1) Doyle Brunson's Super System: A Course in Power Poker, 3rd Edition :

When this was first published in the seventies it caused a sensation. Immediately recognized as the most ambitious poker book ever written, it nonetheless was received with irritation by some professionals because it was believed that Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson and his collaborators gave away too much, thereby allowing the amateurs to catch up, thereby cutting into the professional player's take. There is more than a little truth to this accusation. Poker is an ever-evolving superset of games with the individual games changing over time as the players learn how one game and then another should be played. Write a revealing book and the old games disappear more quickly and the "rocks" have to learn the new game in order to continue to make a living. Today's most important games are hold'em and seven card stud. Both are covered in this book, hold'em quite extensively.

What sets Brunson's Super/System apart from other poker books is first the prestige and celebrity of the writers, especially Doyle himself, but also Bobby Baldwin (also a World Champion); David "Chip" Reese, Doyle's expert on seven-card stud; Joey Hawthorne on Low-Ball; David Sklanski on Hi-Low; and Mike Caro (MJC) on draw poker. I used to play with Sklanski and MJC back in the sixties in Gardena when the only legal game in the California clubs was draw poker, both lowball and jacks or better. Sklanski has gone on to be one of the game's great theoreticians and the author of several excellent books on poker. Caro, known as "the Mad Genius of Poker," has formed his own "Poker University" and is partly responsible for this book's republication, and has become quite a poker entrepreneur.

Second, there is the comprehensive coverage of the games from five card draw to no limit hold'em. Not everything is explained and some of the tricks are held back. Reese in particular, in his chapter on seven-card stud is somewhat reticent. He presents a tight strategy that is sound but withholds more aggressive strategies that, in the proper hands, would make more money.

By the way, "no limit" really means table stakes since you are NOT, as is sometimes seen in the movies, allowed to go to the bank and get some money when you hold a killer hand! In fact, no limit is really no different than pot limit expect that instead of being restricted to the amount of the pot when betting, one can, if one so chooses, push in one's entire stack. THAT does make for some interesting psychological situations! One of Doyle Brunson's main points in this book is the huge difference between set limit poker as played in the clubs and indeed as played for the so-called world championship, and no limit poker as played by the rich and the top professionals. The latter game is much more of a psychological game in that you can lose pot after small pot and yet come out ahead by winning one great big monster, and also because it takes a lot of nerve to either call a huge bet or to make a huge bet. Furthermore as you're playing along you have to be aware that at any moment the pot can suddenly mushroom to gigantic proportions. Because of these psychological factors, some of the top players at limit have never been able to make a satisfactory jump to the no limit game. In Brunson's case, he actually was adept at no limit long before he became a top limit player.

Third, there are the brilliant caricatures of the players by Stan Hunt. Just to see those again in print is worth the price of the book.

Fourth are the poker odds and statistics by Mike Caro. Believe me they are completely accurate. I and a number of others players checked and rechecked them, hoping to catch MJC in an error. No such luck! I was a little disappointed that Mike chose to recall an odds story that showed him in the right, because I, among a very small number of people, actually did beat him out of a twenty dollar bet in the sixties on some odds we were discussing. Of course Mike would "give away" money just to support his carefully cultivated image as a "madman." One of his most notorious "plays" at draw was to pretend to have a pat hand, raise the opener, and then not bet after the draw and just show down his nothing hand, thereby giving away the pot. I mean eyebrows raised and heads shook incomprehensibly at this totally "irrational" play. Yet it worked because people then would call him when he really had something.

Caro was also an expert on poker tells. He wrote a book on the subject. He would, when playing, do parodies of the other players by betting and acting as they would in an exaggerated way. Sometimes he actually did unconscious parodies of himself.

Doyle Brunson on the other hand loved the psychological struggle and just being in action. In his prime he was arguably the world's best player at both limit and no limit hold'em. He had nerves of steel and an intensely competitive nature and a deep obsessive love of the game. He overpowered his opponents with a constant energy that was always, always pushing. He had a few tricks and his knowledge of the game was among the best, but perhaps his greatest gift was his ability to bet when he knew the other guy would toss in.

What you can learn from this book about poker is really almost priceless. Even though this book is definitely dated (and today's stars are a different breed) nonetheless there is wealth of information here for the casual as well as the professional player. This is, in my opinion, still the best how-to book on poker ever written. 

