Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play

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I've read most of the poker lit and really like the Lee Jones low-limit book. It is accessible and provides pretty good advice on how to play the lower limit tables. Since most of the books out there assume you are playing good (read tight / aggressive) players, it was an important book for me. If you use the 'good play' paradigm at many loose tables, you play hardly any hands, and get bad beat too often -- so frustrating. Still profitable, but it always felt like I wasn't winning as much as I should given the (I believed) clear difference in game knowledge and good play practices.

I bought and read this book last week and was skeptical about much of its advice. It is not an easy read -- has the typical mathematic slant of a Sklansky book -- not in itself bad, but don't expect to breeze through this is an afternoon if you are not already familiar with calculating odds, etc. In my opinion the book often suggests raising on the assumption someone may be bluffing in a big pot situation and doesn't stress enough about factoring in your table read where you know you are beat (and therefore maybe just call or even fold). It also is short of detailed advice on turn and river play. The quizes in the back are good, but are light on a theoretically foundation of guiding play other than counting outs and a brief section on how to discount outs that may not really be there (get Ciaffone's Middle-limit Poker for this) I felt it was recommending WAY too loose guidelines and advice around staying in big pots when you KNOW you are beat (KNOW as in 'I've been at the table four hours and that guy only raises when he has the nuts -- I am beat).

Anyway, this weekend I went to the local Harrah's and played their 5/10 game (5/10 is the lowest limit), used the guidelines from Small Stakes Hold-em and proceeded to win 100 big bets in eleven hours. Wow. Of course, this is a sample set of one. And things generally went really well -- good cards, not too many river beats, etc. And the table makeup most of the evening fit the profile this book addresses to a tee. I didn't ignore my own reads at the table, etc. and played a bit tighter than the book recommended, but definitely the book influenced my approach to the game.

I still have mixed emotions about many of the suggestions in this book. I think that if you are an experience player used to playing tougher competition, this book should be viewed as filling out your knowledge in a poker niche of the highly-loose / somewhat-passive-hold'em variety. If you read this book as your first book because you are going to play low-limit and then run into a tight or aggressive table (whatever the limit), you are going to get killed. In other words this is a book for advanced players who understand 'correct' play. This book helps you optimize play for a certain specialty situation.

The book basically puts you on notice about this, but it is easy to lose track of while you read. Individually poor players when encountered as a group present certain challenges. The inmates are running the asylum and you have to get a little crazy yourself to a certain extent when you likely have the best of it. You do this knowing full well you are going to win fewer pots, but the size of the pots compensate. Judging the right and wrong time to join in (and stay in) is basically the specialty knowledge this book provides. It requires some sophistication and experience to understand these discussions.

I'm pretty sure a good many people are going to lose a good deal of money using this book as their bible. That's why I say this book is really valuable, but dangerous medicine. Don't make it the anchor point of your poker knowledge. Once you have that core down, this will help you win more when you play loose / passive small-stakes games.

This book has instantly become my #1 recommended poker book for the player looking to advance from marginally profitable to stone killer. The text is advanced and readable. Miller explains complex concepts in a manner that is easily understood. Concepts such as pot odds, pot equity, playing overcards and many others are discussed clearly and concisely. While not necessarily a book for the brand new player, it is an excellent text for anyone with a few games under his/her belt who wants to really destroy the low-limits. Although this book is targeted at small stakes games (2/4 up to about 6/12), its concepts are easily applicable to looser mid-stakes games 10/20 and up. The first few chapters alone will earn you the cost of the book many times over.

Buy it. Read it. Sit at someone else's table.

I have now read an advance copy of the book twice, and some sections more than that. I can safely say that those of you who are so looking forward to this book will not be disappointed. The book is excellent.

Indeed, it addresses some topics so well that I wonder at the title. Calling it "Small Stakes Holdem" is really too limiting. The book targets loose games more than small stakes games per se. With loose games and poor playing opponents permeating B&M cardroom games from $3-6 through $40-80, this book really has something for everybody. Yes, newer players will get more from it than mid-limit veterans, but even the mid-limit players will find some critical ideas spelled out in a way that helps them improve their game.

It is an excellent blend that helps the newer players take the next big step to being significant winners, while at the same time it expounds upon and extends HPFAP in a way that addresses the super-loose games that permeate today's cardrooms. In short, it's the book that many have really been waiting for 2+2 to publish for quite some time. I expect this book to quickly move alongside Theory of Poker and HPFAP as a definitive 2+2 work. I recommend it highly.

I have to agree with many of the things AmericanDane said in his review. If you use this book as your 'poker bible,' and over extend yourself in an expensive (relative to your bankroll), tight and agressive game, you WILL go broke. If you try to invoke this books playing style without fully understanding the underlying logic or fundamental mathematics behind it, you WILL go broke. If you don't take the time to really think through the concepts AWAY from the book, to ingrain in your mind what data was explained to you and what details you will need to estimate and observe for yourself while at the table, you will go broke.

Basically, this book boils down to 'Call when the pot is large. If the pot is big enough, you don't have to win that often to have a long term positive expectation.' That's it. This is not to say that Sklansky and Malmuth don't pepper the text with their standard advice like minding your pot odds and an interesting new (to me at least) concept called pot equity. They do. However, if you aren't careful, this book can definately ruin your game.

With all of that said, I'm definately glad I read this book. It's advice is in stark contrast to that given in 'Holdem for Advanced Players' and rightfully so. The game has completely changed over the last few years and this shift has really thrown some players for a loop. Though I think that a lot of the assumptions this book is based on,(particularly those on an average opponents style Sklansky seems to believe that the average opponent is loose, passive, and fairly clueless rather than loose, very agressive) do not necessarily hold true for today's games, I still find the methodology valuable.

Any player who has read Hold'em and Hold'em for Advanced Players and finds themselves rereading the section on Maniacs trying to determine the best strategy for attacking the wild games they typically encounter these days should pick up this book. Last word of warning though - it's a take it or leave it style - you can't just incorporate certain plays or aspects of the text; It's meant to be taken as a whole or not at all.

There's no question that when it comes to Texas Hold'em, the lowermost limits are extremely bewildering places in which to play. It's a Vietnam full of kids who think that the meaning of poker is to pretend that betting two fours for value means treating them as if they were a straight flush. There's what I call, "All in Disease," where every chance a guy gets, he tries to emulate his highly paid heroes on television and go all in. The only problem is that they usually believe that they can win when they do so. These clowns go after 15 dollars worth of blinds with their entire stake. It's demoralizing when you lose to them.

For this reason, I bought this book by Miller and company to see if there were a way in which to improve my game. The first helpful thing the narrative does is to put things in perspective. Any maniac or tomfool can win Hold'em in the short-term, as a player, my job is follow the percentages and maintain discipline. Even if I take a beating during one session, eventually, the numbers will rectify the situation in the end. Somewhat surprisingly, Miller's advice is that if you find yourself amid very loose tablemates, it's okay to lessen your hand selection values as they're calling with practically anything.

The idea of, "don't be tricky," definitely benefited me immediately. With so many callers, slowplaying is not a sound idea unless you possess the nuts. They're liable to come back from huge deficits to pummel you on the river. Don't let them linger. Bet them to death. If they want to see your set, make them pay for it--big time. Again, we learn what we already know, that aggressiveness is rewarded again and again in Hold'em, but it remains just as true in limit as it does in no limit. If you don't raise, you will be raised so its important to lead out after strong flops. The idea that many beginners spend too much time worrying about "good laydowns" is a great point. Miller thinks that it's more tilt-promoting to laydown a winner than it is to lose at the river; so calculate your odds of calling and how many times it has to be a winner in order for questionable calls to be income producers. Many times, that last call only has to succeed 1 in 10 times for you to make money on aggregate, so a call is mandated.

