Card Games Books

I have just discovered this book and it was a delight. I have always enjoyed playing Bridge and was delighted to learn about playing it on the Internet. The book is not technical although there are interesting facts in one chapter. It is a great compilation of profiles of people the author has met playing bridge online. She writes very well, particularly funny chats and anecdotes. I laughed out loud at many of the incidents. She is fortunate to have enjoyed the best in people and we are fortunate she shares these interesting, funny experiences with us. A friend who does not play bridge at all, loved the book too. I feel I can reread it and enjoy it again.

I have discovered this book because the MSN Game Zone will close on June 19. Dorothy Rosencrans is well known there and focus on her was intensified as we players needed information on what has happened. This book is wonderful. It tells about people & the fun that has occured in the Zone. It is a great souvenier of a time soon to end. I loved every moment of it and will consider it a terrific keepsake.

I was delighted to find that this was a book about people who play bridge online but the focus was on the people. The author met so many interesting, fun players whom she got to know well. The book is full of fun in chats and anecdotes and there are some tender stories as well. She has given us a wonderful view of the world and you do not have to know the game to enjoy it. It is a book that can be reread from time to time to have additional moments of joy. I highly recommend it.

While it is true that one can meet many interesting and fun people while playing bridge on the zone, there is a dark side which isn't talked about in the book. Many people form relationships that should not be made as they are already married. I speak from experience as my 70 year old husband of 27 years became deeply involved with another player on the zone and decided he was in love without ever meeting this other woman. We are now getting divorced. I believe people should be cautious. Playing around is not always a good thing, certainly not when it destroys marriages and breaks hearts. Ironically, she- the other woman-has given this book a rave review. What she called Fun I called heartbreak.

Dorothy Rosencrans has authored a book not only well written, but a book of "today." People make the world go around and
the computer has made it possible to meet people from all over the world. It is a pleasure that I share with Mrs. Rosencrans.
She has shown others that there are "nice" places on the computer to meet mature, friendly, funny and dear people.
The game of bridge is a challenging game and at zone.com you
meet others with whom you share the game and form bonds with as described in this book. Hooray for Dorothy Rosencrans for removing any voodoo opinions of meeting friends in this manner. Her book sparkles with humor and poignancy and I enjoyed every
page.

The problem with SAYC is that it isn't a standard in the sense that no official body ever carefully reviewed it and called for comments, voted, etc. In fact, there are several areas now where common practice differs from what the standard says. An example is a bid of 2N over a 1 of a minor opening -- SAYC says this is 13-15, but most now play it as 11-12. The book is good at pointing these things out.

The best thing about this book is that it exists and is inexpensive, meaning you can get one for a demented partner, a beginner, etc. The worst thing is the lack of an index, which one can hope would be remedied in a second edition. I think the authors chose the right level of detail for the beginning and intermediate players. I read another review that complained about the coverage of the "SAYC conventions". In fact, I think they are all in here -- it is just that there are lots of conventions that many SAYC players also play. A good book for those is the two-volume set of "25 Conventions" by Seagram et. al.

I have been playing bridge for about 3 months and found myself getting into trouble during bidding. My partner would make a cue bid, or a reverse and I wouldn't quite get what was going on. The books I had learned basic bridge from didn't cover these intermediate bridge topics. I knew I needed to improve my bidding in order to improve beyond beginner.

This is a great book for that purpose. You won't find a lot of fluff and puff. The chapters are short and to the point. There are dozens of hands throughout to show different examples of how to bid, how to overbid and how to respond. Unlike other books, wherein the authors hold themselves out as the ultimate experts, this book brings forth opinions from the great bridge masters. It presents these often conflicting opinions objectively and makes recommendations, but in the end letting the reader adapt these opinions to his or her playing style.

This book will benefit beginner and intermediate players who play on the internet or at a duplicate bridge club. I highly recommend this title to anyone learning bridge or as a gift to your regular partner!

As we all struggle to understand a new language, it is refreshing to find a lucid explanation that. while accomplishing its goal, does it without punditry. Adding in a sense of humor, along with clear examples and intelligent comments, makes this an excellent place to master the fundimentals of the Yellow Card System.

OK, I have barely studied the first chapter but already my statistic of rubbers won and net points has skyrocketed.

I teach a small weekly class at the local bridge club on standard bidding. When I came across this book I ordered a couple copies in case any of my students would be interested. Since then I've ordered about 20 of them for students as well as other club members. I can't keep them on hand!

