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

It's "bingo poker"

Usually that is the case with nearly every 1/2 game I've played in - each pot's a 6-way limp and no one really raises without AQ+/99+

I raise with 67 suited damn near everytime lol

+1million, especially the fact that people think his tone is out of line. Yall can go on twitter and find the tweet where he wanted people to tweet and email him for this article. Ed Miller is a teacher. He just wants people to start thinking like a pro. Ask yourself the right questions and get your mind frame in the right direction. Where you can solve your own solutions at the table. Playing lottery poker is not winning poker.

FWIW "Playing The Player" is an advanced book.

I think that's very depending. Playing a level 0 player is something I did when I first sat down at a poker table. Playing a level 2+ player might be an advanced strategy

For me its not an advanced book. I told Ed Miller himself. But here in llsnl its a book for them to read. How many HH's have you seen say "Hero has a Tag image and limps 88 UTG" or "Villain is a lag and Hero calls with 1010". I mean I could go on and on. Especially about limping oop or setmining vs players who will not pay you off postflop.

Like Ed Miller says "The book is about basic concepts people don't use". Llsnl is a proper example of it. People here don't exploit their opponents so you know at the casino people are not doing it. Its takes awhile to get away from not playing your own two cards.

one issue i have with this article is that my specific games, the postflop is so often multiway - i'm talking 3-8 people 50% of the time or more - that i am sometimes forced into fit or fold mode because i cannot bluff 70 people out of a pot. even pots that are raised and 3bet pots go multiway. yesterday there's a guy that opens every hand to $11, I get QQ, 3b from blinds to $35, and get called in 3 places. i literally cannot play poker with these people. all i can do is sit and wait for good hands and hope they flop well. i get forced to play bingo with them. thoughts?

"poker is not a card game played with people,its a people game played with cards".

Don't know who said it (from a book I read a long time ago) but its something that has stuck with me for more than 10yrs.

A comment from the article also sums up my view differently:

There are so many people in the hand for a limp, or a moderate PFR, or even a 3B, that I cannot do anything other than force myself to make a hand vs them or fold.

I completely agree. The first thing I teach my friends when we play live games is that it's not necessarily what you have, it's about what your opponent has, what they're capable of, and other intangibles. Poker isn't about showing up on the river with the nuts, its about all the small pots in between as well. Playing mistake free poker is good and all, but you're not really a great poker player until you make your opponents make mistakes.