The Course: Serious Hold 'Em Strategy For Smart Players

Tommy Angelo in Elements of Poker, probably offered the single best piece of advice every written to becoming a good player, always play your “A” game. He never really defined what an “A” looks like, other than it was significantly better than your “D” game. The Course defines the “A” game for live low stakes no-limit Holdem. If you stick to Ed’s guidelines, you will become a winning player. I first encountered Ed over 12 years ago on the 2-plus-2 forums for his famous post, “Why You Are Not Crushing Small Stakes Holdem.” Ed had taken the time to write a long post about the skills necessary to beat the game and then took the time to answers questions. Since it was free, his only reward was helping other players get better. Ed went on to become the most prolific authors on small stakes Holdem. While I am sure he likes the money and fame, I think his principle motivations remain the same. A sincere desire to help people become better players. In The Course, Ed distills all the poker knowledge from his previous books and articles into a skill-by-skill framework to becoming proficient at 1-3, 2-5, and beyond. On any of one of these skills, there is more to learn but he provides the essential knowledge. Example, in Pokers 1%, he goes through the math of why calling and then folding too many hands is everyone’s biggest leak. In The Course, he tells you this concept, but does not spend too long on the why. To understand the why plan on reading his other books, they are all excellent and worth your while. Ed boils his advice down to advice that is very simply to remember and follow. Example, Don’t Pay People Off when they bet big is his second skill for a 1-3 level game. Just following that simple advice will enable many players to go from loser to break even. Vegas players have feasted for years on tourists never being able to lay down Ace-King when an Ace flops. To those thinking that’s “obvious”, set mining would not be profitable if most players, even supposed “good” ones would not pay you off. Later, at the 2-5 level, he explains there are times you need to violate this rule, as always folding to big bets at higher levels will become as big a leak as never folding. Next time I pay someone off, and it will happen; now I have a framework to decide if it was the right decision. Many people, who have read all of Ed’s books and articles, may wonder if this is just a repetition of previous work. For me, The Course reinforce some of the things I knew, and explained things in a way that finally got through my brain. The chapter on getting 3 streets of value from good hands was well worth the price of admission. This is one poker book where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. When you go through the entire journey with Ed, from answering the question where does the money come to taking on the pros, you emerge as a better player. I have already read the book several times, something I normally never do. It is that good. For a serious player, The Course will become the one book you always reread on the flight to Vegas.

I've been playing poker since I was 18 years old. That's close to 40 years as of this writing. I started playing 5-card draw for cash with co-workers every Friday night. After having done that for a while, I ended up traveling to Las Vegas where I fell in love with 7-card stud hi-lo. It was a great game, and back in the day virtually no one played NLHE (no-limit hold 'em). Well, if you've been around the game for a while, you know things changed -- for the better -- when hold 'em exploded in popularity. Years back, in the mid-1980's, hold 'em began to gain popularity. That's when I was introduced to the game. That's the game that I truly fell in love with, and have been playing it ever since, Along the way, I soaked up as much information about the game as I could. I read books, I watched play whenever it was televised, I practiced the game at home with friends, and I played as much as I could on frequent trips to Vegas. Once my local casino launched an expansion of their poker room, I was there several times a week. I had always considered myself an above-average poker player. My sessions would be up-and-down affairs, with generally a few more winning sessions than losing ones. I read Doyle's book and Dan Harrington's books and books from several other well-known poker players. But by far, without any doubt, Ed Miller's book "The Course" has been the VERY BEST book on playing low-to-medium stakes NLHE I have ever read. Ed's writing style is clear and concise. His focus on cash games vs tournament play is appropriate for my and other primarily cash players (though don't shy away if you're a tournament player). His decision to divide the book into discussion and instruction of individual skills is perfect. Ed, unlike many authors, provides his take on various situations but is also smart enough to advise the readers to feel free to modify his instructions if it suits your style better. Despite all my years of experience, Ed changed my point of view on several important issues, and that that made ALL the difference in my game and my success. In the end, I read the book twice before I went to the casino with the primary intent of playing using Ed Miller's instruction. In three sessions applying his advice I am up almost $2,000 having closed out each session on the plus side of the ledger. If you're thinking about buying "The Course" by Ed Miller and you're a serious poker player, stop thinking and click the BUY button immediately. Once you receive and dive into this book, you will be extremely pleased.

