Card Games Books

I have had fun stealing my friends money for the past few years at home games. I wanted to get to the next level and play in large casino tournaments. 48 hours before my second ever live tourney, I received this book. I read the first 250 pages, and entered the tournament. EVERYTHING Harrington talks about was right on.

It felt like I was cheating. 81 man tourney and I finished 5th. From the player types, betting, opening the pot, pot odds, and pre/post flop betting, Harrington gives you an inside look into NLHE tourneys. Can't wait to get back to my local casino and start beating on all the fish!

This is a well written and clear description of the basics of no limit hold'em tournament play. If you are a beginner like me you'll have tons of great information on how to play the first levels of a tournament. Examples are well chosen to give you an insight to how to react to different scenarios. The book gives you good advice on when to bet and how much to bet.

The information is well explained and easy to understand. I'm sure that anyone wishing to develop his tournament skills will benefit from reading this book. Maybe this is not the perfect first poker book to read, but if you have some experience on tournaments and Texas hold'em and want to take your game to next level this is perfect choice. If you're an experienced tournament player you probably know this stuff already.

This book covers the early stages of tournaments and I think the vol. 2 of this series is about the later phases of the game. I'm currently waiting for the next part to arrive for I wish to learn how to proceed to the final rounds and bigger prizes.

This is an excellent book. The writing is clear and uncluttered, and the material well-organized and thoughtfully presented.

The best part of the book is the many, many, many examples that describe certain situations and then ask you what is the "right" action given the circumstances. Even if you don't agree with Harrington's approach in every case, he frames the problems and issues well and forces you to question your intuition in various situations. It's a very fun book for anyone who both loves poker and who is willing to tolerate a little math.

Happy new year,

All was perfect. The book outside and inside, the paper and what is writen on, everything is perfect.

First class service.

I purchased this book due to all the good reviews. This book is written well with some info that is good for people do not know concepts like pot valves and counting how many outs your hand has. I feel that most people who play at a higher level may find this book not to be much help if they play at an advanced level. I like Slansky's books a little more and are a little more involved. Not a bad book , but not what I was looking for.

From the first chapter to the very end, Martha Frankel's voice is clear, strong, compassionate and funny. I loved reading about her relationship with her mother as much as finally figuring out the intricacies of poker play and how people become addicted.
The prose is down-to-earth and infectious. The last third of the book picks up speek as she describes her on-line dependancy and run-ins with the gamut of people who attend G.A. (gamblers anonymous) groups. Highly recommended.

SPOILER ALERT - SPOILERS BELOW

This was a concise, funny, well-written memoir about one of my own hobbies (poker). I liked Frankel's writing style, down to earth and honest - most of all, it seems that she sees the humor in pretty much everything. The scenes of her parents and their friends are hilarious and touching, real and surreal (the part about Kevin and the balsamic vinegar had me laughing out loud).

When her gambling developed into an addiction to online poker, I was riveted. Then, I was annoyed (but not surprised) by the response of Gambling Anonymous. Finally, I was glad that Frankel still plays poker in her weekly game. Some people, no doubt, can never gamble again, just like alcoholics can never drink again, but Frankel was only addicted to online gambling. I'm glad she can still enjoy the game in real life.

I will never play online poker for money. Never. Well, maybe to get into the WSOP.

I bought the book because I know the author. Immediately, I was swept away and couldn't put it down. Knowing Martha just became an added bonus to a book I loved. I am hoping it will help me in my weekly poker game too! Thank you thank you! What a treat..

Having been given this book as a gift, I may not have chosen to read it on my own. But that is what makes life so wonderful. This book takes you on a journey in addiction, depression, and redemption, but does in a way that is both charming and engrossing. Frankel makes you feel like one of her best friends and she seems like such a cool chick. I'm a slow reader who often rereads many passages, I don't just read a book I have a relationship with it. This book became a great part of my life and I recommend it to anyone.

In this breezy, quick memoir, Martha Frankel pulls the reader into the world of her enterprising family, her bold childhood, and her adventurous adulthood. She is a little girl who sees the world through her father's eyes; at his side, she grows to be comfortable with numbers and learns to hold her own in the world of shrewd gamblers and risk takers, whether at the racetrack or the poker table. Still, she is always within the protective gaze of her mother and the strong women in her family. After her father dies, Frankel ventures forth, rather recklessly, into the world of men. However, when she becomes a writer, an assignment for a movie script she is working on takes her back to the place where she blossomed as a precocious and gifted little girl: the poker table. Frankel takes us on an engaging journey as she perfects her poker skills and falls in love with the game. Her passion for cards becomes a dangerous obsession and something she struggles and deals with, in earnest, as an addiction. This book ends far too soon and will leave you wanting more from this captivating author and her enthralling memoir.

