Caro's Book of Poker Tells

• #8 in Best Poker Books
• #8 in Best Gambling Books

88 Reviews

Sort by: Most Helpful ▲ Date Rating

I have been playing NL poker online and limit poker in casinos for about two years. My preferred game is single table tournaments and after a year of success online I decided to put my skills to the test. This book really breaks down the art of poker (that is, the ability to read people)into simple categories of tells understandable and recognizeable by anybody. Armed with my technically sound online skills and my newfound ability to understand the motives and intetnions of other live players, I journeyed to Atlantic City to try my first ever live tournament. My first tournament ever...I finished in first place at the Borgata. I played in one more tournament and took 2nd place. It may sound unbelievable, but with a bit of luck and a powerfull arsenal of reads on common poker tells at my disposal, I walked away with over $10,000 on a total investment of $200.

I am not saying that this book will win you the world series, but it will give you a huge edge over your competition. The reason is this: Without a knowledge of tells, you really only win the pots that your cards dictate. Yes, you can play better cards than your opponents and avoid trap hands, but with a knowledge of tells, you can win 2 types of hands. 1) you win the hands your cards dictate. 2) you win the hands that your oponents cards don't merit. If you can pick up weakness in your opponents, you can win pots just by betting or raising at the right moment and salvage a pot where you might have folded. Similarly, you can better identify when your huge hand might be second best. Caro breaks tells down into 2 main categories. Tells from actors, and tells from those who are unaware. The most important are those from Actors. It is Caro's contention that all of us act at the poker table and in life, it is instinctive and largely subconscious. If you can pick up on these signals, discern what the player wants you to do, and then do the opposite, then you can truly, truly dominate the competition. This book is a MUST HAVE for the serious poker player.

I purchased this book along with Phil Gordon's 'The Real Deal' as a start to my Poker Library. This was an excellent choice for the beginner!

Caro's Book of Poker Tells is a treasure trove of Poker Behavioral information I was immediately able to relate to. Playing amatuer poker, I could recall incidents detailed in the book where I was taken in by many of the tells displayed, and where I had executed them myself. It's an interesting look at how human behavior factors so prominantly into a game of cards.

Granted, the photos are dates, and the poker tells cover ALL types of games, which, if you aren't familliar with all styles of poker, it might be confusing. But, the book is formatted in a very easy to reference style, and isn't difficult to apply illustrations using one game to another.

This is a definite must for anyone who wants to improve their play as well as understand the psychological element of poker better.

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.

A classic, and one of the most well known books on poker, it's been published again and again under different publishers with very slight changes over the years.

It's one of the only books on tells, or body language in poker - a bit surprising, considering the hundreds of poker books in print, and the popular conception that tells are a huge part of the game.

Caro, also known as "the Mad Genius of Poker," is a top-level poker player, credited as the best draw player in the world. Or was, at least - draw poker all but died out when other forms became legal in California, and he hasn't been heard from as much since then. Regardless, he's still extremely smart, a great teacher, and is always entertaining reading.

The book covers around fifty different "tells," of various types. Some are general profiling, such as what you can infer about an unfamiliar opponent's style by the way they dress or stack their chips. Most are behavioral - what it means when someone acts immediately, without pausing to think, when someone glances down at their chips after the flop, when they "splash" chips into the pot instead of stacking them, etc. A common theme is that "strong means weak" and "weak means strong" - when they sigh and shrug their shoulders as they raise, get out. It seems so basic, but often holds true even at relatively high levels. There are logical tells too, like when a conservative player bets without looking at his last card in stud, he already has a made hand.

One tell I've found very useful is when a player's hand starts to shake uncontrollably as he or she bets on the last round. Most people's initial thought would be that they're nervous and bluffing. In reality, it usually means they have a nearly unbeatable hand. The shaking is a release of tension; a natural, involuntary response as the nervous uncertainty of the hand's outcome is resolved. The shaking is most likely to occur when the stakes are very meaningful to the player. Sometimes this one is visible even on the WPT or WSOP coverage on TV. Even those who play for thousands every day can't control their reactions when they're suddenly playing for millions.

On the downside, the book's age shows. The pictures are grainy and black-and-white, and highlight fashion trends of the 1980s. Several of the tells are specific to draw poker, like determining whether a player who draws one has two pair or a four-flush; not very useful anymore, but still interesting.

For each tell, the text estimates how many weak, average, and strong players will exhibit the specific behavior, and gives a value for how much you can gain by understanding it and being observant. These are useful as generalizations, such as which will rarely apply in a higher limit game against more experienced players, but the "value per hour" figures are crazy. At the $100 limit, various tells are supposedly worth $11/hour, $96, $43, $128, etc. If that were true, a break-even player who studied this book would suddenly be making thousands per hour.

