5 comments about Standard Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century.

1. What this book is NOT meant for: Not meant for a complete beginner -- this is not a "Learn how to play bridge" book. This book presupposes the knowledge of terms that belong to someone that has already learned at least enough bridge to sit at a table and play (although not necessarily very well). This is a book that is more geared towards teaching someone that already knows something about bridge (and bidding in particular), and gives him/her a self-contained, complete description of the current "standard". I place standard in quotes because I consider his referring to the 2/1 system as "standard" not yet totally accurate (though perhaps before long it will be). Nowadays, at most clubs in the US, you will see a significant percentage of players, even experts, that hold to older standards.

   Beyond teaching the 2/1 system, this book goes further into refining your bidding judgement. All too often we've all found ourselves saying "Hey we have 25 (or 26) points, we need to be in game! Damn why did I go down?" Or "Hey, we have only 21 points, but we made slam!", and lament that you were (un)lucky at how well/poorly the hands fit. This book does an excellent job at improving your judgement and hand valuation skills, to actually be able to anticipate when the hands do fit well, and therefore should be bid more aggressively, and when they do not well, and therefore should be treated skeptically. Also this book introduces splinters and other bidding techniques to help discover (mis)fits and further aid your judgement.

   Another important point of bidding all-too-often neglected is the need for planning your rebids. Many books pretend that no matter what you bid, you will never have a problem the next time your turn arises. In reality, sometimes you need to make a counter-intuitive bid to facilitate rebidding. Also sometimes you flat out have no good call, and this book gives you advice on how to make the best of such situations. My only complaint is the strange numbering scheme used -- not worth docking a full star for, but somehow I think I ought to be able to give this book 4.5 stars for it.




2. Hardy does a great job of explaining today's bidding for duplicate auctions. Although I have not yet finished the book, the first half is chock full of bidding help and tips that hopefully will help my game.



3. The book is called Standard Bridge Biddings, but is not suit to the standard, beginner (novice) player. To enjoy this book you have to be an advanced bridge player; a novice player will get lost right from the beginning. The book is written in a quite awkward way, and not in a clear step by step sequence, suggesting the author assumes that the reader is well acquainted with the game. Saying that, Max Hardy is well versed in the intricacy of the game, providing a broad array of bidding conventions, many having an in depth description,evaluation and analysis, especially the 2/1. I, for one, learned and enjoyed the book very much, and highly recommend it to the advanced player who wishes to improve his game.



4. This should not be your first bridge book. After you've gotten the basics and have spent some time studying the game, I found this to be a great first 'serious' book to become more than just a light social player.
   
   I bought it after I'd read a couple of introductory books, put in some hours playing hands pretty socially, and begun to read up on more advanced concepts and conventions. I loved the game and wanted to get good (not just good enough to play casually with relatives), and it perfectly fit my purpose.
   
   What hardy does best is to teach you the thinking and the reasoning behind the bids/conventions that he presents. You get a good idea of what exactly you're trying to accomplish at different points in the auction, and then the suggested bids make a lot more sense. I guess a drawback would be that because he devotes so much time to explanation and examples, occasionally there are specific cases which he forgets to address. In that sense it's not an utterly complete bidding strategy, but having a set bid for every little specific situation really important as a developing player.
   
   Hardy also has chapters on competitive bidding, slam bidding, etc, which don't really require you to have read all of the preceding chapters in detail to understand them. This allows you to jump around a bit and keep the material fresh, as the chapters are pretty dense. All of the sections were fantastic, and I really feel like I'm thinking about the game much better and getting a lot more out of auctions. Nothing makes me happier than bidding games with 17 points or slams with 28 when I believe our hands line up correctly.



5. Mixed feelings. Seems to leave a bit too much to the reader's imagination. Nevertheless, an interesting, thought provoquing presentation of a system I have not previously used.

2 comments about The Pocket Guide to Bridge.

1. This is a book that really lives up to its billing as a pocket-sized yet thorough introduction to bridge. The only beef with this book is that most of it is devoted to bidding, with a tiny portion at the end for play and defence. I expect the authors to issue a sequel on play and defense. That aside the material itself is outstanding and clear, and at a surprisingly good level of bridge for an introductory book. I would definitely recommend it as a handy reference for someone starting out in bridge.



2. This portable booklet is a very useful & convenient summary of bidding essentials & other information for quick reference.

3 comments about Bridge: 25 Ways to Take More Tricks As Declarer (Bridge (Master Point Press)).

