Book Description
Bridge, as any player will tell you, is simply the best card game ever. It’s challenging—each hand presents a different set of conditions you must figure out and solve. It's very social—you play with a partner and two opponents. And best of all—it's fun.
Bridge For Dummies, 2E gives you a step-by-step explanation of the fundamentals of the game in terms you can understand. It walks you through the different aspects of bridge, featuring real-life examples, so that you can feel comfortable with the basics before you ever start to play. And if you're already experienced at the game, you'll discover a wealth of tips and hints that can make you a better player. You'll learn all about:
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The basics of nontrump play
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How to play the hand in a trump contract
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Bidding for fun and profit
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Taking advantage of advanced bidding techniques
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Playing a strong defense and keeping score
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Playing bridge on your computer
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Playing in bridge clubs and tournaments
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Where to find other great bridge resources
This newly revised edition features an expanded section on playing bridge online, with updated web addresses and other resources, along with new information on the latest bidding techniques. For anyone from novice to pro wanting to learn bridge or learn techniques to improve their game, Bridge For Dummies, 2E makes an ideal partner!
Customer Reviews:
Bridge for Dummies - not so good.......2007-09-15
This book is not bad, but unfortunately is not clear, and not fun to read.
It goes in to details too quickly.
It appears to be aimed at a person becoming an Intermediate Player
The Only Way to Learn.......2007-08-17
Over Memorial Day weekend of this year, I decided to learn to play bridge after never playing the game at all. I took several on-line lessons and other learning tools. The next week I bought Bridge for Dummies (BFD). I read the book cover to cover a couple times, highlighted appropriate passages and quickly learned the game.
Within a month I was playing online confidently based on what I learned in BFD. I had people comment that there was no way I was only playing for a month. After another couple weeks I played duplicate bridge at a local club and finished second my first time playing live.
I highly recommend this book to everyone wanting to learn to play bridge. If this book has one weakness, occasionally you will find instances where bidding strays from SAYC. But simply print out the 4 page SAYC brochure and tuck it in the book.
Bridge is by far the best game of any type I have ever played and this book gave me a foundation to grow from.
Terrific Value.......2007-07-14
Bridge for Dummies, by Eddie Kantar, has turned out to be one of the best purchases I have ever made. I love bridge, and bought this book as just a refresher type thing. No way! The book is teeming with tips, strategies, and explanations that should be of great value to all but the most advanced players. I consider this to be the best book on bridge in the market today.
excellent review of standard and newer principles.......2007-03-25
I was pleasantly surprised by the incorporation of all the latest bidding schemes in this Dummies book. I recommend it to all as a good review/reference source.
Best Book.......2007-03-21
This is the best book I've found for those of us needing a refresher course in bridge. Much better, for me, than Goren. I would highly recommend this book for beginners.
Customer Reviews:
Heavenly........2007-09-25
A very nice book.
The fiction is simply amazing. I love the way they portray Eric so similar to the Legendary Thor.
Teh concept for this book is amazing, and a tip of the hat to American Gods and Anansi boys.
Thye mechanics are fairly simple, if you've ever played Exalted, or the old WoD games. Weapon selection could be larger, though.
Only thing that could have made this better, would be to introduce more Pantheons. The Hindu gods were visibly absent here.
Not too shabby.......2007-08-23
Scion: Hero is a product that sets out to do something very specific, and it does it pretty well. You won't find advice on how to run an "American Gods" sort of game here, and you won't find a lot of information about the social machinations of the gods, but you will find a good and solid action role-playing game that gets the job done.
There are, obviously, some flaws in this book. For one thing, a lot of pages are spent (wasted is too strong a word) on opening fiction and a starting adventure. While the opening fiction is pretty good, and delivers the theme and mood of the game very tastefully, it is still almost a 40 page opening fiction. And the adventure is too simplistic and boring to be worth around the same amount of pages. Besides that, some rules are missing (throwing rules, for example), and there are several problems with the system that make gaming a little slow (combats take forever, but not because of the Exalted-type system, but because of insane amounts of soak and defense values, which make hurting a character nigh-impossible).