Reading people's body language isn't nearly that big a part of poker. Most decisions at the table are fairly clear based on the cards and logic. Only in borderline situations do tells become valuable, and even then, you have to be pretty sure your read is accurate; if you fold the best hand on the end based on a read you thought was accurate, when you would have called otherwise, you've just cost yourself the whole pot.

Lots of people have bought this book, or similar material, with the idea of studying it and suddenly making a killing, with no more than a basic understanding of poker. This is misguided, and probably not possible. Technical skill and a solid understanding of poker theory and game situations are far more important. Reading people is a useful and interesting supplement to that, not a replacement for playing well.

That said, I'd recommend this book to anyone. Even casual, kitchen table players will find it readable, interesting, and useful - maybe more so than more experienced players since their opponents will have a lot of obvious tells to be read.

I bought and read this book based on the many positive reviews out there. While I don't regret buying it, I definitely got my hopes (for knowledge) up higher than I should have.

Caro provides so many different examples of "tells" (I guess he had to in order to have enough material for a book) that it's improbable that anyone will remember enough to be of real benefit. In fact, unless the player sits perfectly still, almost everything he does can be interpretted as some kinda tell! What the hell? And every "tell" Caro explains is qualified with verbage to the effect "[this] means [this] MOST OF THE TIMES". But it's that 1 time in a hundred that costs you everything.

It boils down to this. A player's projection of strength frequently indicates weakness and vice versa. Accurately reading another player's body language and actions consistently is a skill most people will never master. Most of us will be better off playing mathematically via Sklansky's "The Theory of Poker".

Case in point: I watched a master's poker tournement with Caro, Sklansky, Brunson and a few other household names. Caro kept trying to get a read on his opponents by being obnoxious and goading them into some type of reaction that he could read. Not only was he annoying, but he was the first one to lose! In the same game, Sklansky strictly played the numbers according to his own theory... and won.

The greatest value in this book is in my making sure my opponents know I've read it. That messes with their heads...

The author, Mike Caro is a very colorful person to say the least. He is referred to as the "Mad Genius" in poker circles and is an expert authority on the mathmatics and the human factor of the game.

Poker tells are the biggest vice of any poker player, if you can use the tells of others to you're advantage and eliminate yours then you can easily come away with a few extra bets that would have left your stack. With control over your own tells, you can harness the power to confuse opponents in to not really knowing if they are getting a real one out of you or not.

This book is the best and most extensive choice on the subject of poker tells. Many other books touch on the subject, but this is the one that will help out the most.

It is a little disturbing that this book was published in 2003 yet, the pictures are roughly 20-30 years old. Keep in mind, that things haven't changed too dramaticly over the years, but for the price I'd suggest buying a more specialized book on your game of poker. While his tips are accurate, there's nothing too spectacular here. Worth buying used.

As a developing player, I found this book a great resource. Caro breaks down the basics of poker tells into a handful of simple, powerful rules. I have read this book from cover to cover, taking the time to study the examples. It is full of information and needs to be studied so it sits next to my bed and I review a section every night.

I am a Texas Hold'em player but this book covers most casino poker games. Most tells are universal to all games unfortunately the presentation in this book moves through the different games. This is why studying the book over time helps extract the information for the reader.

This is a must read book for the serious poker player. You have to take the time to continue learning as you grow as a player. The final thing to do with this book is take what you learn into the poker room. Even just selecting one tell for the night, you will be amazed at how obvious the other players wear their tells.

A must read for any serious poker player, this small book is absolutely the best collection of common poker tells. Highly recommended!

There is a big step from reading a book to applying it to your game, and many people that gave this book a bad rating were instantly expecting to see 100 tells from every opponent on every hand. Tells are rarely obvious and it takes concentration to find them. This book taught everything from card motions to body movements, and it all works. The same weekend after I finished reading this book, I was in a very large no-limit hold'em hand that came down to fifth street. I had a very weak hand and was prepared to throw my hand away to any large bet made. The person across the table did just that, trying to present a strong hand. There was an easy straight, and an easy flush (four consecutive cards on the board and 4 cards of the same suit) on the table. I watched him closely to see if I could spot any tells and I instantly saw 2 of the more subtle tells that Caro addresses in this book. I instantly called his bet and he showed only ace high and I took down the pot. I can honestly say that if I had never read this book, I would have folded that hand and lost quite a large amount of chips. This book has helped me many times in making the right calls in the most important situations. Anyone should read this book, the pictures seem pretty outdated but they do a good job of giving examples. Read this book, it will teach you a lot.