I never wanted to play No Limit Hold'em. I've been playing poker for 35 years and, I estimate, that I've logged about 20,000 hours at the table. Most of these hours were spent playing limit Hold'em. I was pretty good at it and consistently, month after month, won money. About 10 years ago, I started getting my toes in the no-limit waters as the limit games started to become scarce. I didn't much like No Limit because, frankly, I did not know what the hell I was doing. About five years ago, limit games became all but extinct and I was forced to make the transition to No Limit. For 4 years I managed to survive using my poker savy and experience. Nevertheless, I still had to pay my dues. About a year ago, I finally got to the point where I felt that I was a competent No Limit player and began winning steadily. That's when I began to enjoy no limit. After about six months, the room where I was playing spread a limit game one day. The thought of playing limit poker again was nostalgic. I decided to sit down in the game and have some fun for a while. After about 30 minutes, I was so bored that I couldn't take it anymore and had to leave the game. It was like someone who smoked weed for 30 years and then, when weed became unavailable, they started smoking opium. At first, smoking opium was scary. Then, after a while, they became comfortable with it. Then, after smoking it for 4 years, they really, really liked it. Well, now, there's no way that they can go back to weed. Nowadays, for the most part, limit poker is gone. It is unfortunate because limit poker is like poker with training wheels. It's a great way for someone to start playing poker. With limit poker, someone can make big mistakes and it only costs them a small amount of money. However, with no limit poker, small mistakes will cost someone big money. This is why Ed Miller's book is so valuable. Simply reading it will not make someone an expert. However, it will provide someone with a fundamental understanding of the game. This, in turn, will save them a great deal of money while their expertise increases thru experience, thought, and study. A lot of what was in the book, I already knew from experience. I gained this knowledge thru trial and error. That's an expensive and slow way to get an education. I wish I had read at Miller's book five years ago. In fact, I wish I had read it ten years ago. But, better late than never. Ed Miller's book has brought my game to a higher level. For example, for the first time, I understand what Doyle Brunson meant when he said that if he had the button every hand, he could win without looking at his cards as long as his opponents did not know he wasn't looking at his cards. I'm already about halfway thtu another book written by Ed Miller, How To Read Hands at No Limit Hold'em. After that, I intend to read Playing The Player and The 1%. No Limit Hold'em is a game where someone can never stop learning more about it. As Ed Miller points out in his book, No Limit Hold'em is a more complex game than chess. This is why, although computers can easily beat people playing chess or limit Hold'em, computers cannot beat human's at No Limit Holdem. After you read this book, you will want to go back and read it again and again. In fact, you will need to read it again and again. I suggest you read with a yellow highlighter in your hand. Highlighting the parts that are important or meaningful to you will make it much easier to review later on. Good luck at the poker table.

I changed my view on this book after reading more and implementing it. His opening range makes post flop play much easier. Gone are opening hands like KJo and others like it. I never understood why many say fold pocket pairs early. Why? They are likely to flop a set as any other cards. Granted, pocket 10's are better, but will they hold up unimproved? So, how much better are they? I like the suited connectors early also. Post flop play made simple. In Harrington's Cash play book he interviews Bobby Hoff, a great player. And Hoff hates pocket K's. He says, "if you told me there's not a 3rd K in the deck, give them to someone else. I see pocket K's cracked numerous times. If you don't get a set or a board pair, you're toast. And of course the board pair is dangerous. Sure, I play Kings, but with lower pocket pairs, they're easier to fold, so no great loss. I flopped a set of 2's from the cutoff, bet $7 pre-flop in $1/2, the button called and the bb raised to $15. I called as did the button so the pot was $45. Post flop, bb went to $30, and we both called. So, pot now $135. On turn, bb bet $50, I raised to $150, button folded, and bb called. So, total pot now $435. BB had pocket K's. I see this all the time. So, K's not so great, and small pocket pairs, when hit, are great, obviously. But they're also easier to fold. Flopped a few low pocket pair sets in 6-7 hours of play, and did very well playing them from early position. Ed's opening range is so tight, that it allows you to play this way and not burn through chips by playing too many hands.