Overall, I was very pleased with this book. If you've ever wondered how you can be losing to the idiots you've been losing to, buy it. It returned me to profitability.

I have been playing low-limit holdem for about four years and have been a small winner during that time. I read this book four days ago, and it has explained concepts to me that I haven't seen in print anywhere else (among my twenty other books on poker). I now have a much clearer understanding of the mistakes that low-limit players make. I am now in the process of correcting my own mistakes and exploiting the mistakes of my opponents.

The sections on postflop play are priceless, with difficult but crucial concepts. Miller explains when to raise the flop, and when to wait until the turn. The concept of raising the river to knock out better hands is also given thorough treatment.

In the past four days, the book has already paid for itself in bets I've won and pots I've saved, playing low-limit Party Poker. It is tremendous.

I've been a professional low-stakes poker pro for a couple of years now. I know how to find and beat the online low limit games.

This book preaches a fairly loose and aggressive form of poker relying on pot and implied odds to "crush your opponent". The main concept is that you stay in and help build big pots whenever the odds dictate that you will take more than your share over the long haul. This is, I believe, an optimal approach. It is also a departure from most books which preach a more tight and aggressive approach for playing against tighter/better opponents.

That said, I have some major problems with this book:

1) It is written, like all Sklansky's books, with an arrogant tone which grates on me over time. Compare that to Dan Harrington's recent book and you can see how a WORLD-CLASS player can be humble and point out that every play has its costs and benefits. Whereas Sklansky often implies that you are an idiot to disagree with him.

2) Much of the material in this book is DEBATEABLE and SUBTLE! There are many factors in every situation and some examples would contradict previous example only due to a very subtle and slight differences.

3) As a result of the top 2. This book seems like a BIBLE for playing (It is subtitled THE definitive guide to crushing loose games and amateur opponents). So a relatively skilled player (someone who breaks even or is slightly ahead in online poker) could pick up this book and not understand the subtlety and totally destroy their game!

In fact, this book outlines a very high level theory on playing poker vs loose opponents. You MUST be able to understand it at this highest level, criticize it in your own mind, thinking some of it is utter garbage and some of it wickedly clever before you can really take much from it.

So overall, it is a decent book, but the people who will benefit from reading it will have already understand 90% of the concepts going in. People who blindly try to follow their advice...tell me your name and where you play...I'll come take your money.

I've been playing small stakes hold 'em for years, long before the frat boys and TV posers started infiltrating the game back in 2002-03. But with that being said, I was an up-and-down sort of player for forever, never getting a consistant streak of quality winning sessions going, winning fairly big (for me, that is, about $400-$500 in the $3-6 and $4-8 games) some days and getting killed the next. I hadn't done very much study on the game until the World Poker Tour got big, and I started listening to interviews that successful pros gave, where they related who the best hold 'em authors were. I pored over Super System, and Lee Jones' book, and the basic and advanced Sklansky works, and my game improved somewhat, but the up-and-down swings remained. I still didn't feel that I was playing to the maximum of my abilities.

I guess I had always assumed that this was the way hold 'em was going to go for me, until last month (December 2nd, to be precise, a red-letter day in my poker development), when I picked up the new Miller/Sklansky collaboration "Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play". Almost every page was a revelation! The two basic things I got from this book were that, while Brunson and Jones' advice is techinally valid, their approach causes a player to 1) play WAY too many hands in less-than-ideal positions and 2) fail to aggressively push every single advantage, obvious or hidden, that a particular hand may have. Miller/Sklansky's prose and logic is dense, as you should expect from a 2+2 Press published book. But in the end their logic is crystal-clear and irrefutable.

But the proof is in the results, and here they are: After acquiring this book, I took a full week off from playing low-limit at Foxwoods in Connecticut, studying up on the concepts and knowing that book COLD cover to cover. I started going back to Foxwoods on 09 December. In a typical month (yes, I keep records), I was lucky to net $500, with many of my months ending up in negative territory. Check this out: Since December 9th, in 2-3 day a week sessions averaging 8.5 hours each, I've NETTED $3,874 SOLELY in the $4-8 and $5-10 (kill) games!!! This includes an initial win of $860 in my 09 December session, and two monster $1,000+ wins in back-to-back sessions on 17-18 December. My largest single-session loss in this period was $260. To top it off, I was out of town on Christmas vacation from the 23rd to the 28th and played no poker. So, essentially I've won nearly $4K in three weeks since reading this book! This is easily my most successful month ever, both before and since I started keeping records!

And I owe all of my newfound success to this book! I'm folding a lot more hands that I ever did before, as per their advice, but the playable hands I'm getting I'm hammering for the maximum return!

Mark my words - Brunson, he's a god. Lee Jones, an essential text. But you are a FOOL if you play low-limit hold 'em and you haven't read this book and followed its teachings! RUN, do not walk, TODAY, grab a copy and start learning the REAL stuff. You'll be as glad as I am. See you at Foxwoods!

Many of the entry-level Hold 'em books preach a style that emphasizes tight play, as well as selective aggression. This knowledge is great for the new player, and proper application of these techniques will result in modest, consistent wins. For some players, this is enough. SSH is not aimed for these players.

SSH is aimed at a growing group of players who have hit a dead-end with their current style. It has a lot of advice aimed at helping the already winning player maximize their profits. These profits are often left on the table for the typical "ABC" book player.

The emphasis of the book is on post-flop play, where the real players separate themselves from the rest. While the entire book is excellent, I've found tremendous value in the following sections:
- "Counting Hidden Outs" illustrates how calling when you suspect that you're behind can work for you in instances where you might split a pot that you might otherwise concede.
- "Evaluating Made/Drawing Hands" goes beyond the simple categorization of "I have top pair" or "I have a flush draw" to show you how to evaluate how good your hand really is.
- "Protecting Your Hand" discusses when to forego small edges for future larger edges vs when to just pump the pot.
- "Value Betting the River" talks about the opportunities that so many players miss on the river through passive play.
- At the end, the Hand Quizzes are great. I believe there's around 50 hands that are setup, and then dissected based on the information within the earlier chapters.

Anyway, this book is extremely good. At this point, it gets only 4 stars though since only time will tell if it's quite in the league with Theory of Poker and Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players.

The book is very good. It offers a wealth of information, strategy and "how to" for not just small stakes players but for players at almost any level of limit hold'em. The authors note that some of the strategies wouldn't be right for the big limit games, say, the $100 and $200, and certainly not right for pot limit or no limit hold'em; but I can tell you that most players up to at least the $30 and $60 limits would benefit from reading and studying this excellent book.

But a word of caution: the approach here is very aggressive with the authors recommending leading and raising with second pair in many situations, drawing to inside straights and playing drawing hands like they're already made, calling with third pair with backdoor possibilities, and in general playing a bit looser than might seem reasonable. Miller, Sklansky and Malmuth argue--convincingly most of the time--for some surprisingly loose and aggressive play justified by pot odds. Pot odds, current and implied, are one of their most important fundamental ideas along with "pot equity." They also go into depth about hands that are likely to be "dominated," and they introduce the reader to "reverse domination."

One problem with this approach is that most booked-up players in even games as small at the $3 and $6, especially on the Internet, play a bit tighter than the authors think they play. Miller is the only one of the three who regularly played games that small, and I don't think he was playing anything smaller than the ten and twenty when he wrote this book. This is the book's only real weakness: the authors have, I believe, mistaken the quality of the average small stakes player.

