1 comments about The Basics Of Winning Roulette, 4th Edition (Basics of Winning).

1. The overall idea for this book is good -- a simple introduction to playing roulette accompanied by some short examples of winning systems, but some how that gets lost in the translation.

   The description of how to play occupies a good 60% of the book, but numerous typographical errors, and worse yet, technical errors plague this description. For example, the five-number bet illustrated on page 21 isn't the correct five-number bet at all, but rather is a three-number bet on 0-2-00. This is real confusing for the first time roulette player, which is the only real target audience for this book.

   In addition to technical errors and typographicals, there are many out-right contradictions. For example, on page 40 we read "What they don't know is that there is no law of averages.". On page 43, we read "... as we have shown, the game is one of pure chance governed by the law of averages...".

   Only one common winning system is mentioned, the Martingale, and then the author turns around and says that it really isn't a good system because of losing streaks and suggests just "playing numbers". Why did the author not chose a "good system" and explain mathematically why it is a good system? Or is he trying to say that no such system exists and that the only way to win is not to play?

   For those looking to learn to play roulette and then extend their knowledge to include a good description of some of the common winning systems, I'd have to suggest "All About Roulette" by John Gollehon and "Secrets of Winning Roulette" by Marten Jensen, rather than this book.

No comments about How to Beat Granddad at Checkers.

5 comments about Play Winning Checkers (Mensa).

1. Pike's book provides strategy's for the serious checker player, however, he omits opening strategies. Still, there is a lot of interesting information about the history of the game provided by Pike.



2. I got this book the second day I started playing checkers. I am now a serious checkers player and can improve my rating about 50 points in one day! This book was really helpful to a player like me and I would suggest it to a friend.



3. I am a regular at the MSN gaming zone (usually playing in rated room 1 or kings a competitive room) and before buying this book I had around a 1550-1600 rating which is not good at all. So I thought I would try reading a book and see what it would do to my game. A MAJOR improvement occured in my game after reading this book. My rating is now hundreds of points higher than before. I have beaten some of the best players and my recent statistics are 16 wins and 3 losses. Where would I be without this book? I dont think my rating would of moved a notch. This is clear to understand and I am buying it for my checker buddys. The board it includes with the 32 numbers is not only great for recording your games you play...but its great for mail play! I got 100 times more out of this book than what I payed. Thank you Mr.Pike...you really improved my game.



4. This book is fun, witty, and entertaining, and certainly will get you interested in playing serious checkers. But it won't help you very much.

   The book mainly deals in a disorganized way with mid-game tactics and end-game situations. Interesting traps and shots are presented, along with problems that are too hard for most beginners. That's all there is; just a little about openings, for instance. I kept reading and rereading this book thinking there has to be more here, but I have yet to find it.

   Read the book if you only wish to have your appetite stimulated, and then do your real study from a more complete book such as Reinfeld.




5. I got this book to help me explain checkers to my daughter. It has been a great help in explaining the moves and significantly better than the other three books I acquired. The attached checker board was a big help. The book is easy to read and follow. I wish I could have had this book when I started playing checkers!

2 comments about Secrets Of Winning Roulette, 2nd Edition.

1. The book covers the game from all aspects and is easy to follow. It covers the game basics, and basic betting systems, and from there goes into some spin offs and playabe variations of those betting systems. It also covers other topics like biased wheels, numerical concepts that are important to playing the game, and technichal information about wheel construction and cheating (It does not teach you how to cheat). I consider the book an excellent referance for all Roulette players, and and a great addition to any library.



2. I give the book 4 stars because even though it was good reading it did'nt exactly reveal any real exciting secrets.Overall it could be used by the novice gambler to learn roulette and the best & safest ways to bet. It also gives some history on the roulette wheel and the different types used in the U.S. & abroad.

No comments about Tic Tac Toe: And Other Three-In-A Row Games from Ancient Egypt to the Modern Computer.

5 comments about One Jump Ahead:: Challenging Human Supremacy in Checkers.

1. I enjoyed reading this book but as a serious checker player was hoping there was a detailed list of new moves , 4, against 3, Ect.. a listing of cooks, detailed, a checker learning experence Something teaching me, some new endgames, something. New openings, challenging the existing openings. Im sure computer/checker players would love this book Since Jonathan chose to not use standard numeric notations as in most checker books, the helpful way would have identified the notations in each illustration of the checker board.