Reviewed by Viola Allo

If you understood and enjoyed v1, then this is a must. It certainly goes deeper into the topic, but gives some great advice for those looking to hone their strategies for late play. Strongly recommend v3 workbook.

This takes up right where Vol. 1 left off and keeps it going in the same smart, detailed style that made the first book one of the best poker books you can find out there. . Harrington and Robertie are a tour de force, dismantling the concepts that many of the best players bring to their games as winning players and articulate them in ways that less experienced (although you will need some level of understanding of the game) players can understand and quickly implement the ideas and advice.

As with the first book, the hand examples are one of the strongest parts of this book, helping you see how the ideas and concepts are actualized in hand play, and real hand play, not a simplified mock-up that feels like you'll never encounter in a real game.

Personally, this helped address one of the biggest issues I have in my poker game, which is adapting my game as the conditions change, specifically late in tournaments when blind size starts becoming a bigger and bigger deal and necessitates a change in playing style. In this book, Harrington and Robertie make the case for adapting styles with conditions in such a clear and usable way that I felt like I was immediately ready to sign up for a tournament the next day.

I think someone else wrote here that they hope this doesn't sell too many copies. This is the only downside I can see from this book, since I fear it's too easy to substantially improve your tournament play with this book, and therefore affect my tournament winnings. But I guess that's life.

There are many poker books with top-notch theory, but what really sets the Harrington on Hold 'Em series apart is the excellent selection of hand examples with full analysis. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to enhance their game.

Happy new year,

All was perfect. The book outside and inside, the paper and what is writen on, everything is perfect.

Don't buy this book. Really. Dan Harrington can't play and this book proves it. If you bought this book return it for a refund. Don't tell your friends about this, no need. Better yet Amazon should get this book off the market, no help for anyone. Really.

Are you convinced yet?
No?
Damn. Well it was worth a try.

This book truly does teach you how to lose the least amount of spades games in the long run that you possibly can.

It has something in it for everyone, whether you consider yourself an expert or a beginner.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about learning the game of spades.

I just purchased this book, and I must say, what I have read so far truely amazes me. The techniques used in this book are some that I would have never thought to ever attempt like bidding nil with the Ace of Spades. Thank you galt for writing this great book. Oh I was amazed by the size of it also, very well put together. Every person playing spades online or offline, young or old should pick up this book and read. Thank you, Now maybe I will be able to win vs you someday LOL

See you at the tables Galt.
Hugs Betty_Boop

When I first read about this book it was at the Gaming Peak spades site. When i was asked if I ever nilled using the Ace of spades I naturally said no. However I was intrigued by the idea and bought the book. I have since read the book, seen my opps pause several times after a card I or my partner have thrown . This book is very helpful on what to play , when to play and what not to play. If you are a beginning spades player or an advanced spades player this book will help you prevent yourself and your partner from making crucial mistakes in the game of spades. The greatest thing I have gotten from this book is the satisfaction of not losing at spades and seeing my opponents say gga, and nice set u2, and seeing them ask each other what happened there? and the one thing we all like to see the opponents ask each other ......you want to report or me pard?

Before I bought this book, I would win sporadically and only when I had "good" cards. After reading How NOT to Lose at Spades, not only did I win more games than I lost, I even won games with "bad" cards. In other words, I would look at my cards and know how to bid and play the cards determined by the situation at hand...for each hand. It has upped my games tremendously, and now the teams that I could never even fathom beating, I now beat. You know the ones I'm talking about. I used to leave the table feeling like a pretzel not knowing what hit me. Not anymore. Do yourself a favor. Buy this book, have your partners buy this book and together you will see the difference. Thanks Jack!
Lori

I've been playing about 2 years now and until I read "How NOT To Lose At Spades" I was basically just flying by the seat of my pants. Learning the risk/rewards system has helped me analyze my possibilities and those of the "pones". This book brings everything down to a level everyone could understand, not technical terms or diagrams as I've found in other books. Jack gives basic strategies as well as advanced. The humor found in this book helps take away the fact that you are truly learning something in the long run. Before I purchased this book, I read all of his monthly columns and we've also developed a friendship thru the game of spades. His mentoring has increased my win percentage dramatically.
I highly recommend this book for all levels of players.
Overture

this book gave me all kinds of usfull info stuff i never knew or would have even thought of.some of the info in the book i can use some of it i cant. so if you do get the book it will be of use...

