betting isn't used often enough by most players, although the concept allows you to win more pots and avoid some tricky spots.

The exact strategy for delayed c-bets will depend on your flop strategy. General rule would be to delay c-bet with a range that has some equity (just like you do when probing), i.e. gutshots, OECDs and flush draws. Again, avoid betting these hands if they have showdown value.

As with probe bets, you want your delayed c-bet range to be polarized. So to balance your bluff spectrum, you want to bet your strongest middle pairs and stronger hands so you can bet them on the river.

Note that delayed c-bets are a powerful weapon against most players because they show a lot of weakness by checking twice. Few players are smart enough to include strong hands in their double-check range, so you can exploit them ruthlessly (sometimes you don't even need equity to make a profitable delayed continuation bet).

Of course, building a solid 6-max post-flop strategy takes years of practice and off-the-table theory work, but the following 4 tips will help you get your game in the right direction now. These tips primarily focus on exploiting the leaks that are common among low stakes 6-max players:

• Value bet often and thinly

The best way to win at 6-max is to bet big with your best value hands, as many low stakes players have an overly high calling frequency. It follows that any low stakes slowplay becomes less effective than straightforward value betting. Don't be afraid to lean into big bets, as many players will make their calling decisions long before they see your bet size. If in more complex lineups you have to pay attention to your sizing tells, then at lower stakes you don't have to worry about it.

• Be careful with bluffs when your opponent has invested significant money in the pot.

Since low stakes players tend to call loosely, frequent big bluffs are not a good idea. Of course, this doesn't mean you should never bluff - you should still keep attacking weak ranges and/or weak players. But be careful when choosing bluff spots against most low stakes players.

• Take notes and classify your opponents

To achieve a good win rate, it is extremely important to collect and record all available information on your opponents. This will allow you to quickly profile your opponents and find exploitative strategies against them. For example, if your opponent is a phone, then you should be less bluffing because he is less likely to fold his cards. Or, if you run into a nit that sends too many hands into the fold range, you can expand your bluffing range.

• Don't make a lot of big calls on the river

Another common trend in low-stakes 6-max games is that river aggression is usually accompanied by a highly value-biased range. Low stakes players rarely bluff three barrels, so a good adaptive strategy is to increase your river fold frequency against third barrels. Likewise, a river raise from an opponent will almost always indicate a nut hand. Avoid calling in these situations unless Villain has a lot of missed draws in his range.

Every year poker dynamics continues to accelerate. Increasingly, modern MTTs are played in turbo and hyper turbo formats, and long Sit&Gos have been replaced by very fast ones. The trends do not differ from the mainstream: more and more regular and hobby players prefer fast poker to regular tables. The reason for this choice lies on the surface: no one likes to waste time waiting for the right hand. The zoom poker strategy allows you to get a new hand immediately after pressing the "fold" button, so you will definitely not be bored at these tables.

What is Zoom Poker and in which online rooms does this cash game take place?

For the first time, fast poker appeared in the Full Tilt room. The format was called Rush-poker and quickly gained popularity among the players. Following Full Tilt, other poker rooms added fast to their assortment, among which the experience turned out to be the most successful. The Zoom Poker format has organically joined the list of offered disciplines. Recreational players loved it for the ability to wait for an interesting hand faster, while the professionals opened up the option to fill the distance faster and stop fiddling with tiles from 16 open tables.

Today, fast poker is offered by all leading poker networks. It can be found at PartyPoker, 888poker, Ipoker, Red Star, PokerStars. Only the name changes from site to site, while the essence of fast poker remains the same.

Many novice players refer to all fast poker as Zoom, as this format name from PokerStars has become a household name for the entire discipline. Today, this particular room is the main abode of fast poker: you can play here both in and in. Tables are offered in , 6-max and 9-max formats, the game is played around the clock at all limits from $0.01/$0.02 to $2.50/$5.00. In addition to the cash game, you can also play tournament Zoom Poker at PokerStars: after each fold, the player is moved to a new table with other participants, and with the last three tables, the game switches to standard mode.

There is no shortage in the game: the rules and the idea of ​​fast poker are very simple, so there are plenty of people who want to spend time at zoom tables. Fast poker can be played on all popular networks, however, in the most successful version, the format is implemented on PokerStars.

What is the best strategy for playing zoom poker?

The optimal strategy for playing zoom poker is almost the same as the big stack strategy (BSS). sit down for game table you need to have a stack of 100 big blinds, and then take an active part in the struggle for the initial bets. In fast poker, skillful steal plays are even more important than at standard tables: many opponents rarely defend the blinds, preferring to fold and quickly move on to a new hand.

The two most popular Zoom poker formats are 6-max and 9-max No Limit Texas Hold'em tables. It is much easier for beginners to master tables with 9 players, since they are played softer and you can play a smaller range. The main obstacle is that at long tables there is much less game: during the daytime, landing problems can occur even at the NL5 limit. In order not to complicate your life and be able to ride Zoom at any time of the day or night, it is better to immediately choose the 6-max format to master the game.

The strategy of playing in zoom poker 6 max begins with determining the positions. At a table with six players, there are six: early (EP), middle (MP,) cut-off (CO), button (BTN), small blind (SB) and big blind (BB). Each of them has a unique specificity, which determines the further strategy of the game.

