I am going through The Course by Ed Miller. As a way of summarising what I am getting I would like to start a series of cliffs on different points, hope this is ok to do on this forum.

In doing so I would like to both review the material and also get opinion as I have a sense that compared to the 1/2 environment described in the book things have somewhat evolved with the presence of a few better educated players that can be found at these tables today. This is especially true where I play where the only public cardroom game is this particular 1/2 game played 8-max.

The book 1/2 section is based on the fundamental tenets that:

- Player call too much pre-flop
- Player will call too much OTF or OTT depending
- Many pots will be multi-way

This first post is on RFI suggested by the book. In the future posts I will cover the 3-betting and calling ranges.

I want to add also that I know that 1/2 game will mainly be exploitative, that these ranges won't be played by most other players and I should not over obsess on them, but I like to have them as a reference starting point to build my preflop selection and to also compare against play to identify which player play too many hands and how much so.

Stack sizes: I usually start the game with 120BB and then usually sit on 200 or 300 BB before leaving the game. Suggestions on how to adjust ranges when stacks grows (and there is always a couple of villains covering me) are welcome.

Early Position - UTG,UTG+1,MP,HJ

This is a 14% range that is extended according to Miller until we reach the CO, as a simplification.



Cutoff




Button
Much wider, but still mainly focusing on suited hands.


BB and SB facing one limper or so

People generally speak positively about this author and his book(s). I'm pretty sure it was published before we started seeing a lot of GTO/solver ranges. You'd probably be better off adopting those ranges.

Otherwise, the ranges look all right, albeit a little tight.

Starting ranges should be fluid.

This is a full ring game he is making recs for.

I personally don't think we should open little pairs and little suited connectors for a raise from EP in a FR game, but it depends a little bit on the game conditions and opponents, same for K9s and as far as little Axs, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, it depends. (There is nothing wrong with "it depends" being the answer in poker.

IF there is NO 3 betting going on and it is otherwise fairly loose, with a lot of multiway, 4-6 way flops, then it would be fine to open those kinds of hands, and in fact you could maybe even add a few more of those types of IO hands. On the other hand, if there is a normal amount of 3 betting, or God forbid, a lot of 3 betting, then you can't really defend your range properly opening 14% UTG, imo, and you should tighten way up.

I start loosening up around the HJ so I think he can loosen up a little earlier.

In Late Position, he can go a lot wider, but still, it should be fluid.

If the blinds are tight-passive and bad post-flop, you can open ATC, or at least 50%+. If the blinds 3 bet frequently then his range is tight enough and you need to figure out how to respond to 3 betting from the blinds when ip.

If the BN is tight, then I open the BN range from the CO. If the BN 3 bets a lot then I come up with a plan to fight back.

Versus limpers, again, it depends, and it needs to be a fluid thing, I think you can raise 1 limper from the blinds with a lot more than 6%. Versus 2 limpers I usually raise 99+/AT/KJ. Versus 3 limpers, i am pretty tight iso'ing, especially oop.

If I were you, I'd go to GTOWizard or some other service and look at GTO ranges and 3 bet/4bet responses. Good luck.

UTG is too loose and also when you get to 200bb+, start getting wary of baby pockets because getting oversetted for deep stacks stings. I wouldn't play these UTG 100bb deep unless the table is unusually weak and passive and 200bb deep they hit the muck instantly.

Think ranges are prob fine maybe a little loose from UTG but you are going to not be 3-bet as much as equilibrium so can open wider and small pocket pairs don’t mind being multi-

BTN prob a bit too tight, around 42% is standard but you prob can open like 50-60% with fish in the blinds…

As someone said ranges are fluid if some one is going super agro (through seeing showdowns) against you turn your mix call/ 4- bets into pure 4-bets or in the more likely case that your not being three bet enough you get to over realize with your more speculative hands…and can open a little wider than GTO…also an increase in rake will have you playing fewer hands (Cali rooms come to mind) time-rake would have the opposite effect

Ed Miller was pre-solver but I always thought he had solid advice.

What open sizing is he recommending for these ranges? Assuming 3-4x, I would say…EP is too loose, MP and LP are too tight.

Anyways...

UTG-UTG+2 are too loose — def drop the baby suited connectors 76s-98s. If there’s any 3betting going on at the table you should also drop the 22-55 and A6s-A7s/A2s-A3s hands. If the table is super passive it might be okay to open all pps and suited aces.

LJ is about right but a bit too tight. Should definitely add AJo/KQo and J9s.

HJ is too tight. Should add AJo-ATo/KQo-KJo. Add some more suited Kx, Q9s, and J9s-T8s as well.

CO is too tight — should be opening all offsuit broadways and all suited Kx and A9o as well. Also Q8s and J8s. Something like 30% in CO is reasonable.

BTn is way too tight — you can open closer to 45% or even 50% if the blinds are tight. Add all Axo and all X9o. Add some of X8o/74s+/T6s/Q2s-Q4s.

I wanted to thank you all for the suggestions here, I have ended up following the suggestion to look up the standard opening charts which I found on openpokertools and seem to match all the advices here.

It's been important to see how seriously y'all take this, because of course this is the first decision in every hand and so it has snowball effects. They are attached at the end of the post.

I had these for a while since this post, I still haven't gotten them memorised precisely (last week I played KQo UTG and 78o CO). I'm trying to look at them, play with them next to me online and now I am trying to identify how you move from one to the next as a way to memorise them. Any trick on memorizing this is welcome.

