Books on Poker Tells

Reading Poker Tells will teach you how professional poker players analyze the facial expressions, body posture, physical gestures, and verbal statements of opponents in a live poker game. More importantly, it provides a mental framework for thinking about and remembering poker tells by emphasizing how common situations can be similar or different, such as the significant difference between a Post-Bet situation and a Waiting-For-Action situation. The book also offers tips on general poker psychology, including methods for deceiving and manipulating opponents, and ways to stay “unreadable.” Many readers have found that the greatest value they got from this book was in being able to eliminate some common tells they were unknowingly displaying.

Gordon guides readers through hands he has encountered in various settings, including cash games, different stages of tournaments, Sit & Gos, satellites, supersatellites, and the World Series of Poker final table, revealing not only his plays but also the reasoning behind them. He shares insights into a pro’s thought process in every situation, whether it’s a timely bluff or a questionable call, and helps players calculate their own best moves in high-pressure situations. Through analyzing specific hands, Gordon also imparts valuable lessons in key poker skills such as calculating odds, shorthanded play, and discovering tells, while discussing memorable plays—both good and bad—and explaining how certain hands should have been played differently.

This comprehensive gaming guide is a must-have for serious biweekly or monthly poker players looking to elevate their game. The book dedicates entire chapters to essential topics such as calculating probabilities, estimating odds, mastering the art of bluffing and detecting bluffs, and reading opponents’ down cards. With clear, concise writing and helpful illustrations throughout, this instructional book offers valuable insights and strategies that players of all skill levels can benefit from. Whether you’re a beginner looking to build a solid foundation or an experienced player seeking to refine your techniques, this guide provides the tools and knowledge needed to succeed at the poker table.

Verbal Poker Tells, is a  guide on how poker players inadvertently disclose details about their hands through speech. This work draws from a variety of popular poker broadcasts such as The World Series of Poker and High Stakes Poker, offering insights into players’ verbal cues. Critics have praised the book highly, with Tommy Angelo highlighting its unique and invaluable content, Andrew Brokos likening it to a detailed study of poker players’ verbal slip-ups, and Mason Malmuth affirming its immediate and long-term utility in improving one’s poker strategy.

“Exploiting Poker Tells” marks the final installment in Zachary Elwood’s highly praised trilogy, Reading Poker Tells. This book sheds light on the practical aspects of poker, tackling questions such as the factors behind successful poker reads, which behaviors are crucial during decision-making, and which can be disregarded and the reasons for it. It not only reinforces concepts from his earlier works but also introduces new ideas, offering insights into common opponent behaviors. J. Hase mentions in an Amazon review, “The only books that I absolutely will not share with my poker buddies.” Similarly, Dan Podheiser highlights the book’s effectiveness in providing strategies for understanding opponent tendencies.

Poker is a game that many people play, but few excel in, as success requires a great deal of work, study, and a deep understanding of the concepts that govern winning play. While it is fairly easy to win at poker by playing tight and sticking to easy games, usually those prevalent at low limits, this strategy won’t allow you to do much better than minimum wage. However, a small number of players, the experts, have mastered the proper skills and have done their share of thinking, enabling them to achieve much greater success. This text contains essays written by the author from 1996 through early 2001, covering topics such as General Concepts, Technical Ideas, Strategic Ideas, In the Cardrooms, Hands to Talk About, The Ciaffone Quiz, and Two More Quizzes. Additionally, it offers advice on which game to play, controlling steaming, marginal hands, selecting the best game, bluffing, unusual strategies, raising with suited connectors, keeping poker honest, reading hands, checking aces, and much more. As with the first two books in this series, Poker Essays, Volume III is designed to make the reader do a great deal of thinking. While very few readers will agree with everything this text offers, the information provided should help most people become better poker players.

Winning at poker doesn’t necessarily require memorizing all the mathematical possibilities of every hand. Instead, playing smart is a simpler approach. This involves focusing more on the actions and reactions of other players rather than just your own hand. By mastering intimidation and concealment tactics, you can take control of the entire table situation. Over time, you can pick up on the subtle hints given by even the most stoic players, revealing their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. These bluffing techniques are easy to master and can lead to more wins than you ever imagined. Additionally, you can use these skills to demand a raise or confront a troublemaker.

This book is considered one of the top ten poker books ever written and is a must-have for any serious player’s collection. The author, Caro, shares the secrets of reading tells – physical reactions that give away a player’s hand – including shrugs, sighs, shaky hands, eye contact, and more. By understanding these tells, you can determine when opponents are bluffing or not, based solely on their behavior. The book features over 170 photos of players and play-by-play examples of these tells in action. These insights will provide you with a significant advantage.

