Card Games Books

Costa's system really works. After reading this book, I went to the casino, tried it out and came home a winner. In addition, the book was easy to read and very entertaining. I highly recommend it!!

I always had a good time at the Poker machines; but in the past not only have I NOT won, I've never been able to make my budgeted funds last as long as I'd like them to. What fun it was to take Carol's tips to the casino and try them out. Not only did I play longer, I took home all of my money, and some of "theirs" too. Even if that might not happen every single time, these new techniques just make the trips to the casino a lot more fun. Woo-hoo!

If you've NEVER played video poker, this is a great starting place for tips and very basic strategy. Some of the statements the author makes are along the lines of; "I've heard that machines can be programmed to give better hands to lower bets." These make for interesting anecdotes, but not much in terms of substance. However, the author provides good information for introductory strategy that will definitely save the novice player money. In a book of this nature, I think it is essential that there be information on which machines are statistically full-pay machines and which are not. For instance, if a jacks or better machine pays 9 to 1 for a full house and 6 to 1 for a flush, perfect play over the long run will yield close to full paybacks, while a machine that pays 8 and 5 to 1 respectively, is only a 94% payback machine. This information is critical if you want to play for very long, but isn't found in this book.

I have read Ms. Costa's new video poker book and found it quite interesting. After reading her tips and tricks on playing video poker, I thought why not give it a shot. I live in Las Vegas so what better place to try it out. I must say I was optimistic when she described some of the little tricks other avid gamblers do especially when it came to holding three cards for about 30 seconds and the majority of the time the fourth one will come up. I can't tell you how many times I have tried this tip and actually got the fourth card. This is amazing and especially helpful when you get those four aces with a kicker. I have been leaving the casino with their money. My husband laughed the first time I did it and told me it would never work and just looked at me when the four of a kind appeared on the screen. Now I notice that he is doing it with success. I also try and get the noisest machine on the line and the ones closest to the door. Now, if I can only take Ms. Costa's advise and know when to leave a machine and take my $$$ with me. Thumbs up on this book.

As you browse the images of this celestial vision, you have to wonder if the man who created them is not an angel himself. Vividly beautiful and breathtaking illustrations juxtaposed against eerily-haunting, emotional expressions make this deck a quintessential must have for those drawn to the spiritual plane. Mr. Sexton is definitely in touch with the wide-eyed wonderment and imagination that slowly fade in us as we age. He has resurrected the dreamer and the part of the soul that keeps these legends alive century after century. The artwork, itself, is a Neoclassic throwback to the times of the Great Masters with a hint of expressionism to soften the lines. I highly recommend this work. Purchase this deck.

The figures are beautiful. However, that is just about all there is on every card. I dislike tarot cards where the pips are simply repeats with increased numbers of the suit. For example, the only difference between the four of wands and the five of wands in this deck is an additional wand and a shift in position of the figures on the card. There is no emotional or perceptional difference when you look at them. I have never tried to read with this deck, and rate it at about 140 (out of my collection of >150).

A lot of people have more than one tarot deck... But this is my first and only deck. I haven't felt the need for another one after this. The artwork is truly amazing and angels/ cherubs/ spirits are on every card. It also comes with a handy little booklet which describes the story behind the images on the cards (although the meanings are quite easy to decipher just by looking at them) and also tells you what they mean in a spread.

I've been extremely accurate with this beautiful deck. Just holding it I can feel how strongly it pulls at me. The inscription on the side of the box reads "A host of wondrous and angelic Winged Spirits reveal the mysteries of the unknown and connect us to the sublime. This 78-card Winged Spirit Tarot deck brings their voices into focus."

Good enough for beginners and gorgeous enough to keep the interest of those who are already experienced. Definately a worth-while purchase.

I have had an angel collection for years. I recently purchased the Winged Spirit Tarot cards because I wanted to add it to my collection. I was pleased with my find! The visual artistry on each card is beautiful. Each angel is inspiring and the stories about the angels are fascinating. Obviously the author, David Sexton, went to great lengths to find unique descriptions and legends. I recommend this tarot deck for anyone who has a love for beauty.

What a delightful way to generate ideas for spicing up a cozy/comfy relationship or showing that special new person how thoughtful and creative you are!

Or...wrap it up as a gift to gently say to someone what you really might like and keep the passion alive.

We've used the "52 Things to Do in the Car" on trips with our 3 and 5 year olds, and it has helped pass the time and keep them from getting too bored (or watching DVDs the whole time). We also use some of them on the plane. The "games" are good for a range of ages--some are too advanced for my kids yet, but others they can do with help. It's nice and small to bring along. You only need paper and pencil or crayons for most activities (imagining things, spotting things, letter and number games, pretending). Wish I had these on all those long car trips we took as kids!

hep böle orospu evlatlari böle kitaplar yazar zaten amina kodumun çocuklari... Top Tolga kaptanolglu ibne kafali. Ibne murat tugay... Ve buradan bu arkadaslar gibi olan tüm travestilere sesleniyorum! hepiniz ibne evladisiniz

I am a very serious poker player and I play several times a week. I've read most of the poker literature. This book is one of the best. It looks at 77 concepts and analyzes the play of various types of hands based on these concepts. I thought the book was thorough, well written and intellectually challenging. If you play poker this belongs right up there with Sklansky's best work. Renzey obviously knows the various games and he has a marvelous way of teaching his points. But this is not a beginner's book.