Early Position (EP)

The EP player has to be the very first to say the word in the hand, without any information about the strength of the hands of opponents. Under these conditions, raising too often can lead to serious chip losses: opponents can easily 3-bet our wide range with both bluffs and value hands. It is worth raising on EP from about 20% of the range, for this purpose pocket pairs, strong aces, margin, suited connectors, small suited aces A2s-A5s. The main threat to an early open raise comes from opponents on CO and BTN: having a position, they can make a profitable squeeze and . All-chip 4-bets can only be played with AK QQ+ hands, while some of them should be added to the calling range. 4-betting on EP is quite an extreme action, it is worth resorting to quite rarely and only as an exploit. Hands with an ace blocker are best suited for this purpose, as they reduce the likelihood the presence of A-A at the opponent.

Middle Position (MP)

The zoom poker strategy for playing in the middle position is almost the same as in the early one. We still have a lot of opponents in front of us, about the strength of whose hands absolutely nothing is known. Opening in such conditions with a wide range is pointless: for a raise, you need to choose only the best hands that can successfully hook on the board. The most "acute" situation is when the player in the EP position raised, and you have a good strong hand. If you're not going to fold, you need to figure out how to form a calling and 3-betting range.

Rearranging the opponent is worth no more than 3% of the range: half of all combinations QQ + AK, several suited aces A2s-A5s, hands like KQs, AJs are suitable for this purpose. The remaining half of the premium range will go into the calling range, this will allow you to defend against . Hands like pocket tens, jacks, A-Q can also be added to the calling range.

The proposed ranges are not the only true and mandatory for use in the strategy, they just give an approximate idea of ​​how you can form the range of hands played at the fast poker tables.

Cut-off (CO)

Starting from the CO position, playable ranges expand rapidly. Only the BTN separates us from successfully stealing the blinds, which is the main threat. On the cut-off, you need to open about 30% of the range, broadway, suited connectors with one gap, all suited aces are added to the already named categories of hands.

There shouldn't be much difficulty in playing with opponents in the blinds: post-flop they play out of position, so we have the opportunity to control the size of the pot and successfully realize the playing advantage.

If there is a strong player on the button, he can 3-bet about 10% of all hands, which means that we will have to defend a lot both by calling and 4-betting. Compared to this real challenge, playing against early and middle position feels like playing premium hands for , while strong hands call and try to exploit position advantage post-flop.

Button (BTN)

Best position for poker table. The player who sits in the position of the dealer, regardless of the course of the distribution, will be the last to say his word on the postflop. This allows you to play preflop more aggressively and add middle and . The most profitable situation in poker is when all the players before you have pressed the "fold" button, and you in the BTN position have the opportunity to steal the blinds with a very wide range.

You can open from the button in the region of 50% of hands, and against especially tight opponents, this can be done with any two cards. The second way to increase the win rate in the BTN position is 3-bets and squeezes against players on EP, MP, CO. The pressure on opponents must be enormous, as their hands are bound by the obligation to play out of position postflop.

The strategy of playing Zoom poker allows you to have 5 to 10 percent of hands in the 3-betting range, because many poker players will prefer not to kill, but immediately go to a new hand. For those who still decide to resist, you need to prepare a 5-bet shoving range for value and bluffs. For value hands from the premium range are suitable, while for bluffs you can use small pocket pairs and low suited aces.

Small Blind (SB)

Worst position at 6-max table. Each round of post-flop betting begins with the word of the small blind. The obligation to play out of position is bad for your ability to win hands, so you should open only about 40% of hands with an open - this is less than the steal range on BTN.

The main difficulty in defending the small blind is that it is very difficult to play it through the call. It is very difficult to realize the equity of a hand without fold equity and position, and besides, the opponent in the big blind can comfortably play through a squeeze up to 15% of the range.

The optimal small blind defense strategy is to 3-bet in-line with premium and strong starting hands. The size of the 3-bet should be increased by 1-2 large bets to slightly offset the prospect of playing out of position postflop and giving your opponent worse odds to call.

Of particular interest is the game against the position of the big blind. If Villain folds more than 67% of his range to a raise, you can steal with any two cards. Unfortunately, in many popular rooms, such characters are rare, much more often you have to play against strong regulars. To minimize the loss rate in SB vs BB situations, a modern 6 max zoom poker strategy suggests playing some part of the range through the limp. In these situations, the key is to be able to defend against the BB's aggression: the limping range needs to be balanced with hands for limp-folding, limp-calling, and limp-3-betting. It makes sense to learn such a strategy at NL25-NL50 stakes, since it is much more important to master other elements of Texas Hold'em at micro stakes.

Big blind (BB)

The most unprofitable position at the poker table. The player on it is obliged to put a “blind” bet into the pot, completely unaware of the strength of his hand. A good 6-max BB loss rate is around -30 bb / 100 hands. To compensate for such losses, it is necessary to show high win rates in late positions. Playing in the big blind has one advantage: you can often defend your blind by calling, because against a 2-3bb open you get excellent pot odds. All hands that don't hook post-flop can be checked-folded without remorse, as losses from such a line are offset by situations where you hit a combination and take a big pot. The most favorable spot for the BB to defend is against a raise from the SB: strong pros protect more than 60% of the range in this situation. Some of the hands go to 3-bet, while most of the hands are defended by calling: having position allows you to exploit the opponent's leaks post-flop.