An essential guide for card players of all levels, from beginners eager to learn the game from the ground up to experienced poker enthusiasts looking to unlock the secrets of legendary players. Written by a genuine poker champion, this comprehensive handbook offers crucial advice and information on reading opponents based on their card handling, understanding the rules and etiquette of the poker table, identifying and avoiding “maniacs” with a breakdown of poker terminology, and finding the best locations for aspiring poker players, including an introduction to online gambling. Presented in a clear and informative style, the book covers all the fundamental aspects of the main poker variations, helping readers learn everything they need to know to confidently join their first tournament or cash game, including betting strategies, card selection, poker etiquette, and the crucial role of position.

A guide that covers all the essential poker games, including the popular Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, Five-Card Stud, and Five-Card Draw, as well as more unique variations like Baseball (and Night Baseball), High-Low, Roll Your Own, Guts, and High/Low Chicago. The book is packed with insider tips to help players elevate their game, such as reading opponents’ bluffs, identifying bluffers, analyzing the game, and deciphering poker slang, making it an indispensable resource for both novice and experienced players looking to dominate their Monday night poker games.

A comprehensive guide catering to both novice and experienced poker players. It covers a wide range of essential topics, from the basics of the game to advanced strategies employed by poker legends. The book offers valuable insights on reading opponents’ behaviors, proper table etiquette, and understanding poker terminology. It also includes tips on identifying aggressive players and avoiding financial pitfalls. Additionally, the guide provides a useful glossary of poker jargon and features an extensive list of top casinos across the UK, Europe, and the US, making it an all-encompassing resource for anyone looking to improve their poker skills and knowledge.

The author has packed a lot of information into this book, designed for both beginning and seasoned players, covering seven-card stud and hold’em. The subtitle, “The Four Basic Rules and Strategies for Winning at the Game of Poker,” is covered in the second chapter. The remaining chapters include “Poker Strategies for How to Win More Often and Win More $,” “Poker Strategies for Special Situations,” “Rules and Strategies for Texas Hold’em,” “The Psychology of Poker” (also the title of Epstein’s first book), “Making an Allowance for Recommendations for Tipping/Showing Your Appreciation,” and “For Seniors: Playing Poker for Fun, $, and Good Health.” Special chapters have been contributed by Dr. Daniel E. Abrams. On the cover, Epstein states, “Play by these four simple basic rules and the strategies, and you will come away a winner most of the time — perhaps three out of four sessions or more.”

In “Beyond Bluffs,” James A. McKenna, a poker columnist and psychotherapist, guides you to enhance your poker strategy by mastering the art of reading your opponents as well as you do your cards. By acquiring these advanced interpersonal skills, you will be adept at identifying when an opponent is bluffing and deciding on the most effective bluffs to counter with. Furthermore, you’ll gain the ability to anticipate the thought processes and reactions of various player types in any gaming scenario, all by playing your opponents with the same expertise as you play your hand.

Play Poker Like the Pros is a comprehensive guide on how to play and win at modern poker games such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Razz. Even if you’re a novice who has never handled a deck of cards, Hellmuth’s book will guide you through the rules and setup of each game, followed by basic and advanced strategies. He instructs on when to play certain hands, bluff, raise, or fold, and offers techniques for reading opponents and maintaining composure under stress. The book also includes special sections on conquering online poker games and a behind-the-scenes look at tournament play. Hellmuth’s strategies are designed to help you triumph over any type of player, from the unpredictable Jackal and the overzealous Elephant, to the conservative Mouse and the skilled Lion.

This is a groundbreaking poker guide that delves into the psychological aspect of the game, revealing the long-guarded secrets of reading opponents’ body language. With over 170 photographs, this book teaches players how to interpret the subtle cues and behaviors that can give away the strength of an opponent’s hand. By mastering these tells, players can gain a significant edge at the table, knowing when to raise, call, or fold based on their opponents’ actions. The book emphasizes that poker is not just a game of cards, but a game of psychology played with cards, and understanding the players is just as crucial as understanding the odds. Mike Caro’s Book of Tells is an essential resource for any serious poker player looking to take their game to the next level by unlocking the hidden secrets of their opponents’ behavior.

This book is considered one of the top ten on poker and is essential for every player’s collection. It’s a must-have if you aim to win, as it teaches that a significant portion of profit stems from the ability to read your opponents. By revealing the secrets of interpreting tells – the physical reactions that provide insights into a player’s hand, like shrugs, sighs, shaky hands, and eye contact, among others, Caro shows how to discern when opponents are bluffing or not, based on their behavior alone. With over 170 photos depicting players in the midst of action and examples of play-by-play scenarios, the book demonstrates real-life tells. These insights are powerful tools for gaining a decisive advantage, teaching you to understand the significance of opponents’ mannerisms, whether they’re bluffing or not, and the reasons behind their actions.

Beat the Donks explores the world of low-stakes No-Limit Hold’em games in Las Vegas, focusing on players known as “Donks” who frequently make predictable errors. These players, characterized by their repeated mistakes and refusal to adjust their strategies, become easy targets for those who know how to exploit these flaws. The book outlines common errors made by Donks, such as excessive limping, playing too many hands, and poor bet sizing, among others. It also highlights telltale signs that can give them away. Rather than a basic guide to No Limit Hold’em, this publication assumes readers have a grasp of the game and its terminology, aiming instead to enhance their skills by identifying opportunities to take advantage of Donks’ repetitive mistakes.