I thought I was a step or two beyond novice, until I read this book. I quickly realized how much I did not know about the game. Understanding the many "tells" of poker will add a lot of depth to your skills and give you much more confidence in your betting. This book is an easy read and the early 80's photos are amusing, but the information is priceless and easily absorbed.

This book provides numerous tells that help in poker and every day life even. It not only describes what people do, but WHY they do it. A very helpful tool for people who understand fundamentals and the lingo of poker of all types. It covers scenarios in stud, draw and hold 'em games to ensure that the readers can relate to the situations. However, the tells are relevent in all the games which is a huge help for your wallet.

I have been playing NL Texas Holdem online for about a year, and doing very well. I also play weekly with a pretty regular group of about 15 players. About 4 months ago I went to Atlantic City and played in two tournaments, finishing in the middle of the pack in each - not at all what I was expecting. At one point, I was heads up with one player and wanting his call. He looked at me, folded, and said, "Can I have my canary back now?", referring to the excited grin on my face. He put me on a hand.

So on a recommendation from a friend, I read this book. It really makes you aware of the other players at the table, as well as aware of your 'self' at the poker table. Some of the stuff in this book is complete (...) - for instance, the 'percentage of effectiveness of a tell' is not useful. This prevented this book from getting 5 stars. But the material this is in this book about watching other players, sizing up their 'awareness' and so on, is dead accurate. This is not a 'poker book' in the sense that it tells you what hands to play and how to play them - it tells you how to read other players for their 'strength'.

I cannot argue with the results. I was in Vegas last week, and I played in 2 tournaments at MGM Grand. I finished 1st in one, winning $1800, and 5th in another, winning $379. I found myself mentally referring to the material in this book - "Is that player self-aware of his playing?", "How did the player's face react to the flop?", "Did that player look at my chips or his chips before he bet?" and so on. Nothing much changed between my Atlantic City and my Vegas trips, except the fact that I read this book (As well as Harrington on Holdem), and had some time to practice that material in my circle of friends.

Buy this book and take your play to the next level.

Okay, here's the facts:
Read this book (as everyone else will be doing) and you'll learn something. Then you'll have to contend with the people who've read the book and are using "fake" signs and tells, trying to throw people off the reality of their hand. That will work for only so long, of course.

So do you feel lucky? For how long? Are you playing against a pro or are you just going for some easy money for a night or two? Whatever your agenda, this book may help. But keep in mind that if YOU are reading it, someone else (maybe a pro) is reading it too. There is a learning curve here, folks...staying ahead of the curve is the real challenge...and no one book will teach you that. But this book will do a great job of keeping you on top of the average game, maybe even the above average game... and it might even speed up your learning curve. Reason enough to buy it.

"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.

This book is useless. First off tells don't tell what cards your playing against. somebody could have A-A and act weak to lure you into playing the hand. I've read this book and did not think it improved my game at all. Watch the 2005 WPT poker by the book tournament where its all famous authors/poker greats. doyle brunson,david sklansky,phill hellmuth,tj clouter and mike caro who not only acts retarded in trying to annoy everyone to give up tells was the first one to get elimanated. Is a lousy poker player in my opition. Poker is odds,math and guts and more logic then this tell crap. Pick up supersystem by brunson or phill gordons little green book. Better yet any sklansky book will teach you how to play poker considering he sat back quietly at the above mentioned tournament and won the whole thing even beating doyle brunson himself heads up.

Besides being somewhat offended by the racial stereotyping of how various races play poker, I just wish that the author would have backed up his theories with some science or other quantative data. It's as though he assumes that we'll just take his word for these things...and while in can't be argued that he's garnered a fair amount of acclaim in the field for this book (and most people consider his 'tells' to be quite accurate), I think he should at the very least tell us where he's coming up with his theories.

Caro's book of Poker Tells is easy to read and use. The book includes a description and photographs of about 80 poker tells. It also has a review/test section in the back of the book. If you want to improve your game, you need to read Caro's Book of Poker Tells. Consider the cost of this book and a couple of hours of reading to be an investment.

Let me some up this book for you.......... Strong means weak. Weak means strong.... sometimes. If you have ever played cards before, and you are looking to learn something, anything, or just want to read something interesting... look some place else!

Though Caro's classic is certainly showing its age, both with its distinctly archaic pictures and with its general feel, one would not be doing oneself justice by playing poker without having read this book. Even knowing that all serious and professional players have read it and are aware of its descriptions of tells, tendencies, posture, and psychology, and even knowing that they may be purposefully giving you false information via counter-tells, you cannot be a solid player without knowing what is contained herein.
More specifically, this book details the tells - via posture, tics, gestures, and acting - that will allow one to put their opponent on a hand, which is one of the four most important aspects of playing poker well (along with betting, position, and pot odds). Caro examines such tells as shuffling cards, nervousness, glancing at chips, disinterest, and many more - and he also provides examples via pictures.
A true must read for anyone who takes poker seriously.