In addition to being able to correctly use the advantages and disadvantages of each position at the poker table, a professional player must be able to deal with frequently repeated situations. Chief among these are hands against recreational players who are constantly limping into the game. Most of these opponents can be classified as "phones" - players who constantly bring very weak hands to showdown. The optimal strategy for playing zoom poker against such opponents is to isolate raise 4bb + 1bb for each limper in the hand. Doing so will increase your chances of staying heads-up in a pot with a weak player and making the most out of him with a strong made hand.

In Zoom poker, opponents change every hand, so when playing against them, it is important to focus on at least some information. In this case best friend For each professional player are Holdem Manager 2 and Poker Tracker 4 poker converters. The capabilities of these programs allow you to collect, convert and display statistics based on the collected hands database. According to the rules of the room, only those distributions in which the player was directly involved can be used, however, many players violate the ban and buy ready-made databases on the Internet. Until recently, you could do the same with Zoom poker, but one of the software patches at PokerStars removed the technical ability to aggregate hands. Zoom has become a cheat-free space as a result, another reason why it attracts new players so much.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of fast poker?

The zoom poker strategy involves not only the ability to play well at the table, but also the need to invest wisely cash. To understand whether you should play fast poker, you need to familiarize yourself with the main advantages and disadvantages that lie behind the Zoom storefront.

Advantages:

• High game speed. In fast poker it is much easier to play long distances: at four Zoom tables you will play about 840 hands per hour. Excellent performance that is hard to replicate in a regular cash game: 12 tables of intense regular action will be played at speeds of up to 500 hands/hour.
• Easier to focus. Regular players, who have 12-16 tables open, are constantly forced to face a string of difficult game situations contract. In Zoom poker, there is no technical possibility for this: with four open tables, you will not have to make more than four simultaneous decisions.
• Fast start time. The regulars of a regular cash game are forced to perform a long sequence of actions each time before opening the required number of tables. Sometimes a full-fledged launch of a session can take up to half an hour, and for a convenient table select, you have to buy expensive licenses for additional software. In Zoom poker, it takes only a few clicks to launch four tables, and it takes you less than one minute.
• Constant game. 6-max Zoom poker tables at PokerStars are active at any time of the day or night, you do not have to adjust to the prime time recreational players. Some high stakes pros play Zoom early in the morning, after which they spend the afternoon and evening relaxing with their family.
• Easier to get rakeback. Fast poker allows you to play 1.5 - 2 times more hands per hour than at regular tables. If it matters to your stable poker income, in fast poker you will be able to generate rake faster and receive a return from poker rooms at a higher rate.

Flaws:

• No table select. The zoom poker strategy does not include the possibility of bumhunting weak players, while a huge part of the profit from the cash game lies in this approach. Zoom poker puts regulars and hobby players on the same footing: the table composition is randomly generated and does not give an advantage to anyone.
• Less information about opponents. At regular tables, you can not only comfortably collect the hand bases of your opponents, but also record notes about their most serious gaps in the game. In Zoom poker, you are deprived of the opportunity to watch the hands without your participation, which means that it will be much more difficult to collect information.
• High dispersion. Due to the random generation of opponents, the degree of mathematical deviation from the real win rate increases. One month, you may find yourself dropping lineups with weaker opponents more often, while the next you will have to spend more time playing with regulars. On the other hand, the amount hands played compensates for this shortcoming, so this minus is not as serious as the previous two.

Before you get started with the practical development of fast poker, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with five tips that will help you avoid common annoying mistakes. Especially useful

oh this information will be for those players who do not have a long poker experience behind them.

Make flexible bets against the "fish"

Regarding earnings real money Zoom poker strategy is no different from any other discipline: the main profit is made in the game against very weak opponents. When playing with such poker players, it is important to remember that the size of the bet has almost no effect on the likelihood of them folding. Therefore, with strong combinations, you need to bet a lot, and it is worth bluffing with small bets. Don't try this trick in a game against regular players: your intention will be quickly discovered and a professional will make the necessary adjustments.

Don't play on tilt

It is because of the game in a suboptimal emotional state that many professionals fall into a downswing and lose large sums of money. Zoom poker is much more dynamic than a regular cash game, and drawdowns here are more frequent and deeper. Don't get carried away by your emotions and try to always be in the A-game. If on your own, use special poker software like Tilt Breaker.

Be careful in deep stacks

The strategy for playing with 150 bb+ stacks is somewhat different from the standard BSS. The money risks increase, and you definitely don't want to end up in a big pot with a marginal hand often. If you feel insecure and uncomfortable when playing with a deep effective stack, leave the table immediately at around 140-150 bb. Zoom poker will allow you to immediately open a new one with a purchase of 100 bb, and you will continue to play according to your optimal strategy.

Turn on automatic timebank

Zoom tables can result in you having to make several costly decisions quickly in a row. In such a situation, you definitely don't want to automatically fold cards after regular turn time. You can enable the automatic start of the time bank in the settings of any popular poker room. Don't sit at a table without some time to think: if the time bank is over, just close this table and start a new one in a minute.