I bought this book because my credit score was too low to get a home financing. After 1 month following the tips from this book I could see my credit score jumping from 600 to 700, which qualified me to finance my first house. The book is clearly targeted to people with lots of debt and really bad credit score, I believe the information for this kind of people is useful as well, even though this was not my case. For me, chapter 3 was my "bible" to understand how credit bureaus work and how to increase my score, also debuking myths like "to have a good credit score use only 50% of your available credit card credit line", which is simply not true. In fact, as you will learn in this book, you need to pay your credit card in full BEFORE the credit card company reports the balance amount to the credit agencies, which is usually one day after the credit card company closes your credit card statement, so the credit card company will always report zero balance to the credit agencies. If you don't do this the credit card companies will always report a balance, even if you pay your card in full at due date. This and several other important information I learned by reading this book. A must-have if you are serious about improving your credit score.

Everyone has an opinion. I imagine there are people skeptical of all the 5 star ratings. I'll put it this way: this book has helped ME, and that's all that matters. I'm sure it can help YOU too.

Okay. You can safely stop browsing herewith. Dana's book is IT, the last word on credit repair. How I wish I'd bought this book first before wasting my time and money on several other thouroughly crazymaking, unhelpful titles.

Not only is this book chock-a-block with unique and truly invaluable information, but author Dana Neal's witty style makes what might otherwise be a tough technical slog actually *fun* to read. I'm not kidding! It takes a special kind of writer--and a certain playful, unself-serious turn of mind--to get a reader of a book like this actually fired-up and excited about tackling their credit problems, not to mention frequently making you laugh out loud.

Let's face it, repairing muffed credit is not a job for the faint of heart. But if you're feeling a little daunted by the prospect, don't despair: before you make a single call or draft a single letter, Neal makes sure you know where to start, what to expect, and how to prepare for contingencies. This really helps you get your cajones in gear. And hey, some measure of trepidation is only to be expected, for when it comes to our money, our credit history and our good names, anyone can be vulnerable to shame or bullying, to name just two of the nasty tactics so often employed by creditors and collection agencies. But if you read the book, I promise you'll be well-armed to take them on. Neal's imminently DO-ABLE strategies combined with his You-Can-Do-It/Be-Bold encouragements banished any feelings of timidity I'd been feeling. And it's WORKING for me. Really, really working.

After reading just about every other book on credit repair out there, I can say without hestiation that Neal knows what he's talking about--and he knows it ten times better than anyone else. He gives you all the info you need, straight-up, without ever shaming you or making you feel like some kind of colossal, hopeless screw-up. And who needs that?

I found this book to be extremely helpful. It gives a complete explanation of how the credit process works, from credit reporting agencies and legal judgments to mortgage lenders and FICO scores, and it tells you specific steps you can take to improve your appeal to lenders. Although the book was very clearly written and easy to follow, having finished it I feel like an expert on the subject.

I've been a card reader for 25 years. The Hanson-Roberts deck has served me best of all. There is a clear understanding of the symbolism and the numerology of the Tarot in the make of these cards. Highly recommended.

The Hanson-Roberts Tarot is a lighthearted redrawing of the Rider-Waite Tarot by Mary Hanson-Roberts.

The penciled artwork in this deck is slightly cartoonish, and the scenes are rendered much closer than the Rider-Waite tarot. The result is a tarot deck that even as being smaller in size, it is still easy to read, to study and to appreciate. Some of the symbolism had been traded off for the close up shots, which may be a turn off for some tarot collectors, but still makes it easier for beginners to use.

Each card in this deck is labeled in five languages within a small white scrolls at the bottom. The English label is most prominent than the others, most of the time presented in the middle of the scroll. The Major Arcanas are numbered, starting at 0 for The Fool and roman numerals for the remainder Major Arcanas.

