Card Games Books

I didn't buy these to make tarot cards with, but just to do small art on. They're great! I really like the size and that the back is decorated, rather than if I'd just cut out cardboard and used one side of it for art. Highly recommended for the price. Not sure watercolors would work well on these as there's a slight coating.

Nice big, glossy, thick, cards - good for making card game prototypes where you want to write a lot of information on the card and have it pleasing to shuffle.

Amazon sent me AN EMPTY PACKAGE.
I went on the site and reported that the merchandise wasn't sent.
The next morning the merchandise was in the mail.
Great customer service.

If you can't figure out a good use for this, your not a magician. Quality product.

If you want to create a new game and you need "blank face" cards these are excellent for the purpose. But this is important to know - they are Tarot size cards so they are larger than regular playing cards. But if you want to draw pictures or write words on them, you have lots of room to do it.

This book is a delightful read. Zia is an addict of Bridge. Not just addicted, but obsessed. His book illustrates the familiar experience that we all can relate to of becoming obsessed with a past time.

Zia plays with flair, table presence, and takes full advantage of the human element contained in Bridge. He shows us just how much is involved when playing Bridge -- much more than just the cards in front of us. Indeed, there is much to be said about the psychology of card play and Zia is the master card psychologist.

Once you read this book you realize that the best part of knowing bridge is that you get to read a book like "Bridge My Way". Flambouyancy is omni present in the book and is as characterstic of the book as it is of the author himself. Zia, one of the best, sure know how to write. The book is filled with his charm and sense of humour. I would recommend this book to all bridge players who are interested in life.

can a man be more vain then zia? probably not. is it justified? it is. a book by one of the greatest who ever played the game, and certanly the most interesting character of them. this book has a highly enternainig value, and of course a lot of facinating hands.

This book is so much fun, if you haven't read it you should. It's full of interesting hands and interesting people, not the least of whom is Zia himself. You may not learn much of direct value to your game, but you'll certainly laugh! "Bridge My Way" is a great reminder that there's a lot more to this game than memorizing bids and percentage plays.

You may or may not improve your level of bridge after reading this book, but you will certainly be entertained!! Zia has a natural flair for bridge and writing that comes through very well in this book. His description of the Paki Spade and other conventions are hilarious. This is a window into the life of one of the top professional bridge players. Exciting stuff!

I got this deck about 10 years ago & I'm extremely pleased with it. I have had other decks but gave them away or sold them & always go back to using these. I agree that the best way to pick a deck is to be drawn to them & then be able to at least look them over before you bring them home.

The deck is not for every one,but it is for me.I find the deck exudes a subtle,but powerful influence,and I get a deeper insight not only into the reading but many times other forces driving it.I ask the person I'm reading for,to choose the deck that seems to fit the questions they have,and I know that when the Londa deck is chosen,that before it is over,the reader often gets more than they bargined for.I get HOLY ^*#*&%@# most often with my Londa deck and I own dozens.I like the deck....a lot

When I first got my tarot deck, it was just by circumstance that the women whom I bought wiccan supplies from had a deck that came in with her shipment and it wasn't supposed to. So she gave it to me. Which was very kind. I absolutely love my deck and I have never been wrong yet since I started doing readings. This is a very unusual deck with a card in it that states "who are you really"? I usually throw that one in the pile and lay down the cards just to see if it pops up and where. It really is quite a beautiful deck and great for a beginner or for a seasoned reader like me. Look into this one. You won't regret your purchase.

I got this deck when I was 15 and I'm 22 now...this is the only deck that I will use. It is important to find a deck that clicks with you, that feels right and this was the one for me. After trying many, many decks this was the one that worked for me and I think it is very important to try as many as possible. Go with your gut, give them a try. The cards are unique and beautiful and the explanations lead you to really think for yourself on the issue at hand. Blessings!