I'm ordering another 5 today. Frankly, I'm not overly impressed by the book, but the students/players LOVE it. I've heard them rave about the book so many times.

William I too was wondering how the progression of bets work when using some of his strategies.
When using G3M2
lets say the follow occurs
WWLLWW
The bets would go?
W(1)--W(2)--L(4)--L(1)---W(2)---W(1)

(...)
Thanks !
B

I am not sure about when you combine the linear and geometric bets with the Martingale. If you lose 1 chip and then use the Martingale and win 2, do you then go back to 1 or do you double the 2 to make 4 in a geometric system and add 1 to make 3 in a linear system? [...]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it provides a revealing statistical analysis of several popular betting strategies. I have not seen this type of statistical analysis elsewhere. Koetsch has written computer programs to run the numbers with millions of trials to give statistically significant results. The results are clearly interpreted and explained in the book. Tables are also included for those of us that prefer a glance at the numerical results. If you are interested in an analysis of the best betting strategy to use based on statistical evidence, then I heartily recommend this well-written book!

For all of the analysis done the book is remarkably simple and easy to follow. The main message of the book...KNOW WHEN TO QUIT! Koetsch shows you when.

As a programmer, I also interesting in different betting system. When I first look at the title of the book, I feel lucky enough that I finally find a correct book to conquest the casino, as a programmer, we can program a betting system to see is working or not.

After I finish reading, I feel very disappointing about this book, there are no any systems in this book can win money in the long run, and all the analyse information in this book can be done in one day!

The author suggest "QUIT" when you ahead the casino. Yes, in 86% of the time, it works, but there are still 12% remaining that never get ahead the casino, once you together all the short section into a long section, you can find you still lose your money by the odd and the "law of large number".

Don't waste your money, try the other authors like Fred Renzey, Frand Scoblete, Peter Griffith, Stanford Wong and Ken Fuchs.

I read this book to all my grandchildren and they just loved it. I also have several older friends that read the book and they also enjoyed it. It is nice to have a clean fun book to read for a change.

I have read this book to 5 of my 6 grandchildren, from age 6 to 13 and they all loved it. They laughed through out the story. They have taken turns reading it to each other. The illustrations are also very funny. I have rated it 5 stars because the children it was written for have given it a thumbs up and I thought it was funny too.

I read this book to both of my grandsons and they loved it! The boys enjoyed the funny slang "dere and dat" and unique,colorful culture of the characters with the silly names.

My six year old grandson and I read the book together and we both loved it. We were entertained not only by the story, but also by the wonderful illustrations. We loved the humor and laughed out loud together. I would recommend this book for all ages!

I have given this book to 4 of my grandchildren and they all have a different response and each response is extremely positive. One said it's the best book he ever read. I am glad there are books such as this available for children (and adults)
instead of some of the violence that's available today.
Jan T.

Brian Tinsman does an excellent job explaining the inner workings of a difficult industry. He provides real examples of how games have failed and succeeded, how to pitch a game to an agent or manufacturer, and briefly covers self-publishing.

If you are looking into the games industry as a possible business venture, buy this book. It is well worth your time and money.

NOTE: This book is NOT for video game design.

This is a very informative book. It does not talk about how to design a great game, but it talks about the game industry in general and what to do once you have a game that you'd like to get published.

Brian Tinsman knows a lot about a variety of different segments in the board game market. His knowledge is quite impressive and he write in a manner that is easy to understand.

I found this book to be interesting, but not all that insightful. It is written for a beginner or someone who is completely new to the field of board game design. On the other hand, if that is you, you'll find this to be quite helpful.

As a professional toy inventor and manufacturer, I found this book to be right on target. It gives both current and prospective inventors critical the type of ammunition needed to succeed in this highly competitive, extremely speculative business. I wish that I'd read this book when I started out fourteen years ago. Even now I found it helpful to be reminded of some of the basic precepts and underlying structure of the biz.

"The Game Inventor's Guidebook" is a bit of a misleading title as there's very little here to guide an aspiring inventor in getting into the industry beyond the obvious advice to get a broker if you want a shot at penetrating the big companies; and don't sink your life savings into producing a game yourself thinking you're going to strike it rich. Tinsman has put together a respectable, if somewhat lightweight, overview of the industry with brief glimpses at the backstories of some of the more successful games and their inventors that's most appropriate for the gaming aficionado.

NOTE: If you're interested in video game design, look elsewhere.

If you do reead bridge books there is nothing new here, and its just a summary of what you ahev already read.

