Read 'em and Reap

Read 'em and Reap
Joe Navarro, Marvin Karlins (Phil Hellmuth presents)
HarperCollins
2006
ISBN-10: 0-06-119859-5
18.95

     Read 'em and Reap is a 198 page book about reading a players body language to get a 'read' on the strength of their hand.  This is a book for the live game player.  It has almost nothing to do with online play.  However, if you are a live game player, for you this book goes way beyond Caro's Book of Poker Tells.  Not only does it give some examples of what a particular 'tell' means, but it dives into the reasoning behind it.
     Picking up tells is very difficult, and even if you have a tell on a player, it can be deceptive.  This book helps you to figure out what the players actions mean and why.  The ideas and philosophy stated does not make it easy for you, it makes you aware, so that you can begin to learn how to pick them up.  Tells are a difficult part of the game, especially if you go from years of online play and jump to the live game.  Frankly the surroundings and extra stimulii of the live game made it difficult for me to transition.  This book has helped to bridge the gap for me.  It is very indepth, very readable and I felt left very little out.  Actual applied example:  On a short handed table, in mid position I raised 4 times the blind with A9 suited.  Everyone folded around to to the blind who pushed all in.  Applying things I learned from this book, I made the call.  The player turned over J9 suited.  I had my opponent dominated and won the hand.

     I give this book an 8 hearts out of 10 rating.  The only reason it did not get a 9 is because it does not have a section about online tells and could have gone a little more in depth in some areas.  At some points, but not many, I was looking for a little bit more.  (But that is just me.)  If you play live, this book belongs in your library right next to Caro's book.  (If you bought Caro's years ago.)  In fact they should have been written together.  (So that Caro's could be understood.)  This book is the nut flush, but who really cares what your 2 cards are on this one, you saw he was weak, pushed in and took the pot...repeatedly!  At 18.95, if you read and understand this book, you will make your money back many times over!