The title sounded like a cheesy "get rich quick" magic formula, but I found the book to be full of down-to-earth, informative poker logic. The "77 ways" simply takes one poker strategy scenario at a time, and explains its underlying purpose in detail. It does this with general poker concepts first, like the subjects of check-raising or pot odds, then follows the same format with four different casino poker games.
Each strategy point involves only two or three pages accompanied by an illustrated hand to show its use. This made it easy to study and digest just one concept for 10 minutes, then put the book down for another time. It is also very easy to go back and refer to a particular concept after you've played a session.
I thought the strategy explanations were clear and educational, particularly in the two high-low split games of Omaha-8-or-better and 7 Card Stud-8-or-better. The other two games covered in the book were straight 7 Stud and Texas Hold'em.
This was definitely a thinking man's book that teaches you what you're trying to make happen when you play poker.

I would not recommend this book for beginners, but for those players who have moved into mid or upper limits it is a solid piece. Some of the concepts are basic because he has to make the book appealing to a wide audience but I found the hidden gems of information useful. The organization of the book, a series of 77 concepts, is excellent. There are no references to low limit games, which is refreshing. The author makes a point of avoiding discussion on low limit because, and I agree with him, low limit has too many exceptions to the rules of normal conduct. For poker players like myself who wish to dabble outside the realm of Hold'em, the pointers on Razz, Studd and PLO are very good.

This is the sixth collection of Abbot stories and I have bought the whole lot! David Bird is the world's best writer, when it comes to humorous bridge fiction, and I read these Abbot books time and again. My favorite story in this particular book is when the monks of St Titus play against a team of nuns! Apart from the narrative being extremely funny, and the dialog too, the quality of the bridge hands is first-class. I can really recommend the book to everyone.

This is the first book in this series to be credited solely to David Bird. Previously, the magazine articles written by Bird had been revised by the original author together with Terence Reese prior to book publication. After the death of the latter, David Bird continued to work alone. Of course, he was always the original author and it was never made clear exactly how great an input Reese had to the book revisions.

Like all of the other works in this series, this book follows the adventures of the fictional bridge playing monks of the order of St. Titus. Each chapter sees the monks in some bridge situation where they play a number of hands. The bidding is normally English Acol style but this is secondary to the play of the hands which is where the interesting bridge problems can be found.

While the earlier books all concentrated on the exploits of the monks in England, they also contained a number of chapters detailing the exploits of a missionary outpost in Africa. Political correctness having see off that scenario, the "away" section of the book has the Abbot, the leading character, playing as the guest expert on a bridge cruise, an interlude which is a lot less funny than the rest of the book.

If you are new to the monks of St.Titus, I would recommend that you first track down some of the earlier books. Especially the first two: "Miracles of Cardplay" and "Unholy Tricks" as they are funnier and fresher. However, if you are already a fan of these books, do not hesitate. Reese may be missing from the front cover and the wit may not be as sharp but you will still enjoy the contents.

David Bird's latest volume of stories about the Bridge-addicted Abbot and his Franciscan order of St. Titus wins over the reader on two levels. First, and most important for any Bridge enthusiast, every story involves several puzzles to bend the mind and promote logical thinking. Second, the rich character development will amuse and delight all readers -- particularly enjoyable are the Abbot's reliable vanity and his ongoing vendetta against the young upstart, Brother Cameron. Cards being fickle, both get their comeuppance against one another in various episodes. So that Bridge does not seem like a vengeful contact sport, Bird wisely emphasizes the brothers' roles as teammates in tournament play to ameliorate some of the sassier moments. While there is a lot of humor and able writing here, I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not play Bridge on at least a casual basis, as they will be hard-pressed to grasp the relevance of the puzzles to the stories and the pleasures of this wonderful book will be lost on them.

This is a good introduction to bridge, which covers enough bidding and card play (i.e. declarer and defensive play) that you can at least get to the table and understand the basics of all facets of bridge. Needless to say, as an introduction to a complex game, it won't make you an expert, but that's not its goal. My only objection to this book is that a feature of its bidding system is outdated (it treats raises to the three level as game-forcing instead of limit-raises).