The Londa Tarot is definately not the most 'beautiful' tarot deck in the world.....actually, at first I thought the cards were distorted looking and ugly; but then I started using them consistantly, and my divinations have never been more accurate, clear, and easy to read.

True, the artwork IS VERY stylized and at times kinda creepy....but there is also something very serene and beautiful about them as well.

What is really important when purchasing a tarot deck is how they function....and this deck functions very well (with me at least!). This is the deck that I use with friends, family, and for paying customers.

Highly recommended!

i originally bought this deck in 1992. i have found that they seem to grow and evolve with my own growth and understanding. i recently gave them as a gift and find them just as wonderful as i always did. and, even though many references in the book are from the 80's, it makes the impact that much more meaningful that the more we change (as humanity), the more we stay the same. not always an easy lesson to swallow but vital to our evolution.

An amazing product miniature tarot cards convenient to take when traveling I enjoy doing tarot reading for friends and family even on the go.

I have owned several tarot decks and oracles, but this is the first deck (and only, so far) I truly connected with. The artwork is lovely and simply drawn, but the images seem to really speak to me, in a sense that is difficult to explain. They are quite dreamlike, and yes, feminine in nature, but certainly not anti-masculine. Every person gets a different feeling from different decks, but I have learned a lot from this one. I get the most heartfelt and accurate readings from this deck. Plus, I love the spread that the book recommends!

I bought the Motherpeace deck several months ago during a moment of anti-patriarchal fervor. I had just read the book written for this deck, "Motherpeace, A Way to the Goddess..." along with several other radical feminist books. It suited my mood at the time; the deck is inspiring, comforting, and thought-provoking to a person who is angry about the way the world is set up. Most of the time, I don't lend much thought-space to matriarchy-versus-patriarchy concerns, since I personally am happier if I concentrate on the present, warts and all, than on whether or not this massive cultural shift occurred in the dimly remembered past. The Motherpeace deck focuses on warm, loving communities of women; the only men are in the Courts and in the Emperor, Hierophant, and Devil. The Courts are mixed; some are nice guys and some are stereotypical patriarchal jerks. The Emperor, Hierophant, and Devil are all portrayed as oppressors. To my mind, this takes some of the subtlety and deeper meaning out of the cards; in a tarot reading any card can be "good" or "bad", depending on context. When I'm in a bad mood, this deck can help me mentally vent. Otherwise, I tend to use decks with more ambiguous symbolism and better art.

I have to admit it.... I originally bought this deck because I wanted something other than the regular shape and size to add to my collection. And I am not displeased with this. There are good things to be said about using the round shape for a deck besides the symbolic content. I enjoy the chance to use a different "slant" on the reading based on which direction the cards lean. This has to be my favorite aspect to the cards. As for the other things, I have found that some of the complaints are partially true. For example, while there are positive male protrayals in this deck, the majority of the characters are female of all shape and form. And yes, there are some unsavory male characters. This does not particularly bother me, since I have always found a lack of portrayal of strong feminine influences in the world. However, I would not recommend it as the only or first deck for someone without a feminist bent.

I don't think this book offers anything new for neither the top professional poker player nor the CEOs of the Fortune 500. However, anyone else in between will surely come away with at least a few common sense gems of wisdom which can be applied in our everyday lives. The stories about the colourful poker characters and crabby old office ladies are somewhat interesting. It is when the author explains how to understand and benefit from their motives is where the value of this fine read shows through. Apparently the author has a lot more sage advice than he does hair. I plan on re-reading this at least once a year.

A Certified Public Accountant and former President and Chief Financial Officer for three Arizona-based companies, Tom Schneider found that his background and experience in business and management were readily adaptable to playing and winning at poker. Becoming successful in going up against some of the most accomplished players in some of the biggest poker games around, Tom became and professional poker player (and the host of Texas' first televised poker tournament) for the last four years and has finished "in the money" four times at the World Series of Poker. Now he brings together in the pages of Oops! I Won Too Much Money: Winning Wisdoms From The Boardroom To The Poker Table (also available in a paperback edition, 1933285389, $16.95) all the hard earned wisdom he's learned in business, in poker, and in life to provide aspiring poker players with wit, humor, and "life lessons learned" that will enable poker players to become better at playing the game and living their lives .