1. Here we have a recent (2003) entry in the growing and popular "25" series of fine bridge books. This time co-author David Bird joins the accomplished teacher Barbara Seagram to concentrate on declarer play. The 25 chapters are organized mostly by increasing difficulty, starting off with something as basic as Simple Finesses and progressing to more intermediate topics such as holdup plays and planning NT offenses, to subjects as sophisticated as dummy reversals and counting the opponent's shape/points.
   
   The format of "25 Ways" follows the successful earlier entries in the series. Each topic is introduced, illustrative examples highlight the discussion, and each chapter features about three hands that test the student on his digestion of the preceding material. As usual, an explanatory answers page helps check one's rationale against the "proper" solution. The writing tone is conversational which helps make what is basically a textbook a little more fun to read. With material aimed at beginners through somewhat advanced intermediate players, there's probably something for most everyone in "25 Ways"; and it is a book we highly recommend during our "299-er" sessions at the bridge club!



2. This book is excellent for players wanting to improve declarer play. Format is easy to follow, and summaries and quizzes at end of each chapter are helpful.



3. This is my fifth book by the author ... each has been useful and has improved my game ... each chapter is short which makes it easy to pick up and study at any time ...

5 comments about The Bridge Player's Bible: Illustrated Strategies for Staying Ahead of the Game.

1. If you're a bridge player you know just how many bridge books are on the market today - but THE BRIDGE PLAYER'S BIBLE offers something different: over 300 examples of how to bid, play, and defend on a range of hands. You can learn strategies, rules, and approaches from key players' techniques and advice, from signals and valuation to planning and deceptive card playing. And each technique receives full illustration for easy learning for novices, too.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. The Bridge Player's Bible is a great reference source for the beginning to intermediate bridge player. The book is covers both bidding and the play of the hand. Hundreds of scenarios are covered, ranging from the most basic concepts like a preemptive three bid to more complicated concepts such as numerous types of squeeze plays.
   
   The book is very readable. Each page has two or three subsections, complete with very colorful illustrations and examples. Not only will most players benefit from reading the book from cover to cover, but the bible will continue to be a resource to check on your play and learn how various situations should have been played.
   
   Five stars.



3. I don't play bridge. My mother, who just turned 80, started playing a few weeks ago. She was studying these handouts that she got from the church's bridge club. I felt she needed a good reference book, with clear illustrations. English is not her first language, and I didn't want something too complicated and not easy to understand. Needless to say, she LOVES this book. Best gift I could have given her. People that have been playing a long time are quite impressed how fast she is learning the game and becoming an accomplished player in just a few weeks. If you're a beginner or advanced player, this book is a must have for your library. Or if you know someone who likes to play, this book will make a Great gift too!



4. I believe this book is one of the best bridge books I have ever looked into, and I have read or scanned many. My highest recommendation. I bought three.



5. Well organized and quite cnmplete, this is aa terrific "bible" to have by the bridge table. When we discuss how a hand was bid or played, this becames an invaluable aid.
   Too complex for the beginner.

5 comments about Modern Bridge Conventions.

1. 
   Ever sit down with a pick up pard, and agree on a convention, and sure enough it comes up in play? The convention is bid, pard makes a response, and then ??? Do you both know all the follow up bids? If not, then don't bother using the convention, the bad results will cancel out the good, and you will be frustrated.
   
   What I liked about this book:
   1) it covers a wide range of commonly used conventions. It may not have the absolute newest, but overall it covers many of them. (Also take a look at Mike Lawrence's Conventions)
   
   2) It covers not just the first response, but all the additional responses.
   
   3) The authors offer their opinion on the value of the conventions, and have a 1,2,3 star rating scale as to complexity/need.
   
   4) its well written, clear, and thorough.
   
   When I have a question on a Convention I first try Mike Lawrence's Conventions and this book.



2. Not only are many conventions covered, they are covered well. I like the authors style, and how they go through the entire sequence of bids. You will be able to use the Convention, ratehr than think you know it only to be surprised by some mystery sequence.
   
   Almost 20 years old, still holding its own.



3. A group of 9 women chose this book to study current and popular bridge conventions. We have found that it is thorough and easy to understand. While we are studying each convention, we are doing as Root says, to take the ones that we wish to incorporate into our own bridge play and reject those that we do not wish to use. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to clarify the many bridge conventions that are being used today. Even if you don't use a convention yourself it is certainly wise to know about it when you are in competition with others.



4. This is the standard reference book for bridge conventions. It has been around for years. It is excellent. There is no competition.



