So I’m currently working on my new poker tells book. It will be the third and final part of the trilogy that started with Reading Poker Tells and Verbal Poker Tells (and I’m also quite confident it will be the last book I write.) It will be called something like Reading Poker Tells: Practical Applications. Here’s the pre-order page for it; it talks about the reasons why I wanted to write the book and what will make it different.
I’m using a lot of hands I’ve played from cash games between $1-2 and $5-10 NLHE, and some mid-stakes ($100-$1,500 buy-in) tournaments. I’m using hands from televised cash game shows and tournaments. And I’ve got a few well-known players who will be contributing hand histories.
I’m also putting out a general call for interesting poker hands from experienced players. I’m looking for interesting hands where an opponent’s behavior/tells played a role in a decision-making process, and changed a decision away from what it normally would be.
If you send me a hand history and I put it in my new book, I will send you $100 USD (via Paypal, or a check if you prefer), and you’ll get a paperback copy and ebook file bundle of the book. And of course your name will be in the book (as long as you’re okay with that; it doesn’t have to be).
Some factors that will make me more likely to use a hand history:
- Detail. As many aspects of the hand should be documented as possible. This includes technical details like position, bet size, and game format. It also includes insight into your decision-making process. What were you thinking about? Why did you make your decision? Was it based on past events in the game or with the player in question? If the hand is not very detailed, I will likely not read it all the way through.
- Logic. I’m looking for logical explanations of why you played the hand the way that you did. Walk me through every step of the process, not just the tells part, but the strategic approach you took.
- The behavior actually changed your decision. I am interested in situations where an opponent’s behavior changed your decision. Even if your opponent had a very meaningful tell, if it led you to make the same decision you would have made without the behavior, then I’m less likely to be interested in using the hand. (That said, if you think it’s very interesting behavior no matter what happened, it’s still possible I’d be interested so send it along.)
- Interesting behavior. At this point I have a lot of hand histories in the rough draft of the book and am almost done, so most of the fairly common ones are accounted for. I’m looking for some that might be more out-of-the-way and rare.
If you decide to send me a hand history, please include your name, a synopsis of your playing history/experience, how often you play, whether you are a professional or semi-professional player, where the hand took place, and any other pertinent details you want to include. My email address is info ( at ) readingpokertells.com or you can use the Contact Form.
Okay, thanks for your time.
Zachary Elwood