If you know how to count you're outs and establish your odds. If you know how, basically, to adjust to stack sizes. (SPR) if you know about set-mining, bet sizing, commitment etc.... If you understand the very most basic math and strategy (The kind taught in your first poker book) then I believe this is the book for you. Ed has the unique-to-the-poker-world ability to make things simpler rather than more complex. You will not find any half-page long algebraic equations that prove he's smart and imply this game is beyond comprehension. You also won't find the naive implication that it's easy either. He tells you that you cannot master the game by reading his one book. He gives a very distinct path toward mastery and realistic expectation of the effort required. Not pessimistic. Not optimistic. Realistic. Basically, the book is a series of skills. He somewhat assumes this is not you're first poker book. This is refreshing. He dives right into the core skills that cause a win rate as you move up the levels. He admits, again refreshingly, the limitations of the material. I believe that if you've read and understand a solid, basic poker book or two. (Harrington on cash games and professional no limit Holdem maybe?) this book then gives you the path to mastery. Harrington will teach you how to be a solid, if nitty, player. The math and some basic hand reading. This book, and it's further recommended course of study, will have you eating Harringtons' students alive. I think the reason Ed is so good at teaching poker is because he meets us where we are at. He knows, obviously on long experience of playing and coaching our stakes, what is the missing link between the average player and an ever increasing bankroll. His hand examples and commentary come across like you took the best crusher in your game out to Starbucks and he told you in plain English how exactly he crushed the game. If you have read some books and "know how to play" but somehow know you're leaving a lot of money on the felt when you rack up, you're probably right! I believe this is the best book for you. Easy five stars. Ed is the best teacher in poker. Get it. Use it. Stay out of my games.

I am very much a beginner who mostly plays 1-2. Solid book for someone starting to learn the game.

This price of this book is almost $50, the value of it is incalculable. It's terrific. I read and re-read this book a half-dozen times before I could actually get to casino to try the skills live, (as the closest one is three hours) and within fifteen minutes I made a play that won me a $250 pot. I watched this particular situation unfold EXACTLY as he described in the book, and I responded to the situation exactly as he described and I won the pot. Now, I understand that winning one pot does not mean that I'm some fully realized shark now, but the point is that before this book, I never ever ever EVER would have made that play. Never! I would definitely have folded and lost the pot. There are some terrific insights in his pages, I can't say enough about it.

This is a fantastic book. It vastly improved my game. I won $745 last night in my weekly 1-2NL home game just last night, mostly due to what I learned in this book. This book is not for beginners, though. If you are just learning the game, start with a more basic text and eventually graduate to this book after you are comfortable with the game and understand ABC poker (if you don't know what the term "ABC poker" means, then you are not ready quite yet to read this book). I am so impressed with this book that I went out and bought all of Ed's books. I just started the next one. Note to Ed: Put this on Audible. If you do, I'll buy the book a second time and listen to it several times during my commute.

To me it is an Amazing guide I am reading the pages with passion as they are exactly filling the gaps I have in the game. Thanks Ed!

Excellent book advance to a new level of playing for advanced players. Beginners should not read this book as it will cause more confusions.

Jeder Pokerspieler sollte es in seiner Bibliothek haben. Pünktlich in ausgezeichnetem Zustand geliefert. Ed Miller ist einer der am meisten unterschätzten Autoren, aber seine Bücher sind sehr lehrreich.

After reading some other modern poker books, I deceided to take a look at Ed miller's last book since he is a known author with good review. I expected nothing less than what the book promisses, poker strategy for smart players. What I find is a system that assumes all people playing 1/2-1/3 is lobotomized people who just want to throw money away, maybe in EEUU it's like that and lucky you, but in Barcelona's Casino the amount of regs/aware players it's incredible high, and I'm not the one who says this, since i'm still in learning phase and I could be missjudging, this is said by good players I know who make a living out of it. What sounds funny to me is that all those "super smart" strategies are just regular strategies anyone who has googled poker strategy would know, so I honestly find the tone of the book really presumptuous and condescending. Tbh I'm pretty sure if instead applying my current knowledge I had applied what I've seen on this book I would have blowed my bankroll... Also the way he argues is pretty unconvincing and prone to making high variance moves and gamble.

I recommend this book for any cash game player, (with or without experience yet of live games). it will definitely help you adopt a winning strategy at the table and also avoid obvious mistakes most players do. even if your goal is not to go from 1-2 to 2-5 and over, and you want to stay at 1-2 you should definitely read this book as the 2-5 skills are also important to be mastered as a second stage if you want to improve your game. cash game players - this book is your new bible ! NB : not oriented for tournament players, this book is really specific to cash game.