Regardless, the strength of the book is that every single play is illustrated by a concrete example showing exactly how much money is in the pot, who bet, raised and called, what their hands were, and what the board was. There is nothing vague about the recommendations, and many of the hands are analysized to a degree that will delight even the most erudite reader. In addition to the usual "afterthoughts" that are a trademark of Sklansky's books, there are 132 footnotes that work like afterthoughts. No doubt Malmuth, who can worry a subject to death, and Sklansky who likes to be precise, are responsible for many of these little addendums. Personally I find the detailed explanations and counter thoughts valuable. I like them a lot better than what I read in some poker books in which the world class player tells us why he likes AK better than AA, but doesn't fully make his case. Here nothing is left to doubt. Oh, we can doubt the strategy, and prefer a different way to play the hand, but we are not in doubt about why the authors like to play it their way.

Here's an example of a disagreement. On page 123 the authors claim that QQ with the flop, K72 rainbow, is "a strong hand (though it is on the low end of that category)." I beg to differ. If you have pocket queens and a king or an ace flops, you are in trouble. In the example, you can't backdoor a straight or a flush. You have an under pair. As the authors reluctantly allow, "If someone has a king..." you have two outs. Count them. And yet it's tough to release the hand.

Here's another: On page 162 you have AT of diamonds on the button. The flop is T86. The ten and the eight are spades, the six is a diamond. There are ten small bets in the pot from five players. The small blind bets into the field. One player folds. The other two call. What do you do?

The authors conclude that you just call because a raise is not likely to protect your hand since the small blind and the two limpers will most likely call another bet because they are getting good pot odds.

This is correct. But you should raise based on the VALUE of your hand. And if the small blind reraises it, the limpers might fold. One thing fairly clear is that the small blind probably doesn't have a better hand than something like king-ten or a flush draw. Otherwise, he would probably have reraised preflop. ...Of course he could have a set...or even nine-seven... Come to think of it, maybe just a call is correct!

But I'm quibbling. Here are a couple of things I learned that I think are valuable, and I've been playing for decades:

When the flop contains a pair, e.g., JJ4, this is recognized as a fairly good bluffing opportunity against one or two players. Most players know this, but why? Because there is one less card to pair, right? Yes, but it's more significant than that. As the authors put it, "When the flop is paired, only five cards [from your opponents' hands]...connect with the board, instead of...nine..." Check it and see. That's why bluffs into paired boards often work--and why you might want to raise the bettor!

Raising preflop with a fairly strong hand (say, AJs) against a field of players is usually correct even though you will win the pot less than half the time. Why? Because as explained on pages 237-238, you have a "pot equity edge" preflop. I'll leave you to figure that out--or better yet, do yourself a favor and get the book.

One more esoteric quibble: the authors mention "hidden outs" but they don't mention "hidden half outs" or "hidden one-third outs," etc. That would be when you have, e.g., zero, and your opponent(s) have you beat, but the river makes a straight or flush on the board and you split the pot.

Bottom line: the most detailed and most thorough small stakes hold'em book that I have ever read--easily.

I'm a newbie who thought he knew it all. Telling people how to play, getting lucky playing every single hand. There were days where I would win $800-900 at 4-8 and thought it was all to skill. But then I started noticing that for all the days that I won, I probably lost 3 times more often and I couldn't figure out why.

This book is pretty instructive on when to play and what cards to play in low limit. My problem was I was trying to see too many flops with too many speculative hands. If you're under the gun and call with 5-7 o/s, if no one else calls then you're up against the big blind with a mediocre hand. I knew nothing of this.

Or I would flop trips and slow play them to the point where people were backing into straights or flushes and I didn't know how to protect my hands properly.

Using some new things I learned, I've starting playing a lot better and the results are looking positive. And I still don't prescribe to the theory of building up massive pots, I just play my hands smarter.

The other night I was playing live and I was getting bad beat like crazy. This one guy was snapping my hands like crazy, AA's beat by trip 3's on the river, KK's by trip 6's, he called a 4 bet raise with 7-2 and caught trip 2's on the flop. At least 15 times, no exageration. He was playing everything, 9-3, 7-3, Q-6, etc... all o/s and hitting the flop everytime I had a monster hands, it was extremely aggravating because he was snapping me but then losing the money to the others at the table... Anyways, I just kept playing normal like the book said and 8 hours later, he had lost all $700 and was down over $700 of his own and I was up $270. Now if he didn't snap me and redistribute my money to the others at the table, then I would have easily been up over $1000.

I think this book is definitely worth reading if only so you can steadily win $$ off of the players who just don't know when to sit out a hand.


10/10/2005 Edit *Since reading this book, I have been very successful in playing $4-8, I've only had 8 losing sessions and at one point I had 12 consecutive winning sessions. My bankroll is easily in the thousands now and my take since reading this book is over $5k. There is no guarantee that your results will be the same. However, I must stress that this book will mostly help intermediate/casual players who've been playing for about a year. Newbies should not read this book as you will not understand the discipline needed.

I have read most (if not all) of the books aimed at lower limit Holdem players and this one is by far the clearest and most detailed on the biggest area of concern (and money loss) - postflop concepts.
Many of the better books (which are still well worth reading) spend too much time on pre-flop strategy and picking the right hands to play but in low-limit play, the major losses are from over-playing or under-playing hands postflop.
These guys really gave it straight and helped my game a great deal.
The title of my review is how I feel, if I had the moeny I'd buy all the copies of this book, so noonne else gets the ideas.

There are, of course, dozens of poker books out there. Most of them have the same basic advice. Start with Lee Jones or Ken Warren. Learn that playing A4o and Q4s are pretty stupid plays. Learn that three cards to flush on the flop is not a hand. Learn that playing head to head and drawing to an inside straight is not smart. Learn how to play the basics of the game. Play small stakes and learn to take notes on yourself and your regular opponents. Buy PokerTracker and PokerOffice. Do some bonus whoring and build a bankroll.

Then, buy this book and read it over and over and over and over. The concepts are fairly complex (hidden outs, pot equity, positional considerations preflop, on the flop, and at the turn and river), but if you absorb them over time, you will win more money. Do I win every pot where I raise with a pair of Tens in early position - no. Does that aggressive behavior win me pots later when my KQs fails to hit and I bet into checked pot on the flop - yes. Do I sometimes feel pathetic raising preflop in midposition with AK - AJ when nothing has hit in hours - yes. Do people still call to the river with a weaker kicker when they do - yes. This is book designed to change the way you Think about small-stakes poker. Use it as a place to start and work out Your style. For instance, I play small-suited connectors much less than Miller et al recommend.

The Big Caveat - for this strategy to work, you have to find the right table. You try this on the .5-1.00 tables at Party on a Friday night at 11, you might as well throw your money in the street. But, let's face it, those games are lottery poker. You want a table with 2-3 calling stations, 2 really tight players, at least one insane person, and 2-3 more typical players. This offers your greatest value. Increase the crazy callers factor or the good aggressive players factor and you will lose money. In other words, pay attention to the game you're in.

But if you not only follow the concepts outlined in this book, but also absorb the lessons so that you change your approach to the small-stakes games you will emerge as a winning poker player.

Good luck at the tables.

This is the first time I have ever reviewed a book, but atleast this is an area I have some expertise.

I have won several tournaments at Foxwoods and generally know how to play Hold 'em pretty well. I've also read most of the books out there (I happen to enjoy reading almost as much as playing poker), and this book is by far the best book on Limit Holdem I have ever read. I am even a bit ashamed to admit that there were aspects of my game that this book helped to improve.

The strongest asset of this book is its advice on playing AFTER the flop. No other book on the market comes close. I can't recommend this book more highly.