This book is exactly what it claims to be: an encyclopedia of lies and how to spot them. A few days after reading this book, I was in a poker game with some friends. One player was representing a strong hand and everyone else seemed like they believed him. Then his phone rang. He walked out of the room for a minute to answer it. That's when I knew I had to call him. Caro says that if they talk on their cellphone, or even answer it, they don't have a good hand. If they had a good hand, they'd be more interested in playing the hand than doing anything else. When he came back, everyone folded. I had nothing but I raised back at him. He admitted his bluff and threw his cards away. Thanks, Mike.

I read this book and there are maybe 2 tells in it that I found usefull. The main problem is that he gives all gerneral tells. Thats all and fine, but in poker you really need to learn the individual tells of the people your playing against. I'm gonna give away the best part of the book. If your opponent seems strong he is really weak and if he seems weak he is really strong.

According to Mike Caro, everyone has tells, and that includes the pros and Mike himself. When watching Mike on television, he sometimes bets right away when it's his turn, but at other times, he talks about what he should do and often asks his opponent questions to extract information. See Chapter 8, The Sounds Of Tells.

Two of my favorite sections (in the chapter Tells >From Actors) are "Strong Means Weak" and "Weak Means Strong". Seven tells are described in the Strong Means Weak section, providing for very substantial coverage of this seemingly simple, but crucial concept. Many players tend to act the opposite of the strength of their hands - it might even be a natural phenomenon. It's important to detect this behavior to help you decide whether to fold, call, or raise. In the Weak Means Strong section (and in other parts of the book), I like the use of the MCU [Mike Caro University] Poker Charts. These charts take you through each round of the hand to discuss the action by all the players as it relates to tells. At first you may be overwhelmed by all of the different tells to be on the lookout for. Read one or two chapters, and then go to the poker tables and look for those tells you just read about. Then come back to those chapters in the book to confirm what you saw at the tables. Continue on in this manner until you've covered all of the tells.

Perhaps you're thinking that you're too busy focusing on each hand and your strategy to try to discern the various tells your opponents may be broadcasting. You should still get this book because it can help you from telegraphing your own tells to other players. Just because you're not looking for tells does not mean that your opponents are not seeking to identify tells from your behavior. Use this book to help prevent others from gleaning information about your hand.

I like to review parts of the book prior to going to the tables each time as a refresher and as a check that I'm not broadcasting any tells to my opponents. I also like to review poker strategy (I mostly play hold'em) before each poker outing. For me the "perfect" (and unbelievably compact) guide that I always use and very strongly recommend is the two-card set of Poker 6-7-8 Hold'Em Strategy Cards by Hal Marcus.

First off, this is an older book that does not cover online games. If you only play online, pass on this book.

I've read a few poker books so far, and all of them have mentioned this book as "the" book to read on poker tells. Since pros were recommending this book I decided that I needed to pick up a copy.

This is the only poker book I've read twice.

Caro's book contains just over 20 tells, with a chapter on each tell, it's variations, and how to exploit it. It also gives a reliability scale for each tell which shows how effective it is against beginners, intermediates and experts. Surprisingly, beginners and experts are about equally vulnerable to some tells.

Caro shows that there are two types of tells, those from people who are unaware, and those from people who are faking the tell (actors). He gives guidelines on how to help determine if the tell is real or just an act.

I laughed out loud several times because Caro would come to a tell that I had. I found myself saying, "I do do that!" or, "Hey, my buddy does that!"

That being said, tells are not the Holy Grail of poker. Nobody can look at another person and instantly know they're holding a pair of Queens. Certain behaviors make it MORE THAN LIKELY that someone has a monster hand, or is bluffing, or doesn't want to be called. It doesn't guarantee it.
Even if you can put someone on good cards or bad cards, at a full table you'll rarely be in a position to exploit it because you have to worry about the other eight players and the strength of your own hand.
Also, some tells only work for draw poker, so if you only play Hold'em they're not directly applicable.

Over the long term I'd say that if you really sat down and studied/digested this book it will add about a 3% to 5% advantage to your game. More if you play against amateurs, less if you play against good players.

Excellent information. Every serious player should read this before putting their chips in the pot.

It's full of bad black and white photos that look like they were taken in the '70s with players in disco cloths and mustaches, and dealers with big bow ties that looked like they stepped off the Blade Runner set etc... not at all representative of 'what' you will see when you play.

All kinds of tells concerning Stud poker and other games i don't play...

The text reads like an 'Amway come-on speech'.

