Customer Reviews:
good for what it does, but..........2007-08-05
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.
Good Book.......2007-08-03
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.
Good Book.......2007-07-16
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.
Basic Poker Information.......2007-05-09
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.
Great book.......2007-05-07
The mad genius knows his stuff. great book to add to your poker library.
Book Description
This is the fascinating account of former world champion Bobby Baldwin's early career playing poker in roadhouses and against other poker legends and his meteoric rise to the championship. It is interspersed with important lessons on what makes a great player tick and how he approaches the game. Mike Caro, a poker great himself, and Baldwin, both of whom are co-authors of the classic Doyle Brunson's Super System, cover the common mistakes average players make at seven poker variations and the dynamic winning concepts they must employ to win. Endorsed by poker legends and superstars Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim.
Customer Reviews:
Not as Entertaining or as Informative as it Should Be.......2007-04-20
This is a slightly re-worked version of Mr. Baldwin's book of the same title published shortly after he won the wold series of poker main event in '78. The forward indicates there was a big demand for an updated reprint, although I wonder why (see below).
The book consists of a memoir of Bobby's gambling and playing days, starting as a schoolboy and working through winning the main event. At key points in the story, when he encounters a new poker game for the first time or runs into a common gambling problem, it waxes pedantic and gives the reader advice on that particular game or issue.
The problem with this book, and the reason I give it such a poor rating, is that it's not really any good as a memoir or poker manual. It flops on both fronts.
The memoir side isn't particularly interesting. Instead of recounting gambling tales that would be interesting to the reader (as Doyle does in his excellent Wisdom of a Poker Champion), it covers events from his personal life that were important to him (ie. wooing his various girlfriends) but that are just plain boring for the reader. This pattern is repeated throughout the memoir with one exception: the tale of how a group of kidnappers/killers almost ended his life (and did kill several others) over a gambling fortune they thought Baldwin had was engrossing. But most of the rest is banal - him driving somewhere and almost running out of gas, stuff like that. Unfortunately, the writing is not particularly good, so getting through the slow parts is even more of a chore.
As a poker manual, the book is likewise poor. It gives about 2 pages of very general information about each of the poker games popular at the time, many of which aren't commonly played today. The advice is OK as far as it goes, but isn't detailed enough to comfortably sit in even the lowest limit versions of those games. In that sense it is far inferior to what you could learn by reading the Supersystem chapters on the same games (all of which appear in the original Supersystem, not Supersystem II). This book probably once filled a niche for a low cost, low-content book covering a range of games, back when Supersystem cost $100 (in 1980's money). But now Supersystem costs a fraction of that, the standards for poker instruction manuals have risen 100-fold, and this book is at the back of the pack.
There is one section of this book that I do feel is worth your time: Bobby goes into some depth on the perils of extending credit to your gambling opponents, and provides some good advice how to make sure you get paid if/when you do. Everything he says on the topic is spot-on, and I think that one section may be worth the price of the book for some readers. If you've got a lending-related leak, then I would say this is a 5-star book for you since one bad loan prevented would easily pay the cover price.
Unfortunately, one good section doens't make for a good book. In retrospect I wish I had spent my money on something else and that I could get a "refund" for the time spend reading the 90% that was neither interesting nor informative.
Classic tales and lessons that are still applicable today.......2004-12-03
Bobby Baldwin was a big-bet winner and was respected and feared by everyone we played, including all the "legends" like Doyle. The average or new fan to poker should note that this book went out of print for a long time and was very hard to get a hold of! There are no magic bullet secrets in this book (as it may imply) but the lessons taught about poker and life apply in Baldwin's time as it does now.
This is a fascinating account of former world poker champion Bobby Baldwin's meteoric rise to the championship. Covers everything from his early days playing poker in dangerous roadhouses to his high-stakes poker games against other poker legends.
You Can Always Learn From A Champion.......2004-08-24
I enjoyed reading about Bobby Baldwin's rise to the WSOP Championship back in the 1970's. I don't want to tell you much because it defeats the purpose of getting the book other than this:
A. There is poker information in the book. Nowhere near as much detail as Super-System, Sklansky's books, or the Cloutier/McEvoy books. However, every bit of information from a World Champion who now runs the MGM Grand, The Mirage, Bellagio, etc. etc. etc. is useful.