Review by Bette Daoust, Ph.D. for Reader Views (3/06)

In my estimation I am not a gambler but in reality after reading this book, I recognize the signs of a true gambler at business. Some of us go to the poker table while others play the game of business. No matter which way you go, you are always taking risks and perhaps even educated risks. Poker is about knowing when you have a positive edge and when you should recognize where you stand at all times. Business is no different. Tom Schneider opens the eyes to the similarities between how we work the business game as a parallel to the game of poker.

His wisdom comes from deep experience and is not just giving platitudes about what we should be doing. His insights ring true. This book will help the reader to strengthen their game in either world because you will be more aware of the nature of other people in the inside the game.

This book packs a lot of information into an easy read - wisdom everyone should tap into.

I bought this book because more than a few reviewers gave it 5 stars. The author must have called in favors because as poker or business advice it is hard to imagine anyone taking his "wisdom" seriously. He constantly hypes his previous business positions and seems to address his audience as if they are high school drop-outs on drugs. Bad advice is somehow acceptable if it also includes bad humor. Here are some examples:
"Winning Wisdom #7: The telephone is the best invention of all time. Use it"
"Winning Wisdom #9: If you won a bronze medal at the last Olympics in the 100-meter dash, no need to tell that seventy-year-old man about it before you dust him for $5,000 at the local high school track."
"Winning Wisdom #10: When you get fat, dumb, and happy, leave the dumb part out."
"...but 90 percent of the time a decent player plays, he has a win at some point during the play. Yet that same player may only have a winning percentage of 60 percent at the end of the night. He's not a good quitter."
"Winning Wisdom #18: You'll be in the spin cycle several times in your life. Don't make big decisions while you're in it..."
"Winning Wisdom #20: Anyone can be the best. You just have to do the right thing."
"If there is one thing that I would like women to learn from his book, it's not to complain about your weight or looks to your fat, ugly friends."

Come to think of it, this book IS laughable.

Tom Schneider doesn't tell us too much we don't already know in his new book. But he reminds us of important things we maybe don't pay attention to enough. I finished his easy to read book in a couple of evenings. The writing style is almost like a wizened old uncle telling interesting stories. Never heavy handed or hard to decipher he reveals truths about life and business through clear clean parables.
This is a book you will enjoy and enjoy giving friends.

I don't know what the other reviewers are smoking, but this is one of the worst Blackjack books I have read. Might as well take your 10 or 15 dollars and just throw it away. This book is almost 100% just random babbling, all words and no numbers. A HUNDRED AND NINETY PAGES INTO THE BOOK, BASIC STRATEGY IS THE ONE AND ONLY THING HE HAS ACTUALLY COVERED. I was disgusted when I looked at the page number and saw 190, realizing all this idiot had done was talk about what he was going to teach for over half of the entire book. He stretches five word sentences into page and a half long explanations to fill up space, and he does it quite well. This book is ridiculously stupid, I STRONGLY suggest reading almost any other book.

Gambling is an iffy proposition without some real knowledge. To learn one must play 100 times (+) and hope that LUCK is in the house or things can get depressin real fast or one can go to the source of knowledge. This book teaches the unitiated some fundamentals and strategies with wich to approach the table with a fair amount of confidence and with the right bankroll, for they say that without the proper amount of cash you are bracing yourself for defeat. Mr. Royer strikes as one of the good guides, he certainly knows his subject and his overall writing is quite enjoyable. After reading Mr. Royer's book I went to Las Vegas (my favorite!) and put into practice what I had learned from this book. I had my bearings about me and it lasted the better of 2 solid hours, in which in a 5 dollar table with the right conditions (Favoring the Player as much as possible, but of course!!)I won 185 dollars, after having lost and won my fair share of both. The point I am making is that without the book I definitely would have lost much more and not won anything. I gave him 5 stars for 4 did not quite do the job.
I walked out a winner and realized that this is something I am actually enjoying. I always favored dices but Blackjack is a lot of fun!