This deck is recommended for those tarot collectors who like pocket-sized tarot decks. Other decks by Mary Hanson-Roberts: Tarot to Go! (Activity Book) (Petites Plus), Universal Waite Tarot Deck, Universal Waite Tarot Deck and Book Set, Universal Waite Pocket Edition, Tiny Universal Waite Tarot

The cards were wonderful-thank you so much! We were hoping for a set illustrated in Belgium for their quality and that's what we got. Thanks again and the seller was FAST, honest and courteous!

The cards in this deck are stunningly beautiful, and their illustrations are very much in keeping with the Rider-Waite tradition; however, the pleasing imagery is much more approachable than that of the Rider-Waite decks while lending itself to meditation.

I own this deck for many years already; is very pretty and the images on it will speak to you easily even if you are a beginner. The more you study it the more this cards will make sense to you and the more you will see on it. I found it beautiful, easy to read and the images are just charming. I own several decks and this is the one I use every day. One of my daughters is already learning to read tarot and this too is her favorite because of the easy images to understand. Also the smaller size comes in very handy.

The first thing I would say about this particular publication is also my only gripe; anytime you have poker players write for the purpose of reading (go figure right?), is that its going to be dry, emotionless and really hard to fallow. But then again its poker and not "The Notebook". Aside from that, the lessons and insight given are nearly priceless when considering the context. Even if the only tournament play you experiance is your weekly home game, this book will pay for itself the first time. If you do play at a more serious level, you cant afford to miss out on the information shared.
Extremely in-depth analysis that sheds a fresh new light on areas that you may have overlooked in you overall playing style. I very wise investment indeed.

Full of good info. May help take my game to the next level and hopefully beyond.

This book is a great way for inexperienced tournament players to understand what is supposed to be going through their heads whenever they're playing a tournament. Probably the best thing about this book is that you see that there is not only one way to play correctly. You get to see things from different perspectives, and I think that is a great way to learn. Overall this book is a must have for a poker player that is looking to get into tournament poker.

Most of the things you need to know are already written in other reviews.

Those reviews made me decide to buy this one, and I didn't regret it for a moment.

This book is excellent for tournament guidance, it contains material about various poker games, Hold 'em, Omaha, Stud etc, even Razz.

It is written in the style of Super System, with various people writing chapters in it. What is important is that this book is actually not for absolute beginners! You need to know the games to be able to fully understand it, but that is its big advantage also! It does not spend pages after pages on obvious stuff, it is full of advanced (if not proffesional) material!

For those of you who know how to play the games and maybe even tried their luck in a couple of tournaments (online or real life)...

and now want to make the next step and become an actually good tournament player, this book is GREAT!

Fully recommendeded!

After all, if Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow etc give their best it this book (and they do, have no doubt about it!), How can you miss this?

PS: Personally, I would buy this book only for the charts that Andy Bloch gave in it!

Andy has created a "chart of rankings of 169 two-card combination", and then:
-charts of playable hands by position (in percentages, from the previous chart),
-hands to play by position in ante and no-ante tournaments,
-playable hands by position after a reraise,
-Jam or fold and
-"every hand against random hand / top half hands / top quarter hands / top 10% hands"

these charts are pure gold! And they are nowhere else to be found!

Thanks Andy!

Bought several hold-em books. This is by far the best. I keep re-reading different parts and learn something new each time. Chris Ferguson's chapters are especially helpful, informative, and easy to understand.

ISBN 0789429160 - Cute little board books featuring animals are everywhere, so finding a novelty among them is a pleasant surprise. The touchable, feel-able parts of this book are fairly large and the variety of them is nice.

You're invited to meet the animals on the farm, offering children a tactile experience that non-farm dwellers might otherwise miss out on completely.

That the book also introduces new adjectives into the vocabularies of small readers is a great plus. The only potential negative is that, if you get a used copy, the Touch and Feel parts aren't what they ought to be. The pig's spongy nose, in particular, can get completely flattened and the touchable spot of the chick on the cover will fade after many pettings. Buy it new, and it's well worth it; used, not so much.

Both my kids loved this book from a very young age. The touchy feely aspect really draws the attention of little ones. And all in all the books are quite durable. Mine have been well loved by our two, and are now heading to our baby cousins. The farm and baby animals were my childrens favorites.

This was my daughter's first board book and the first book she took an interest in. She loved the photographs of the animals, as opposed to drawn illustrations. The book includes a variety of textures and recognizable farm animals.