These for me are guidelines, but ones I plan to try and stick to for quite a while probably, keeping in mind the suggestions of expanding these depending on tables 3bet frequency and to keep on the tighter side with PP in EP when playing deeper. They are also important to start building a model of how a competent opponent should ideally play.

Couple of questions

Limping range

Currently I am following the general strategy by Miller of having no limping range. I wonder what is the opinion here, I think I have read that quite a few people here advocate limping more EP in the typical loose/passive games, since when opening EP we will too often end up multiway. No limping range also prevents moves like limp/reraise with premium holdings when there are loose raiser behind. Probably the topic of another post.

How would this hand selection dictate 3b/call range

My next step is to start thinking about my 3b defens range. I will get the one suggested by Miller, post it and then adjust from there.

It must be the case that this ranges, especially EP, will be seen as tight by more observant players. Is there any suggestion or guiding principle to build them? Any specific tweak for 1/2 games of today?



RANGES CHARTS

UTG, UTG +1


Worst PP is 77
Worst SC is 98s

Worst XXo is AQo, leaving out all K and Q below QQ and KK

Worst XXs is XTs

MP - UTG+2 and LoJack


Worst PP is 44
Worst SC is 76
Worst unsuited XX
- ATo
- KJo

Add all X9s and all Axs

Hijack


All PP
Worst SC is 54s

All XXo are played

CO


All SC now play
Worst S1G is 75s
X8s

BTN/SB

Add S2G down to 63s
All Kxs and X6s
All Axo

I'm just putting BTN and SB as it's so rare in these game to ever get folded to the SB without any limper that I think it can't be too much a mistake to leave it out as a simplification.

I’m just skimming but it seems like you are defining a suited connector as the cards being consecutive ranks, which is fundamentally unsound.

A better way to define a connector would be a hand that can make a straight with both cards 4 different ways. So JTs counts since you can make a straight to the ace, king, queen, or jack, but 43s should rightly count as a one-gapper since it can only make 3 different straights with both cards. Similarly 42s and 32s are 2-gappers for the same reason.

It seems my definition of suited connectors (which was mainly for mnemonics/categorisation) works everywhere but the top and bottom of the chart. I guess we don't worry about the top because of the high card potential, but it matters in the strenght of the hands toward the bottom. So, basically, 43 and below should be further discounted because they are unlike the others in terms of straight potential.

Appreciate the comment!

One more question is: what about the opening size? I usually adopt a 3x or 3.5x open (so I open 6 or 7 - which as I understand is above optimal in theory). This being live there isn't one size fit all answer, but if you have suggestions here I'd appreciate. Maybe worth its own post?

This is a 'depends' on how the table is playing type of answer.

Im opening everything to $10 or $11 in a 1/2 game. It seems to get rid of one extra caller with a jump from $7 to $11. One or three limpers to $12-$15. Especially if your ranges are this tight in general, size up to play bigger pots. It effectively reduces stack sizes, but Ive found the larger the pots are preflop, the more incentive for Vs to play larger pots postflop and stack off

I get this and also when you get a bunch of callers this can create very low SPR situation which are good for overpairs, but I think is good in general given we are playing tighter than most of the table.

This book was published in 2015 and is based on concepts he had coached for several years before that. I'd say the main difference between then and now that I see is that back then you'd see most villains back then would be making the mistakes he describes up to at least 2/5. Today, fewer villains at all levels above the lowest level in a room play that badly. Also, Miller would also tell you this is the beginning and there is much more to learn as the competition gets tougher. He has books to cover it.

I'm in the raise the vast majority of the time camp. However, even Miller says there are times to limp. I have no problem with raising JTs or 22 UTG. However, I get the advantages of looking like an OMC and being the tightest player at the table. I can get lots of folds on the flop when I bet. I also try to play close GTO on the flop so people have the sense that I'm not auto cbetting, even HU.

As for 3bet defense, the villain matters far more than my hand. Miller divides people into old school and new school 3bettors. Old school 3bettors are doing a narrow range. Unless I'm ahead of QQ+, AK, I'm not calling or 4betting. New school players will 3 bet more frequently in classic situations such as late position or in the blinds. My range widens appropriately.

Std. open to $10 at 1-2, which is two red chips and usually also covers any bonus minimum (usually has to be $20 in the pot to win certain rakeback/BBJ bonuses). This is also a great exploit against the main massive leak at 1-2 of calling almost any random 2 cards and then having to fold a lot to a cbet because they have J7s or K9o on almost any board.
Can change it based on the table and most often will do $7 from the BTN and even CO if the BTN is weak. Very occasionally I'll be at a 1-2 table where everyone is super tight (fold AKo to a raise because it's behind all pairs) and I start opening to $6 from everywhere with stupidly wide ranges, and end up with a pile of white chips next to my stack.
If I see someone sit down and start opening to $6 or $7 I immediately assume they have seen some online info. but have almost no experience of live 1-2 poker, or are a bad reg. who thinks they are better than they are.

If we are getting 3bet (rare) just tighten up and start 4betting, don't reduce the open size.


Often 2-5 works the opposite where I'll start by opening to 3x, but adjust upwards if it looks like a bunch of 1-2 stations playing higher.


Also pay attention to anyone who sometimes opens to $7 and other times $12 or more, where so often the $7 open is just the weak 60%+ of a range. Dito. limping and opening. Occasionally you'll see someone limp and have two open sizes in early position and the larger size is just lol very high pairs.