Try to make sense of something Mike Caro wrote (if you dare)

I recently picked up "Caro's secrets of Winning Poker" from my library, and I'm having trouble reconciling two separate statements he made in it, I believe both of them in the fourth chapter.

Caro's Secrets of Winning Poker said:

When players sit down to play poker (when they're exactly even) they make a commitment to themselves. The commitment goes something like this: (sic) "Today, I'm going to sit at the table and play every hand like it matters. Today, I'm never, ever going to play any hand just for the fun of it. Instead, today I'm only going to play strategies that make money, and I'm only going to play hands that make money." People are strong. This commitment sometimes lasts half an hour before it's forgotten in the heat and emotion of poker combat."

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Just 5 pages later, he says--on one of his large font blackboard things, no less!--

Caro's Secrets of Winning Poker said:

It's okay to play your best game all of the time.

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This seems, well, blatantly paradoxical to me. Anyone care to offer possible explanations?

Originally Posted by Caro's Secrets of Winning Poker, Chapter 4
It's okay to play your best game all of the time.

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Never read the book (yet) but in what context is this quote? I think the first one is quite true, but the second one doesn't make sense on it's own.

I don't see the contradiction.

It's okay to play your best game all of the time, that doesn't mean that most people can sustain their best game for very long.

Seems like Mike Caro was playing poker and writing the book at the same time
So he went to play one day like most days and got felted pretty bad as usual and he went home and wrote that 1st Quote. That quote is what he used to tell himself before sitting down to play poker

In the next few days of playing poker he was on a heater, meanwhile he had added few more pages in his book and after another profitable day at the table he went home and wrote the 2nd quote.
You see he was just sharing his thoughts and experiences as a poker player.
Nothing wrong with that.

You my friend are reading an autobiography

It is obvious. Statement 1 is pointing out most players complete lack of discipline. The second is a reminder that it is ok to stay disciplined when you get bored waiting for a profitable hand. Plain and simple.

Have fun make money

Okay, I kind of get it now...my interpretation of the two statements was that the first statement was saying it's perfectly plausible to not do stupid mess-ups due to boredom, and then the second statement directly contradicted that.

I gather what basically happened is that Mike Caro, being, by all accounts, Mike Caro, wrote the first bit then later wrote the second bit with zero regard for such moderate-level pedantic consistency.

Mike Caro has won millions playing poker. Oh wait, he hasn't.

Whats that old saying again? If you cant do....teach.

Leprekahn said:

Mike Caro has won millions playing poker. Oh wait, he hasn't.

Whats that old saying again? If you cant do....teach.

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This seems somewhat irrelevant--an appeal to reputation or lack thereof doesn't help this discussion. I've read a lot more of the book now, and he does seem very much like a cash game specialist, only winning barely 6 figures in tournaments--but unless you somehow get a look at his tax forms, cash game winnings aren't a thing that's recorded. He's obviously good enough to be one of the "big names", so I wouldn't deride him too much for "not winning millions" especially since he may have won more than the general public strictly knows of because of cash games.

To sum up: If you can't teach, apparently ridicule (or administrate)

I think both statements say the same thing, do not get lazy.

Im still bummed I couldn't KO him once on doyles room
had three chances and he sucked out every time
1k bounty on all the pros I believe ($500 for sure)
one day Mike...lol

Leprekahn said:

Mike Caro has won millions playing poker. Oh wait, he hasn't.

Whats that old saying again? If you cant do....teach.

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And how do you know he hasn't won millions over the years he has made his living from cash games?

Oh, you don't know if he has or not.

Is there a saying that says it's a good idea to know what you're talking about?

Same statements. We should not forget to play the best of our ability no matter what.

Lheticus said:

Is there a saying that says just because a poker player hasn't profited seven figures it doesn't give people the right to bash him and trash his authority as a poker player, particularly when whether or not he's right in what he's saying isn't even relevant to what I'm asking in the first place? Honestly, if you have a low opinion of him, that's your business, but his prowess or lack thereof, whichever it is, is not relevant to me trying to understand what he's trying to say. And yes, I would try to understand what a poker player is trying to say about poker regardless of their reputational clout--I make my own judgments as to whether the statements are valid, but I'm not checking for validity here--only comprehensibility. Your bashing of him is superfluous here, and in my opinion, slightly mean-spirited.

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I think Arjonius is agreeing with you here OP, its the other guy you should have quoted.

hashtag said:

I think Arjonius is agreeing with you here OP, its the other guy you should have quoted.