There are a few interesting ideas but overall this book is poor.

I purchased Mike Caro's VIDEO on tells years ago. (I bought the VHS but, of course, it's on DVD now.) It is an updated version of the book and it is excellent. Actually seeing visual examples of the tells is a much more effective and easier way to understand this material. With a video available, there's no reason to buy this book. If you can't find the video on Amazon, it's advertised in poker magazines like Card Player (which is available for free in poker rooms) or just google mike caro. It costs more than the book but it's worth it.

This book promises a wealth of information but sadly falls short of the mark. Descriptions are vague and corresponding photos of such poor quality that it's very difficult to gain much useful knowledge from this book.

Mike Caro is one of the leading authorities on poker strategy and this book is probably the only one of its kind on the market today. Unfortunately, this book will leave most readers deeply confused and unprepared for a casino poker game. Save your money for something else.

My dissatisfaction with the book lies mostly in its poor visual guides which accompany nearly every tell. Tells are visual by nature. In order to understand the subtle differences between an action that strongly suggests a bluff and one that suggests a truly strong hand, one must have visual aids that convey these differences effectively.

Here are clear reasons and examples why the photos are so bad. If you don't believe me, just use the "Search inside!" link to see some sample photos:
=======================================================

1. The photos are all black and white
2. The pictures are extremely grainy
3. Most of the players in high contrast with dark shadows and bright whites (i.e. photo 88)
4. The photos are at least 30 (maybe 40?) years old
5. The photos are very small ( 2" x 3" )
6. Photos for tells based on where a player is directing his eyes have the player wearing bottleneck glasses, wearing a hat that shadows the eyes or the eyes are completely obscured.
7. You cannot see what cards are on the table.

There is some wisdom in this book, but nothing you can't find online for free and with better pictures.

I believe the market is ripe for a competing book on this subject.

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.

So the pictures look like your uncle on a three day bender, human nature doesn't change and in that lies the value. If you can get past the wide-tab-collars there are nuggents in there that might make the difference.

This book is a list of messed up tells. These tells aren't accurate and can't effectively be used. This book it out of date and poorly written.

This is a book you definitely have to have if you play live poker.

Even though the book is a bit outdated in terms of the photos the information it contains is invaluable.

The book covers most physical and verbal tells that amateurs and pros alike exhibit. Learn how to tell when a player wants you to call or wants you to fold. Learn when they didn't hit their hand and you can bluff them off the pot, or when thy hit it huge and are praying that you bet into them.

This is a must have book for your collection.

The only reason it didn't get 5 stars was because of the outdated photos. If they release a new updated version with the same info then it's a 5 star book!

this is a terrific book, but now that so many people have read it, you have to be careful about them putting out false tells. But, it's still very accurate and important, and a must-read for serious players.

If your poker library is without this book, it is not complete. If a revised version of this book comes out and has a section devoted to online poker tells it would get the full five stars from me. I give it Four and a Half stars.

I should have listened to the other poor reviews and saved my money. This book takes about ten worthwhile (and very obvious) tells, spends a few pages on each explaining what could be summed up in just a few sentences, and then fills out the the book with meaningless other "tells" and filler. Included are picture that supposedly illustrate the book's points; the only problem being that most pictures are so dark and unhelpful that they only serve as additional filler to turn this flimsy piece into book length. I had to laugh when looking at an unfocused picture, clearly from the '70s, of a man wearing dark glasses -- completely obscuring his eyes. The book advises your to observe how he is shifting his eyes to the side to watch his opponent -- pretty bad stuff.

You can spend ten minutes googling "poker tells" and get far better advice than what this book provides.

Honesty and respect compell me to write the following review of a book that I truly wish had never been written.

Mike Caro is one of poker's greatest writers and most innovative poker thinkers. This book does the seemingly impossible job of giving even casual players simple, easy-to-understand information about how to tell whether their opponents are strong or weak -- just by looking at their body language.

The book describes and provides revealing photographs of players in the process of betting -- demonstrating what their body language reveals about the true strength of their hand. In doing this, Caro reveals that which many of us would have prefered he not reveal -- the otherwise secret clues about player tells.

In some respects, Caro has done professional poker players a disservice. It took many of us decades, and expensive lessons at the school of hard knocks, to learn this stuff. Now, in simple prose and with easy-to-grasp photos, Caro reveals all to anyone with the good sense to buy this book.

There's another unintended consequence of this book. So many players have read this material that they are learning to disguise their own tells -- throwing off the poker predators like me who used to know what these tells indicated. With so many people falsely showing these tells --we pros have less and less of an advantage over the well informed amateur.