Follow bankroll management

In Zoom poker, the variance is as high as in a regular cash game, and due to the intense dynamics, drawdowns of a couple of dozen buyins can happen even more often. For a confident game at low and medium limits, it is worth having a reserve of 70-100 full buy-ins, for micro-limits 50 BI will be enough. In the event of a long losing streak, it would be wise to move down the limit and win back a difficult segment with a less expensive game.

Today, fast poker is the leading trend in the modern cash game. Many popular rooms they strive to ensure that the pool of regular tables gradually flows into Zoom poker: this has a positive effect on the poker ecology and prevents strong players from bum-hunting recreational ones. The strategy of playing Zoom poker 6 max is of great value, because it allows you to comfortably earn real money in a free work schedule.

To fully master these game skills is not easy, for this you will need to watch dozens of training videos and analyze hundreds of examples of real hands. If a poker player can go all this way and not wind up on the RNG wheels, he will surely be able to become a winning Zoom poker pro.

Zoom Poker is a new direction of online poker cash games, "tailored" specifically for those people who do not like to wait. If you have finished playing your hand and don't want to wait for your opponents to play the hand, then the button Fast Fold (Fast Fold) will instantly take you to a new one. Theoretically, this way it is possible to increase the number of hands played per hour, by 400%.
© PokerStars.com

Hello friends and girlfriends!

Today Sandrix will tell (and show) you why you should pay close attention to the well-known Zoom Poker, and maybe even completely switch to it from the disciplines familiar to you today.

Disclaimer: the article will focus on low limits (up to NL25 inclusive) in the format 6-max, although most of it is true for other limits and formats.

The essence of zoom poker is that a pool is automatically formed from several hundred limit players, the participants of which are then randomly (or almost randomly) seated at the tables of the selected format (6-max or full-ring) for exactly one hand. At the end of the hand (or by pressing the quick fold button), the player is automatically moved to the newly created table with the next random opponents from his pool.

Here, the most talkative PRO explains well in the language of Shakespeare:

In short, innovation in all fields (once was), a revolution in the world of online poker and all that. Well, now let's move on to the main, more prosaic and practical part of this article. To the reasons why you should look in the direction of this very zoom. So,

The first and main reason is "rakeback" - more hands are played per hour in Zoom Poker

One zoom table allows you to play non-stop about 300 hands per hour (on "regular" tables this figure fluctuates around 75), so the developers' loud statements about a 400% increase in your distance per unit of time are not so far from the truth . Simple arithmetic tells us that on 4 zoom tables in this way you can win back on average 1000-1200 hands per hour, not really straining at the same time, in contrast to the mental tension in the "classic" mass-multi-tabling, but we'll talk about this later.

I said exactly at 4 tables, because at the time of writing, zoom only allows 4 entries in one pool by default. That is, only 4 tables of the same type of poker can be played at the same time in a single format(say 6-max NL25). At the same time, no one forbids connecting additional limits or switching to the same full ring. However, practice shows that not every modern adherent of the Nanonoko cult can master even 8 zoom-tables at the same time.

Be that as it may, what does this reason tell us? The fact that even in draconian conditions, with virtually no rakeback, every weakly positive or even near-zero regular still has the opportunity to feel the depth of the phrase "live on rakeback" thanks to the zoom (especially in cheap China!). After all, every self-respecting Jew knows: more hands per hour = more rake (and "rakeback" respectively).

Thus, if you manage to maintain your usual win rate (which will be discussed later), then you will earn more money in zoom thanks to all sorts of Stars "stellars" and other bonuses, because you will earn significantly more FPP-shek in the same time, what regular tables would play. Oh how.

The second and non-obvious, bankroll reason is that you need fewer buy-ins to play at PokerStars Zoom

Unlike multi-tabling in normal mode, when a significant part of the bankroll is distributed between 9-16 tables, the nuance follows from the previous paragraph about 4 tables in zoom, that you actually need less limit buy-ins to comfortably roll this format, because for each of the tables you can take initially , maximum 100bb each (or 4 full stacks).

Many of you have probably come across a situation when you sit on one of the tables and stupidly cannot buy more, because the entire bankroll in the room is "smeared" on the rest of the tables. And here you need to look for which table is better to close in order to buy on the current one, time and focus are lost. One disorder and nerves, in general.

In zoom, most adherents of aggressive bankroll management will appreciate the moment that you can keep no more than 20 buy-ins of the working limit and feel at the same time like Sheinberg in his bosom (with a positive win rate, of course). On average, no matter which BRM you use, you can follow a simple rule: 1 zoom buy-in = 3 buy-ins of "regular" poker. That is, if your usual BRM is 60 bi, then for the zoom you will need just those same 20 bi. And this is, one might say, a relatively conservative BRM.

The third and important reason is time-saving: Zoom Poker makes it easier to organize your game session

The zoom mechanics are such that, unlike regular tables, where you are actually tied to a lineup/position/fish/etc that is good for you (and therefore cannot flexibly manage your time), here you absolutely do not depend on anything. Non-poker friends unexpectedly came to visit? I clicked on the sit-out in the zoom and went to hang out with the corefans. Wife urgently asks to fix the outlet? Put the same tick and strengthened . Remembered an urgent matter during the session? Well, you get the idea.