This is a great book for thos ewho have not played in 30 years and are unaware of "modern" trends in bridge. For most of you thats not reson enough to buy this book.

Its not terrible, just not of much worth, at lest not enough to justify the purchase.

The book covers a variety of topics, and discusses changes to the game over the last 25 years (as of the publication date).
Its not going to teach you all that much. Instead it will make you aware of things you may not have known about, and you will then need to get some books to adress those subjects.

Its good, but not great. No way is it a 5 star book.

This book outlines all the strategies required to succeed in tournament bridge play. The book focuses primarily on matchpoint events, but has an excellent chapter on team play. Each chapter includes a nice set of exercises that test the reader's understanding of the material presented.

One minor weakness is that the book describes the "5 Lines of Defense" (active, passive, forcing, defensive trump tricks, and cutting down ruffs), but overlooks a sixth strategy - killing the dummy (for an example of this type of play, see the Merrimac Coup).

All in all, I'm glad I bought this book, and I figure I have won a lot more bridge events because of it!

This is a great intermediate level book for people wanting to take their game to the next level. It has a great study guide at the back that should really help you as well. Like all good bridge books this one focuses on the logic behind the decisions. It shows you how experts think about the game and how to recognize and make strategic decisions.

My one gripe is that the bibliography on bidding is a bit sparse. It includes some very simple books and some very advanced ones, but doesn't have anything to help you make the transition. Here are my suggestions for taking your bidding to the next level:

Most tournament players in the US use a system called Two-over-one. Hall lists the "bible" on the method in his bibliography, but doesn't list any of the books designed to help you learn and use it. I suggest:
Bridge: 25 Steps to learning 2/1
Workbook on the Two Over One System
The first book will walk you through learning the system and the Lawrence book will help you and your partner use the system effectively. It may be useful to get a book on tournament conventions while reading these books (Root & Pavlicek have one and Segram & Smith have a 2 volume set; both are useful; the R&P tend to have more thorough explanations, but S&S is more complete.)

The other problem with the Hall biblography is that while 2/1 is popular among US tournament players, it generally isn't used by the top-tier players. Honestly, the Precision system used by those experts is much easier to use than 2/1, it's just not popular here in the US for some reason. I suggest that you learn it if you are a serious tournament player with a regular partner; it is much better than 2/1 and takes less time to master. Books to help:
Natural precision: Effective, aggressive, but natural precision bidding, Precision in the 90s, Precision Today: Your Guide To Learning The System -- Or Fine-Tuning Your Precision Partnership. The Brown book is short and sweet and could be used by any partnership that knows the basics of bridge. The Rigal book is a bit more advanced, but it has better coverage of the system. Precision Today is targeted at near-experts, but the first several chapters mirror the Rigal book (the latter chapters do as well, but you should stay away from the "advanced" section of the Rigal book until you are a much better player.)

Its a good overview for Intermedaite level players that are somewhat isolated and haven't heard about Bridge innovations of the last 20-30 years.

Not a bad book. But if you are familiar with modern bridge, and have read other books, there will not be much new here.

All in all its OK, its not a great book by any means.
5 Stars? I'm curious what those reviewers would conside a 3 star book.

This is definitely the worst book ever written about Pokemon, by a considerable margin. The vignettes by young players weren't explicitly awful, if unnecessary -- but it is when Schlesinger attempts to discuss the game in his own words that he sounds, frankly, like a creepy old man. His attempts at "humor" -- which show themselves immediately in the introduction -- are absolutely lunatic.

I was simultaneously disturbed and insulted when I first read this book as a 12-year-old Pokemon player. Now that the games are of little popular interest, it may actually be worth buying, just to marvel at the miraculous sequence of events that caused Schlesinger to get published. Just don't expect to learn anything substantial about Pokemon.

This was a great book! It had great tips on the Red and Blue versions! (Since this book was made at the beginning of the Pokemon phenomenon it'll be mostly aimed at the Red & Blue.) Still, this book is a great buy! It has reviews from kids back when they were among the first to know about Pokemon! I also recommend buying "Pokemon Fever" and "Pokemon Future"-- they are sequals (Pokemon Future unlocks the secrets of the glitch Pokemon Missingno and Glitch City, incase you are interested.)

Wow! I was just excited when I picked up my copy of How to Become A POkemon Master. I was so impressed i even bought a copy for my kids, Nick and Scott. They fight over it all the time. Just remember to buy one for each of your children.

i got this book on 2/6/00 and i haven't put it down yet. the Fluffy Round EnEmies can't Kill mE with their VIle claws, Now that I have this book. if you're a pokémon phreak like me, you'll read this book and get a big blue box of cardz and go seize your opponent by the trunk.

