Hey guys! I've only got to the end of the 1/2 section of the book and so far it's packed with amazing information. I really like his systematic approach to the game.

My dilemma is that I'm finding it difficult to memorize all the different hand ranges in different positions for the pre-flop hand selection skill. Ive got a great memory and I'm having trouble because it's a lot of information. Has anybody else had problems with this? Any suggestions on what to do?

I played today for the first time since I started reading this book and did exceptionally well, but I'm getting confused on which hands to 3 bet with and which to flat call because I'm getting my positions mixed up. Let me know your thoughts on this!

You can Google "opening range charts." There is a very good infographic with hands color coded as far as calling, raising or 3 betting based on position. I think it is more or less based on Mr. Miller's suggested ranges.

Its a guide, in live play very few people follow strict hand range charts because there is lots more info available that may influence your decisions. Be careful when following new advice, its always a learning experience but it should work out in the end. My course book is all worn out but still reread it. If you cant soak it up then play tighter and keep reading and adding in hands, mostly in position at first.

Yeah I have most of the raising hands figured out for each postilion it's when there is a raise in front of me that I have a problem, but I'm slowly getting it down. Maybe it will just take time reviewing the information on a regular basis.

I put the most frequent situations on my smart phone and refer to it occasionally at the casino.

So you refer to it in the middle of the hand? Does this seem to help with memorization? Thanks for the input!

I refer to it before I sit down, then before the Blinds, before I play early position, before I play the cutoff, then before the button. As you know, Miller recommends that you do not follow the recommendations literally but that you follow the spirit of the recommendations. However, when I first sit down at the table, I try to follow them literally. Mainly, because I have a bad habit of opening too loosely pre-flop. After a few orbits, I try to get a sense of the flow of the table and a sense of whose tight, whose loose etc. and then try to apply the general ideas behind the recommendations. When I find myself playing too loose or tilting, I like to refer back to the specific recommendations to try to get my game back on track.
My main focus is on playing the blinds and early positions "according to Miller" because those are the most frequent positions, given Miller's propensity of having so many positions classified as "early."

Again, I personally get into trouble when I find myself loosening up. But that may be just me.

Memorize the "opening" range for EP and how to respond to a raise if you are in EP. Since you can use the "response to raise" range from EP from all positions for tight raisers, you probably aren't too far off just using it for responding to all raises even if they might be loose. Then add cards adding up to 20, suited gappers, suited kings et al for the opening ranges in later positions. As you get more comfortable, you can start using the "responding to loose raises" ranges from CO, BTN, and Blinds, but just memorizing the EP stuff, especially when facing a raise, is probably fine to start.

This is my result since reading The Course.
This is a lol sample size, but I do feel encourged. Seems to be an improvement over before.

I'm curious to know what sort of raise sizes Miller recommends for these preflop ranges. Does he say in the book how much to raise when there are limpers compared to raising first in for example?

In one of his other books Miller warns his readers not to do this. He expected around half his readers to win over the next month, and the other half to lose. He made a comment that the losers might want to burn his book while the winners might be tempted to buy more of his books.

And 45 hours isn't even a month of poker. It's about a week of poker.

Can anyone who has read the book enlighten me please? Miller recommends no limping at all and raising with all his starting hands, so I am curious what raise size he advises when raising speculative hands after multiple limpers. Hands such as 65s, 64s, 43s etc (which are included in his starting ranges).

My recollection of the book is that Miller does not recommend any specific amount.

My own recommendation is to raise a sufficient amount to get the field down to no more than two callers, and preferably, down to one caller. If you get any more callers than that, I think it makes it far more difficult to c-bet on the flop. You'll find that there are way too many flops that will hit someone in a field with four or more players. Plus, the pots will be large, forcing you to bet larger as well for an effective c-bet, and thus making the cost of your c-bets when you whiff more expensive. The net result of all of this is that you will be naturally be forced to play fewer pots post-flop if you do not size your pre-flop raises large enough to narrow the field down to you and one or two others at most.

I also have my own personal corollary to the foregoing point. I have found that, if I never limp, eventually people stop respecting my raises, forcing me to play more and larger multi-way pots. Of course, there are other adjustments to make when this starts happening, but if your goal is try to keep the post-flop rounds down 1-3 total players (including you) so that you have the maximum options available for how to play them, then I suggest mixing in an occasional limp. I found that doing so gives the illusion to the others at the table that I'm playing like they are and raising only with my premium hands.

I don't have an exact percentage of how many limps I mix in. I'd estimate that it's around 10-15% of the hands that I play, with raises for the remaining 85-90%.

PS: I'm mostly a 1/2 NL player. 2/5 NL players are naturally more aggressive, and in my experience, you'll see a lot less limping in those games anyway, at least as compared to 1/2 NL.

Thanks for the response. I agree you need to raise larger to thin the field but have a problem doing this with some of the marginal hands he recommends to raise with. Most of the time you miss the flop with these hands and if your c-bet is called you are in trouble. Limping with these hands maybe more profitable (or less costly) imo.

I play 2/4 NL mainly and multiple limpers preflop every hand is common.

I bought it based on the raving reviews. I think the first 50 pages or so are a bit fluffy. Last night I got to the ranges section and it looked more promising. I hope it gets better because so far the book feels a little shallow, but the ranges and explanation is good.