By the way, it is the zoom that gives the freedom that the cashiers love to sing about, extolling themselves over the mtt-"slaves" who, by the nature of their activity, need to sit without stopping, sometimes for several days in front of the monitor, without closing their eyes. So, a cash game at regular tables is essentially no different from many hours of tournament vigils, because in the event of a forced break, you are likely to lose your place at the table (and miss out on profits). But what is most annoying of all - then you will again have to painfully look for a suitable table for yourself ... In a zoom, such a problem cannot be, by definition.

The fourth and ambiguous, table-selective reason: No one will be able to "hunt" you at PokerStars Zoom

From the previous paragraph about finding tables, we smoothly move on to one of the most vital aspects of online poker (and all poker in general) - game selection. As already mentioned, in zoom there is no such possibility by design, however, in addition to the obvious minus, which is the inability to intentionally sit down in a pose to the fish, there is also a not so obvious, but no less plus back side coinflip: more advanced and advanced ® sharks of your limit will not be able to sit on you! That is, the absence of a bamhunt in zoom works both ways (and don't fool yourself with the thought that it's cooler than you - only regular eggs nl100500k).

As for the rest of the table selection criteria, you still have notes, zoom, and dynamics at your disposal. Yes, dynamics. Do not believe those recreational players who say that it is absent in the zoom. It's there, just in a slightly different form. To feel it, you need to play a more or less sane distance there (at least 100k hands), so here without examples, guys, do not blame me.

Plus, save on specialized software like TableScanTurbo, which a zoom player needs like a trout's eighth fin.

Reason five and underestimated, win rate: At Zoom Poker, many people play too straightforward

Despite the fact that zoom is already a hundred years old at lunch (not to mention its older brother with ), people at the lower limits still have not adapted to the new format for themselves, playing exclusively on the card and not really thinking about the ranges of opponents. In general, a looser game in zoom is our everything. Even in their WODs on the strategy of zoom poker, that some of their ranges can only be useful in zoom, especially at small limits, where the rake charged is higher and, accordingly, the money won by aggressive 3-bets and 4-bets is an additional increase to the win rate, because banks are not subject to rake preflop. So that.

In addition, as experience shows, such a format of fast poker, which is zoom, today is a great option for idle pastime for your favorite office workers from the European region. In other words, it’s much more “fun” for an average fish to fold and immediately start playing the next hand, washing the whole thing down with Friday beer, rather than sitting and waiting for the remaining five avatars at the table to figure out which of them is more skillful postflop. And if we add to this the fact that today you can play zoom even from a mobile phone ...

In general, I hope you get my point and will no longer be afraid of ominous stories from familiar nits, they say, there is no one to make money on zoom, the ratio of fish / reg is worse than usual, and in general, they say, online poker is dead. Now I will prove the opposite to you by my own example.

The sixth and unexpected reason, Sandrix's: 6bb/100 - real win rate at NL25 in Zoom Poker 6-max per 100k hands

In preparation for this article, I as an experiment zoomed out 100,000 hands last month at NL25 6-max at PokerStars. The limit was chosen from the standpoint of bankroll management, and also based on the fact that it is with NL25, in my opinion, in today's realities that you can start earning more or less adequate money "for life" (although jedem das seine, of course). Played 4 tables, about 2-5k hands a day (not every day of the month, missed). The results, as they say, are "on the scoreboard" in front of you (clickable):

From about a third of the segment, he significantly changed the game, starting to experiment much more aggressively with constant 3bet / 4bet / 5bet wars preflop against most regs, finding himself in a lot of ambiguous situations postflop with marginal hands. Toward the end of the segment, I went even deeper into this matter (the red line began to slowly rise from the bottom of the chart). However, as someone local at Pokeroff aptly pointed out, the game is the best training for the game.©

Let's move on to statistics. Here is a set of my main indicators for the specified segment:

Well, in terms of positions:

In general, ask your questions in the comments to this post if you have any. Finally, in case all my attempts to convince you of the overall positiveness of the zoom turned out to be in vain, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the opinions of those who are able to earn their bread with sprats on an ongoing basis, and not just as an experiment, like all sorts of astringent sandrix.

So, below you will find the opinions of professionals about the Zoom format.

shatkhi (low stakes plus regular):
The advantages of the zoom are obvious - no need to waste time on the select, many hands per hour. But this is balanced by the main disadvantage - the compositions are very dense, average level higher than at the usual tables of the corresponding limits ("although the fact that the fish are tighter does not mean that the win rate ceiling is low - you just need to play loose and steal small and medium pots" - note from jjjean).

Ivan Demidov (WSOP 2008 vice-champion):
Zoom is perfect for workouts. High level games, a lot of hands per hour, plus it's very convenient that you can sit down at the table within a second and leave just as quickly if you need to.

PekarStas (coach, regular):
Zoom poker is interesting to me only from the point of view of playing with an iPad. It so happened that I do not share the Starz policy in many matters, but I cannot deny myself the pleasure of playing in my free time from the iPad. It's great to kill time on the road or lying on the couch by playing 4 zoom tables or even a zoom tournament.