B. Baldwin's life is pretty interesting, and you'll find that his road to becoming the WSOP Champion is quite surprising. I would never have suspected his life had so many twists and turns. It makes for a good read.
C. The book doesn't disclose much after he "retired" and went to work for Steve Wynn at the Golden Nugget other than to say he rose up the ranks quickly, worked at the Mirage, then the Bellagio, and Kirk Kerkorian kept him on when MGM bought everything up. Nor does it say what his motivation was for getting a job.
I think that would have been an interesting subject to cover considering Baldwin didn't need a "regular" job unless he had lost all desire for the game at that time. What were the motivations of a professional poker player to leave the game? I know Baldwin is rumored to play in high stakes side games from time to time still - I'm sure that's probably been part of his job to entertain clients, but why he left the poker scene is a question I'd like to see answered from a professional/personal viewpoint. That kind of insight could literally be applied to every session of poker: Knowing when to quit.
I gave it four stars because I enjoyed Baldwin's story and I felt it had quite a few pieces of useful poker information. Whether it's about bankroll, game theory, starting hands, etc.
There's enough in here that if you pay attention to what Baldwin went through (I.E. Pay attention to when Baldwin gives up betting on sports.) that you'll figure out how to become a better professional poker player in the long run.
Book Description
The foremost authority on Omaha and poker's top theorist team up on this power-packed book on winning money at hold'em and Omaha, the two most popular poker games played today. More than 100 sections detail winning concepts and professional secrets. Tons of examples, winning concepts, odds charts, pull-out concepts, key observations, and detailed play options and examples make this one of the most important poker books ever written.
Customer Reviews:
Two Fatal Flaws; One Good Thing.......2007-08-26
This book is misrepresented. It is not written by Mike Cappelletti and Mike Caro. It is written by Mike Cappelletti, with Caro sanitizing only the first half on Texas Hold'em. In the introduction Caro says he didn't touch the Omaha section, relieving it of his discipline and mathematical validation. This is a great disappointment for his insights into Omaha play would be invaluable, should he ever deign to share them. It's a major reason I bought the book, only to be let down.
Second, this book was twelve years old when it was published, even by the authors' admission. It is on limit Hold'em and Omaha, not no-limit / pot-limit. Twelve years ago - even five - limit was the most popular form of Texas Hold'em, and all books were only on how to play it. Today, no-limit has far surpassed limit, and it's hard to find a limit Omaha game. Even Omaha high-low is mostly played pot limit. (But if you want to see something funny, such as all 10 players in all the way to the river, sit in on a limit Omaha game. If you can find one.)
If you are interested in limit Hold'em and Omaha, this is possibly the best book I've seen. The instructions are clear, smart, and well founded. You will get a much better idea of what you're looking for, what you can expect, and what you're trying to accomplish for both games than poker books.
But whether in Europe or the US, Omaha has always been by far mostly played pot limit. It's even rather silly to play it otherwise. And despite the author's assertions that much of limit strategy can be transferred to no limit, there are significant differences.
This book is a disappointment for not giving accurate authorship nor admitted its limit limitation. The latter didn't matter 12 years ago, but matters a lot today.
But one little inset box on page 69 may make this book worth the price for many players: an operative definition of aggressive play.
All poker authors do the same thing: describe a tight entry strategy, then say, "But play aggressively." That's like saying, "Be happy," or, "Don't be mad." How do you "be" anything? Most of us can barely control what we do. If I could control my being I'd be a saint, or possibly a god.
In Super System 1, Doyle Brunson is at least a little more helpful. He adds, "But don't be foolish."