2. Once I started to read this book I found it difficult to put down. Granted I am addicted to playing checkers against my computer when taking breaks at work, but still.... This is very interesting material for checkers players and computer programmers alike.

   However, I do have a couple of problems with the book. First, it is very poorly edited. There are a number of grammatical mistakes, [one right on the first paragraph], the author at times goes into unnecessary tangents and, in general the book is too long and repetitive. In addition, it bothered me that, perhaps because of the author's familiarity with chess, he decided to use chess notation to describe the games. This makes it more difficult for checkers players to follow the games while reading the book. The author/editor should have made the effort to use checkers notation or to provide better diagrams.




3. Well I never thought that title would describe for a book on a project to create a world champion beating chequers playing program!

   I originally read the first half of the book when staying with a friend. When I got home I had - for the first time in my life - to buy a book merely to read half of it, so un-put-downable is it.

   The book requires no technical knowledge either or computers of of draughts (and to an extent if one approaches it expecting technical insights in to either one will be disappointed).

   In practice it's such a good read as the story is well told and gathers momentum the nearer the author gets to the goal. It is focused on the people and the project and not the technicals. Schaeffer recounts his hopes, feelings and motivations with a brutal honesty - never shying away from an accurate description when authorial licence might have presented him in a better light.




4. This is one of those books that makes you wince
   now and then. Its that transparent. The author
   didn't intend it but there is a story here beyond
   the program. It unfolds with some interest and
   some amaturism, and that lends charm to the
   tale. In the end, the greatest player dies but
   his legacy lives on in Chinook, the program,
   built to defeat him. A negative image surely
   but not a bad one.
   
   Chinook, hopefully, is pissing off enough players
   that Checkers can experience a revival, though,
   like Connect Four and Tic-Tac-Toe it seems
   destined for the kiddy heap.
   
   How would Chinook do with a board twice as
   large?
   
   Not in the book so I'll pass on that, but by now
   the team is on to some amazing stuff, putting
   the nails in the coffin of Checkers as a game.



5. I began reading this book and around page 100 realized..... Who cares about a computer that can play checkers. Checkers isnt a real game the way chess it anyways. Now Deep Blue is an achievement.
   
   The evolutionary computation was interesting but come on.... checkers? Why not spend months developing a program that can do something useful... like balance my checkbook.

No comments about Beginning Chess: How to Master the Fundamental Skills.

4 comments about How to Win at Checkers.

1. Reinfield's book is a must for the serious checker player. He covers various situations, openings and endgames, and provides the reader situation problems to solve on his/her own. My game was improved by reading this book.



2. I found this book to be a very good introduction to checkers. It covers, in depth, sacrifices (pitches) to set up two-for-one exchanges, and the "five positions" that most commonly occur in the endgame. The analysis of openings is thorough, and a major plus for me was the section on forcing draws from "losing" positions. Only two things stopped me from ranking this book at 5 stars - the pictures of the boards are just too big, and are sometimes two pages back from where the written analysis takes place. Also some sample historic games would have been nice. The author has used an appendix to describe different versions of checkers around the world and this is, frankly, useless. That space could have been better used by a couple of analysed historic games. Other than these minor peeves, it is an excellent book. I would not hesitate to recommend it to a checkers enthusiast from beginner to intermediate level.



3. Reinfeld has truly excelled in this book about checkers. This is the most complete book on checkers you will ever find, in or out of print.
   
   The book covers tactics such as traps and shots and then goes on to cover just about every important opening to at least some degree, often with main-lines and numerous variations. Finally, the section on endings is quite complete; nowhere else can I find the four kings vs. three situation covered.
   
   Whenever I have a question I turn first to this book and almost always find an answer.
   
   Be aware that information is packed tightly into every page and you will need to study each situation carefully, playing through the variations on a second board. For instance, opening variations are often contained in a few lines of commentary; you will lose out if you don't pay attention to these variations. It is clearly not a book for dabblers, but one which requires substantial effort, which will be well rewarded.
   
   This book does not get a lot of attention from the experts, perhaps because Reinfeld's is known primarily as a chess writer. In fact this book is a must-have for serious beginners and intermediates. If you combine this with The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Checker Puzzles you have enough study material for months, and your game will improve rapidly.
   
   (Don't be put off by the cover photo, which is full of errors and serves to trivialize and stereotype the game of checkers. The contents are what matters.)



4. A great book for intermediate level players or determined beginners. Won't make you a Master, but you'll still be better than everyone you know.