Here are a couple more zoom reviews from foreign colleagues:

Pavel "Verneer" Nazarevich (famous coach, regular, author of books):
Zoom tables: Much easier to start/end games and thus a superior option for people without a lot of time. Some fish might like it less since they don't have time to develop reads and establish dynamics with their opponents. Regular tables: If you find a fish at one of your tables, you don't get moved the next hand. On the other hand, if you are multi-tabling, starting/ending sessions takes significantly longer.

TimeMojo timing tell program developer (regular NL200):
Zoom is a great platform for players who are looking to improve their games and move up in stakes. While playing fewer tables, the player can focus more on each hand without being distracted by others. The dynamic of being with different players in different positions in every hand is good for mental development as well. Timing tells tend to be more reliable in zoom games because your average user is playing fewer tables. Players tend to perform all of their 'standard' actions quickly, while non-standard actions like bluffs or strong hands are more likely to be deviated from their normal quick timing range.

That's it. I hope that now I have managed to convince at least someone who has mastered this wall of text, if not to go, then at least try Zoom. And if so, then as a postscript I will put you the right music to which you need to ride in zoom. The song, by the way, is called Zoom - My Soul:

It's no secret that every year poker becomes more and more aggressive. Knowing the starting charts and having the guts to put two barrels into a bluff is no longer enough to keep making decent money. Someone is looking for and finds new games, many are persistently improving their skills in familiar disciplines. Today we will talk about a well-known variation of hold'em - 6-max games. This article will be useful both for those who are going to play 6-max all the time, and for players who are experiencing problems while the tables are just gathering and they are forced to play with incomplete lineups for a while.

In recent years, 6-max poker has really caught on. Full ring games (9 or 10 players) were the norm, and indeed remain if you play live, but the world of online poker is dominated by 6-max. And that's why you need to know the right strategy to win these games.

The basic strategy for 6-max poker is to play looser than you would at a full table (VPIP). 20%), and make more bluffs and call wider. This means that in a 6-max game you should be playing a lot more speculative hands like suited connectors and suited aces. But the best 6-max poker strategy still depends on which players are at your table.

6-max poker. Starting hands.
The first big adjustment you need to make if you're moving from 9 or 10 player games is to realize that at a 6-max table you need to open and play more hands. Let's start by talking about some accurate starting hand ranges.
At a full table, I usually suggest playing about 15% of all the hands you are dealt. Here's a rough visual representation of what it might look like:

Yes, of course, this is an average spectrum. You have to be mindful of position and play more hands from late position and less from early position.

However, at a 6-max poker table, I generally recommend playing 20% ​​or more of starting hands. Once again, here's a rough visual representation of what it might look like:

Again, please don't try to play these exact starting hands in any situation. This is just an example. key point here is that whatever hands you play at a full table, you need to add some speculative hands if you decide to start playing 6-max.
For example, by comparing the two charts above, you can see that aces up to Ax5x are picked in the full ring. However, suits Ax4x, Ax3x and Ax2x are also selected on the 6-max range. This is what I mean by adding some "speculative hands".

Here's another example: Let's say full game you raise on the button with KxQx, KxJx and KxTx. Well, if you start playing 6-max, it would be a good idea to start raising with Kx9x and possibly Kx8x in this position.

You have to make this adjustment for literally all situations in a 6-max game. This means expanding the blinds versus blinds opening range, early position opening range, 3-bet calling range, etc.
Why are the opening spectra wider in 6-max?
The reason why you need to play more hands in all situations in 6-max is very simple. Fewer people at the table means less chance of someone having something good.
If you remember just one thing from this entire article, let it be this: Most of the time in a 6-max game, no one really has anything very good.
Also, it's important to remember that the blinds are posted a lot more frequently in 6-max, which means you can't just sit around and wait for the nuts all day like you would in a full game.
Therefore, you will need to get into the game more often and mix different speculative hands to keep winning your fair share of the pots. In other words, you need to significantly expand your open-raising ranges.

Quick bonus tip:

There is actually an even easier way to understand when you are playing a 6-max game. Just imagine that you are playing a full table and the first three places have been removed (or the first four places if you are used to 10 hand games with live poker). It will immediately become clear to you what spectrum adjustments I am talking about - mentally shift the game position and act as usual. Open exactly the same range of hands as in middle position (MP) in a full game, and so on and so forth, from any other position at the table. This will quickly help you play the right hands in 6-max.
Because that's really all 6-max poker really is. So if you're playing preflop first in a 6-max game, just imagine you're playing a game with 9 opponents and three people have already folded to you.

Continuing bet more often in 6-max.
Post-flop, there are a lot of adjustments to make when you play 6-max. The most important is the need to bet more often on all streets after the flop.
And the main reason is that it's harder to get strong hands in 6-max. In general, people will play more hands, and therefore their ranges will be weaker on all streets post-flop. So, for example, in 6-max there is more chance that your ace-high on the flop is still the best hand. So you don't even have to think of your continuation bet as a bluff. Since there is a high probability that you simply have the best hand.

In 6-max you should bet the flop and keep barreling the turn and/or river more often than you would in a full ring. Your opponents simply can't have strong hands often enough to call you every time.
Redlines (or no-showdown wins) are much more important in 6-max than at a full table. Most pots are won because someone just wanted it more, not because they showed the best hand.

