1 comments about More Commonly Used Conventions (ACBL Bridge).

1. This book takes over where "Commonly Used Conventions" leaves off. It covers negative and other types of conventional doubles, overcalls - including Unusual NT and Michaels, slam bidding - including Blackwood and Gerber (with appendix coverage of Roman Key Card Blackwood) and two-over-one game force. There is an excellent chapter on defensive leads and signals.
   For the newer bridge player, I recommend that you get all five of the ACBL Bridge Series books by Audrey Grant. They are used extensively by bridge teachers world-wide.
   If you have a reasonable amount of bridge experience with modern (not just Goren) bidding concepts (e.g. "limit bids") and playing and defending techniques, skip the Club Series (recently retitled "Bidding") and go right to this book and "Commonly Used Conventions" as the sources of your next step forward in bidding and playing bridge.

3 comments about Bridge Odds for Practical Players (Master Bridge).

1. I've read several of Kelsey's books, and the problems he gives are often rather difficult. Those in this book are usually easy, however. And that is how it should be. Most decisions at the bridge table are pretty easy. You just need to make the right ones consistently.
   
   After a brief introduction to basic probability theory, Kelsey tells us about the odds for distributions of missing cards. The next chapter is on how to play various card combinations in a suit.
   
   After that, we practice combining chances as a declarer. We learn to play for a drop in one suit before taking a risky finesse in another, and so on.
   
   Next is a chapter on care of options. Sometimes, the opponents will remove one of your options. Sometimes, you will remove one of theirs. We learn to make some straightforward plays that take all this into account.
   
   Of course, one elementary aspect of bridge is that the odds change as the hand is played. If an opponent shows out of a suit, or gives you other information about the distribution of cards, the odds can change. And Kelsey expresses the change in odds by the number of "vacant places" that remain undetermined.
   
   The final elementary concept in bridge odds is generally referred to as "restricted choice." Kelsey finds this term confusing, so he calls it "freedom of choice." A simple example is when you have nine trumps, missing the Queen, Jack, five, and four. With the Ace and King in your hand, you try the Ace. Your left-hand opponent drops an honor! Before that happened, you would have played for the suit to split 2-2. But you now realize that there are only two kinds of hands your opponent could have started with: a singleton honor or both honors. There are two hands where your opponent has a singleton (singleton Queen and singleton Jack). And only one hand where your opponent has both honors. So the odds are nearly 2 to 1 in favor of finessing on the next round of trumps. That's a basic concept one has to know in bridge, and Kelsey gives some more examples of it.
   
   This book is easy to read but teaches some valuable lessons. There is only one statement I seriously disagree with in it, and naturally, it is not about bridge. Near the start of the book, Kelsey asks about the probability of a "tossed coin" to come down tails if it has come down heads nine times running.
   
   Kelsey is trying to explain that the chance of tails is not greater than 50%. After all, the coin has no memory. It is not going to come down tails just to even the odds! Kelsey says that each toss of the coin is a separate 50% chance.
   
   Well, that's not quite true. The chance of it coming down tails is not 50%. After all, there is only one chance in 512 of a fair coin coming down heads nine times running. The chance may be considerably greater if the coin (or the toss) is not fair. If the coin is two-headed, the chance of nine straight heads is 100%.
   
   Clearly, the chance of tails on the tenth throw is less than 50%.
   
   I recommend this book.



2. While the calculation of the odds is interesting this is a practical book as well as a methematical one. Theer are numerous problems where teh reader needs to improve their chances by combining plays. Such as playing AK of a long suit to see if the Q drops before taking a finesse.
   
   Not only is the information useful, its well presented adn enjoyable to read.
   
   The math is not especially dificult and if you want to become a good player you should be aware of this. I put it under "knowing your fundamentals"
   
   I liked this a lot more than the Vivaldi book. The Terence Reese book "Master the Odds" was ok, this was better.



3. This book is for advanced players that are willing to make it into the championship level. Describes not only probabilities, but also odd changing, vacant places, chance combination and more.
   
   Highly recommended.

1 comments about Doubled and Venerable: Further Miracles of Card Play (Master Bridge Series).