That Caro did this before the huge poker explosion and that the information is just as valid today as it was when he created this book many years ago is typical. That he did it so well -- making this information available to so many people in such a clear and simple format is -- well, maybe criminal.

Begrudgingly, this book has my very highest recommendation.

Not easy to read or understand. Bounces back and forth between different types of poker games. If you play live action with 7 car stud, Hold'em, 5 card draw and omaha this may the book for you. I only play Hold'em and felt the book should have been sectioned off by game.

Mike Caro is really a genious at his craft. This book really isnt for the faint of heart. If you truely want to win at poker and be a consistent winner you must put in the time. Yes poker is gambling and in an essence everything in life is a gamble, but just like a Doctor or a lawyer or teacher they all had to learn there craft and then master it. This book is a key ingredient to success in poker, yes the book came out a long time ago and I wish I would of known about it because its hard to break old habbits, but this book transformed my game to new heights. If you dont like money theres always the 9-5 job:)

This is A must read for any serious poker player!!!!
As A poker player you must be able to identify many tells - it is just part of the Game. Caro's books and videos have saved me hundreds of dollars over the price I paid for them!
If, as A poker player, you are not willing to invest some time and study this topic - then you will never be great at the game you love!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caro is definitely an authority and lays the book out in a way that is easy to follow. He explains the concepts, includes photos, reviews the "Laws" of tells and offers a quiz at the end of the book. The answers to the quiz include where to check if you missed the question.

I definitely reccomend this book. It is written better than some textbooks.

This is the book to learn how to read your competition. Its an inexact science...but it provides you with enough information to make winning decisions.

There are several poker books out there dictating how to play a certain hand in a certain position and so on... But imagine how easy it would be to play your hand if you knew what your opponent was holding. This book details many common conscious and subconsious tells that will give away your opponents hand.

Furthermore, I have heard Phil Gordon, Howard Lederer and many other pros reference this book as THE book on poker tells. Caro's credentials are on par with any other poker author and this book will definitely improve the average poker player's abilities.

Before reading this book I hardly ever got good reads on my opponents, now I can almost always figure out if my opponent is weak or strong, bluffing or has got the nuts. One of the most helpful things it has taught me is to read opponent weakness after the flop, this has helped me steal alot of pots with nothing, simply because I know my opponents have nothing. The ideas in here are valid for any type of poker, there are a few tells that can't really be used in hold em' but it will give you great insight into what your opponents are thinking and why they are doing what they are doing. This book has really stepped up my game. Before reading this I would win fairly consistantly with the group of guys I play with, now I win almost all the time.

If I would make a list of top needed books for a Hold'em pro, this one surely goes into the first three. It also has a good coverage of psychology. Add Slansky's 'Hold'em Poker For Advanced Players' and Barboianu's 'Texas Hold'em Odds' for full coverage on odds and math and you will have all you need to know for winning. The rest is practice and patience.

Great book on poker "tells" full of useful information. However, the charts are a little complecated for the novice player.

Don't play the cards, play the players.

This sage wisdom is just as penetrating in poker as it is...in life. Through extensive photographs and commentary Caro tells the tells that tell the tale of whether your opponents are serious or just bluffing.

As a statement on human behavior it's interesting to read Caro's descriptions of deceptive behavior and consider other situations wherein people may try to bluff their way through. Though the situations in which people broadcast deceit may vary, it is interesting to speculate on some of the universal signs observed by Caro.

As Kenny Rogers once put it: "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run...You never count your money, while you're sittin' at the table...There'll be time enough for counting, when the dealins' done."

Caro provides very useless information about poker tells. He tries to make it seem like a unique style but to the trained eye like me this book is full of nonsense. If you want to read a book that not only discusses poker tells but goes into useful concepts such as hand selections and investments. You need to purchase Issa Jouaneh's thriller No limit texas hold'em tournaments.

This book will teach you to play like a professional and also will allow you to showcase these skills on the poker table.

I loved it. You get to take a look at undestanding and identifying "imperfect" information. Then you can use it as a weapon!

Much of the material in this book is dated. The concepts are good, but the situations are outdated. For example, there is a lot of focus on observing how people smoke their cigarettes. Since most poker rooms do not allow smoking today, there is little value to that material. Maybe the book can help you to focus on observing your opponents' behaviour.

this is an obvious tell. I'd rather not own a book that I have to flip over back and forth to read/reference.

returned for refund as replacement is apparently not an option.

excellent book - covers the basics, but is so powerful that a quick browse of two pages before i went to play a cash game earnt me about $400... i wish i had read more, because the very next page would have saved me from making a $100 mistake as well.
Powerful book for an intermediate poker player

It a little bit on the difficult side as to writing style and very out of date when it came to the pictures and graphics, this book is still a good recommendation to any that play poker (of any kind).