This book's biggest strength is that it provides a thoughtful discussion of situations one actually encounters as a small stakes recreational gambler. Far too many books on Hold 'em outline situations that the casual gambler almost never encounters at the table. Excerpts typically include something like, "You're playing at a $10-$20 table. A very tight player raises from under the gun, and a tough, observant opponent re-raises him from middle position..." Who are these people? My ideal book on Hold 'em would have hand situations where the drunk under the gun belligerently raises, only to be called by the guy who just won big at craps, the woman who pays to see the flop every time, and the college kid who thinks he's in the movie Rounders. Small Stakes Hold 'em is that book. While Ed Miller doesn't specifically name the players, he does provide great analysis about what should be done in large, multi-way pots full of people unlikely to be outplaying you either before or after the flop. Small Stakes Hold 'em does not make the bizzare assumption that your opponents are tight, good players looking to punish your mistakes. Also, Miller does not waste time talking about varying your play, disguising draws, masking tells, or any other techniques that are practically useless at the small stakes tables. He instead focuses on using the mechanics of the game effectively against predictable opponents who do not know what they are doing, and backs it up with solid explanations of the mathematical and theoretical concepts needed to do so. Unless you're planning on quiting your day job to play $15-$30 with a table full of professional gamblers, this is the book for you.

Those in the know (the 2+2 forum members who spend 24 hours a day dissecting and analyzing poker minutiae) will tell you in a heartbeat that Ed Miller's "Small Stakes Hold'em" is the Bible of the Low Limit game. Yes, it has displaced Lee Jones's book.

I have, in my checkered poker career, read just about every other book I could find--Brunson, Hellmuth, Caro, Warren, Sklanskly, Jones, etc---in an effort to improve my game. None of them have been nearly as effective as this one.

So, what's different? That's a tricky question because the differences can be subtle. However, I'll start off by saying that the preflop recommendations are the most effective that I've seen. And beleive me, knowing what to play and where to play it pre-flop is half the game in low limit hold'em.

Of course, like all poker books, the authors advise tight/aggressive play. One of the things that really helped me was realizing that I was calling pre-flop raises far too often with the wrong hands. A simple thing but an incredibly important one, and an example in which this book differs strongly with others.

Save yourself time and money, buy "Small Stakes Hold'em" and go from beginner to intermediate in a hurry.

Remember, no book will make you a long run winning poker player as that requires a set of many skills that take time to develop. But a book such as this one will keep you from losing much, make you a respectable player. This will provide the foundation to learn the other skills necessary to become a consistent winner at this often frustrating game.

Good luck

I was amazed to see material this complex, presented as comprehensively and concisely, as it is here. The short chapter ???????Two Overpair Hands??????? alone is worth the price of the book. I am certain this is one of the best books on poker ever written. It certainly is far superior to any of the other books on low limit holdem.

This book is not just for small stakes games, though. It????????s really for all loose games, and most games today seem to be, at least at times, pretty loose.

This book should improve the game of anyone who reads it.

Even though this guide is focused on LIMIT Hold Em, this is a fantastic reference for anyone but the most experienced players out there. Before reading 'Small Stakes Hold 'em' by Ed Miller I didn't put enough thought into all the different hands that I was holding and the way that I played these hands. Even though Miller goes into a lot of math explaining why and how to play certain hands and how much to pay for draws, you don't need to memorize the exact way he comes up with these #s (although it can't hurt). Just a general idea of learning why you should raise, how much you should pay for draws, and other terms is worth the price of this book alone. One of my main problems in my poker career is not raising regularly or aggressively enough when I have decent cards. The authors of this books clearly and repeatedly state why this is such a bad course of action, and why you must always raise to protect your good cards. It's such an important point they repeat it over and over again.

I can make this review short because it doesn't need to be long. If you play small stakes hold 'em you will find it difficult to find a better poker book ANY WHERE. There is no fluff associated with this work. If you want fluff go pick up Hellmuth, Duke, or another poker pro's book who is just trying to pick up royalties and tell you how great they are. If you want to learn how to BECOME a better poker player, you NEED (note that I don't say should) to read this book.

When you do pick up this book (I am assuming that you will follow my advice), read it and read it again. If you play purely no-limit this manual doesn't apply 100%, but it will improve leaks up to around 80% or so in your game.

If you are just a casual poker player this book probably isn't worth your time. As with all 2+2 books, the cover is dry and the material gets right to the point. If you want to get right to cleaning up the tables in your low-limit games, hit the 'Buy' button ASAP.

***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

This book helped my growth as a player tremendously. I went from being a small but consistent winner to becoming a "game crusher" at low stakes hold 'em games at my local (L.A.) casino. Anyone who has played several hundred hands and has read an introductory poker text (like Sklansky's Hold 'Em) should be able to profit handsomely from careful study and application of the concepts and techniques described in the book.

I liked the advice for blinds play and avoiding cold calls of raises, but the real strength of this text is the clear explaination of post flop play, considering outs, hidden outs, possible draws, and pot size. I believe that the author, Ed Miller, has laid a solid foundation for any intermediate player that wants to master low stakes casino hold 'em. In fact, any player wishing to advance to middle limit games would do well to purchase and study this book.

Like most of the 2+2 publications, this book offers intelligent, straightforward, no-frills advice for the serious player. It requires the same level of concentration you would give to a college level course or professional licensing review. Readers looking for a breezy,low concentration level book are better off reading one of Phil Helmuth's books. Amazon sent me my copy in less than a week with free shipping- great service as usual.

I highly recommend you buy this book, for many reasons.
Your opposition has likley read it, so that's a good reason alone. But, there's also some terrific insight into the game to be found.
BUT, read this book, then re-read this book, then read it again before you try to put the theory into practice.
If you're not careful, this book will cost you a lot of money, because there are a lot of sophisticated plays here.
Also, if you are risk-adverse, and don't like to play a high-variance game, this book is not for you.
If you are an action player who loves the swings -- and loves raking in big pots -- definitely read this book. The authors' advice will lead you to raise to build pots with hands other books recommend you don't play, and to raise from the blinds more often than most players will be comfortable with.

A great book, but only if you don't mind having a large variance, and if you have a big bankroll. You'll need it to withstand the swings.

This should not be your first book on poker. In fact, the first line in the Introduction on page 5 is "This is not a beginners'book". And they weren't kidding. "Winning Low Limit Hold'em" by Lee Jones is a much better place to start, and there is plenty in there. You don't don't NEED any more than it to play excellent low limit poker.

But if you want more, this book is a whopper. Not an easy read, mind you, but great stuff. Lee Jones is college; this book is graduate school.

My one quibble, which another reviewer mentioned, is that they may underestimate the ability of players in low limit games. I play online exclusively, and there are plenty of weak players out there. And I love'em!!! But things are tightening up somewhat. I regularly see games where on average 2-4 players see the flop in a 10 handed game...that isn't exactly the easiest of pickings anymore. Study what these guys say, and you will be better. But make sure it applies to the game you're in.

Yeah...its that good. Forget all the hype, bravado, movie cliches, and bad-ass imagery that passes for poker instruction & education these days.

Poker is a game played for money. More importantly, poker is a skill game and the people who do well at it excel at game theory. Period.

If you want to learn how to play hold'em well, this is the book. Well enough to show a profit. Well enough to have your spouse tell you "Why don't you go to the casino and play some poker." Well enough to see players complement your play sincerely. Well enough to watch players muck hands because they know you can outplay them.

A few caveats. This is NOT A BEGINNERS BOOK. You need to know how to play and have a dozen or so sessions under your belt (Give or take a thousand hands) to make the material understandable and helpful. The book is not easy to read, it is very dense writing. You can pour over a 3 or 4 page section for 30 minutes before it makes sense to you. But every concept you master in this book will build your game that much more.