But in Mastering Hold'em and Omaha Poker, on page 69, Mike Caro tosses in a description to give the reader some idea of what is meant by these references to aggressive play. It's well worth reading.
better than cappelletti's last omaha book.......2007-08-11
this book seems to have really been written by mike cappelletti, and the impression otherwise is misleading, if not disingenuous. (though presumably there is some publishing rule which was followed to accomplish this? likewise, if, inconsistently with the text itself, caro and cappelletti actually did co-write the main text, that also should have been clarified.) what was written by caro are little "tidbits" in blocked greyed type. (caro's notes, while sparse relative to the text, appear to be worthwhile and are a bit more straightforward than the more enigmatic approach of the text's apparent true author.)
at the same time, caro's page sized charts of hand play seemed like a big waste of space. does one really need over half a page taken up solely by the blank side of every player's playing cards? also, figuring out the play of the hand on these over sized charts (explained as well in the appendix, but I urge you not to "cheat" and consult therein) could be looked at one of at least two ways. a bonus exercise in problem solving, or a pain in the buttockia. what makes it amusing is that it seems that the point of using a whole page to convey a hand lay out that could be easily conveyed in a fraction of the space, would be for the sake of simplicity and clarity, not the opposite.
the Hold em section is not reviewed here, since there are so many books on hold em, and so few on Omaha. that said, so far the Hold em section seems like a worthwhile read.
while the Omaha sections contain their share of stating the obvious type filler sentences, cappelletti also includes a large amount of the opposite; that is, advanced or thoughtful concepts expressed far more succinctly than perhaps many readers may like. however, the side result of this is that the book also, indirectly, gets one to think about the game a bit more as one tries to figure out what he may mean. (also, note that the book covers both Omaha, and Omaha hi low, which one would not necessarily get from the title.) while this may seem like a drawback, it may not be, particularly as the book is not written for beginner or neophyte Omaha play, and sometimes thinking about conclusions rather than just inadvertently trying to memorize or "learn" them, can be as, if not more productive.
thus, the author also presumes a lot of knowledge, including on hand selection. this last would seem to be reasonable, given that hand selection (and how to play those hands pre flop) is a fairly elementary concept, not a "master" concept. but on the other hand, many players do not seem to understand it in Omaha. (although that again may be semi purposeful or self reinforcing on their part, as many players, online at least, play hands that are so atrocious (which can be okay), and then over play them post flop to incorrect odds (which is not), that one wonders how they do not manage to bankrupt their roll. some in the so called tin foil hat club may more reasonably suspect that it is possible that this is because some online play may not in fact be truly random -- whether done purposefully or more likely by unacknowledged imperfections in the idea of computer generated randomness at certain levels of play (and/or whatever is being used as input data), a question that given the popularity of poker has seen surprisingly little erudite and COMPREHENSIVE, rather than incomplete and overly presumptive, analysis).
so if one can follow what cappelletti means, or, perhaps even better, at least figure something out which the reader thinks he may mean, there is a good bit of helpful and even advanced analysis in the book.
Another thing which cappelletti does which is somewhat unusual, and very helpful, is that he helps the reader think more about the overall situation and impressions, and how that might play into overall strategy as well as the play of individual hands. as a result, his analysis is not overly formulaic, but helps the reader not only to potentially absorb some interesting ideas, but learn to think about the game itself more broadly.
in sum, while this book, which by virtue of its double bifurcated subject approach only devotes about a quarter each to Omaha hi and Omaha hi low, may leave different readers with vastly different impressions, overall, it seems to be a worthwhile read for the non neophyte Omaha player.
one non poker point, which may seem picayune. but do poker authors sometimes not believe in editors? maybe certain types of grammatical or editing mistakes may lend a little salty coolness to poker books. but confusing "than" and "then" is not among them. while these terms get botched on occasion (or inadvertently when in a hurry, but "then," if one is in a hurry this may be more productive "than," as with many grammatical errors, taking the time to edit), to make this mistake in a published book is petty sloppy. while cappelletti's book seems to be worthwhile and add to the overall quality of information and thought on this game, there are a lot of crap books out there on almost every subject, written by seemingly anybody and everybody with an opinion. not that this is necessarily bad, as what is "good" is ultimately subjective, and it should be this way at least when it comes to opportunity (although a lot of trash, particularly in other subject areas, most notably politics, tends to cover up far better AND MORE ACCURATE material). but what is not subjective is editing for basic mistakes. and this book makes a pretty bad one.