The bad with this book is that it has only Paperback Edition

2) Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play :

Dan “Action Dan” Harrington is a moderating force in today’s world of loose super aggressive tournament play. He is known as one of the most solid and conservative players on the poker scene today. But don’t mistake his rock like discipline for weak play. He has an uncanny ability to know exactly when to make his move. This ability has allowed him phenomenal success in No Limit Hold’em tournaments – finishing at the final table of both the 2003 (against a field of 839) and 2004 (against a field of 2,576) World Series of Poker Main Event Tournaments.

Dan shares the secrets of his success in Harrington on Hold’em Expert Strategy on No-Limit Tournaments, Volume 1: Strategic Play (co-written with backgammon author Bill Robertie). The authors felt that there was too much information on the subject to fit into one book. As a result, Strategic Play is the first in a two part series. Strategic Play offers advice on the beginning and middle stages of a tournament. Volume 2, End Game focuses on the final stages of a tournament.

Strategic Play is mostly likely to appeal to beginning, intermediate and expert tournament players looking for practical advice on playing No Limit Hold’em tournaments. This is not a “how to” book for the rank beginner. Hand rankings, game rules and general poker theory are not covered in depth in this volume. As a result, some previous general knowledge or experience in poker is a prerequisite for gaining the most knowledge from Strategic Play.

Strategic Play is well organized into seven distinct sections, each containing easily digestible and actionable information related to common tournament situations. In order to gain full value from the material, readers are encouraged to treat the hand analysis (contained at the end of each section) as quizzes and to look at the author’s advice only after they have wrestled with the problems themselves.

Poker players familiar with Harrington’s style may expect a book filled with solid and conservative advice. Instead, they are treated to more dynamic recommendations. One of the more compelling sections of the book is titled “Playing Styles and Starting Requirements”. In this section, the authors describe the types of playing styles common in today’s No Limit Hold’em tournaments: Conservative, Aggressive and Super-Aggressive. They go on to make recommendations on when and how to use each style and offer advice on when and how to play against each style.

The authors also recognize the fact that not all readers will be playing in the $10,000 Main Event at the World Series of Poker – which is played with a large amount of starting chips and over several days. More realistically, readers will play in a wide variety of buy in amounts and structures. As a result, strategic advice also varies based on tournament types.

The most significant value in Harrington’s book, however, may be gleamed from the problems contained at the end of each chapter. It is in these sections that the readers are allowed to take a peak into the mind of one of the best tournament poker players in the world - and then compare it to their own analysis. The problems are very detailed, and include a vast amount of information about the conditions relevant to the play of a particular hand. The reader is bound to miss something, and will then learn from what they missed by reading the subsequent analysis. It is like having a world famous poker coach all to themselves – someone who sweats their cards during a tournament and then tells them what he would have done himself.

Poker players whose only tournament experience includes watching it on TV may be under the impression that No Limit Hold'em is a relatively simple game. They may watch the aggressive players on television and simply determine that success is a matter of continued aggressive play. However, after reading Harrington’s book and participating in the exercises, one of the key take aways that readers are left with is that No Limit Hold’em is indeed a very complex game. There are times to be aggressive and times to be conservative. Learning to recognize when and where to use the correct approach is critical. As a result, the importance of a well thought out plan and thorough analysis at the table is illuminated. Harrington on Hold’em Expert Strategy on No-Limit Tournaments, Volume 1: Strategic Play teaches its readers how do just that and is therefore a great addition to any tournament players’ toolbox.

                                                       

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3) Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 2: Endgame :

Dan Harrington has repeatedly demonstrated that he deserves to be counted among the elite no-limit hold'em tournament poker players. Moreover, he has also demonstrated that he can communicate winning poker concepts in Volume 1 of this book series. While Volume 1 discussed play during the early and middle stages of tournaments, Volume 2 focuses on play near a tournament's end. Solid poker is almost always the right way to play hands early on, but once a player approaches the money the most profitable tournament strategy can deviate significantly from optimum poker play. This book considers many of these sorts of situations.

The first section of this book is really a continuation of the topics found in Volume 1, an extended exegesis on the topics of bluffing and slow-playing. Just about every conceivable bluffing situation is covered here although, perhaps strangely, less consideration is given to making large semi-bluffs with high-quality draws than I might have expected. There's a lot of good stuff here, and anyone who plays the bigger buy-in tournaments or cash games will eventually be exposed to all of these moves.