Prepare for the accelerated pace and intensity of online poker. Abandon your live-game strategy to develop a killer internet game. Learn to pick up online tells and decrease the margins for error. Avoid common pitfalls and bankroll cripplers. Understand online cheater tactics to stop them.

A unique poker book that focuses on playing against the typical amateur and “calling station” players frequently found in low stakes games, rather than the high stakes professionals that most books are written by and for. The author recognizes that the advice given by high stakes pros often doesn’t apply to the majority of players who face unorthodox opponents chasing every hand to the river. This book aims to help intermediate players who already understand the basic rules and hand values of Texas Hold’em become consistent winners in small stakes cash games, both in casinos and online. It covers all aspects of poker, including math, tells, game theory, card selection, and more, while presenting proven techniques that have generated a 30% return on investment for the author over the past decade. With this book, players will never again become frustrated with unconventional opponents at the low stakes tables.

This new expanded edition provides a comprehensive insight into the thought processes and decision-making strategies of professional poker players. It offers valuable information and guidance on a wide range of complex topics. Krieger emphasizes the significance of making the right decisions, the necessity of patience and position, the flop, and the different stages of the game. He also discusses common errors, strategies for playing in aggressive games, tells, and much more.

Being a successful live cash player requires more than just playing the hand correctly. It demands a range of other skills, which are taught by top-ranking professional poker player, Jonathan Little. Known as one of the game’s best instructors, Jonathan has a unique knack for simplifying complex poker concepts. His teachings include strategies such as when to adopt a loose/aggressive or tight/aggressive approach, when a passive strategy can yield the most profit, and how to identify subtle tells to accurately gauge player types. He also covers essential topics like bankroll management, game selection, and emotional control.

The book is a follow-up to his previous works, the Little Green Book and Little Blue Book, and focuses on providing advanced strategies and lessons for mastering the game of poker. It covers various aspects of the game, including hand analysis, betting strategies, bluffing, and reading opponents. The book is designed for experienced poker players who want to take their game to the next level and gain an edge over their competition. It incorporates modern poker concepts and strategies, reflecting the evolution of the game in the era of online poker and televised tournaments.

Ever pondered the thought process of a poker champion when a massive bet threatens his tournament survival? Jonathan Little, a two-time World Poker Tour Champion with over $6,000,000 in career winnings, shares his strategic insights. He not only reveals how he won $22,678 in the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event but also explains the rationale behind each critical move in 54 specific hands. This book, structured as a quiz, challenges you to reassess your standard poker strategy and modify it significantly based on your opponents’ habits. By scrutinizing your choices, you can enhance your poker skills and boost your table earnings. The book also provides details on how to access Jonathan’s Tournament Cheat Sheet.

The Pocket Idiot’s Guide® to Poker Tells is designed to help amateur poker players understand and interpret the subtle clues their opponents may inadvertently reveal. These clues, ranging from a tapping foot to a change in vocal tone, can inform a savvy player about the cards an opponent holds and their potential strategies. The world’s most skilled poker players excel at reading these minor expressions and behaviors, despite their opponents’ best efforts to conceal them. By explaining how to recognize and use these tells, this guide aims to develop players’ poker intuition.

Beyond Tells is about understanding and mastering the psychological aspects of poker. Tells are the subtle cues and behaviors that players exhibit at the table, often unconsciously, that can reveal information about their hand or their intentions. The book aims to help players improve their poker game by teaching them how to read their opponents’ tells, control their own tells, and use this information to make better decisions at the table. It covers topics such as body language, betting patterns, and emotional control, and provides practical advice and strategies for incorporating these psychological elements into one’s poker game.

The Rough Guide to Poker is a comprehensive guide to the world’s most popular card game. It traces the game’s history from its inception on Mississippi riverboats to the current surge in online play and televised tournaments. The guide also highlights the game’s allure, glamour, and infamy, featuring famous poker personalities like Johnny Moss, Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Richard Nixon, Brad Pitt, and Ben Affleck. It also acknowledges the growing popularity of female players, such as actress Linda Fiorentino who secured her role in Men In Black through a poker game. The guide explores the global interest in poker, from its appearance in recent films to its prevalence on celebrity TV poker. It provides detailed instructions on various game versions, insider tips, and strategies for success. It also includes a comprehensive glossary of poker terms and recommends the best places to play, from Las Vegas casinos to top online sites.

Joe Navarro, a world-class observer, presents an impressive collection of 200 most frequently seen poker tells. This guide, which is perfect for both beginners and professionals, is based on his extensive experience in studying poker players. It’s a straightforward, no-nonsense guide to poker tells, just as poker players like it. The information is conveniently organized by sections of the audio, making it easy to navigate.