A lot of people are wary about telling people about poker strategy books fearing that their edge will be lost. Forget it. First, most people gamble to have fun. Learning strategy, discipline, patience and playing with your head not your gut/heart isn't fun (but neitheer is losing). Second, the mental work required to be a good/above average/expert player takes study, practice and work which most people are not willing to invest. Third, much of what you get from this book is contradictory and multilayered that it won't dent the average person's head.

If you play poker with someone who has this book and its dogeared and worn, run away!

I am a recent student of the game and have read a number of books out there on the subject and most seem to be filled with the same information and never actually deliver their promise. Furthermore, most books talk about normal to high stakes games played against other players that know the game well. Those theories cannot always be applied since the popularity of the game has attracted thousands if not millions of players who make bad decisions on almost every hand. This book addresses this problem and I have found no other that comes close. You should not start with this book, but don't read alot of the same beginner level books out there. When you start to get past the initial learning of the game and start to try and reason your playing decisions, this book will introduce the next step. If nothing else this is the first book I have read that gives an in-depth analysis of counting your outs and pot equity.

Rated 5 stars because there isn't anything "bad" about the book.

Small Stakes Hold'em by Ed Miller and David Sklansky will teach you how to successfully beat small stakes games, live or online. Their approach is fresh, compared to earlier Hold'em series by 2+2 publishing, and Ed Miller has a background in low limit play. They stress playing only the best hands from the most profitable positions. They emphasize concepts such as pot odds (if you don't know about that, then you're losing money already), pot equity, expected value (E.V.), counting outs, aggression and passivity, tightness and looseness and dozens of others. Their book is tailored to people that have some understanding of the game of Texas Hold'em. If you don't then you can start by doing a Google search. Their book can also instruct you on what to do in a given circumstance. "Say you have hand X,Y and the flop comes A B C; this is what you should do." They advise a tight and very aggressive style of play, that may produce large highs and lows in your bankroll. These plays are mathematically proven to provide maximum profit - but only in the long run. In the short run, you may see your bankroll suffer, and your emotions begin to take control of the game. I am still working on the emotions part, but Small Stakes hold'em as allowed me to take $2 at paradise poker and turn it into $80 playing against weak opponents at 0.02/0.04 and 0.05/0.10 tables.

Get this book if you want to beat very small stakes games. Get this book if you want to maximize and optimize your return on investment, and squeeze every last penny from your loose and clueless opponents. (warning: Some of the suggestions in this book apply ONLY to very lose and poor opponents. If you're opposition is highly skilled, please seek softer games.)

This book is no better than any other low limit book. It also is unrealisticly optimistic about how stupid your opponents are, even for a low limit game. This book's advice is a great way to burn through a lot of money making plays that are just plain stupid. Yeah, let's all go destroy low limit poker making 100k/yr, anyone can do it, read a book, quit my job & play poker, just like on TV (note: sarcasm).

Edit: This book deserves 3 stars, but I've given it 1 to help try balancing out everyone else's infatuation w/ it.

In lower dollar limit cash games I find that the greatest strength this book has given me is patience and discipline in the game. Many players at the lower limits will play 60% of dealt hands and up, hoping to see as many flops as possible with marginal to bad hands. Sure you bring in a monster straight flush playing your 45s here and there (edit there are times when these hands most definitely should be played; ie large multi way pots) , but with the amount you have lost in the mean time you will not break even. The math is complex but typical of Slansky/2+2 and as long as you have basic understanding of the concept you are fine.

Not recommended for beginners. Play on the 2/4 cent table online for awhile then see this book. Not recommended for anything under 1/2. Anything less bad players will draw out on you way to often. And yes there are many bad players still out there. I always have a chuckle when I raise AK and get called down all the way with someone holding A4os.

This is a book that will open your eyes. If you play low-limit hold'em with any kind of seriousness this book is absolutely must-reading. If you've read Lee Jones and wonder why you don't seem to win all that much...this book will explain why. One reviewer said that this book was the new bible for limit hold'em, and he was absolutely right on.

You don't have to read this book, if you don't want to. But you will lose to those who do.

This book is extremely easy to read, and full of important concepts that are explained in a very easy to understand manner.

Some key concepts are: raising for pot equity, finding hidden outs, and don't give up large pots easily.

The books only weakness is that is does not spend much time discussing folding. The book has three major assumptions 1. the reader folds too much. 2. Your opponents are bad and aggressive 3. you are playing for a big pot

This was an eye-opening book for me, but it's recommendations should be used cautiously.

If you've worked your way through other texts from this poker book publisher, you know what I mean.

I think this is the most comprehensive and readable text available for low-limit cash play. There are other books on the topic, but they will all be compared to this one. It's the king of the hill at the moment.

This book reads fast, and teaches good lessons. Play only your best hands, raise with the good stuff. Watch out for flops that you may think favor you, but really give your opponent the top hand (i.e., the dreaded tainted out.)

In true 2+2 style, it is loaded with footnotes, trying to make your poker play as exact as possible. Even the usually dry question-and-answer section is filled with educational surprises for the average player. (Is it ever correct to raise with your pocket queens, facing a king-dominated board? See p. 280 for the answer.)

This book is a must if you play low-stakes cash games. Tourney players, of course, will have to look elsewhere as NL tourneys present their own challenges.

Contrary to popular belief, most Hold'Em poker is not played for high stakes. In addition, most Hold'Em poker is not played in a tournament style. Indeed, quite a lot of Hold'Em poker is played for small stakes, such as $2-$4, $3-$6, and $4-$8--and this is exactly the type of poker for which this book provides expert advice.

First, a strong knowledge of the basics is required. This is not a beginner's book.

Second, the concepts and the text are dense, and thus this is not a book that provides simple concepts presented simply. The book takes work to read, but the knowledge is there to be extracted.

Third, one might be put off by the absolute arrogance of the authors. However, it is doubtful you know more about small stakes Hold'Em than the authors, so just let it go and take the arrogance with a grain of salt.

In summary, if you want to take small stakes Hold'Em seriously, you should begin with this book.

Final note: If you ever go on a cruise, and the ship has a small stakes Hold'Em table, be at the table when the table opens the first day. There will be a number of people there who want to play Hold'Em, some for the first time, who don't mind giving their money away.

Good Luck!

I had been playing low limit games mostly because i did not have the bankroll to support the higher limit games. Being a college student has given me a lot of time to play poker but only at low limits. The one thing that this book helped me with was extracting as much money from my opponents as possible. The concepts in this book were difficult to fully comprehend with the first read but after the first read it made more sense. The book will help you play against all thoes people who play any hand to the river and maximize your profits. I definately recomend buying this book.

I suspect I will be re-reading this book as long as I am playing. While many of its points are specific to the low-limit game, many are principles that apply to every level. It gives welcome expansions and enlightening enhancements to subjects covered in "Hold'em Poker For Advanced Players" (by Sklansky and Malmuth).
Not all small-stakes players are loose and passive, and that differentiation is made over and over. The extent to which hand evaluation is discussed is not equaled anywhere else to my knowledge. The importance of including pot size in every decision is illustrated and reiterated repeatedly. Expectation is hammered over and over.
The next-to-last part is 50-plus pages of hand quizzes where hand situations are presented, the reader is asked "What should you do?" and then a great discussion is presented. The final part is "Questions And Answers." Sample questions: "How do you protect your hand?" and "What three rules help you evaluate the strength of overcards?"
Buy it, read it, mark it up, re-read it - forever.