But, otherwise, Scion is a very inspiring game, which sets out to create a mythological action thriller with an infinite budget, and does that part very good.
Scion also showcases excellent production values - it's a gorgeous book, not badly edited, and with solid writing.
If you wanted a modern version of exalted, or a modern mythological action game, this one's for you. Be sure to check out Scion: Demigod, that raises the roof on Scion's power levels and style.
A great start for a new game series.......2007-08-16
This is a roleplaying game designed by the good folks at White Wolf games. The premise is simple: The Titans from ancient mythology have woken up and are getting ready to destroy the world. The players of the game take the roles of 'scions', or children of the Gods, and it's their job to help defend the world from the Titans and their kin.
I've been reading the book 'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman. American Gods is about the nervous middleground between modern dark fantasy and ancient mythology. I loved the book and the idea of the setting. I picked up Scion:Hero because I had heard that it created a role playing setting with strong similarites to the Gaiman novel. As I read the intro story to Scion:Hero I thought that this was very much in the style of 'American Gods'. White Wolf has managed to come up with a rare thing... a truly inventive new role playing game with a fresh perspective.
Fun but incomplete.......2007-06-09
I bought this game after seeing the sales pitch for it on the White Wolf website. It's a good game with a medium level of complexity. There are some rules gaffs which hopefully WW will correct quickly. An example being: no chart or rule for how far a character can throw something with superhuman strength. But, the biggest weakness of the game for me, as a GM, was a 30+ page adventure. I would have preferred that space to have been given over to more antagonists for my use and maybe more setting flavor. And it has an awful index.
It's a good game and fun. But far from perfect.
Great idea, bad way of doing it.......2007-06-08
Scion had what i considered to be one of the most interesting ideas for a new game in some time. The idea had my friends and I drooling and we all snatched up copies of the book. Now we made our characters and thought of back stories and such, and that was all well and good.
It was when we got to the combat during play that things started getting annoying. We tried under three different Storytellers running things, and we still would take a good hour to get a combat done. For me, HUGE turn off to a game. One of us insists that we just need to get used to the very Exalted-esque tick system. The rest of us have agreed a different system needs to be used for combat. Whether you use Old World of Darkness or New World of Darkness, i highly recommned AGAINST the included combat methods.
Not only does it take forever for even one turn, let alone a whole combat, but you use HUGE amounts of dice. you can have a brand new character rolling 15 dice WITHOUT using any Willpower or Legend to /punch/ someone. A simple punch. Plus with Epic Attributes you may or may not get some automatic successes thrown in.
White Wolf recommends you get a "tick counter" or make one of your own. Frankly, if Im paying good money for /their/ game it should COME WITH ONE. If you know it should have one, make it! White Wolf makes some of the best and most imaginative games out there, but this one was ruined solely by its combat issues. Again, great game, awesome idea, bad combat. Here's an example of a combat roll. Youre shooting a gun. Dexterity+Firearms. Then if your character has Epic Dexterity 2, you get two free successes. Now, add the weapons Accuracy, 4-6 seems to be average. Now add +1 simply because youre a Scion. Now subtract the targets Dodge Value, which is twice his Defense. If the target is making a Dodge Action, its his DVx 2. Now roll your dice. Add in your 2 successes for Epic Dex 2, and then any 7s,8s,or 9s and 10s count as two successes. Thats just to roll to hit. Im not going to go through a whole turn or youd shoot yourself from boredom.
Rant over.
Book Description
Ultimate book for learning how to defend bridge hands. Includes practice exercises.