For an introduction without outdatedness, there is Eddie Kantar's "Bridge for Dummies". The disadvantages to Kantar's book are that it's a bit longwinded, and that it does not contain quizzes to help reinforce understanding.

very useful for beginners and all players could benefit from reading it again

I've always thought William Root's books were very good, so I was glad to see his new offering. I'll be using in a small class for beginning players. It is so important to get new players off on the right foot, and it is far too easy to scare them away with too many gadgets or an unreadable book. The system the book teaches is a fairly standard modern system, although my opinion is that limit raises in majors should now be viewed as standard (the book mentions limit raises, but advises people to begin with forcing raises). That's a pretty small and debatable issue in an otherwise excellent book.

One would think that with only 52 cards divided four ways, a round of descriptive bidding and familiarity with the game itself, one could easily construct the hand on a partner or opponent. Yet how many times have you lost that finesse, or guessed wrong and got trumped or lost a game because trumps split 4-1 vs 3-2? This book lets you catch things like this and nip them in the bud. Very good read with lots of illustrations and examples.

One of the all-time best books. How to "see" the opponents' hands.

Of the 9 books I've read on Deduction/Counting this is the one I liked least. Its not terrible, but the others are much better. Maybe this was considered a good book on the subject 40+ years ago, but there are not much better books.

Its probably Intermediate plus/advanced, and not for Intermedaites or below.
The bidding is outdated in a number of hands, and I don't think all the inferences are that solid.


Start with Mike Lawrences "How to Read Your Opponents Cards"
Then read "Countdown to Winning Bridge" by Tim Bourke

I think these books lay a better foundation
I also liked:

Card Placing for You - Kambites
Card Reading - Eric Jannersten
Better Bridge for the Advancing Player - Frank Stewart
Dormer on Deduction - Al Dormer


All 52 cards is a fair book, with a wide variety of problems. I just think the instruction is not as good as in some of the others.

the ancient italian tarots is my favorite deck i have it helps you focus on what readings you do , i would recommend this for people who do readings, thanks

I love the Ancient Italian tarot cards they are so beautiful I am a tarot reader for almost 5yrs and i always use this deck. I have another set of tarot cards but foor some reason i see better with this deck. I would have to say i recommend this deck for people who do readings. Thank you,Have Faith in what you believe

Misnamed "ancient," this reproduction of an Italian deck is certainly limited by its absence of concrete images so valuable in tarot reading and interpretation. Although it is almost surely true that the Italians are the originators of the modern tarot deck, this deck is by no means ancient; the 14th century Italians understood the importance of integrating artistic beauty with utilitarian form. This sad, 19th century version of those earlier and far nobler efforts is useful more as an amusement and stands as a mere echo of those former decks. Eschew this frolicsome effort and seek out earlier or even later tarot representations.

Often people don't take this deck seriously because they think it is childish.

They confuse childishness with childlikeness.

Anyone with an open heart and who still has a remnant of childlike innocence will not only enjoy using these cards, but will be able to hear that still small voice that is so often ignored due to the hustle and bustle of our busy days.

Buy it. Use it. And be happy.

I have quite a few Angel Cards and I have to be honest and say these are not my favorites. The packaging is cute and it might make a nice gift for someone who is interested in Angel cards, or even a teenager, but for my personal tastes, I feel there are other decks that are more helpful. Doreen Virtue's Angel and Fairy cards are wonderful and beautiful and I also like the Angel Messages cards. They are terrific, too.

I found these cards when I was actually looking for other angel cards - they are so nice and positive! The illustrations are very vivid and the texts are comprehensive and inspiring. It is pure pleasure to be acquainting with these beautiful cards. I am carrying them around with me wherever I go no and I feel safe and secure. Every time I need advise or support I turn to these beautiful tiny cards. They do not require books and explanations because they just talk to you while you use them. The booklet explains the basic steps and ways to use them and it's a great way to get started.

I have read several books aimed at novice and intermediate bridge players, but this is the most comprehensive and readable book on the subject I have seen. Play of the hand is associated with the bidding in each chapter. This is unlike "Contract Bridge Complete" by Charles Goren, and other similar books, where the reader spends the first half of the book counting cards and memorizing bids. This juxtaposition of bidding and play makes learning or reviewing the basics of Bridge dynamic and exciting!

This well diagrammed, well organized, yet extremely condensed book really can bring the beginner up to the level of basic play; but note that basic is a relatiave term and that the book is written by a master. The book assumes the beginner is a bridge player at heart, which is to say, focused and dedicated. I don't think there is any book on bridge that can teach the game to a beginner alone, even to those who are players at heart, but Truscott's book comes close and is an excellent companion and guide both to the beginner and enthusiastic teacher. It is also a valuable reference and review for the so-called basic player.

This is an excellent book. It is well organized, lucid, coherent. The format is ideal for a busy person like me: the chapters or short, to the point and can be read and absorbed in a period of 1/2-1 hour per session. Each chapter gives points about bidding followed by hand play so you always get to apply in practice what you learned in theory. I would have liked a "master chart" to which I could easly refer to review bidding responses instead of leafing back through the chapters, but this is a minor flaw. The book fulfills it's mission: after reading it one can play on a strong intermediate level. Alan J. Stein, MD