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*checks post*
*realizes just what the word "hasn't" means here*
*facepalms*

Arjonius said:

And how do you know he hasn't won millions over the years he has made his living from cash games?

Oh, you don't know if he has or not.

Is there a saying that says it's a good idea to know what you're talking about?

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As of 2009, his total career live tournament winnings exceed $150,000.

Mike Caro is NOT known as a successful high limit cash game player. Im not sure where you found that info but please do share it here.

He has done a lot of studies on poker and poker tells and written many books about it. I doubt anyone can doubt his research on poker, but he certainly has not made a living at the tables. He made a living writing about poker.

Not sure why you feel the need to insult, but some live for that sort of thing.

dasher said:

I don't see the contradiction.

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Yep

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Lheticus said:

This seems somewhat irrelevant--an appeal to reputation or lack thereof doesn't help this discussion. I've read a lot more of the book now, and he does seem very much like a cash game specialist, only winning barely 6 figures in tournaments--but unless you somehow get a look at his tax forms, cash game winnings aren't a thing that's recorded. He's obviously good enough to be one of the "big names", so I wouldn't deride him too much for "not winning millions" especially since he may have won more than the general public strictly knows of because of cash games.

To sum up: If you can't teach, apparently ridicule (or administrate)

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I agree my comment had nothing to do with Op's question, but this is what I feel about Mike Caro and its certainly my own opinion. Having said that, not many have done more for the game of poker then Mike Caro. He has been at the forefront of a lot of positivity for the game...whether its statistics, research on tells, computer simulations, or his dedicated drive to show the public how the game is built on honesty and integrity.

Me saying he isn't highly successful at the tables is hardly ridicule but factual. It just means, again In my own opinion, that he doesn't exactly practice what he preaches in his writings....

You can find a lot of useful things in his books (I own 3 of them) but not as much as you can get out of other poker players books who talk less of the math of the game but more of the psychology and table image. No one can doubt the "mad mathematician" when it comes to odds, but there is a lot more to the game then that. Probably why he Is know as a draw poker player.

If I were to rate the top ten poker books, none of his would make it. Again, that is not to say his are bad, they are certainly useful to an extent.

I see a few of you took slight at my teach comment and how it is not on topic. Although it did pertain to the author of the book, it did not contribute to the answer to the OPs question. I am sorry for that. I am new to this site and not privy to the tolerance of getting off topic.

I do feel the posts that followed were full of assumptions, especially when they replied to a one line comment.

Leprekahn said:

I see a few of you took slight at my teach comment and how it is not on topic. Although it did pertain to the author of the book, it did not contribute to the answer to the OPs question. I am sorry for that. I am new to this site and not privy to the tolerance of getting off topic.

I do feel the posts that followed were full of assumptions, especially when they replied to a one line comment.

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The fact that you're big enough to apologize for your part in things says a lot--so, we cool. Concerning the..."tolerance of getting off topic", I can't say for sure, but I have more of a problem personally with off-topic posts than I think the majority of the people here do from what I've seen--so I would think that if I'm not the OP, you're relatively a lot safer to engage in some opportunistic bashing or whatever else. I never had a problem with your opinion of Mike Caro--I just didn't feel it contributed anything. I have no intention of defending him--other than being entertaining on camera with his voice and what he says with it in the wsop show, I don't even have an opinion of him.

So again...we cool.

Leprekahn said:

Mike Caro is NOT known as a successful high limit cash game player. Im not sure where you found that info but please do share it here.

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I asked how you know he hasn't won millions. Can you answer this and support what you said? Asking me to support something I didn't say does not make your original assertion correct.

And are you saying that playing high stakes is the only possible way he could have won seven digits over the course of a career that spans decades?

Arjonius said:

I asked how you know he hasn't won millions. Can you answer this and support what you said? Asking me to support something I didn't say does not make your original assertion correct.

And are you saying that playing high stakes is the only possible way he could have won seven digits over the course of a career that spans decades?

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I don't like your tone and honestly continuing this discussion is fruitless.

dasher said:

I don't see the contradiction.

It's okay to play your best game all of the time, that doesn't mean that most people can sustain their best game for very long.

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Agreed. I don't see the two statements as contradictory. In the first, he is basically saying people have a hard time maintaining focus over 30 minutes. In the second, he is basically saying the same thing as the first part of his first statement - play every hand like it matters.