5. Well organized and thoroughly complete
   Clear and easy to access presentation
   Careful choice of material and progress of presentation
   A very high quality publication

1 comments about Bridge: 25 Ways to Compete in the Bidding (Bridge (Master Point Press)).

1. One of the best-selling books on bridge, and an essential for novice / intermediate players, is Barbara Seagram's (with Marc Smith) popular text "25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know." We picked up a copy of this follow-on -- "25 Ways to Compete..." -- guessing that it would be the same quality as the earlier book and hopefully just as interesting and useful. We were not to be disappointed!
   
   Like "25 Conventions", "25 Ways" has 25 chapters, each covering different methods for getting into the auction once the opponents have opened the bidding. Rather than organize these topics somewhat at random by difficulty, this book organizes the topics by broad competitive area, dividing the discussions into six groups: Suit Overcalls (5 chapters); Takeout Doubles (4); Notrump Overcalls (2); 1NT Defenses (3); Bidding over Preempts (5); and General Competitive Issues (6). While some of the chapters are as short as 5 or 6 pages, others go into more detail by presenting more alternatives. For example, the chapter on conventional defenses over a 1NT opening describes Landy, Cappelletti, and DONT, while mentioning that plenty of others exist. As Eddie Kantar points out in his forward, there are even chapters (his favorites) introducing the subjects of the Law of Total Tricks and Hand Evaluation.
   
   While some of this material can be handled by advanced beginners, we suspect most of the techniques will appeal to intermediate players {experts will probably have already traversed most of these roads!}. Sometimes it takes frustration with current bidding limitations to see the real motivation behind many of the methods disclosed herein. But the chapter summaries, sample problems, and explanatory answers echo the quality we discovered in the author's other work. To become a nastier opponent, get yourself a copy of "25 Ways"!

2 comments about Bridge for Bright Beginners.

1. This little book uses a teaching strategy that one might think would be obvious: Explain what problems mean before showing readers how to solve them. The way it does so is to show how to play a hand before talking about bidding.

   I remember how frustrated I was when I first learned how to play bridge: I had a bunch of rules dumped on me about how to bid, and had no conception of whether or not a bid made sense beyond seeing whether it followed those seemingly arbitary rules. If I had read this book then, it would have let me avoid all that frustration.

   There is one point about which prospective readers of this book should be aware: It is based on British bidding style rather than American style. Nevertheless, I have absolutely no doubt that it deserves five stars, and should be much better known than it is.




2. This book is a perennial gem and justly deserves its classic status. Reese is most adept at presenting the world of bridge not just as a mathematical proposition, but a real-life competition against real players who are dying to sacrifice to keep you from making game -- and also for players whose partner is a bit of a doofus.
   
   There are many excellent books written by many bridge experts. I would say in a short amount of time BRIDGE FOR BRIGHT BEGINNERS covers a lot of time in a fair, friendly manner and leaves the reader much better informed. Who could ask for more than that?

5 comments about Commonsense Bidding: The Most Complete Guide to Modern Methods of Standard Bidding.

1. The most modern and complete guide to the language of bidding. Bill's simplified approach will teach you how to value your hand and modify the value as the bidding progresses. Gives illustrative examples on how to handle almost every situation. 1986 Bridge Book of the Year - already regarded as a classic.



2. In another review about a book by the same author, I remarked that reading his books is like chewing sawdust. This basic fact has not changed. However, I now maintain that Bill Root has written the best books on learning the game in all its aspects.
   
   This book is not about plain point ranges as another reader has already claimed; the book is logical, methodical, clear, but there is a catch: this is to be read like a text book; I have taken notes, underlined, and made crib sheets out of it. If you slow down enough your reading speed and do not read it casually like a novel, you will be amptly rewarded.
   
   An example of the terseness of this book is that the headings in this book need to be read and fully understood before reading the respective sections; most of us tend to skip the headings, don't we?
   Before I have used this terseness as a con in Root's books, but I have come to realise that this is the best possible format: no distractions, just pure essence.
   
   I am tired of these books that are full of anectodes, pretend to ease you into the point they are trying to make, and then ... KABOOM, here is the point as dry as ever.
   
   Root's books have the guts to be pure bridge, no filler, no gimmicks, JUST EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WITH NO HOLDING BACK OR TRYING TO SPREAD THE INFORMATION OVER SEVERAL BOOKS.
   
   Root headed out to teach with no compromise, but following a standard of completeness and clarity.
   
   It took me quite a time to realise his sense of integrity and charisma, but I did. I am sure that any absolute beginner will initially resist buying his books, but he or she will inexorably gravitate to them and appreciate their wealth of information.
   