Book Description
When Mike Caro writes a book on winning, the poker world takes notice. And it should: Caro is the world's foremost authority on poker theory and psychology, and his work has influenced every professional player including Doyle Brunson, who relies on Caro for all his writing. Caro¿s powerful advice covers every aspect of poker with a special emphasis on winning money at hold¿em. Packed with psychology, advice on reading opponents, advanced moves, professional techniques, and much more, this includes pecial sections on internet poker and tournaments.
Customer Reviews:
overlooked gem in poker books..........2005-11-08
This is one of my early poker books and rereading it once or twice a year reminds me why I like it so much. It is a quick and easy read full of reminders and "fundamental" poker ideas that are part of every game. Unlike some of the other reviews, I think this is quite good and a useful compliment to any poker library. It is well priced too unlike the flood of Sklansky-wanna-be-overpriced "clone" books which have flooded the market lately. (don't confuse my comment-the Sklansky books are very good but he set the pricing bar pretty high and many hacks feel they can get the same money for lesser quality work)This book is geared primarily for the beginning to intermediate player but is useful as a refresher for anyone who wants to get better. It is a very general book and does lightly address many topics but that is what the title tells you- it is a book about fundamentals(read "basics") of poker not an advanced course. So if you love poker and are starting a poker book library, add this one you won't be disappointed.
For the middle stakes players of medium experience.......2005-04-02
Mike Caro--or "MJC" as he was known in the early days in the clubs in Gardena, California where he was the king of the rounders--has always been an enigmatic figure in the poker world. Never a world-class player like Doyle Brunson or Bobby Baldwin--to name two from the older generation--and never a great theoretician like David Sklansky, Caro nonetheless became one of the game's great celebrities mainly due to his fine talent for self-promotion.
I was once told by a middle level professional that Mike was "a terrible player." This guy ought to know since he propped the games at the California clubs and had played against MJC many times. However the truth is Mike was and is a very good player. His problem was one that often afflicts great minds in many different fields, that of boredom. One often had the sense when playing against the self-styled "Mad Genius of Poker" that the game was too slow for him and that the challenges weren't really challenging enough, and he had to do something to liven up the game or--and this was almost always his ultimate goal--to "take over the table," psychologically speaking.
And so Mike would make the most astonishing plays--good and bad--spectacular calls and lay-downs, such as calling with a skinny pair of jacks at the showdown or showing a seemingly winning hand and tossing it away without calling. His most famous play at draw poker was to raise the opener before the draw, stand pat, and then when the betting came around to him expose his worthless hand WITHOUT betting. I heard one of the regulars in the old twenty-straight draw game remark, "Why doesn't he just mail me a check?"
But she did not understand Mike's logic. Another player, a very good one, did understood very well what Caro was about, as revealed in his pointed comment: "I'll tell you one thing about Mike Caro. He always deserves a call."
With his talent for showmanship and his desire to do more than just play cards, it wasn't surprising that as the hold'em and seven-card stud games became legal in California in the eighties, Mike would become the preeminent entrepreneur of poker through his seminars and his assumption of the "Mad Genius" persona. He gave lectures, made poker videoes, wrote books and magazine articles, and found inclusion as the draw poker authority in Doyle Brunson's original SuperSystem book from the seventies. This book amounts to a collection of essays based on some of the seminar classes from what he eventually styled as his "University of Poker."
All in all, Mike has done well for himself at the game. The question is, has he done well for his students? My answer is a qualified yes. In this book (not to be taken as an introductory text, by the way) he offers excellent advice for the small and middle stakes player. His qualities as a motivational speaker come through very well. His booster-like enthusiasm and his self-help, psychological approach will benefit many. Contrary to what some other reviewers have written, this is an easy book to read with some worthwhile advice. Some examples:
"Calling as the big blind. It's much more profitable to play if your call closes the action." (p. 135) What Caro means is that either there was no raise or the raiser was to your immediate left so that no raise or reraise is possible. This is an important concept. If you call a raise from the button after a couple of other players have limped in from early seats you are not only in danger of a reraise after your call, but if it is reraised, the reraiser in an early seat probably has a big hand.