Let's take an example to better illustrate this. Here is a suitable distribution example:

Hero raises 3x from early position with AdJd
The nit calls on the button
Flop:3 d 6c 6h
Hero c-bets

The nit calls
Turn:2 h .
Hero???

We raise preflop with a strong suited ace in early position and get called by a nit on the button. His range has a lot of small to medium pairs here that he tries to hit a set with. He will also have some strong aces and a broadway that he was afraid to 3bet with.
Probable Villain Range: (22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, TT, AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ)
We bet a standard continuation bet on this extremely dry flop, which shouldn't fit all of his non-pair hands. In particular, he is likely to fold all of his hands like AQ, AJ, KQ and KJ here.
Since this is a paired board, the chances of him having a trips/full house are very small. But we expect him to call with some of his small pairs like 44 or 55 and all of his middle pairs (77, 88, 99, TT).
When I play this flop with a nit, in a full ring I often just forgo a second barrel on a small blank card. But not in 6-max! Nits are constantly looking for a reason to get scared and fold their cards, so we boldly sculpt a second bet. It will be very difficult for your opponent to push his small or medium pair to showdown. I will also bet on any broadway card, such as (T, J, Q, K or A), and possibly some hearts. Be sure to check his Went to Showdown (WTSD%) stat on your HUD for more evidence of this.

Float more after a 6-max flop.
In addition to betting more often in a 6-max game, you should also float more often against your opponents. Let me remind you that a float in poker is simply a call to a continuation bet after the flop. And preferably in position in most cases, it will be much easier for you to control the flow of the hand.
Cause? Because, again, most of the time, no one actually has anything!
Also, floating is probably the best way to break the nits in today's small stakes games.
Very often you run into lower stakes regs who have a gap between their CBet% flop and their Turn CBet% flop of 20, 30 pips or even more. This is incredibly convenient for the exploit.
Here is an example of a typical hard 6-max reg at the micros these days.

This means that he will often make a continuation bet on the flop, but if he does not have a strong hand on the turn (which is the case most of the time), he will simply give up and refuse to fight for the pot.
This gives us plenty of opportunities to win easy pots on the turn and/or river just by betting. Our real hand becomes almost irrelevant. The red line goes through the roof. Simple game.

So what hands should we float with in 6-max?
Of course, you should call (or raise) the flop with all your strong hands like overpairs, top pairs, flush draws, straight draws and two pair or better.
However, you should also be constantly floating many of your middle pairs, bottom pairs, gutshots and backdoors.
And just to be clear, I'm only talking about 100 big blind and heads-up stacks here. When playing with short stacks or multiple opponents, the strategy can change significantly.
But I hope the point is clear. In a 6-max game after the flop, you need to continue with a lot more hands. You can't just sit around and wait for the nuts all day.

Raise more after the flop in 6-max.
What you need to do more often in 6-max versus a full ring is to raise after the flop.
I have done a lot of research on HM2 about post-flop raising ranges for micro-stakes regs online. Most of them only raise 10% on the flop. This is pretty crazy because if you only raise the flop 10% of the time, it means you almost always have a set or monster draw. It's almost trivial to use against you.
I would recommend raising the flop a lot more often - at least twice, and raising more often on the later streets.

You should definitely keep raising with your sets and monsters. But you should also raise frequently with regular draws (flush and straight) and sometimes even two overcards and a backdoor.
Adding these types of hands to your post-flop raising range will make it much harder to play against you because your opponents won't be able to put you on the monster every time and fold easily.
Raising more frequently post-flop is also very effective in 6-max because opponents won't have a strong hand to call as often. And even if they get stubborn with some pair, a re-bet on the turn and/or river is often enough to make them believe and give up.

Isolate recreational players more often in 6-max.
The last tweak you need to make for 6-max is to focus on the fish even more than ever. By that I mean that you have to isolate the fish with the stubbornness of a maniac. Playing against fish is by far the best way to increase your poker winnings. There is no strategy on Earth that you will ever learn from any manual, video, book, or any coach that can even come close to a simple equation:Bad players = $ .

Even if you are in an uncomfortable position, try to use every opportunity. Recreational players are where the bulk of your profits come from because they constantly make huge fundamental mistakes. They can also tilt like crazy.
So you can and should raise with an even wider range of hands than usual if the fish is limping. If I'm in position, especially on the button, then I'll be raising with almost half my deck when they try to limp.

Final Thoughts
The 6-max strategy in poker is not that complicated. It's really just an extension of your range in almost every aspect of the game. But it's important not to go crazy. Playing 6-max is still much closer to a full ring than, for example, to heads-up.
Over time, you will start to think more about the 6-max mentality. There are tons of easy pots that no one wants to fight for. And you don't need to have the nuts to start winning more of them!
Another great thing about 6max is that you play against the fish more often. Make sure you face them as often as possible and get them stacked earlier than other regs.

In those periods when there is no desire to play tournaments, you can switch to ZOOM poker. We looked at why this can be done. Now we will consider how to play it better, and first we will study some peculiarities:

positions are assigned randomly, not clockwise, as in regular tables;

the game is faster (one ZOOM table is equal to 4 regular tables on average, i.e. you can play 250-300 hands per hour);

reads on opponents are less important, in each new hand there are new opponents (reads will matter after a very long game, because there are regulars here too);

you can often see nits at the table playing exclusively premium hands (QQ+, AK).