   It is this wealth that will make you go through them slowly; the other authors have spoiled you and have put the emphasis on easy reading.
   
   A page by Root is worth easily 20 by the other authors.
   
   5 stars!!!



3. Another of Bill Root's comprehensive bridge primers, "Commonsense Bidding" is about as close to a bible of modern Standard American bidding as is available in the literature today. Root examines every aspect of bidding methods from a perspective that is in line, for the most part, with modern club players. There are some exceptions, especially in the emphasis of strong twos (weak twos being an afterthought) and neglect of the now virtually universal Jacoby transfer. However, for someone wanting to understand what comprises "standard" in the modern era, there is no better book. With appropriate adjustments, it is a great read for beginning to intermediate players.



4. Actually, it would be 4 1/2 stars, because this is a really thorough guide to bridge bidding. It is not dated, because it only discusses the standard, which hasn't changed much. Of course, if you want to know about the conventions, you should get Modern Bridge Conventions by the same author. Both very thorough; if you read them (and undersatnd and remember them) both, there are little situations where you will not know what to do



5. this book is fine, but not my favorite, and not one i regard as essential. the BIGGEST flaw in all of the root books is that there is no INDEX!!! this is so important for research (when comparing different books and systems) that i cannot believe they left it out, and it often means i don't find out what root's take on a given issue is!
   
   his system is unusual, and quirky, and it's not quite my style. but, this is a personal issue i think, and it may be great for others.

3 comments about The Lone Wolff: Autobiography of a Bridge Maverick.

1. THE LONE WOLF: AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A BRIDGE MAVERICK covers the author's long-time fascination for bridge and his life and career as a multiple world champion and former president of two major bridge associations. More than just a personal survey of his life in bridge, it provides industry and insider insights and observations, from players cheating at top levels to sponsorship, professional players, and more bridge issues most coverages won't touch. It's a revealing glimpse of a little-covered world of big-time bridge players.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. A complete waste of time to read this. The major incidents described in the book have been described extensively elsewhere before. Wolff forms his own opinion (fine with me) but then only includes the facts that support his point of view and leaves everything else out to make it look as if he is right. He also manages to draw conclusions from unrelated facts. For example, in the incident around the 1990 final in Geneva, he implies that because the American Bill Schroeder had visited a US airforce base in Germany, he'd likely rule in favor of a German team instead of a Canadian team. I really fail to see the relation between those facts.
   Fortunately for Mr. Wolff, lots of the players named in the book are dead otherwise he'd most likely be sued by most of them for all the incorrect facts and statements about them. Unless you are a well known player looking for something to sue about, stay away from this book.



3. For all those serious bridge players concerned with the future of the sport, one of the century's most eminent champions bares his soul. Cheating scandals, romance, growing old, glimpses of the other greats all find their way into this unvarnished page turner. The reader comes away with a new hero,
   
   Martin Seligman

5 comments about Learn Bridge in One Hour: Learn in Ten Easy Steps.

1. Hooray! I have searched for a book like this for a long time! I have examined quite a large number of books that purport to teach Bridge, but I have always found them confusing and obtuse in their delivery. 'Learn Bridge in One Hour' is entirely different. It not only delivers the goods, but does so in a light and engaging style.
   
   I think it's greatest strength is that it breaks the game down into essentials and delivers them in bite-sized pieces so that the ideas are easily digested. The book is aptly named, as a new player really can truly begin to play the basic game in only an hour. This allows the learner to feel successful and so creates a pleasurable experience in learning and playing the game right from the start. As common sense would suggest, if you like something, you will want to do it again.
   
   Thank you Mr Riad. I love your book. You have created a wonderful way to 'step' into the fun of the game with easy, clear steps. My search is over!



2. Bridge can be a daunting game. This book helped to take that fear away and get me started. OK - maybe you won't be playing like a pro in one hour - but the most important thing is to get started and then practice. This book takes you by the hand with step by step instructions and photos to make it easy. Bridge is a challenging, complicated, and intellectual game and it was intimidating for me. Not anymore - thanks to this author!!!



3. Gives a novice a good start to learning bridge. Is easy to understand.



4. I joined an already active playing group and felt out of sorts because I did not understand the logic. I quit because the group had no time to start all over to walk me through it--they were busy enjoying playing. This books starts at the beginning and leads you through step by easy step.
   Now I am ready to call in a few people who also want to learn to play.--and I will soon be able to go back to the first group I played with---with a lot more confidence.



5. Very good basic bridge book. Lets one learn the basics without a lot of distracting verbiage. I will also use it as a reference book.