Harrington begins his endgame analysis with an explanation and examination of what he calls "inflection point theory". Basically, his thesis is that as players' stack sizes change relative to the blinds and antes different strategic considerations apply. This is well-known and has previously been addressed in the poker literature, but never with this level of depth. Much of this is understood, at least instinctively, by many, if not most, tournament veterans, but Harrington's analysis is extremely detailed and meticulously thought out. This may not be as revolutionary an idea as it is presented here, but it is important and well worth understanding.

Harrington goes on to cover short-handed and heads-up no-limit hold'em. As we have come to expect, Harrington is exceptionally thorough in his coverage of this topic. It's my opinion that this information is the best in this book, and maybe the best in this series. His analysis of these situations is carefully constructed and exceptionally well-considered. I especially liked his play-by-play commentary of the heads-up confrontation between John D'Agostino and Phil Ivey at the conclusion of the Turing Stone tournament in 2004. I suspect that there are few tournament players who won't benefit from what Harrington has to offer here.

Perhaps it's my personal preference for cash games over tournaments, but if I had to choose, I'd rate Volume 1 slightly higher than Volume 2. This takes nothing away from Volume 2, however, as it is an exceptional book. Anyone who is playing regularly in no-limit hold'em tournaments who hasn't read what Harrington has to say on the topic is missing out, plain and simple. I highly recommend this book as part of an exceptional two volume set.

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4) The Theory of Poker: A Professional Poker Player Teaches You How To Think Like One :

Poker is played on a variety of different levels. Beginning poker players concentrate on the basics of the game. This includes learning the rules of the game, memorizing hand values, and making playing decisions based on pot odds. There are some great books designed to help poker players build their fundamentals during the beginning stages of poker. The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky is not one of them.

Theory is for poker players who are interested in taking their game to the next level. The author of the book is David Sklansky, a professional poker player and well-known poker writer and theorist. The Theory of Poker has remained on players must read list for over ten years and no one can argue with that kind of staying power.

The premise of Theory of Poker is to teach the reader how to think like a professional poker player. It is very conceptual, introducing its readers to fundamental principles that they will be able to apply to a variety of different situations and types of games. It is not a book that teaches tactical strategy that one can take out and apply immediately to his next home game. Rather, it is reads more like a textbook requiring thoughtful study and more than one read through.

The books thesis revolves around the fundamental theory of poker, which states that every time you make a decision that you would not make if you could see you opponents hand, you lose. Conversely every time an opponent makes a decision they would not make if they could see you hand, you gain. The book then goes on to describes principles that will allow the reader to take advantage of this theorem. These principles include bluffing, semi-bluffing, deception, free cards, slow playing, position and reading hands.

The Theory of Poker is not a new or cutting edge poker book. It was written over ten years ago. However, most successful players admit to having read Theory and applying these concepts to their game. It stands to reason that there is great value in learning how these players think, and how to use counter strategies against them.

There is no doubt that poker has changed tremendously over the ten years since this book has been written. Internet poker has accelerated the learning curve of most players because they are able to play many more hands per hour than they could at brick and mortar casinos. The success of aggressive players on televised events has illustrated the importance of aggression in no limit hold em tournaments. Finally, the poker explosion has resulted in a glut of poker books from almost every known player willing to share the secrets to their success.

Despite these changes, the Theory of Poker remains as valuable today as it was ten years ago. Books that give out practical advice about specific situations and games normally lose their value as game conditions evolve and change. Indeed, even great poker books like Dolye Brunson’s Super System has lost some of its value because when the book was written, no one knew how to play No Limit Holdem. It was much easy to get peoples money simply by being aggressive and doing nothing else.

The Theory of Poker is the poker equivalent of teaching a person to fish instead of giving them the fish. By learning the fundamentals principles of the game and learning what to consider in certain game situations (instead of what to do), the reader will be able to be successful at poker regardless of the games or the conditions.

In summary, The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky is a must read for every poker player who, after mastering the basics of the game, is looking to play at the next level. The book will give readers the tools they need to get inside the head of advanced players and profit from less experienced players. It requires a significant investment from its readers, as the concepts must be digested over several read throughs. However, those who are willing to put in the time will be rewarded with knowledge that will serve them for a long time to come. The book was formerly titled Winning Poker.

 

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5) Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold'em I :

One might expect the second volume of a poker strategy text to address advanced concepts or at least build further on ideas conveyed in Volume 1, but that is not exactly the case in Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold'em 2. Poker writer and professional player Ken Warren once again remains in introductory mode in his seventh poker book, which despite being nominally presented as a sequel still primarily targets the novice player entering a poker room to play his or her first session of low-stakes limit hold'em.