I have this book and I must say I loved reading it. I actually took time out from playing video games and watching TV to read this book. You can't help but smile at the cute jokes scattered in the book. This book has several things other Pokemon books don't have, reviews and tips straight from kids who play Pokemon all the time. If you're looking for a book to buy your kids on Pokemon, look no further. This book also gives reviews on other great games for children and explains in a very unsuspecting manner that children should also help out with chores, read more often and other things. This book has no flaws except a few errors with what Pokemon are found in which game. This is a book no one would regret buying.

I bought this deck mainly because of reviews that spoke of the beautiful and compelling artwork, but, unfortunately, I do not find it so. The images taken separately look like they were done by a talented high school student. Many of the figures are awkwardly drawn and this distracts from the overall effect of the cards. If you are looking for a deck rich in symbolism, you won't find that here either.

I am relatively new to the tarot so i can't tell you about the accuracy of readings and such,but i can tell you these cards are fantastic looking this is up there in the top 5 of medieval style of decks ,along with Nigel Jackson's Medieval Enchantment Deck(Out of print),The Golden Tarot By Kat Black, the Gilded Tarot and the Old English Tarot along with this one is your top five medieval decks.Hudes deck though may not be for some do to its melancholy nature along with the subtle colors and lack of uber happy people but thats what makes it medieval.So if you like very happy fluff decks this one may not be for you also disregard one other reviewer who called it a "too cute deck" its not that kind of deck at all as i described it earlier.The cards themselfs are well coated so they will be around for a long haul but are a little slick,a small little problem i had with is the size they are a little small i always feel that 3x5 is a perfect size for tarot not to big where you cant handle them or to small they feel like ordinary playing cards in your hand these cards are slighty smaller than the perfect 3x5 so they do have that playing card feel but its no big deal,all and all these cards are great for any level tarot card reader and a must have in a collection.

Really wonderful deck. It`s just perfect...the art is well done, soft,beautiful and meaningful colors. It feels good to the eyes of the mind. I`ve learned that the best Tarot decks are those that keeps simple, because the unconscious approaches symbols and images more directly in this way. This deck has a perfect balance, not too busy with the art, but lot of symbols and beautiful artistic design.
Also,there are many connections between the cards, this is the most important when I`m making a spread. When I`m reading I try to find connections in symbols, textures, colors,movement, backgrounds, figures positioning...etc...This deck is as good as the Ryder Waite, but more earthy and heart warming. I own about a dozen good decks, but this one is outstanding...
.

I am currently re-immersing myself in the Tarot after some years away from it, and have purchased three new decks, of which this is one. I've not worked with it extensively yet it's true, but I have got the feel of it being probably a great intuitive deck, even though it isn't layered in symbolism, it has what it needs to take you deeper. It isn't my perfect deck, but I may never find that, still I will say I can tell I will probably work with this one personally and professionally quite a lot. Her use of color is masterful, though the images are of uneven quality in terms of the art, those that are great are "suitable for framing".

"The beauty of medieval art and symbolic nature of mythology serve as the inspiration for the creation of this tarot deck...Themes of alchemy and astrology suggest the magical nature of medieval thought, the same ideas that initiated the art of tarot reading." - From the Little White Book

When I saw the Death card from the Hudes Tarot online, I knew this was a must-have deck. It is truly one of the most beautiful Death cards that I've ever seen, incorporating an unfurled butterfly juxtaposed against the pelvic area of the skeleton--an area symbolizing conception, gestation and birth. Creative, transformative regeneration--a concept not always integrated in Death card imagery.

Susan Hudes created her namesake Tarot by combining luminous watercolors with antique maps, constellation charts and marbled paper, which adds a decidedly three-dimensional feel to this seamlessly collaged deck.

From the sky-clad lemniscate above the Magician's head to the smooth, cool marbled face of the Moon, Ms. Hudes' compositions are inviting and intriguing. I love some of the unusual perspectives, such as the bird's eye view of the boat in the 6 of Swords where we get to peek down at a man about to row while six swords lay scattered in the water.

In the Cups suit, the Court Cards show figures holding golden goblets filled with not water, but aquatic representations from maps. And the rich, raspberry-colored discs in the Pentacles suit are simple, but striking.

