Playing Small Stacks (Ed Miller strategy)

talcum · #1 05-31-2005, 03:45 PM

I'm curious to know if anyone here has tried the small stack no limit strategy in "Getting Started in Holdem". I have played some $25 and $50 Party no limit and have done pretty well though I only have about 10,000 hands so far. But this weekend I decided to try the small stack strategy and bought in for $50 at a $200 max table. I ended up winning a bit but lost my buy in a few times. One of the 'rules' is to reraise all-in with AK when you are reraised. I lost my buy in a couple times with this particular move. It seems like (at least at the $50 max and above tables) that a preflop reraise is usually JJ or higher pair or AK. In this case wouldn't it be better to call and see the flop or fold pre-flop?

Nato76 · #2 05-31-2005, 04:07 PM

Seems like to me it would be better to see the flop with AK and if an A or K hit then make a move. I don't like the all in play with AK.

imported_anacardo · #3 05-31-2005, 04:38 PM

I wonder if Ed's starting to worry that this little doozy will be his lasting contribution to poker history. Say it ain't so!

theredpill5 · #4 05-31-2005, 05:49 PM

What is this Ed Miller book that everyone is talking about ? Where can I find it ? Is it a book ?

StLouisMike · #5 05-31-2005, 06:42 PM

Although he doesn't say it my guess is that his reasoning behind moving in with AK is more of a semi bluff to try to pick up the pot before the flop. Ive tried it out only for a week so far and it does create a low risk situation with the potential for a decent return with the right opponents. The key is to have a table with people who will call your raises and reraises with worse hands. You probably have caught some tables where you were reraising all in to aces or kings. And I realize that people will say that well if you can get people to call your large bets why not get a full stack and do it but, you don't get premium hands often and by time the new player does he may have been fleeced on the later rounds with little left over. End result is that instead of losing $50 they lost $200. Also I believe the new player may place a higher value on how many times they have to buy in for and not the total loss. For example, the new player would be more likely to quit after losing 2 or 3 buyins at $50 (total of $100 or $150 loss) than losing a str8 $200. It's just kind of like implemented defense mechanisms for the new players game.

Mike

benfranklin · #6 05-31-2005, 06:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
What is this Ed Miller book that everyone is talking about ? Where can I find it ? Is it a book ?

[/ QUOTE ]

On the book forum?? [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

(Where there are currently several active threads about it.)

talcum · #7 05-31-2005, 08:01 PM

I guess I see that his strategy is based on a player that can not read hands so he had to come up with a set of rules that will work for the most part. But if the rules are stringently followed on the wrong table it could be trouble and I'm not seeing nearly as much loose play on the $100 and $200 max tables on Party for the short stack strategy to work as effectively as described in the book.