Customer Reviews:
Audrey Grant is the Guru of bridge Instructors.......2007-03-23
If you are new to bridge I highly recommend purchasing all four of Audrey Grant books in the ACBL Series... CLUB, DIAMOND, HEART AND SPADE. She is unquestionably the best bridge teacher for a novice. In layman's terms she is able to explain and unravel the mysteries of bridge. If you begin with the club book and progress through the series as they increase in difficulty... club, diamond, heart and spade you will be able to teach yourself how to become proficient in bridge painlessly. Her books are written in lesson formats... and they are used by many people who instruct bridge classes i.e. adult ed. Buy one... I'm sure you'll add the other three to your library. I also highly recommend her "Bridge at A Glance" pocket guide which is a quick synopsis of bidding and the appropriate respones thereof. I bought many bridge books before I stumbled upon Audrey Grant and wish I had found her books first! Good luck!
Excellent for Novice's.......2006-05-14
I bought a copy for my beginner's and they found it difficult but their defense has really improved. There are many books on defense but this is the best one I've seen for novice's. If you are already good at defense this book is too elementary.
Defense, Defense.......2000-04-01
Audry Grant continues the excellence of her writing on bridge with this book. In bridge books, there is so much emphasis on bidding that defending against a bid seems to take a back seat. No more with this excellent book. It is extremely readable and understandable and even a relative beginner will quickly grasp the fundamentals of defense. A great addition to any bridge library.
Customer Reviews:
25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know.......2007-09-29
The publication is well written, quite informative and, by far, the best book on bridge conventions that I have read.
Excellent Book.......2007-06-10
The book is easy to read and the examples are easy to follow.
It is a must read book for beginning and intermediate bridge players
25 Bridge Conventions.......2007-05-18
Very easy to follow. Describes with examples how to use each convention. Has made a big change in my playing! I recommend it if you have any uncertainties about any convention.
25 bridge conventions you should know.......2007-03-20
The book is well orginazed into beginning, intermediate, and advanced conventions and also tells you what to do as the bidding continues.
A terrific reference book for the intermediate bridge player.......2006-06-22
Barbara Seagram has a winner here! I am a bridge teacher in Arizona and have recommended the book to all of my students because it is written in a clear and logical manner. Enthusiastic beginning and intermediate players are playing duplicate bridge because of this book. Many are now quoting the author when discussing bridge hands. I highly recommend this book to bridge players who are looking to improve their game.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Book to Improve Your Bridge.......2007-06-07
I found this to be the best book to improve bridge for an intermediate player. I've read it four times and learned from each chapter each time. Since one plays defense on half the hands, it provides the best time investment to improve one's bridge play. It is also an entertianing read. I have recommended it to the bridge players I mentor.
How to signal, how to card correctly.......2006-03-01
The book focuses on leads, signals (Attitude, Count, Suit Preference), and how to card (what card to play in 2nd or 3rd spot), rather than general defensive principles.
The content is excellent, well presented (humorous!!), and best of all, has lots of quizzes. None of this skimming a section and figuring you know it, the quiz will let you find out for certain.
2 warnings:
1) make sure your partner is using the same techniques, otherwise you may get worse results. Its not that the ideas in the book are radical, they are mainstream. But if pard doesn't understand your signal, they may do something weird and you will be worse off.
2) The book is a bit technical (5 situations where this is a suit preference signal. If Dummy wins with a Q then signal count, otherwise ... If you can see the X in dummy then pard will know to do this, else that, etc.
You will need to reread it several times, and probably make notes.
VALUABLE STUFF, but ONLY as part of a partnership that understands each other.
Learning bridge defense.......2005-09-11
Kantar is exceptionally readable, with a sense of humor which makes a difficult subject enjoyable. He goes through much material, but quite thoroughly and clearly. It's a book that needs to be studied - not merely read - but a good student will gain enormously from Kantar's work.
Read it at least 5 times, it's worth it.......2004-11-21
This is a great book on defense, because Kantar covers almost every intermediate situation comprehensively and give you black and white rules for every situation. He doesn't in this book consider varied leading/signalling conventions but just gives one way to play, but that's fine as he explains his method clearly and shows why he recommends everything he does. I'd recommend it to every player.