This book by Victor H. Royer is one of a great books about Blackjack. If you are serious about knowing the real truth of what Blackjack is all about, then you must have this book.

Here you will find not only a terrific history of this great game, but you will find invaluable information about how the game is actually played in the casinos of the 21st Century. What you may have heard about Blackjack in the past, or perhaps read as recently as the last century, is no longer the case. What you see on TV about the various Blackjack card counting systems is also no longer possible under the majority of situations and circumstances, such as are the real truth of the modern casino.

What you should know is Royer's tiered wagering method, and his new Modified Basic Strategy - MBS. If you want to give yourself the right chance to win money, then this is the book for you. It will pay for itself many times over in just your first trip to a casino.

My comment is not only about this great Blackjack book, but also about the reviewer identified as "munkmunk." All readers of that person's review of this book, or any other, should take note of what he says in the opening line to his review of "Playing Blackjack as a Business," by L. Revere, also posted here at Amazon. In that review, titled by "munkmunk" as "Sexist, thief, egomaniac?", the first line of his review says:

"Not being "of age," and therefore not playing in a casino, I cannot say how much money one could make with these strategies."

By his own admission, "munkmunk" is not of legal age to gamble. Therefore he is unable to understand the real world of the casino, and how and why strategies in this book, and the other by L. Revere, are applicable to those environments. Being so obviously out of touch with the reality of the world of Blackjack play in the casino, since by his own admission he cannot so legally play there being too young, this makes it plainly obvious that this young person merely has some anger of his own to grind, and seems to enjoy lambasting good books and the hard work by their authors. Amazon should perhaps be more careful, and not allow underage persons to so shamefully misunderstand books of these adult subjects.

Additionally, we should all remember that the real world of the in-casino blackjack play is nothing like the "theoretical" world of the statistician, or mathematician. Furthermore, we should also understand that the minds of the very young often cannot grasp realities in either the "theoretical" or the "real world," and thus have significantly skewed opinions on something whose intended purposes obviously escape them, and whose principles are far too advanced for their undeveloped minds to as yet conceive.

It should be obvious to everyone reading these reviews by the young "munkmunk" that they are a form of teenage angst, sadly directed at the authors of these good books on Blackjack.

This book is a serious work about a serious subject, and extraordinarily well written -- but it is written for adults who will play in real casinos -- and not for angry children with a computer and nothing better to do than to express their ignorance in a public forum like these postings at Amazon.

Read this book for yourself, and you will know why the other reviewers, including myself, have found this to be such a terrific, fresh, new look at a great old game.

I have all the blackjack books. While the mathematics are usually sound, and the theory is always accurate..these books never did what was most important....TURN ME INTO A WINNER!

I requested my yearly statement back from the Grand for 2003 and they show me at a net loss of $105. Thats for the ENTIRE year! Now consider that I always hide Green Chips and Black chips whenever possible before cashing in at the table to conceal my true winnings, and consider the 33 night of free hotel stays, the endless free meals, the free shows, the free trips on the casino plesure boat etc. and I was a BIG winner in 2003! My first winning year ever.

I owe all of that to Victor's Blackjack book. He offers a method of play that will actually allow you to win without counting cards, without risking getting barred from the casino, and without all of the mathematics involved in the card counting strategy.

The wagering differential is the most amazing concept I have ever seen. I logged most of my play from 2003...I shoudl have logged it all, but I didn't. But from my records I only had 3 losing sessions in 2003 at the Grand.

What more can I say. This book pays for itself.

Now I can Scrivel with game while playing alongside the big boys!