This should not be your first poker book, nor your bible for low limit play. This book is very valuable, when used in the PROPER CONTEXT. This book not only applies to low limit games, but any very loose limit game. If you play online and are at a table with 8 other rocks who are playing 8 tables trying to grind out a big bet an hour at each, this book won't do you very much good. However, if you play 6/12 or lower in a casino setting, this book is invaluable. Normally you profit by playing against players who play too many hands, but when you are in a game where 5 or 6 players are seeing the turn and river, that creates a very difficult problem. Sklansky and Miller have the formula to solve this problem. Even if you play higher stakes, you need the info in this book if the game is extremely loose. You do need a very solid foundation and understanding of the game and concepts before reading this book, because, again, it is tailored to a very specific setting. Using this book as your primary source of learning the game can be very damaging.

This is a great book for players who are a bit passed the beginning stage of play. That's why I say it's the second book you should get. Start with Lee Jones' "Winning Low Limit Hold'em" first to get the basics down then move on to this book.

This book is a little less easy to read then Jones' book, but that is mostly due to the more complex ideas being discussed. There are many great bits of information in this book, but I don't think it would be as useful for someone who hasn't yet played at least 1000 hands.

It does a great job in teaching you how to evaluate your hand after the flop, how to determine if it should remain strong or could quickly lose its value and how best to bet, raise or fold in order to get the maximum return.

Highly recommended. By the way, this book is about LIMIT Hold'em and not No Limit. This is more common in casinos than it is on TV or online, and there are a lot of differences.

This was the first book I read playing the $0.50/$1.00 tables online and it took me reading it twice and practicing for about 2 months (and losing money at the time) before I could understand everything it tried to explain. Now I feel confident saying I can crush these tables for more than 5 or 6 BB/100 hands, which is AMAZING! This book along with "The Theory of Poker", also published by 2+2 are a winning combination. I recommend you read both put the concepts to practice and you will become a winning player.

Some of the concepts in the beginning of this book may seem overly mathematical and hard to understand but keep on reading. It's all there just to make you understand the "moneymaking" chapters that follow. Divided into "preflop-", "postflop-" and "riverplay" (plus some other stuff), these sections must be the best text ever written on low-limit hold'em!

Another amazing feature of this book is the "Questions & Answers"-section at the end. It takes about 30 minutes to read and is a quick way to refresh your memory.

If you wanna play at the LOWER limits (up to about $2/4) you can't rely on books on MIDDLE- or HIGH limit Hold'em because it's a whole different game down there. This book will make you shine at that game.

Buy it, read it from beginning to end, read the "Q&A"-section twice a month and you're gonna make money!

Just to make it clear to you: Buy this book! It's GREAT!

This is an excellent book that deserves to be in any poker player's book collection.

I own a multitude of poker books, including Winning Low-Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones, Internet Texas Holdem: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro by Matthew Hilger, Hold'em Poker and Hold'em Poker: For Advanced Players by Sklansky and of course The Theory of Poker by Sklansky.

I play exclusively on the internet (low limits) and the book by Matthew Hilger was (still is) my bible. But I am incorporating some ideas from SSH and they seem to work...

One warning, though, you must have some playing experience to read this book. If you don't, I think you can't understand some of the concepts presented in the book.

This book will only teach you to spew chips. I have been a winning poker player and i can tell you that there are better books on the market for low limit hold em. "Winning low limit" is a good book by lee jones. This book teaches how to raise without having a pair or a draw. If thats how you like to play poker you will like this book. Save your money and practice online and buy a better book. It is also poorly written

If you are serious about winning money at low limit games, you cannot afford to bypass this book. Many of the concepts in this book have never been discussed in the context of low limit games.

I have been playing low limit poker for nearly five years. Really the only book out there before this one was Lee Jones' Low Limit book. That book is also a must read and really helps the beginner figure out how to play the game. This book, however, will take your game to the next level. I was shocked by how many of the concepts discussed were situations that I had encountered numerous times at the poker table and wondered about. I am currently putting some of the concepts into practice and my winnings have increased significantly.

Yes, Sklansky's writing is not the easiest to read and can be a little dense at times, but trust me when I say you will not regret reading this book. Besides, a little hard work never hurt anybody. Nobody said becoming a profitable poker player would be easy.

Thank you, Sklansky, Miller and Malmuth for writing this book. Now I just have to hope that too many low limit players don't make the effort to read it!

I've been playing poker for 20 years, I've read alot of books and articles about the game, I've studied and thought about the strategy of the game, and I've even had about a dozen articles I've written about poker strategy published. You can trust my recommendation when I tell you that this book is the best of the best if you're serious about winning.
This book is not for those who just want to have fun playing and improve their game a little. Reading this book will require time, thought, and alot of mental effort. In addition, you will probably re-read this book many times over the years as your game improves and you gain more experience. However, this book is not for beginners. You will need to already understand the basics of the game in order to understand this book.
I also recommend "The Theroy Of Poker" by the same authors, "The Hold'em Odds Book" by Mike Petriv, and the video "Caro's Pro Poker Tells" by Mike Caro. If you gain a working knowledge of what these books and videos teach, you will be better than at least 90% of your low limit opponents. However, I have to stress that it is impossible to get anything out of these books from a quick reading. They will require alot of time, thought, and mental effort. If you just want to have fun playing poker without losing too much money, these are not the books for you. There are lots of other books out there that will teach you the basics and give you a few tips, if this is what you are looking for.

This is the best all-around instructional book on limit Holdem $5/$10 and below. I've read it cover-to-cover many times. The principles are rock solid and the explanations are well written, especially the post-flop strategies. I use Miller's style as my "fast gear", since it is very aggressive and is most effective those times when you happen to have a strong table image. It's important to understand, though, that it is a volatile style that requires mental focus and good judgement. In my experience, it's possible to win a little less with much less risk by substituting folds for the marginal raise plays, and that is what I do if I'm tired, or have one eye on a ball game, or just don't have a good read on the table.

I found this book to be very helpful in the small stakes games. With most books they cover how to play other poker players who have a clue how to play. This book breaks down how to play with lesser skilled opponents. A good book to add to the collection.

Excellent book on Small Stakes Holdem! Extensive and exhaustive section on counting outs and applying pot odds to your play -the best I've seen so far (7 poker books read and counting). For example, Dan Harrington gives a very brief description of counting outs and then recommends the book being reviewed here - "Small Stakes Hold'em ..." for further reading.

Small Stakes Holdem takes you to the next level and teaches you expert play allowing you to DOMINATE the low limit game. When playing online you don't need to be playing the middle or high limits to make a nice living. Simply playing 2/4 or 3/6, and using multiple tables you can earn anywhere from $15-60/hr on Party Poker. Depends on how many simultaneous tables you can play and how proficient your play is.

I own several poker books and this is the one that I reference most often. Sklansky might be the best poker author of all time and his Theory of Poker is a must read for any serious player. Limit, and particularly low limit poker, is an entirely different game from No-Limit and the techniques that work well in no-limit often fail miserably in Limit. Don't buy the claim that you'll ever be able to earn a substantial income playing low limit, but diligently applying the concepts presented should result in + play. Low limit is a chase game for many and you need to have a rather thick skin to endure the many bad beats that you'll endure by playing correctly. Many players seem to have no clue that a three-flush after the flop should usually be thrown away if the only plausible out is to connect suited runner-runner. You'll want to chew on the table when your flopped 2 pairs gets caught on the river by the runner-runner chaser, but you need to endure! If you think that you'll be a successful player in low limit by using the bluff as your principal technique, think again. Bluffing works on occasion, when timed correctly, but you can't depend on your opposition to make rational folds. A recent example from one of my hands that pays off for the opposition: I was playing 3-6 limit with a kill pot. I was dealt pocket aces and raised. There was a raise and re-raise capped making the bet $24 pre-flop. Incredibly, 5 players stayed in. The flop came Ace - 5 - 8 rainbow, giving me a monster set of aces. An early position player bet, there was a raise and I re-raised. 4 players were still in the bloody pot! The turn card was a 9. More raising and the field was now down to 3, the pot was huge, but I didn't see how my pocket aces could lose. The river comes up a 7. You guessed it, I lost to a straight. The bozo called pre-flop with J-6 offsuit all the way up to a $24 bet, calls raises to the river and hits runner-gutshot runner and he wins a $240 pot! There's no justice in low-limit hold 'em. You may as well learn to live with it!