Harrington recommends this book, at least exposing yourself to the tells others have or that you may be giving is a good idea. I give it a recommendation.

I didn't really buy into this book, but I guess when it comes to basic tells it does the job. The fact is, I'm not a pro, and just this last weekend I played in a home game. I tried to use Caro's tricks and it was only then that I realized how difficult it is to focus on my own cards and also try to figure out tells. That being said, I definitely started to pick up on a few tells from my opponents. Sadly I ignored them twice and lost big pots, but in the future I will destroy them.

Overall a good basic "tell" book, better than the new ones anyway, especially Helmuths.

I don't want YOU to read it if there's even a tiny possibility we may be seated at the same playing table some day. What higher praise could there be for a poker book?

Seriously, this is a true classic. The styles in many of the photos are seriously dated, and a few of the games mentioned are rarely played now, but the principles remain unchanged. Only if you are strictly an online player, or already a master of human interaction psychology, might this book be of little or no help. Mike "The Mad Genius" Caro is rightly known as a genius in the field, and his madness is all method.

The only thing it really lacks could not have been foreseen at the time, which would be a chapter on recognizing the mannerisms of online players when they come to real world tables - such as involuntarily reaching for a computer mouse. In that sense, and the photos, it can be called "dated" but to think that makes it irrelevant would be almost as bad as thinking there's nothing to learn from Shakespeare because it's the 21st century.

If you are new to poker then this book might be worth the money. Frankly, anyone who has watched TV Poker for more than a year has probably picked up most of this stuff from the commentators. Today everyone is an expert, and lots of the stuff they spout is from Caro's book. So newbies will find it useful, but anyone who has played awhile or watched much TV poker might not get much out of it.

I was kind of dissapointed with this book. Most of these ideas are common sense, and not overly ground breaking. The way the book lays out hands is somewhat tedious.

It all boils down to "strong means weak, and weak means strong". Lots of photos of people sitting at a poker table, padding the size of the book. The photos look like they came from the 1940's. Betting patterns are much more reliable as tells than whether the guy looks at his chips or not.

First off: you are probably (definitely) better off buying this book than not buying it. It makes you aware of just what the tells are that your opponents might be exhibiting at the table, and this is necessary knowledge if you wish to be a good player.

However, Caro seems to have a slightly annoying habit of not only recycling the same tell so that it features in more than just the one section it should feature in were the book to be a little more efficient; he also splits the tells down the middle; that is, "honest tells from non actors" and "false tells from actors".

Very useful I'm sure it is (seriously), but what you are left with is a 50/50 split that every major tell exhibited at the table could be genuine or could be a deliberate throw-off. So a guy hammering his chips in could be making the classic mistake of giving away his weak hand by trying to compensate for it by representing physical strength through his betting action: or he could really have a strong hand and be foolish enough to let everyone know by making a correlatory strong betting movement or he could be a crafty player with a massive hand wanting you to read him and put him on a no-hoper cos of his tell.

Confused?

You will be.

But I guess it's all in the game and in fairness to this book, which could do with being revised in terms of overall presentation (clear, colour photos of people not looking like they just stepped off the set of boogie nights would be nice - it is 2006!) and structure and "get-into-ability" - it does arm you up with a knowledge of what to look for and then I guess it's on you to decide whether your foe is exhibiting a genuine tell or not.

Game on!

No doubt that this book is helpful, however, following Caro's thoughts as a presenter/book writer could have been easier, so that each tell would have a more direct impact for the reader rather than more sub divisions which are a result of tells. His genius is beyond most readers!

Do you play Omaha poker? Hole 'Em? Then please with strawberries, please look me in the eye. Why? Read Caro! Doyle Brunson says you play the player, not the cards. Life is people, right? So Brunson must be right. Caro's system of reading people is superb. Please don't buy his book!! I want to be his only reader!

book was just like new, and you will neaver fine a better price. what more could you ask for.

It was a decent book. Not really what I thought would be because it is often the same tells over and voer again but I mean they are decent tells. I would recommend it for the beginner getting into the game but not for an intermediate player looking to up their game.

Want to beat your buddies on Friday night? It will take you only a day or two to read it. But, if you constantly review it, you will eventually start reading people with ease. If you have some type of strategy and understand the strenth of hands, this will steal you some nice pots. You need this one if you don't want to donate of Friday nights.

It is hard for me to imagine anyone not getting excited about this book. I remember reading it several years ago and then going to the "Commerce Casino" in Los Angeles and watching the table come alive for me. At the time it was the most transformational poker experience I had had. I still think it is absolute must reading for most players. I would not be near the player I am today if I had not come across this book and integrated it into my game.