For a serious or even casual card/game player, this is simply one book you cannot do without. You can very easily and simply handle any dispute by refering to the very comprehensive rules. Want to learn how to play a new game. The book tells all.

Frey (the author) provides the rules and history for an impressive, although not exhaustive, list of card, board and casino games. He succinctly describes the history and the rules of each game. The rules are written fairly clearly, although those who are not familiar with the proper jargon may find them difficult to follow. Moreover, Frey provides almost no "expert advice on winning play" as the subtitle of the book promises. Advice on strategy is reserved to only a handful of games and, when provided, it is too short and commonsense to enhance anyone's play. You may wish to purchase this book as a general reference on the rules of the game, but do not expect it to improve your play.

I found this book quite difficult to understand. It has too much jargon, and the instructions to the games are sometimes unclear. There is no glossary. It seems to be aimed at an audience that is already familiar with most of the games.

A great read for anyone interested in cards. I managed to pretend to my friends that I knew nothing about cards before cleaning them out after reading this book...

Adventures in Card Play is not really a teaching book. This is un-learning for good players. The hands are magical in seeming complexity that turns simple with a phrase from the author. Which brings me to the main part of my recommendation: Ottlik is a masterful writer. Intertwined with the moderate amount of diagrammed hands is a novella that has had me reread this more than once.
If you are a tournament and/or money player then this is entertainment par excellence. Also expect to look at hands and odds a little different afterwords.

I have been away from the tournament trail for a couple of decades, and am re(re)reading this book for the joy of the positions examined. It is truly an analytic masterpiece presented in a style that I find most enjoyable.

While it is true this is not a book for other than expert players... you really need to know Clyde Love or an equivalent squeezes book thoroughly... these positions do come up at the table. I was playing a few months after this book was first published at an all expert table (I was the least expert at the table) when an immaterial squeeze position arose. It was discussed as it was being played, from about trick five. The fellow who claimed these position can't be found at the table simply knows not whereof he speaks. Perhaps he can't find them, but certainly one can find them.

On the other hand, these positions are not common... finesses are common, squeezes and end-plays routine but not common in the sense of finesses. These positions are less common still.

I think the book is lots of fun. The worst that can happen if you read it is your bridge imagination (&, hopefully, visualization) will be expanded while you read a thoroughly pleasant book.

PS I happened upon these reviews whilst looking for a bridge book of similar complexity to engage my imagination.

This book is completely useless to anyone but an expert. But, even the expert player will not be able to evaluate and achive in real time all these things exposed in that book.

You won't find another book like this one , so if your bridge library is missing it and you want it to be 100% complete, buy it. But you probably won't get anything useful from it.

There's probably not much practical value to this book, but the hands are just amazing.

The most sublime bridge book ever written is an extensive exploration of a core of intricate themes in card play. Covered are entry squeezes, trump squeezes, entry-shifting squeezes, elopement, throw-ins, dummy reversal, and backwash squeezes. There are also three chapters on a unique subject, squeezes, finesses and throw-ins against cards that do not immediately lead to any material gain, yet are necessary to set up a later trick. In reading these chapters, one feels that universal secrets are being revealed, like observing the birth of stars through some powerful telescope. A life-enriching experience that begs for an annual re-rereading!

This book can arm you with the mindset you need to win and the ability not to dispair when you lose a little bit.

A very logical, easy to read book on the finer points of blackjack. Improved my game more than any other book on the subject. The wording and illustrations made clear what I must try to accomplish while playing. Renzey's "Key Card Count" is an eye opener. A "must read" for graduating to the next level.

