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Small Stakes Hold’em: Winning Big With Expert Play Content: 
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Although Small Stakes Hold’em: Winning Big With Expert Play is about low limit texas hold’em, the principles in Small Stakes Hold’em come from the theoretical background provided by Sklansky and Malmuth. Hence, this book is useful not just for low limit games but also for those looking to move up to the lower end of the middle limits. Moving from the very bottom limits to the midstakes games is what Ed Miller did himself, before writing this book.
Book Content:Small Stakes Hold’em: Winning Big With Expert Play provides an in-depth analysis of all the ideas and principles one needs to understand to play effective limit hold’em. It begins with basic gambling concepts (value, odds, expectation) and explains them in a simple fashion. Many books seem to skip over these concepts, or be far too esoteric in explaining them, but Small Stakes Hold’em gives the reader exactly what they need to understand the fundamental purpose of playing poker – making money.
The section on preflop play focuses on two methods of learning preflop play. First, the authors provide the background for analyzing the strength of one’s pocket cards in terms of high card strength, suited strength and connector strength, and for understanding how to play properly by position. Second, they provide a chart of which hands specifically they advocate playing in a certain type of game (tight or loose) and from what position. Although I don’t like the layout of the hand charts, I appreciate that they included charts at all. Many newer books have attempted to avoid 'set' preflop strategies such that they won’t give guidelines at all. This book is true to the teaching methods of Sklansky/Malmuth – a theoretical background followed by a practical summary.
In fact, throughout the book one will find that complex theoretical ideas are combined seamlessly with practical rules and strategies for beating loose/passive games. Online players who often complain about how they "can’t get anyone to fold" are in dire need of the chapter on protecting one’s hand, and especially on how one should adjust to large pots and loose opponents. Even I was a little shocked when I first read this book (over a year ago) about how I had totally ignored the possibility of waiting to the turn to protect.
This book is invaluable for showing players how to play their hands correctly against opponents who will do anything but fold.
Small Stakes Hold’em: Winning Big With Expert Play has probably the largest devoted section of hand quizzes and “questions and answers” of any limit book ever written. To those who learn by practice and get tired of reading theory, this will come as a relief at the end of this somewhat complicated book.
Content Organization: For a book of this length, Small Stakes Hold’em reads quite quickly. I like that the authors chose to introduce the theoretical gambling concepts in advance of the specific strategies. It is important that the theory behind value and expectation be addressed before telling players to "maximize their expected value" and "push their edge". Not only does this make it easier for inexperienced readers, but also it is sound intellectually to move from the principles behind what one wants to achieve (winning money by maximizing value) and how to actually go about achieving it (by playing good poker).
Although I would have liked to see a better layout for the tables of hands that should be played (and from what position), overall the book is well laid-out and easy to read despite it’s length (369 pages). The authors have done a good job in breaking down sections and chapters such that ideas are placed with those topics they belong, and so that no sections are too long to read in one sitting. It is better to compartmentalize in a book of this size, than to drag readers on for longer than they can focus.
Book Audience: Small Stakes Hold’em: Winning Big With Expert Play isn’t a book for people who have never played poker. And it goes beyond fundamentals to more advanced concepts. Even though it is about beating low limit games, the book is designed for intermediate players who want to focus their play to beating loose/passive games.
 
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