Great Teacher.......2004-10-17
Kantar today is more noted as a bridge instructor than a bridge player. But one must remember that he is both and his latest book demonstrated both the instructional and practical sides. It is (as usual) clear, concise and ro the point. I like Kantar's prose, his ease of explanation and the way he sets just the right tone. Of course, he discusses the bid, the opponent and, most important, keeping track of the play while counting the cards (the one thing that separates the professional from the amateur). Good book with tons of examples.
Book Description
A quick reference of the material in the Bridge Basics series.These summaries work in conjunction with the books which present the reasoning behind the guidelines.
Customer Reviews:
A Cheat Sheet for Bridge!.......2007-03-23
This is a very concise yet thorough review of bidding presented in a pocket guide. It is a must have for the novice to intermediate player who is still unsure of the bidding process. It also provides a quick summary for declarer play as well as defense play in a trump or no trump hand. I love it!!!! Highly recommended!
Book Description
This new work, directed to intermediate players, contains more than 300 bridge hands, plus tips on strategy and play psychology.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent for Beginners with experience.......2007-02-16
To get anything out of this book you need to have a litle practical experience first. A pure Novice will not get as much out of the book.
With several months experience, you will appreciate this book a lot more. Its slow going, but thats necessary because this is a technical subject. After reading it, you will forget quite a lot of it. Try reading it again a year later. Then it will sink in much better.
For thiose who gave this book a bad review becaus eit was too advanced for them - the problem is with you, not the book. You are not yet at the level to use this book effectively. To read this book as a novice/weak player will not help so much. You need the experience to give you a frame of reference.
After reading this book you can advance to the harder books like teh Card Play Made Easy series and Mollos Card Play Technique.
magnificent and effective teaching material.......2006-03-29
Root's book is concise and effective, there is no superfluous flowery statements in this book and everything presented here is what you need to winning bridge.
A polished book, you will like it, but be sure you have some very basic bridge knowledges before reading it!
Too many examples, too little explanation.......2006-01-22
The book covers a great deal of material, but it was a bit disappointing regarding the explanation of certain plays. It is certain very thorough as for examples, it offers a very wide view of possible holdings and explains very well why a cartain play works in that circumstance, but doesn't explain which guidelines to follow to decide when to adopt such a play. The material covered is though very much, and anyone that thinks he/she could derive the rule from the example, would find the book very plesurable. On the other hand, if you wanted a really good book by Bill Root, try Commonsense Bidding and Modern Bridge Conventions. I haven't read his book on defence, but that looks promising as well
Another winning effort by Bill Root.......2005-09-27
"How to Play a Bridge Hand" is the definitive primer on declarer play. No, it does not teach advanced play technique like backwash squeezes or smother plays. What it does is provide a novice to intermediate player an overview of every aspect of dummy play. The discussions attempt to identify every common card play situation, and the quizzes reinforce this material. If it seems dry at times, that's only because Root apparently wanted to pack as much teaching into as little space as possible - and he succeeds admirably.
This is a must-read book for anyone wanting to begin to improve their dummy play.
Akin to chewing sawdust.......2005-05-21
I am a newbie, here, but having read a bit of this book and Watson's one, I have to say the following: both are excellent books, but both suffer from extreme teaching mentalities. This one is terse, you have to expand the text and analyse it; Watson's book on the other hand spoonfeeds the reader who has to condense and summarise everything in it.
Root's book is dry but effective; be prepared to really work out the examples not just the quizes and you will end up with another book of your own notes; in the end, you really learn the topic.
Also, some person here complained that this book is not for a beginner; I am a beginner. This book has prerequisites which are covered in the free software supplied on the website of the American Bridge Association (ACBL?). Once you go through that teaching tool, you are ready for this book, no problem.
I highly reccomend this book. Terse, focused to the point at hand (ha, ha), it is dry reading, but highly effective if you decide to expand on the text on your own on the margins.
Do not read it passively.
Book Description
Most popular bridge conventions in use today, explained in an easy-to-understand manner.