3 comments about The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Checker Puzzles.

1. Yike! Sure hope I'm the only one at the Old Fogies Senior Center with this book.I'll be the champ in no time.



2. The 370 puzzles in this book will keep you occupied for some time and will greatly improve your play. Do yourself a favor and work through each one carefully, resorting to the solutions only if you are absolutely desperate. Most of these can be solved mentally, but in some cases the use of board and pieces will make the concepts more clear. The small pocket size format of the book makes it very good to take along and use during down-time such as waiting for doctors appointments and the like. The serious student of checkers really ought to have this book.



3. Wow - what a fun book that was! This book has so many well thought out problems, that your game has to improve the first time through. I've been through this book several times now, increasing my speed (and mostly my technique) while getting as much enjoyment as the first time through. When using my newly acquired skills in real games, I've "Dazzled" more than a couple of players; having your opponent say "I didn't even see that coming" is a direct result of the insight gained reading this book. This book seemed free of errors (i.e. all problems were solvable and all problem numbers matched their corresponding solution number). I look at a checker board with a little more confidence now, and take my hat off to Robert Pike. I would recommend this book to anyone without reservation.

4 comments about Starting Out in Checkers.

1. I have completed a first reading of all the material in this book and I am now involved in studying it more deeply. Already I can say that this is a fantastic book, with everything you need to get started and to reach an advanced level if you are serious about wanting to get good at checkers.

   Some sample pages that I previously saw on the web were extremely unrepresentative of the book and they put me off buying it - but then I saw it in a bookstore - and I changed my mind!

   What I particularly like about the book is the way that all the major elements of the endgame, midgame and openings are dealt with in a very systematic, methodical and thorough way. Many more key situations are dealt with (and given memorable names) than I have seen in any other book or website.

   The explanations and also very clear and the examples well chosen.

   Study methods and the general approach to the game are also discussed as well as the technical details. Each chapter also has a useful summary.

   For the sake of this review, I looked hard for something to criticise - sorry, I couldn't find anything! Enjoy.




2. This book is the highest quality, best organized, and most thorough book on the market for beginner to intermediate study. It amounts to a complete course in checkers.

   The book contains material about all facets of the game, presented in careful order, with good illustrations and other excellent learning devices (such as easy-to-remember names for various game themes). The book offers a very rare combination of accessibility for casual browsing when time is limited, and material for serious study over a more extended period. But obviously to benefit the most, a serious study of the complete book is in order. Mastering this book, in fact, should put you well ahead of the average club player, and in a good position for study of more advanced literature.

   The book treats openings a bit lightly, keeping the rating from just quite reaching five stars. Four and a half stars would actually be a better call.

   If your library includes this book, Reinfeld's book, and Pike's two puzzle books, you have a great checkers collection at a very modest cost.




3. Don't let the title of the book fool you. This book is packed with all the key elements needed to become quite effecient at playing checkers with the best of them. It gets right to the point, and reveals the strategy of the game in a clear, consise
   manner. There are lots of examples, and you know from the content, that the game has been covered in a logical manner.

   Every player has learned, mostly through trial and error, which game postions cause them the most difficulty. Thanks to Richard Pask, the problems and solutions are presented in a format which is easy for you to comprehend and study. This has saved me many hours of trial and error when playing real games.

   I would recommend this book to anyone trying to improve thier game. The insight gained was invaluable. Checkers is truly a game of challenge, and this book just opened the door for me to be sitting in the winning seat more often.




4. There's no question that Richard Pask knows what he's talking about, but I am a beginner in checkers, and I found this book very daunting. After a quick introduction, the book begins to teach 9 basic strategies (2-for-1, 3-for-2, fork, rebound, breeches, etc.) along with presenting several examples of each. After that, the book then shows many miscellaneous illustrations of other moves that don't fit into the previous 9 strategies. By this time, the book is well into over 100 examples (!) with only terse commentary. I just don't find it very easy to read, and I lost interest before even getting to the later chapters.

   I was much happier to find Millard Hopper's book "How to Win at Checkers" at my university library. I'm sure it is not as complete as Pask's book, but for me, it is actually enjoyable to read. I also get the feeling that the Hopper book builds on each example, introducing only one or two more logical steps between board configurations. This is something that Pask's book could have used: fewer examples, with better connections between them.

   Sorry, I really want to like "Starting Out in Checkers". It seems there's a lot of good material there; it's just presented too quickly and without enough explanation.