I've read Renzey in various magazine and internet articles on blackjack and liked his clear style and logical approach. His book is in the same vein. I've played, studied and read blackjack for fifteen years. This manual is direct, honest and expressive. It can take the place of six other blackjack books as far as I'm concerned. Does a convincing job explaining why bad players have no detrimental effect on others, why No-Mid-Shoe Entry signs are pure nonsense, why betting progressions end up being useless and why high cards are so valuable to the player. Gets you to concentrate on the stuff that matters which is playing your hands and making your bets according to your odds. To make it easier to remember sticky points, Renzey coins catchy terms such as "the Rule of 9" for doubling down with soft hands, etc. His explanation of how and why you should adjust your play with certain borderline hands is something I haven't seen anywhere else, yet is very thorough and convincing. The book contains a true beginner's card counting system that follows only select key cards and lets you upgrade it from there. His high level Mentor Count in the last chapter is a bit strong for me, but after three complete reads, I like this book a lot.

This book was recommended to my by an owner of a gambling supply store. Mr. Renzey covers it all with advice for skill levels from novice to expert. He backs-up his system with millions of computer-simulated hands of blackjack that he did, rather than soley relying on the works of others. I have gotten rid of several other blackjack books, and kept "Blackjack Bluebook" as my guide.

I've read a dozen books on blackjack and never got past the basic strategy chart. This book explains things beyond basic strategy in such a logical manner that my mind opened up to the game. Now I understand what all the gibberish is about in other technical books on advanced blackjack strategy. Fred Renzey has a way with words. Darn good book!

Not only is this a great book, its fun to read. It's not a dry technical book, its well written and enjoyable to read. The author "covers" many declarer topics from both sides (such as defense against squeezes or defense against endplays). The author has a knack for presenting a subject both clearly and succinctly. There are summaries at the end of each section and a short quiz.

I found this book far superior to Watson's "Play of the Hand" (which seems to be geared towards beginners) but in content and style (its not boring, its fun).

I have studied quite a few bridge books, and won a number of championships, but THIS one stands out over all the others on the play of the hand.

I heartily recommend this to every intermediate or advanced player.

If you buy only one bridge book in your entire life, this should be it. It is written with such skill and humor that it reads like a novel... not only will you learn a tremendous amount from this book, but you'll enjoy yourself in the process. The chapters alternate between Dummy Play and Defense, covering everything from promotion to grand coups. Players of all levels will benefit from reading (and rereading) this excellent book.

You shoudl have at least a year of experience and read a few other books on technique, such as Bill Roots "How to Declare a Bridge Hand". This one will open your eyes to many other more advanced techniques. Its a great compact presentation. It's a starting point, not a comprehensive presentation of all aspects of advanced methods.

1. Play for a year.
2. Read some books on the way.
3. Read this - your eyes will be opened.
4. Play some more.
5. Read some more.
6. Work on counting.
Repeat steps 3-6


If you are a beginners this will be over your head. Some reviewers gave bad ratings. Thats a mistake. Its a great book, but only if you are ready for it.
(giving this book a bad rating would be like me giving an audrey grant book a 1 becaus eits too simple for me)

First, my mother tongue is French, I'm sure you will excuse my style. This being said, unfortunately, I was very disappointed when I started reading Mollo's book. I wanted to find a book that was covering both the dummy play and the defense. Also, I wanted to revisit the very basics, to have a solid start, and then to go gradually into more complex techniques, covering virtually all aspects of the play, including the more advanced techniques. I was looking for the ultimate book: the Bridge Bible written by a brilliant teacher!

Unfortunately, Mollo starts saying that he will not insult us covering the simple finesse, but will jump right away into the double finesse... The other chapters are similar. This book takes into account that we already have a sound basic technique and covers some variations and tricky situations. Each hand must be studied with actual cards to understand the supposedly "obvious" conclusions he draws.

When I was not looking for a book anymore, I finally tried Watson's book. I hesitated at first, because his style is supposed to be dry and too detailed. EUREKA!!! This is the ultimate BIBLE! Not only it fulfilled all my above expectations, but he goes one step beyond, he is a genius, each chapter is a revelation. I did not learn techniques; I learned the principles underlying the techniques. I now understand why Watson's book is recommended by most schools around the world. This is probably the only book you will every need about the play of the hand.