1. This is the third book in the Monks of St.Titus Bridge series. As with the earlier works, the book follows the exploits of the Bridge playing monks in England and also, it picks up on the adventures of their missionary outpost in Africa. As usual, the format concentrates on play rather than on bidding. Rather than being presented as pure puzzles, the play unfolds in a narrative style. This is doubly useful. There is an opportunity to treat each hand as a not too serious double dummy problem but also, it is quite possible to just follow the narrative and allow the authors to expose the solution.

   A book such as this can be quite dry but the characters and situations spice things up with a good degree of wit. Even if you have read none of the other books in the series you will quickly become familiar with the characters and their foibles. This levening explains why these books are able to appeal to readers with a range of abilities from beginners so callow as to present this reviewer with an opportunity for victory up to those who deign to partner me once a year as a special favour.

   The authors are to be commended on one matter in particular. The books in this series lose none of their sparkle even after you have read all of them more than once. They are very good indeed.

   I wholeheartedly recommend this book for any bridge player and it would also make a great present for any bridge playing friend.

1 comments about Pocket Guide To 2/1.

1. easy to read and easy for students to understand-use this in conjenction with lessons from book - 25 steps to learn 2/1

1 comments about Eddie Kantar Teaches Topics in Declarer Play at Bridge.

1. The books is mainly about counting your tricks and planning ahead and avoiding finesses. It doesn't cover anything like end plays, trump coups, squeezes, etc. Just the basics.
   
   Well written, and fun to read.

3 comments about Play Bridge with Mike Lawrence.

1. Yes, you will learn a lot, but oh, so painlessly. Mike has a sly, dry sense of humor mixed with dispassionate common sense that emphasizes the need to size up your opponents. All the technical skill in the world will not save you if you misjudge who is sitting to your right and left. Mike has an enormous ability to get through to the reader what it takes to be effective. I recommend this book and the similar "Play Teams with Mike Lawrence" (my favorite) as an introduction to his more serious books. I own most of them, and through the years I would say every one of them has improved my game, some enormously.

   Some years ago I wrote to Mike about a hand that I was proud of the result, but my more traditional player/friends scorned my wizardly thinking. I held S-QJ10, H-XX-D-XX C-A10XXXX. Partner opened one heart. For various systemic reasons the bid 1NT was not available to me. I cleverly bid 1S; confusion reigned, and we received an excellent result--but my purist friends were horrified at my bid. Mike's response to my letter was "did you ever hear of the word 'pass'?" I loved it.

   To serious and non-serious bridge players, get this book. It's a treat!




2. One of the best bridge books ever. Shows how an expert thinks.



3. There are 52 hands. Mike Lawrence walks you through all his thoughts as he plays those hands. This is a once in a lifetime chance to sit behind a great player and have him tell you why he is doing what he is doing. Not a book for beginners, but if you are developing a good feel for the game of bridge, this book will be invaluable, not to mention interesting.

No comments about Modern Defensive Signalling.

No comments about Rise and Fly: Tall Tales and Mostly True Rules of Bid Whist.

No comments about The Abbot's Great Sacrifice (Master Bridge Series).

3 comments about How Good Is Your Bridge?.

1. Danny Roth's HOW GOOD IS YOUR BRIDGE? provides a quiz book which allows for an assessment of one's own bridge game, with each chapter including a series of card play problems, allowing readers to assess their own skills while playing. Intermediate bridge players will relish this opportunity to learn new strategies and improve plays.



2. It is strange that all of Midwest Book Reviews at 5 Stars, does this seem a little strange. They never reviewed a bood they didn't think was 5 stars. Are they being paid by the publisher?



3. In general I think Danny Roth books are worthwhile reading.
   One of teh nice things he does is give you the play of the first few tricks, then ask you a question, and then point out that the key decision point was actually a couple of tricks ago. In otehr words he doenst tip you off that something special is happening and now is the time to think.
   
   This book has 2 sets of problems, declarer and defense. The declarer problems were ok, geared towards Beginner/Intermediates. The defense problems were good in general, although I came up with alternative and plausible layouts that required a different solution. (In other words my answer was "wrong", but the chosen layout did not have to be the one based on the bidding - I ws not convinced taht teh authors layout was the most reasonable).
   
   Overall - its a good book for Beginner Intermediate players.
   If you are Advanced its not worth the money. Plenty of other problem books to read, try Kelseys Test Your XXX