"When everyone checks on the flop, then again on 4th Street, you can steal a lot of pots from the last position." (p. 98) Actually if everybody checks twice, you might have the best hand with little to nothing. A more sophisticated observation on this situation is that if anybody in the last position bets, you can steal more than a few pots by raising that bettor!
On the same page there is this (written in large white letters in a black box as on a chalkboard--as though Mike IS giving a lecture, perhaps with baton in hand): "When you bet from the last position on the flop, you can often see your whole hand for free!" This is Mike's way of expressing the "how to get a free card" concept. Usually this is explained in a situation where it has been bet on the flop and you are last with a drawing hand. You raise so that everyone will check to you on 4th Street. Then, if you make your hand, you bet, and if you miss, you just check and give yourself a free card.
Mike is right though, in passive games (which he always loved) many players will check to you on 4th Street after you have bet the flop, and you can just check behind them and see the river card for free.
One more: "Many skilled players suffer from FPS (Fancy Play Syndrome). They'd rather impress weak opponents with unexpected plays than beat them with the obvious winning strategy. Avoid FPS." Here Mike could be self-analyzing. But he's right of course.
This is mostly about hold'em, but there is some tournament strategy in the book, and Caro has a chapter on seven-card stud and another on seven-card hi-lo. His chapter on the subject of money management (which I like to call "self-management," since it is all about staying in the game and not going broke) is excellent.
All in all this book is definitely worthwhile, but will be somewhat mysterious in places to the absolute beginner, and too fundamental for the experienced professional.
Excellent Refresher For Any Poker Player.......2005-01-07
This is not one of those how-to books for beginning players. It is, however, a good grouping of tips and other things you might have already known - just put in a different light. It includes all the information from Caro's seminar videos, plus all the stuff they cut out to make them 90 minutes long. If you liked the videos, you love the book.
'Caro's Secrets' are just that - secrets.......2004-02-15
Caro's secrets are still secrets to me. Actually there are very good points and ideas in this book, but the book is poorly written. It might take several reads per topic to figure each one out. Mike should keep his day job and let someone else do his writing for him.
Caro's other book, 'Poker Tells', has the same problem - good ideas but difficult to read.
There are better books for the casual player.......2003-05-03
I managed to read this book in detail in well under 2 hours with a deck of cards handy to check things out. However, I never needed the cards as this book doesn't go into descriptions of hands or offer me a chance to practice odds. Instead it felt like what it is: a transcription of a seminar delivered by a poker playing eccentric complete with big bold statements like "MOST of your profit in poker comes from borderline decisions" written on an chalkboard. Did it offer me some things to think about as a once a month casual player ? Sure. Did it improve my game ? I don't think so. I've gotten much more about reading early hand position and understanding my opponents behavior out of Steiners Thursday Night Poker than I did from this book.
Average customer rating:
- Somewhat outdated - but then again numbers don't change!
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Caro on Gambling
Mike Caro
Manufacturer: Gambling Times
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Customer Reviews:
Somewhat outdated - but then again numbers don't change!.......2000-04-03
Some of the essays here are no longer relevant, particularly the section, "The Computer Age" and some of the primers on Poker, i.e. Five Card Draw and Lowball Draw. Conversely, this book will start to teach you how to think about gambling and positive expectation. It is a good introduction to how some concepts of probability are manifest in gambling. The most notable example of this is Caro's Conception, which is rather simple but certainly counter intuitive for most of us at first sight. The article on Poker: Some Things to Consider is also quite good for giving clues as to how to discipline your thought for making decisions while playing.
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12 days to hold 'em succe$$
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- New games? Where are all the games?
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New Poker Games
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Customer Reviews:
New games? Where are all the games?.......2004-03-26
I was suprised at how few games this 137 page book contains, 10 total. I have come up with more new poker games in 30 mins with friends than this book offered. It takes him 14 pages on how to play Follow the Queen, could have been done in 2. This book is all fluff. Come up with your own games, this book offers nothing for those looking to branch out.
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Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play
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