As with Warren's previous titles, including his two previous books devoted to Texas hold'em, Winner's Guide to Texas Hold'em Poker (1996) and Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold'em (2003), Warren here employs a casual, conversational style while addressing a variety of concepts specific to live low-stakes limit hold'em. Indeed, in terms of organization and presentation, Warren's new book appears even more relaxed than his earlier titles -- a good strategy, perhaps, for attracting timid newcomers to poker (and poker books), though not so much for achieving the level of precision the subject often warrants.


In the introduction, Warren suggests his approach for the book is modeled on the one used by Dr. David Reuben, author of Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask). In other words, here Warren states his intention to employ the "discussion method" whereby the instruction will be delivered via a question-and-answer format. The first question of chapter one -- "What is Texas Hold'em?" -- gives an indication of Warren's target audience (if that weren't already clear). However, after spending a couple of chapters on "Basic Stuff" and "Hand Selection," Warren abandons the Q&A format for most of the rest of the book (he returns to it for the latter chapters), perhaps a good decision, as the format at times tends to introduce unnecessary awkwardness into the text.


The next chapter, "Low Limit Strategy and Concepts," unexpectedly appears to target higher-stakes, experienced LHE players as it espouses the benefits of dropping down in limits to refresh one's thinking about the game. Warren then refocuses on the beginning player, and over the next several chapters presents a lengthy list of common mistakes made at the lower stakes ($2/$4 to $10/$20). These chapters not only cover mistakes made before the flop, on the flop, on the turn, and on the river, but mistakes made before and after sessions as well.


Some of the advice offered during these chapters (which make up nearly half of the book) is well-founded, although the lack of precision alluded to above often does mitigate the usefulness of certain tips. To describe just one example, Warren warns against getting into the habit of calling a preflop raise from the big blind when one is only up against the raiser, and lists several good reasons why this is often an unprofitable play. However, among the list of reasons, Warren says that after calling that initial raise "you're only getting 1 to 1 pot odds for bets after the flop" (a statement he repeats elsewhere in the book). Readers with some experience in limit hold'em understand what Warren intends to say here -- that with only two players remaining, each player will be contributing the same amount to the pot from this point forward as long as both stay in the hand. However, it is imprecise to describe one's pot odds as "1 to 1" for these post-flop bets, a fact that the novice player may not recognize.


Less concerning are organizational problems that crop up during these middle chapters (e.g., before we get out of the chapter on "Mistakes Made Before the Game" we are already talking about mistakes made during play such as "Playing Too Many Hands" or "Playing Too Aggressively"). Much of the instruction here reiterates what Warren has written before, and indeed generally echoes a lot of so-called "received wisdom" regarding limit hold'em, although there are moments when Warren goes against the grain as well.


The book concludes with a couple of chapters in which Warren answers various questions that have been emailed to him over the years, including some that are poker-related and "personal" ones, too. These questions do not solely concern limit hold'em, but also cover other forms of poker, tournaments, the logistics of playing live, and more. Some provide occasions for Warren to share anecdotes from his own experiences at the tables ("What's the weirdest hand you've ever won?"). This latter portion of the book is certainly the most entertaining. In fact, one gets the sense from these chapters that Warren is perhaps better suited as a storyteller than a strategist.


Warren has clearly carved a niche for himself among his target audience, explicitly identified near the conclusion of Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold'em 2 as "the non-player and the beginning poker player." His informal, easy-to-read style likely has had much to do with his success, although one has to say the general lack of precision (among other factors) make Warren a rather less useful resource for more serious students of the game. 

The bad with this book is that it has only Paperback Edition

 

6) No-Limit Texas Hold'em: The New Players Guide to Winning Poker's Biggest Game :

For players new to the world of no-limit hold’em tournaments or experienced playerd ready to take their game to the next level, this book is just what the doctor ordered. Players learn the winning principles and four major skills:  how to evaluate the strength of a hand, determine how much to bet, understand opponents’ play, and how to blugg and when to do it. Thiseasy-to-read book features 74 game strategies players need to get to the winner’s circle. Includes a special section on beating online tournaments.

The bad with this book is that it has only Paperback Edition

7) Phil Hellmuth's Texas Hold 'Em :

This is the second book on Hold'em that I have read. It is geared toward the beginner but, contains some intermediate and, advance theory as well. This book by the Poker Brat can give you some insight into the mind of one of the greatest Hold'em players of all time.

The first chapter deals with skill vs. luck and, the differences between the home game vs. pro play. He's quick to point out that in a friendly home game the amount of money involved is nearly meaningless and, that bluffing in the home game is almost pointless since nearly everyone calls anything. The few extra dollars it takes to make a call at the home game is often worth the cost simply for the fun of chasing a pot in the hopes getting lucky. Where as at a casino if you sit at a table with a pro the average player will have no chance of winning over an eight hour period.
Chapter two deals with setup and, basic play. Things such as the role of the dealer, the button and, hole cards. Basic things that most players pick up before they ever sit down at their first Hold'em table. He also covers some things that all players should know but, often don't. The advantages of position and, some poker etiquette such as not revealing your hand during play and, not acting out of turn. As well as the differences between limit Hold'em, no limit and, pot limit.
Chapter three: Even though the title of this chapter is Limit Hold'em for Beginners Strategy. It is one of the most interesting and, helpful chapters of the book. He discusses hand rankings the top 10 hands and, how to play certain hands in different situations. He also begins an overview of the animal types. Knowing whether your opponent is a Jackel, an Elephant, a Mouse, a Lion or, an Eagle will give you some clue as to what cards they are holding the strength of their hand and, how to play against them.
Chapters four and five discusses intermediate and, advanced theory. In chapter four Phil covers how to play majority hands such as 66,55,44,33,22. As well as Ax suited and KQ pre-flop. He covers smooth calling, protecting your hand with a raise, as well as folding and, playing marginal hands on the river.
Chapter five delves a little deeper into certain situations. How to play suited connectors, stealing from the blind stealers, firing up the table. As well as trapping with big hands pre-flop, the dangers of re-stealing and, the advantages of position in advanced play.
Chapter six offers some no limit and pot limit strategy. Here Mr. Hellmuth presents his fifteen top hands. Along with some beginner and, intermediate strategy such as how to trap with AA and, KK. Three theories on how to play pocket 2-2 through 8-8 and, AQ. This is also one of the more interesting chapters where Phil puts forward Huck Seed's suited connector theory and, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliot's NLH theory. Also how to guess your opponents hole cards and, developing your own style.
Chapter seven covers limit Hold'em tournament strategy, In chapter eight Phil offers his advice on internet play. Chapter Nine offers some advice to winning a multi table no limit tournament. Basically I think the jist of what he is trying to convey here is patience, patience, patience, and then begin to make some moves as you near the payoff and, many players are beginning to tighten up to make the money stealing some blinds and picking up enough to carry you to final table.
The remainder of the book is the appendix and a glossary. As I mentioned this is the first book on Hold'em that I have read. It has greatly improved my play and, I would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their game.

I Could n't Find The Paperback Edition so i posted only the

Kindle one till i find the other one

8) Hold'Em Poker for Advanced Players (Advance Player) :

Texas Hold ’em is not an easy game to play well. To become an expert you must balance many concepts, some of which occasionally contradict each other. In 1988, the first edition appeared. Many ideas, which were only known to a small, select group of players, were made available to anyone who was striving to become an expert, and the hold ’em explosion had begun. It is now a new century, and the authors have again moved the state of the art forward by adding over 100 pages of new material, including extensive sections on “loose games,” and “short-handed games.” Anyone who studies this text, is well disciplined, and gets the proper experience should become a significant winner. Some of the other ideas discussed include play on the first two cards, semi-bluffing, the free card, inducing bluffs, staying with a draw, playing when a pair flops, playing trash hands, desperation bets, playing in wild games, reading hands, and psychology.

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kindle expanded edition :

9) Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold 'Em Poker, Tournaments, and Sit-n-Gos: Revised and Expanded Edition (Gambling Theories Methods) :

This book is co-written with Tysen Streib and Kim Lee and together they present an informative approach to winning No Limit Texas Holdem Tournaments. Streib has written many articles for 2+2 magazine and developed the graphs and charts used throughout the book. Lee is a math and finance expert who applies these skills to poker situations. The book is divided into four sections. The first three sections are devoted to winning No Limit Texas Holdem tournaments. The fourth section was written by Mark Vos (an online poker professional) who explains the strategies for winning short- handed online cash games.

The book is 307 pages of text with another40 pages of appendixes. The first section is rather short spanning only 58 pages to cover the early stages of tournament play with an emphasis on accumulating chips and optimal betting strategy. The main focus of the book is on the end game play that is covered extensively in section two. This is where you will find the strategies for dealing with the different situations you will find yourself in throughout the tournament. This section explains how you should approach the game differently with varying chip stack sizes throughout tournament to modify your play accordingly. The most important information is how to play in short handed and heads up play at the end of the tournament.

The third section of Kill Everyone covers other topics that are more general in nature than specific examples. These deal with playing against better players, tournament luck, tells and reads and finally tournament preparation.

Improve Your Skills

Kill Everyone is not a book that you will read once and put on the shelf. In fact because of the emphasis on the math of the game you will probably find yourself re-reading many parts as you go along. It is also a book that you will want to refer back to after you have play a few more tournaments incorporating the strategies in the book.

Most players have a weakness in one area or another during tournament play. You may play too loose or too tight during different stages of the tournament. The concepts in this book will help you do a better job of analyzing your own situation during any given time throughout the tournament to help you adjust your play for the best chances of winning.

The book deals extensively with two situations that give many players the most difficulty during a tournament: being near the bubble and during short-handed and heads up play at the end. The specific examples will surely help you improve your game regardless of your current skill level.

I learned from this book and I recommend it to anyone looking to improve their No Limit Texas Holdem tournament strategy , i thinks its the best advanced book.

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10) Caro's Book of Poker Tells

Cardoza publishing has recently reprinted another poker classic, Mike Caro's Book of Poker Tells. Few poker books have been as widely read as this one, in it's third major revision since it's original publication by Gambling Times, Inc.. I own a copy of one of the printings of the Gambling Times edition and the Cardoza edition. Besides reviewing the book, I can compare these two versions of this material. In between the release of these was an edition published by the Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy which I don't own.

Mike Caro's Book of Poker Tells begins with introductory material that explains what this book is about, an explanation of the nomenclature used, an explanation of the author's MCU Poker Charts, and a prologue about "Caro's Law of Loose Wiring". These last two weren't present in the Gambling Times edition. The introduction sets up the book well. The reader receives a good idea of the direction in which this book is headed.

The next four sections cover various situations where players might exhibit "tells". That is, players give away information about the strength of their hands via their actions. These sections are titled, "Tells From Those Who Are Unaware", "Tells From Actors", "Some General Tells", and "The Sounds of Tells". Each tell is discussed separately. Each explanation includes one or more photographs depicting the behavior in question, a categorization of the tell, an explanation of what it means, a discussion of what motivates this behavior, an estimate of the tell's reliability, and an estimate of its value to an alert player. The tells the author discusses have not changed since the original edition, except that the pictures are a little smaller and most of the attire and hair styles of the actors exhibiting the tells have been abandoned.

Two criticisms I have of this book are that I don't believe the tell reliability percentages are accurate, and I don't think the value per hour of each tell is realistic. Of course, a great number of poker players have read this book, and it has undoubtedly influenced the way people play. Nonetheless, the reliability numbers are probably still somewhat worthwhile if they are considered in relative terms. That is, in the absence of other information it may be reasonable to assume that a tell that Caro assigns a 97% reliability factor is more reliable than one that has been assigned a 60% reliability factor. Still, this information must be compiled on a player-by-player basis. Frankly, I can't figure out how the value per hour statistics were generated, and my advice would be to ignore these numbers altogether.

The book wraps things up with a some summary information, a quiz on the material the book covers, and some final thoughts by the author. The overall flow to the book is well thought out, and the material is presented in a clear and logical manner. Sometimes it is not immediately obvious what behavior is on display in a given picture, but this can be very hard to capture well in still photography. Even in those cases where the photograph can be hard to decipher, the text accompanying the picture is usually sufficient to understand what the author has in mind.

Despite some minor flaws and the age of the book (20 years as of this review), Caro's Book of Poker Tells is still one of the most important poker books ever written, and it's great that this book is still in print. While this book will certainly be more relevant to live players than it will to the online game, its principles are timeless and are likely to be of benefit for any alert poker player in any poker game. There are multiple poker books available on every aspect of poker except for tells. One reason for this is because there is still little room for improvement on Caro's landmark work. Largely as a consequence of this, too little has been changed or added to make it necessary for someone who owns the original edition of this book to need to upgrade. However, no poker library would be complete without a copy of this book.

Capsule:

Although I don't believe that every bit of information in this book is important or even useful, this is one of the absolute classics of poker scholarship, and every serious poker player should read and study its contents. Even though the game may have changed in the last 20 years, the contents of Caro's Book of Poker Tells is still entirely relevant. Over this time period, the book itself hasn't changed much, so folks who have the original edition do not need to buy a new one.

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