[ QUOTE ]

I see M as a bit of a throttle factor and also a means to guide strategy.

If you read the book, Harrington is pretty clear that you have to change your strategy so that you don't even play drawing hands like small PPs, and suited connectors from early position. He says you need to fast play a bit more with marginal, dominated holdings such as ATo.

You shift over from a chip accumulation mentality to a survival mentality as your focus. You also lose strategic options as your M gets lower. You don't have to use Dan's numbers, but I think not making the strategic adjustments he suggests is a big mistake.


[/ QUOTE ]

Having recently read and reread HOHE vol2, I think this is more in keeping with what wrote.

The one distiction I would add is that, as I read Harrington, when your M falls below 20 and above 6, the middle zones, is the time when suited connectors and low PP's become less playable..even in position. However, once your M drops to the Red and Dead zones, these hands take on additional premium and may be your best hope time to push when you have first-to-act vigor.

I respectfully concur that Harrington does not seem to be suggesting a player wait for traditional value premium hands (such as KK, QQ) when their M falls to critically low levels. In fact, he calls A8 OS as a viable push in such situations.