The reviewers who think it is outdated or "garbage" need to look a little deeper to get true value from it. I am not being condescending here, I am offering a personal opinion...Yes, it is outdated in the respect that it was written at a time when only draw poker was being played in California and the photos are obviously dated as well. And the dollar amounts associated with tells are completely out of context in today's game. Forget about that stuff.It is distracting but it is not the point. Even the somewhat generic tells that everyone is now familiar with are not the point.

The point of this book is...it gets you thinking about more than just the game. Tells are very real and very abundant in almost every game. I use tells in every live game I play in and I promise you they are every where up until the higher middle limits and the tough no limit games. Use the book to think about tells not so much in "exactly" what Caro shows you but as a baseline for behavior. Most of the best tells are not in this book! You need to look for them and this book lays the foundation for looking for tells. Consider it an introduction to the science of tells not the encyclopedia of tells. It will become fairly basic to most good players pretty quickly, but if you study this book you will begin to spot even more tells on your own that are not even in the book. The top players studied this book at some point in the early part of their poker learning and then moved to more advanced tells and betting patterns. But most if not all of them started with this book; you should too.

Recommended to me by a professional poker player in Las Vegas. I don't know what kind of chumps he plays against but my friends exhibit none of the behaviors described in this book. I tried his methods first game after finishing the book, lost my farm. I might have picked up one or two pearls that will help me against a really dumb player, but the clever ones show none of these weaknesses.

One of the best book on tells for begginers! And it has more complex tells in it also. I deffinately recommend reading this for any new/intermidate players that want to step up their 'reading' game!

Bought as a gift, person loved it. Said it vastly improved their game, both online and off.

If you understand the basic strategy the game, this book will give you what math and probabilities doesn't explain. It's amazing how easily you can you identify the strength of your opponent's hand, just by spotting a tell. This book you put you at a next level.

fantastic book. 2nd hand but fantastic condition, was like new! great book to read. would highly recomend this book to all. :)

I would give this book a 4.5 it's the first book i read on tells but it's a good book with a lot of information. Buy it if you play home poker games.

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.

Old and dated but still very relevant. Perfect quick read if you are in transition from internet to live games. Memorize these most famous tells and make more money, its that simple. Thank you from SuperAggressive.com

...especially in this day and age, and especially if your game is hold 'em. Many of the tells are far more relevant for a stud or Omaha game. That, and too many people have read this book. Really only useful against the lamest of players, imho.

I bought this book for my boyfriend. He said it was everything he thought it would be

GREAT BOOK!!!!!!

You can still play online poker in the United States. Go to FULLTILTPOKER COM. Sign up for free. Use bonus code: FTPMONEY when prompted. This will allow you a match up to 600 dollars whenever you make your first deposit. Until then you can play with play money that they provide for you. Learn the game or improve your skills before risking any money. With the bonus money it is like doubling up for free. Good luck.

Although most of the book is written for stud and five card draw, the same tells apply to hold'em. Written kinda awkwardly with weird rating systems, but still manages to mention some great tells that have helped my live game a bunch.

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.

Caro's book typically gets praised because it is one of the only books on tells. This book is great considering the options but doesn't really help much with actually reading players. A book is really not the medium to communicate this kind of information and you would better off with a video. Caro's video is not the right one.

This is good for what it does -- interpreting the body actions you and others display at the poker table. And some of the stuff is helpful. it will improve your game.

But body language is not nearly as important as other things. Like understanding which hands to play, how to put other players on hand ranges, how stack size influences play, and so on.

So you are better off reading a bunch of other books first. this might be the 6th or so book i'd recommend reading.

For the beginning player. I've used some of the information I read here and won pots I shouldn't have. That in itself pays for the cost of the book.

This was a birthday gift for my husband and he has already read it 3 times. He couldn't put it down for the first read through.

The mad genius knows his stuff. great book to add to your poker library.

is it just me or did this book not make much sense at all about tells? halfway through, i felt there were some contradicting arguments in the book..

be wise and borrow this from a friend..

Well, this book has many tips on Poker tells but the really nice thing about it is that not only can you learn to read other people but you can use reverse psychology on them and use the tells to your advantage by "showing" a tell you want them to see and, therefore, fool them.

Just a great book - a classic. Must read for all players at all skill levels.

This book is great if you are into live poker. Find out the tells of your opponents, and win.

If you are an aspiring poker player, whether Texas Hold'em, Five
Card or Seven Card Stud, etc., you need to study this book. The author gives outstanding insight on his subject material. He makes obvious, things that might otherwise go un-noticed. This book will give you an edge, which will show up in profits...money for your bank.

I BOUGHT IT FOR MY HUSBAND WHO LOVES POKER HE SAID IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE