Customer Reviews

Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

This book reads more like a seminar summary than a real book, which isn't surprising, because that's what it is.

What was surprising, to me (given the excellent reviews on this site) was the almost total lack of concrete, useful, practical information of the sort found in Ruben's "Win At Poker" (a much better--and cheaper--book). Caro tells you that when faced with a marginal decision, you need to incorporate more information--but he doesn't tell you what a marginal decision might be, and what sort of extra information you should look for.

Maybe there are people this book will be useful for, but I wasn't one of them. If you don't already know how to calculate pot odds, what the odds against improving are for each given hand, how to calculate when you call or raise, then I'd strongly recommend that you get the Rubens book instead. Maybe I'll come back to this book later and get something out of it, but as a player who knew the rules and little of strategy, I found it almost useless.

As a beginner/intermediate player, I found the pace just right. It was an easy read that CLEARLY left me a better player - and isn't that what it's all about? The book is a seminar condensed to text form. Caro uses "billboards" in the book just like he would on a chalk board at one of his seminars to emphasize clean points. By the time you're done reading this, you'll understand that winning poker is all about knowing which way to go on "borderline" decisions. There is also a small, but interesting section on "tells" that brings an awareness to the novice about what other players at the table might be thinking. Clearly for the beginner or intermediate player, it will be a good review for some, and nothing short of an eye-opener for many others. For a beginner, it takes away that naked feeling of walking into a game with great uncertainty - a game that feels like mostly luck and gut feelings. For an intermediate player, it should clarify some decisions while giving them an overall edge they may have lacked. Even the intermediate player should have a more cohesive plan and play with more authority to "own" his table. I wanted to give this 5 stars, but I felt it should have had some kind of a test or review (ie, sample hands, fill-in or mult choice decision questions, etc.) Nonethless, if you want to improve your game, you shouldn't pass this one up. I review the book occasionally in just a few minutes to keep myself grounded and focused on the task of playing WINNING poker.

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.

Before I leave my house for one of the local card rooms, I always flip through this book. Caro presents all of his thoughts in a vary concise manner while highlighting all of the important points. If you read all of the highlighted text before stepping out the door, your game will improve. Also, unlike other books, I was surprised at how well his thoughts apply to all forms of poker, not just Hold Em or Stud. I think that this is a book that should belong in every serious poker player's library.

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.

I found this book to be very helpful with the mental aspects of poker. It gives some valuable advice on what you should be thinking when involved in games. The section on body language was helpful, but I would wait and get Caro's full length book on the subject.

Mike Caro clearly goes over winning tactics for poker in general as well as specific games. The information in this book would not serve an expert well at all, but for a beginner I would recommend it.

This book I think doesn't get as much press or attention as many other books out there, but I think that is because to the non poker player, Mike Caro is not a household name like Brunson may be.

Don't let that discourage you. This book is full of pieces of information that I feel will make any players game better after having seen them.

Don't pick this book up as one of your first books, but I think if you are a fairly experienced player, and have a good grounding in poker (specifically Texas Hold 'em), this book will improve your game.

I think this is possibly the most influential book I have ever read, but you be the judge. If you're uncertain, pick it up at a book store and read a few pages at random and see what you think.

i loved this book. its a quik read packed with a lot of great advice. if you like caro's seminar style ( such as what he posted in the super system 2 book ) then you will love this. he uses the blackboard style where he states a point on the blackboard and then goes on to further explain it. few ideas that you wont commonly find other places. he is a math and theory wizz, and he definatly knows how to keep you entertained while he is teaching you his poker knowladge. i love caro's style of writing and i look forward to hunting down more of his books.