This is BY FAR the best book on limit hold 'em available. If you could only read one hold 'em poker book in your life then this truly would be all you need. Everything, and I mean everything is covered in this book. I can honestly say that this is the book that turned my game around and made me a winning player after I was badly mislead in my introduction to hold 'em by reading the IDIOCY of Phil Hellmuth. (Yeah, raise four or five players on a flop of AK9 with pocket sevens to "see where you're at").

The ONLY thing this book does not include that I wish it did is a section on short handed play. (For information on short handed games read- Matt Maroons book, HPFAP by Sklansky and Mallmuth, Gary Carson, and King Yao's book) but that is a minor quibble on my part.

The very best limit hold 'em book available. You cannot lose if you buy this book.

I live not too far from Atlantic City. I was playing limit hold 'em online for quite awhile before I made the jump to playing live. If you want to not only survive playing the smaller stakes, but consistently win, you need to read and apply the information in this book. I have a friend who plays a much higher limit than me, and the strategies are NOT the same. This book targets the games where you have multiple people limping in to see the flop (6-8 people on average). Not a higher stakes game where most people will raise to come in, or fold. The same concepts work for loose passive games online also. Sklansky also covers what to do if things do tighten up a bit (4-6 on average to the flop). If you're starting at the smaller stakes games (as you should be), you should definitely read this book. Just stay away from my table afterwards lol.

Ed Miller, David Sklansky, and Mason Malmuth, Small Stakes Hold'em: Winning Big with Expert Play (Two Plus Two Publishing, 2004)

Like many of us, I'm sure, who started playing poker (again) after starting to watch it on ESPN, I've always been a no-limit tournament guy. But, let's face it, there are only so many no-limit tournaments a person can enter, especially with the expectation of making real money. Now, at the other end of the spectrum, you can walk into a card room practically anywhere on the planet and find a cash game. (This trend will likely expand quickly as well, with Game Show Network now showing the wonderful High Stakes Poker every Monday night.) Now, most of us don't have the hundred-grand buy-in to sit down with Daniel Negreanu and Eli Elezra (and all us amateurs are, I'm sure, as envious of Fred Chamanara as I am for actually being able to do so). For us, there are the small-stakes tables. You're not going to win a hundred grand on one hand playing 2-4, but it's a great way to build your bankroll. The thing is, ring game play is a slightly different beast than tournament play. Poker experts Mason Malmuth and David Sklansky and small-stakes expert Ed Miller have put together a book to outline the differences and teach the average guy how to play effective small-stakes poker. And I'm here to tell you that it works. My ring game play improved substantially while I was reading this book, and has continued to stay strong after I finished it. And, really, that's the best review you can give a how-to book: it works.

The format is the usual Two Plus Two format: separate parts that cover various aspects of the game, extensive examples, hand quizzes, and the question-and-answer section at the end as a refresher in between detailed readings. Good, solid stuff. Highly recommended for beginning ring players. ****

Right up front, if you play poker and don't know who David Sklansky is, you have a lot of reading ahead of you. For my part, I buy anything he puts in print, and recommend every other player do the same. Also, I think Skalnsky should get Malmuth and Ed Miller to co-write all of his books. They flow better and are easier to read.

Anyway, this book is just as advertised, it's for playing smaller stakes where players are typically more loose that higher-stakes games. Some of the suggestions in this book run counter to normal poker theory, but reflect the right sort of detours needed to adjust for these tables.

It has your normal math-centric approach as you find in the rest of his books, but it's crisp.

This book is an excellent add-on to any poker library, along with Lee Jones' Low Limit book.

I've read almost every book on limit texas hold'em from Lee Jones to Jennifer Harmon. While these books are very informative, Ed Miller's text supersedes all by effectively teaching the reader how to easily defeat the loose maniacal games that many of us beginner and intermediate players experience. The text is very methodical, lucid, and easy to follow. I recommend this book to anyone who has a cursory knowledge of texas hold'em. While it is not a beginner's book per se, it is an excellent start for anyone looking to casually or seriously improve his/her play.

If you purchase one book on Small Stakes Hold'em buy this book. I have read a couple of different titles on the subject and none of them compare to Winning Big with Expert Play. The other books teach you how to beat horribly loose players but Winning Big teaches you how to beat everyone. The hand quizzes alone are worth the price of the book.

Covers much solid theory for for extremely loose limit hold'em. But, don't expect to find tables as loose as they suggest. Many examples are unrealistic.
on page 82: loose games average 6 to 8 players to the flop
When was this true? it certainly is very uncommon today to see a table AVERAGE 6 to 8

This is not a good book to get a realistic foundation.

To get a well rounded hold'em foundation, see Gary Carson's Hold'em Poker
Then for a deep understanding, regularly study Sklansky's Theory of Poker

Two + Two consistently publishes outstanding poker books, and Small Stakes Hold Em is no exception, so long as one understands the basic premise. This book is not a general guide to hold em, it doesn't cover tournaments or beating top level players - it is specifically written to help the experienced player target the beating of weak, often passive, usually loose players at the smaller tables, and nothing else. Although the authors make this point several times, it bears reminding and keeping in mind. You will not beat good players using the starting hand, pre or postflop play, or betting guidelines presented in this book.

That said, you are looking at a pretty typical Sklansky book. Sklansky does not insult the intelligence of the reader; he assumes the reader is already a decent to good player, familiar with Hold Em play and general strategy, and is not entering his first live game, but wishes to maximize his profits at that game instead. His advice is detailed, well explained, and when counter-intuitive, backed up by some persuasive reasoning. There are charts and tables, all kinds of hand breakdowns - most likely these are best NOT memorized but used more as a way of organizing your approach to the game situation. Rigid play will lead to losses, even at games well stocked with fish. And there are lots and lots of such games available, both online and live.

Not all small-stakes games will fit the profile as here defined - the reader/player will need to use his own judgement about passive/aggressive and loose/tight every time he plays - but when the circumstances are right, Sklansky's book is all about calibrating your game to extract the maximum advantage. And as such it has value and belongs on a poker players bookshelf.

i bought this book thinking it was about no limit holdem; I consider Sklansky to be the best teacher of poker. once i started reading it , however, i realized it only talks about limit holdem. I read it anyway and it had great limit info, but i only play no-limit. a completely different ballgame. So, i'm gonna get Sklansky's No-Limit Holdem Theory & Practice. If you play limit holdem for small stakes, this is THE book.

I found this book very helpful to understand the basics for tight play in limit holdem. It is a welcome addition to my library. While this was written for low limit card rooms, I have found the contents to benefit me in tournaments as well. I just recently won a 26 person tournament using his strategies while I was the short stack at one of the tables. Balance Slansky with Harrington to expand your game. Sidenote: Slansky made the final table at the 2006 Borgata Open, so tight play can get you in the money.

I think this is the best low limit book out. It gives a complete starting hand system, and even breaks it down into tight vs loose games. I think this is an outstanding book not only for low limit holdem, but also for playing in loose mid limit games. I think this is required reading for any serious poker player.

This book is much more detailed than other holde'm books. The examples are excellent and numerous and deal with loose and tight games. The test at the end of the book is a very good idea.

I am impressed with the wealth of information I have found so far within this book. I have not yet finished it, but it has already improved my game. I highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about improving their poker game.

If you're serious about playing limit poker on the interbet FOR PROFIT, buy this book. It will teach you to push your edges to squeeze every last cent out of them. This is a good introductory text for any aspiring poker player. Another must have.

Simply put, this book really works (a big reason that this is the first book that I've ever reviewed). It's a quintessential example of a product that will pay for itself many times over.

If you've ever played low-limit hold'em, you know that the typical opposition at this level is making mistakes all of the time, such as calling a raise with King-Seven, chasing a gut-shot straight draw in a limped four-way pot, calling on the river with any pair, and so on. But how can you best exploit these mistakes? This book explains this and much more.

As many other reviews and the authors themselves have noted, this is not a beginner's book. You really should have a solid background in limit hold'em before trying to tackle this book. But if you already are a decent player, this book is a must if you find yourself in a juicy loose game that's so typical at the lower limits. Even if you play at tables where play is generally tighter, this book will still help on those occasions where a few live ones sit down and suddenly most flops become multiway.

It has been mentioned that the typical $3/6 or $4/8 game online has tightened up considerably since this book has been written, and I have to agree with that notion. However, live games are still very loose and fishy, even at the higher limits, and this book is perfect for skilled players who want to maximize their profits in these games.

A word of warning. This is a difficult book, and it is also easy to misinterpret the advice within. My suggestion is to read the book, play a lot, and frequently re-read until these ideas sink in. This method has been extremely helpful and profitable for me.

I'm a long time player and started playing online a little while ago. So to get the feeling for online Poker I thought I'd start with small stake tables until I know my way out and then play my usual higher stakes games.

After a short while I realized that small stakes table are just horrible to play and that I need to adapt my game to the new situation. I went out and buy the book of Sklansky about how to play small stakes... after reading the book carefully and trying to follow most of his strategies I must say that I'd better have lost my money at a table than for the book. My new table experiences would have been more valuable.

What Sklansky suggests is actually to play loose against loose players! I've been playing for many years now and my tracks show that I'm pretty tight, solid and aggresive but since this strategy doesn't seem to work very well at small stakes online tables, I thought being open minded and reading about new ways would pay out. I know now that playing my usual way doesn't pay out as much as I'm used to at tables like that, but I also know that the way they explain how to play doesn't pay out at all but makes you even loose more money...

This is a very good book. I have added th book to my poker libary.

I have also brought the other popular small cash game book, "Winning Low-Limit Hold'em." "Winning Big with expert play" is a lot better poker book out of the two.

Its good, they put it out there straight up and on the line for you. they do referense a lot to their other books so if you havent read them then you kinda feel lost on a few things but they have a lot of good points and a lot of good things to learn. its not for beginners so if your looking for a starter book, this is not it.

Excellent book that has a whole lot of specific examples of situations that are very common. It points out when and how to bet to mazimize your winnings. There is a lot of advice that doesn't seem to make sense to a beginning player, but you can recognize the style that many of the better players employ. Get this book....you won't regret it!

This book is a good second book to read after you have some live game experience. Well done. Easy reference for continued advice.

Easily the best book written on small stakes. This book isnt for new players, but rather players who wish earn the absolute most from loose players.

Even if you don't play small stakes, i would suggest getting this book because the information in it can be applied to middle limits as well against horrible opponents.

This book is without a doubt in my top 5 most recommended books, and is a must have for any poker player. If you have read the Advanced Players Guide, the book is written in the same style, only it assumes (correctly) that in small stakes your opponents are MUCH worse than you'll give them credit for. After reading this book my hourly rate jumped from 3BB an hour at 3/6 to 7BB an hour. Don't underestimate the information in this book.

The final lines in the book couldnt be more right. This book isnt designed to beat your opponents. It's designed to crush them!

Great book. I just completed a first pass through, and am about to set in for a second reading.

Like the book says, you need a bit of Hold-em knowledge already before you dive into this one. But as long as you already understand the game, this is a great book for learning more about limit poker.

Although the book focuses heavily on low-limit poker, there is still a lot to carry over to "less crazy" limits where players don't actually chase the river every time.

The hand quizzes are a nice touch, and the pot odds/implied odds sections are good, too.

Well worth adding to your library!

Actually don't read it. I don't like seeing others at the table that clearly understand the topics covered in this book. Easy to understand (though not the easiest on the market) but very thourough. An absolute must read for any limit player.

This book provides a great foundation, analysis and tips for playing limit hold 'em. I recommend reading it more than once to absorb the concepts, strategies and disciplines required for successful play

This book is excellent for the small stakes player. There is lots of good information. It can get a bit complicated with all the stuff you have to learn and remember from the book -- but failing to follow the strategies outlined in the book will result you in being a long term loser in small stakes poker.

This is a great book for those who already have some experience playing Limit Texas Holdem. It takes your game to the next level. Sometimes you should go for that gutshot straight. Fit or fold is not always the best option. Always know the pot size and your break even odds. This book is not designed to keep you safe and away from traps. It is designed to get you the maximum profits from aggressive play. Advanced concepts include partial outs and outs for backdoor flushes and straights. What is your hand really worth. Other concepts include starting hand evaluations, overcalls, counterfieting, reverse domination, hidden outs. You were always aware of reverse domination (A2 beating AK on a flop of A Q 2), Counterfeiting (A2 vs AK, board of A Q 2 5 Q - AK wins as the pair of Queens counterfeits the pair of 2s. The second Queen was a hidden out). This book gives you plenty to think about and apply in you lifelong game of poker. Here are the essential concepts to raise your game to the next level. Happy fishing.

This is not a book on No-Limit Hold'em. I think the title is a little deceiving. It should be called Small Stakes Limit Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play. This book is about LIMIT Hold'em. I am a small stakes NLH player and was looking for a book on NLH. There is a lot of good advice on how to play Limit Hold'em in this book for beginners. However, most of the stuff in this book a good player will all ready know.

Mistakenly I took this to be a no limit book about small stakes tables. This book only discusses limit hold 'em strategy. As a result I started playing limit hold 'em and use the strategies with success. Unfortunately, I really want to be good a no-limit (as TJ calls it, "the Cadillac of poker"). I think having read this book will help my NL game, but only by abstraction.

Make no mistake, this book is for the limit player. I think any limit player will find this book a must read.

this book is great. it really does a great job of teaching simple and advanced concepts in an entertaining way. I was actually laughing out loud thru some parts of the book.

after reading it thru twice my game has drastically improved.

This book is quite good but I think most of the advice is more applicable in brick and mortar rooms where the action is more loose. Many of the examples in the book are games in where the pot odds are favorable to chase all your draws but that isn't the case even in games as low as .25/.5 limit online today. If you can find loose games then this book would probably be a very good addition to your library

this won't give you a second income the moment you finish the book :-)

gives a lot of insight into limit holdem betting and some general poker principles which are very useful.

at the end of the day, it lies in a turn of the card but knowing what the author knows will keep you alive till that turn.

Nothing to complain about. The book was in exellent condition, as stated, and the shipping didnt take too long.

This is an absolutely solid text that will make you a winner at small-stakes poker -- if you want to be one. There are other texts that teach the same valuable insights. But, if you say you "Just want to gamble", this won't help you, but you are more than welcome at our regular games.

The item arrived in very good condition. At first there seemed to be a slight delivery delay but that was taken care of promply without any intervension on my part. (could have been a mis-read on my part in regards to the initial delay)
I'm very pleased with the seller.