My 2 year old enjoys this set a lot. She loves touching the furry parts of the cards and they are super sturdy (cardboard). There are about 5 cards that are way to hard for her limited vocabulary so we make up the names, other than that they are great!

Whenever we go out to eat, we are sure to take this book along. It keeps my little boy (11 months) entertained while we wait for our food, and works like a charm. There is nothing better when he is screaming his head off than to pull out this book and presto, instant smile. He touches and feels and tries so hard to say baa at the sheep at bark at the dog. It is well worth the money. And so far it has held up remarkably well (even though there is rice in the dogs fur and cheese on the lambs wool).

The 25 Conventions books were essential for me in reviewing the conventions I knew, and learning the conventions I was familiar with and wanted to learn well enough to use and add to my bidding system. Both books are full of the most popular and useful conventions. They each are written in an easy to understand clear and simple language. And they have full explanations of each convention, plus a summary, and quiz. ~~~ They have made a big change in my play on Bridge Base Online as knowing more conventions has expanded my skills, and opened up the range of good partners available for me to play with. ~~~ And, of course, my partner Barb (that I play with in my local duplicate club) and I have fun playing our conventions. And we always enjoy a lunch out to study our bridge and bring a deck of cards and the books along. ~~~ The conventions I added to my play from this book are Cuebid Raises, Fourth-Suit Forcing, and Roman Key Card Blackwood. It was great fun to review the conventions I already use, learn new conventions, and become familiar with the opponents arsenal.

An excellent, clearly presented over-view of conventions. Very easy to use and with clear large type face, easy to read.

I know of no book that conveys the most popular bridge-playing conventions as painlessly as Barbara Seagram and Marc Smith's remarkable TWENTY-FIVE BRIDGE CONVENTIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW. They are all there, patiently explained, with examples drawn from appropriate circumstances and topical quizzes following immediately.

Generally, the book starts with the basic conventions like Takeout Doubles and Blackwood and progresses to the more esoteric ones like Reverse Drury and Roman Key Card. We might argue about the exact order these conventions appear; Ms. Seagram is BIG on the Jacoby Transfer and its big brother, the Texas Transfer. Should people really learn those before they learn about Cue-bid Raises and Balancing? But that is a small wrinkle in such an excellent presentation; if you and your partner prefer to skip a lesson or two and come back later, this book will serve well anyway. Deserves a place on every good bridge-player's shelf.

This book has great promise, though I have not read it all yet. Loads of information, presented in a great format.

This book explains gradually more sophisticated principles of declarer play in a clear, concise manner. I'm a recreational player trying to succeed in local ACBL club play, and this book teaches a progression of skills to understand and incorporate into my play. For me, the detail, number of examples, and chapter quizzes are about right. Understanding the principles and actually applying them in competitive play are two very different things, but this book clearly shows me the path I need to follow to raise my game.

In Regards to Eheieh Ain Soph .... wtf

Crowley was a man, I'm sure his potential was higher then any womans could ever be....

Otherwise this deck is awesome and so is the man who is behind them.

I purchased this deck expecting to receive the one pictured that is printed in Switzerland. All of the other reviews exclaim happily that it is as well. Instead of getting the red and white packaged deck in the mail I got a purple and coloured package from Game Systems U.S.A. that is printed in Belgium. Very dissapointing. The colours are greenish in hue and not true to the originals. I wish that the picture of the item and the reviews hadn't been so misleading, as I never would have purchased them if I had known.

This is the first deck i have ever worked with, and the only one i will ever work with. Its colours are amazing and every time i see it i want to work with it. I recomend it to anyone who likes Crowley, or his system. You will not be dissapointed with this deck.

I bought this deck along with another more well-known deck. I am new to Tarot and have been reading some books. When these decks arrived...I looked at each card. Personally...this deck is not for me. I am sure many people like this deck since it is quite colorful and the pictures are powerful. But it didn't feel right in my hands. I highly recommend that if you are "ify" about this deck...to visit some other Tarot sites to get a better look at the cards. If you are a beginner, try using the deck that goes along with your beginner book. If you are experienced...this may be an excellent deck.

I didn't know there were two kinds of decks, green and this one. My first deck was the green one and I never really bonded with it. Then one of the cards just vanished, so I couldn't use it. Maybe I wasn't supposed to use it. Comparing the two, this deck is so much nicer. It has a much higher vibration to it than the green one.