Customer Reviews:
Audrey Grant is Unquestionably The BEST Bridge Instructor.......2007-03-23
If you are new to bridge I highly recommend purchasing all four of Audrey Grant books in the ACBL Series... CLUB, DIAMOND, HEART AND SPADE. She is unquestionably the best bridge teacher for a novice. In layman's terms she is able to explain and unravel the mysteries of bridge. If you begin with the club book and progress through the series as they increase in difficulty... club, diamond, heart and spade you will be able to teach yourself how to become proficient in bridge painlessly. Her books are written in lesson formats... and they are used by many people who instruct bridge classes i.e. adult ed. Buy one... I'm sure you'll add the other three to your library. I also highly recommend her "Bridge at A Glance" pocket guide which is a quick synopsis of bidding and the appropriate respones thereof. I bought many bridge books before I stumbled upon Audrey Grant and wish I had found her books first! Good luck!
Excellent Presentation of Commonly Used Conventions.......2006-03-23
Audrey Grant's books - like Commonly Used Conventions - are exceptional. They are best used in a bridge class/training session where an instructor can lead and help the student through the the basics of bridge learning. The value of Audrey Grant's books are that they present a system of bridge which has revolutionized modern bridge. Even Bridge players who have played for years, soon learn that their conceptions, learned from past experience, of even the most commonly used conventions have been in error or misapplied. Recommend the reader try to find a local bridge class with an experienced teacher.
Thanks from an Intermediate level player.......2006-03-15
Without a doubt the most useful and readable bridge book I have used. What one learns by playing bridge with cronies is too often only partly right; Audrey Grant writes well, organizes her material in useful ways, and speaks with authority. She follows up with good examples, explains weaknesses in certain conventions, and is thorough. I will look forward to any other books she writes.
Bridge Improvement Texts.......2006-01-04
I took the ACBL Commonly Used Conventions Course and was very impressed with this text. I think it helped me understand and use the conventions that I had an interest in using. Great help with weak twos, strong clubs, transfers, Stayman and several others that I now play. I would recommend this and the More Commonly Use Conventions Book for negative doubles and additonal conventions.
Outstanding First Bridge Convention Bible.......2002-11-18
Provides classroom text-like treatment of some of the more basic bridge bidding conventions. Covers Stayman, Jacoby transfers, Jacoby 2NT, Drury and some of the related conventions. Expands on the Club Series book (recently retitled "Bidding"), adding nuances and more modern treatments to opening bidding, responses, rebids and preemptive bids.
The Audrey Grant series is used by bridge instructors everywhere as the basis for introductory bridge classes.
Although I played a lot of "seat of the pants" bridge in the past, I've just begun playing duplicate nine months ago and have already earned over 50 ACBL masterpoints applying the principles covered in the Audrey Grant series.
Book Description
Fascinating bridge facts, hands, and anecdotes, interesting biographies of many world-class players, explainations of bridge terms and conventions, history of the game.
Customer Reviews:
decent.......2006-03-17
a decent reference. i have only two things to complain: it's too north-american oriented (for example, there is no explanation for 'polish club' or for 'standard french system') and it doesn't have any website or electronic contact for updates/comments etc.
Excellent all-round bridge reference.......2000-12-24
The Official Encyclopaedia of Bridge is an excellent all-round bridge reference. It provides everything you could possibly want to know about bridge. Biographies are well-researched, conventions explained in detail. Obscure coups, endplays, squeezes are provided and explained with diagrammed examples. A great number of pages are dedicated in card combinations and deals with this subject is dealt in a comprehensive and complete manner, a first in bridge literature. I thoroughly recommend this book, my only slight complaint is that the book is getting slightly out of date and perhaps it is time for new edition. Bridge in the internet has grown tremendously between now and the time of print and this subject has only received little coverage in this edition.
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Bridge for Bright Beginners
25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know
How to Play a Bridge Hand: 12 Easy Chapters to Winning Bridge by America's Premier Teacher
Bridge Baron 17 Express Edition By: Great Games
The ABCs of Bridge
