Nice article from Ed Miller on what appears to be the simple task of asking a question.

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news...a-slot-machine

If you're wondering why I lock so many threads that are general questions or you think I'm just being a hard ass about what is involved in making a good thread, Mr. Miller explains it better than I can.

Discuss.

The article essentially boils down to one question:

How is each opponent at the table betting his/her hands and how do I exploit it?

Poker is the process of figuring out the answer to that question and putting it into practice

Cliffs: Stop playing poker on autopilot, stop minimizing your potential, etc. etc. Great article for beginners and stagnant nits/tagfish.

Ed Miller has always been one of my favorite authors. I love his approach in the article.

"Stop playing poker like a slot machine". Funny thing is I have heard something like that on 2+2. Its called "lottery poker" by Venice.

Ed imo is talking about making adjustments. You need to think like a poker player not a new player. Limping and setmining are two of the biggest leaks the average llsnl player has. Trying to hit gin. Instead of actually coming up with counter strategies at the table. For the lines and the leaks your opponents have. Without ever making a big hand. You shouldn't have a set strategy. Use your judgment on how aggressive you should play, what types of hands your going to play, what lines are you going to take to exploit your villains on how they put money in the pot. It sounds simple but its not because your natural ability is to play your own 2 cards. How do I know its not simple? Everyday I see the same leaks and wishful thinking. Even the players on this forum don't think like actual poker players.

Ill leave you guys with a ED Miller quote, "Poker is not about getting paid off on your big hands, its about getting paid off on your medium strength hands".

Great article ED

Troll

No, it's very, very, very true and something I exploit the hell out of on a daily basis. 'You don't have implied odds on me bitch' is what I think over and over again when some tagfish calls me out of the blinds. I'm stealing when he misses and easily folding when he raises, even if I'm very strong.

The rest of ILCD's post is, well, not so clear. However, that sentence you picked out really couldn't be more true.

I'm not actually terribly fond of the article. I think it is Ed Miller basically saying "I am a noted poker authority, please don't bother me with basic strategy questions."

Maybe that's a little harsh.

But the examples he gives of strategy questions people ask him are not far off from being legitimate beginner questions.

The article seems to be condescending to beginners, and pretty content free for non-beginners.

I understand that someone calling oop vs a player who is going to give up facing any aggression is not getting proper implied odds with a small pair. In general though, I don't see how setmining could be considered one of the biggest leaks people have in llsnl. What about having no regard for position? What about calling down with any draw? What about limping in to flush mine with any 2 suited cards? What about playing easily dominated hands like K8, Q9? What about limp/calling too much? What about check/calling down with middle pair or tpnk?

Sometimes you're not getting the correct implied odds, but for the most part setmining is hard to screw up and is probably profitable for most people, never mind being considered a leak

Mpethy, I respectfully disagree, mostly because I am likely still a fish myself. From my perspective, most people start out learning about odds, direct and maybe implied, and that drives a lot of their decision-making. Miller is saying that instead of playing with static expectations of ' hand X will make me Y profit' with a very face-up range, players need to learn how to range and exploit their opponents. I can see how it's not valuable advice to a player for whom it's already an instinctive habit, but there are lots of players who don't get that yet, or who still need it drilled into them on occasion.

This so far off base. I remember when Ed asked on twitter for people to tweet him or email him question's for his article on card player. He is only trying to get people to think like poker players. That's why his new book is called "playing the player".

Not play a strict range and say "implied odds bro". We need to be exploiting our villains. When I say that, I mean exploit how your opponent's vp$ip. That's the focus of the whole article. "Not don't ask me questions". Ed is not like that, he is cool, he just has his own ways on how people should be playing poker. To exploit, not play lottery poker hoping you hit the flop and value bet. Real poker players extract value without ever hitting a hand. I think most people missed that part of the article.

The thing that's so profitable about llsnl (at least in the games that I play), is that often there is that "slot machine attendant" sitting at your table. If he's not, you should probably be able to find him at another table in the room. Obviously against half-decent opponents, we will be exploiting our lag image to find thin value, and exploiting our tag image to win pots without showdowns; as well as exploiting villain tendencies to play poker like a slot machine. I agree that so many times I'm just chuckling at an opponent obviously checking his implied odds on a draw or setmine when I just ain't givin him those odds. Well written article, reinforcing many things I've learned- and am still learning- here on 2+2.

Stop playing poker like a slot machine="Poker is not about making big hands and getting paid"-Ed Miller.

I feel like this article just went over so many people's heads

I agree about the tone, but I like the intent. I can see as a beginner this opening my eyes to how to ask questions, and as a non-beginner it is a nice reminder to keep thinking about the right questions.

i may never limp again