The cards from the Hudes Tarot measure approximately 4 ¾ x 2 ¾ inches, and while the design on the backs is attractive, it is not reversible. The suits of this deck are Cups, Swords, Wands and Pentacles while the Courts follow the Page, Knight, Queen and King ordering.

The Little White Book for this deck is unusually brief, offering only a few upright meanings for the cards, which were gleaned from Wisdom in the Cards by A.L. Samul--a commentary on the Hudes Tarot.

If you prefer well-crafted collage decks, especially ones that employ cheery hues and flowing watercolors, the Hudes Tarot will more than meet your expectations. It is a very readable deck, so it's an excellent choice for those new to Tarot. Experienced readers who favor Rider-Waite-Smith imagery will likely make fast friends with this deck, as well. Absent of nudity or darker imagery, this deck is also well suited to readings for children or those spooked by traditional renderings.

(To see 12 card images from the Hudes Tarot, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

This was the first Cartomancy instruction book I picked up, but after going through it I felt it somehow "missed the point" in covering all the possibilities of card reading. I then found "Fortune Telling By Playing Cards" by Johnathan Dee- an author who has studied the Tarot & has several books to his credit. His book is much more complete in both Cartomancy(playing card divination)history, use and detailed card definitions. I highly recommend his book to St. Lawrence's above.

I believe this book is unavailable in most bookstores but if you see it, make sure you get it because you might not find it anymore. I purchased this book back in 1999 when I was undergoing uncertainties in my personal and professional life. Back then, I was out of work and I had way too much time on my hands; so I decided to learn how to read cards. Chita's methods were not difficult to master and after a week or so, I had the whole deck memorized. I have been doing readings on and off since then and they were always accurate. It's really weird. The cards will not tell you when or why...they just give you the information.

This book is the best! I first got it at the library and after reading it, I didn't want to give it back. A few years later I brought it from (local store) and I'm glad I did. Since then I have done readings for people and they all tell me how acurate they are. I enjoy telling fortunes a lot and it has become a hobby that I'll never give up!

I had purchased this booklet a few months back, and I'm glad I did. I cannot believe how amazingly accurate the readings are. The directions are very easy to follow, and the interpretations of the cards are very simple. I read tarot cards on a professional level, but I find that reading with playing cards, following Ms. St. Lawrence's instructions, are much more comprehensive. Unlike the tarot cards, where you can interpret the cards in many different ways (thereby confusing the seeker to high heaven), there is only one "cut & dry" way to interpret with playing cards -- and your readings "come to pass" within a 2- to 4-week period (on a personal level, this is what I've seen). If you enjoy reading as a means for self-discovery, or on a professional basis, this is the book for you! I highly recommend it!!

My grandmother used to read cards - she wouldn't read for anyone except for me and my sister. And even when she did read, I knew she only mentioned the good. She never taught me how though. I think that she wanted to protect me - not wanting me to know of anything bad that would happen. I love her for that. She recently passed and since then, I have felt this unexplainable connection... I've always believed in the 'paranormal', these unexplainable things that happen to us. Those of us who are open and accepting- well, we encounter (I think notice would better describe it) it much more often than those who do not believe.

Well, I decided to see what I could find as far as books are concerned. I bought the book and found it amazing that although the types of spreads Chita uses and describes are completely different than those of my grandmother's, the cards I do remember the meanings to match perfectly! The book is not the end all for the craft, for the serious readers/students much more learning and intuition development is in the road ahead.

I would definitely recommend this book as a good starting point. My first reading using Chita's layouts and interpretations was undeniably accurate.

Buy the book, and keep an open mind!

Just like the title for this review. No more, no less.

This book is a really good source if you want to know how much your pokemon cards are worth. This book has the values of rares, commons, and uncommons. And it even has the values of japanese cards. If you want to get a pokemon price guide, i suggest you buy this one.

I am pleased to say that this excellent guide has brought much information about the incredibly popular Pokémon trading card game, and much knowledge about the Pokémon merchandise. Checkerbee Publishing has made a incredible value guide, considering that they included transalations for the Japanese poket monster trading card game, pictures of the cards, and such information is included in American Pokémon card game which is also featured in this book. Though this book has it's pros, it also has cons. No estimated prices are given about the American Fossil Cards, and few people are sure that the Japanese transalations are 100% accurate. Though, that should not stop you from buying this stupendous guide. I am very sure this will satisfy thous who are in need of Pokémon information.

i bought this book because it looked cool. but i read some of it there was alot of misprints!

IF you can't under stand you japanies cards fear no more. This book tells you what it says.