What can be given basic tips to start?

keep in mind that most players only play really good hands;

take into account the position more than usual, we rarely have stats, so we determine the game positionally;

in ZOOM it is easier to fall into tilt - there are a lot of fish here, and they drive anyone with their actions;

do not play with a deep stack (> 150bb) - this causes difficulties on regular tables, and even more on ZOOM;

Tactics. How to play ZOOM?

Although ZOOM is a cash game, there are differences in strategy compared to playing at regular tables. Therefore, you should change some of your tricks for a more profitable game.

Player types

In ZOOM poker, most of the players are people who play poker for fun. They want to have a good time and, if they're lucky, win something. Such players do not like to sit and wait for a good card for a long time (because they only play with such cards). Another thing is ZOOM. If you don't like a card, discard it and move on to another one. Because of this, fans of "break" poker very often appear at various fast tables.

This is all to the fact that although these players are far from regulars, they will play with good cards, and, therefore, you need to narrow the range a little. A strategy that comes from such circumstances has both pros and cons.

Among the advantages can be identified:

easier to steal blinds;

it is easier to take the pot with a c-bet on the flop;

easier to determine the range of a weak opponent;

In addition, in ZOOM poker you don't have to worry about your image at the table, you have to take into account the positions and current actions of your opponents. But this does not mean that you should not track down strong opponents and take notes on them. You will encounter them more than once, and unlike fish, they analyze the situation at the table, opponents, can steal blinds and 3-bet from late positions. Against them, you must follow all the rules of caution that are used at regular tables.

They also need to be reckoned with at the expense of their actions - do not give them a reason to doubt the quality of your bets. But remember that the chance of meeting an incredulous opponent here, especially at low stakes, is very high. Therefore, one must be prepared that AA<72 ;) Такие ситуации подкашивают иногда, а поэтому можно брать перерыв (ZOOM-покер в этом плане подходит как нельзя лучше).

Position value

Position at ZOOM plays a bigger role than at regular tables. Stealing the blinds, for example, is possible here much, much more often. Therefore, the blinds need to be defended more aggressively. It will not be superfluous to apply a squeeze. 3-bets are rarely called here because less experienced players will only call with very good hands. This will mask your bets and also give you an advantage post-flop where weak players become even weaker.

Stack size

To be able to maneuver post-flop, you need to choose the right stack size. We will rarely go to the showdown, so the stack size should leave room for bluffs, but still be able to get out of the pot. In post-flop play, it is important to remember that if the opponent does not give up and does not fold, then either he has a stronger hand, or this is a fish that will call with the second, and sometimes with the third pair. It is contraindicated to play out of position here.

In addition to the position, you should control the size of the bank. Don't try to blow it up with a medium hand. The situation is different when you have a set, two pair or a straight in your hands, you can draw a stack from your opponent. Playing such combinations in an aggressive style is profitable. You will not always win, but at a distance you will definitely be in the black.

Strategy

early position

Everyone knows that you need to play a narrow range of hands from early position. In ZOOM poker, it will be more correct to narrow it down even more - this will simplify the further game if someone enters the game after you or makes a reraise. But there is also a downside - due to the fact that all bad hands are folded, we are less likely to find an opponent, so from early positions we can open with 77+, Ajs+ and AQ. Maybe it's even somewhere looser than required. If after you they made an increase, then it is better to stay in the bank with cards like KK and AA. Exceptions are only in those cases when you have notes on the opponent. In all other cases, even hands such as JJ, QQ, AK will be correct to fold. Everyone knows that raising from early position is a strong raise, so only a strong hand will re-raise.

There are also players with VPIP / PFR 30/25 in ZOOM, and against them it’s not like pocket jacks and queens, but even 99 is a pity to throw out. But this is in cases where you have statistics per player based on a sane distance, at least 500 hands.

Middle position

Here you can already play looser. 55+, AT+, KQ+ are added to the starting spectrum. If you get reraised, then fold everything without regret, except for premium hands. Cards like QQ and AK can be played, but you won't always be ahead. Out of position, you can fold without regrets. You know the saying that it's better to make a bad fold than a bad call. Exceptions appear when you have statistics per player. Then 4bet but don't call and play aggressively on the following streets. In ZOOM poker, you don't have to wait long for good hands, so if something goes wrong, we fold.

late position

In late positions, you can afford to play if not all, then a lot: 22+, A2s+, A8o+, JT+, 45s+. Here you can even sometimes call your opponent's 3bet, because you will have position, and this is a significant plus. But don't call with everything. Only TT+ and AQs+ cards can be played this way. And premium hands should be 4bet.

You don't have to limp in any position. We either go into the pot with a raise or we don't. Though In some situations, I would still limp in with small pockets to hit a set, especially in a multiway pot. If there is no set on the flop, feel free to click fold.

4betting opponents from early positions should be respected, and making them yourself is extremely rare, and it is better not in bluff situations.

Conclusion

In general, ZOOM poker has the same basics as regular tables, with a few tweaks. Do not be afraid to fold good cards if you see that the opponent is showing a lot of aggression, and you do not have a monster. You don't have to wait long on ZOOM, so sometimes resetting is the best option. And remember the advantages of this type of poker, use them to the maximum.