Caro's Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro
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Book Reviews of Caro's Book of Poker Tells
Book Review: A good book about tells, but still not sure you can learn reading tells from a book
Summary: 4 Stars
I love the dynamic that tells add to poker. I often play online now, and seldom make into an actual poker room, but when I do get the chance I really enjoy working reading tells into my overall playing strategy. The difference is night and day. Playing online poker is like running on a treadmill, while live poker is like a cross-country race. There's just so much more going on. You have to keep your peripherals up, and your concentration on at all times, not just to watch other people, but also to be aware of the fact that people are watching you as well. (People often forget this).
So why did I wait so long to buy this book? Well, despite the fact that this is supposed to be the definitive work on tells, I'm just not convinced you can learn tells from a book. It's like learning how to go on a good date. There are some useful tips, really, you've just got to learn how to interact with people, how to really listen.
This book was absolutely worth it. He provides some fantastic tips on what to look for and how to use what you see. But at the same time, it just confirmed my suspicions about books that teach tell reading. It provides a lot of useful advice about reading tells and a good set of things to look for. But all the exceptions that it has to make highlight the real problem with generalizing about tells. The idea of noting how something is always the case, except when it isn't. Well, how do you determine when it isn't the case? The way you always do, pay attention, learn from experience, and don't risk too much until you're sure of your reads. I'm afraid that there isn't a book in the world that can help you read people like Negreanu. Still, out of the books I have read on the subject, this is the best one out there.
Book Review: Widely read Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is a widely read classic, and if you are the only one at the table who has not read it you will be at a disadvantage. Topics like shuffling a hand, nervousness, fearlessness, glancing at chips, protecting a hand and many more are discussed and illustrated with pictures. The book is divided into two general sections: tells from those who are unaware that they are giving out tells and tells from actors whose tells are meant to mislead. For the latter group of tells, a tell denoting a weak hand generally means that they have a strong hand, and tells denoting strength actually denote weakness. The trick is to distinguish the actors from the unaware.
The biggest problem in applying this book is that it is so widely read that some actors try to do a double tell, i.e., denoting strength when they are strong, or weakness when they are actually weak, in the hope that people who have read the book will assume that the tell actually denoted the opposite. Thus, not only do you have to determine the actors from the unaware but you must also decide if the actor is trying to give a tell that denotes the opposite of the hand or one that denotes the hand in the hope that you will assume that it is the opposite. Things can thus get confusing very fast. Professionals claim that they try not to give any tells at all, which is a wise approach.
This book is useful on two levels. The beginner can learn about tells and those that they may be giving out, and the more advanced player how to utilize the tells that their opponents give out. As such, if you know nothing about tells, you will be clueless and likely to be a consistent loser. This book will at least help to level the playing field.
Book Review: An important book to round out your poker knowledge
Summary: 4 Stars
"Caro's Book of Poker Tells" is unique in that it focuses on the complex and imprecise science of reading other poker players' tells.
The book is structured into types of poker tells and has easy to digest examples of the individual tells. The analysis is well thought-out and still current even though the original edition was published some years ago. Just watch your opponents after reading this book and you will immediately recognize many of the tells described in this book!
There are, however, a few deficiencies to note, including dated photographs and slightly blurry reproductions of the photos that makes some tell examples a little harder to see. The writing style is also a little scattered, but if you've read any columns or other works by Mike Caro you will recognize it as his work immediately. Finally, some of the pictures that go along with the tells appear slightly after the text that refer to them. This is not a major problem but can be confusing at first since you will typically have to look ahead to the photograph then back to the text as a tell is explained. These minor issues are the only reason I rate this book as four stars instead of five.
You will be hard pressed to find any other works solely on the topic of poker tells, and some of the best poker books ever published make reference to this milestone work.
Book Review: Very Useful if Applied Correctly
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the original and still best book on poker tells, but there are others out there that have been published recently that you might be able to get for less. They all offer pretty much the same advice but they got their ideas from this book.Several things are important when reading a book on tells. You need to know in what games they will help you. They will not help you beat a room full of experts...they know they tells so they won't exhibit them. Caro uses tables for each tell to let you know which ones are important where and this aspect of the book makes it a must-have.
Also you need to know how to look for tells. It is challenging and at times overwhelming to sit at a full table looking for body language. Caro does not cover this "art of observation" well in the book but does on his website: www.poker1.com
I can tell you this book has helped me a LOT at low-medium limits against players who often don't exhibit predictable or correct strategy...such otherwise difficult players to read (but not experienced, well educated players) become more easily beaten when you can spot tells.
Book Review: About as scientific as Gilligan's Island
Summary: 4 Stars
I found it informative regarding (1) tells I was unknowingly presenting to others who have read this book, and (2) tells in general, things to watch for around the table that I may be able to correlate w/ certain events for individual players, and subsequently use during an hours-long session.
The value-per-hour and reliability figures cited for each tell are just a tongue-in-cheek way to give it a comic veneer of scientific research. I liked the DVD better because the videos are better demonstrations than the still photos in the book, and also because Mike himself appears and narrates it, so you get more of Mike's exuberance. The only real negative is that the book and DVD both over-emphasize older forms of poker (like Draw) now that Texas Hold 'Em has taken over. For example, one of the Draw tells is a player shuffling his hole cards, but in Hold 'Em you don't have enough to shuffle. Also, I wouldn't bother learning the poker notation presented in the book because I have not seen it used by anyone else.