5 comments about The Everything Crossword and Puzzle Book; Hours of brain-teasing fun-crossword puzzles, acrostics, hidden words and more, for puzzlers at all levels.

1. I you have a loved one doing some unfortunate incaraceration time, this is a great gift. It helps pass the time, promotes humorous conversation with other cellis, and it stimulates the mind. It will last some time and it is an acceptable gift if you order it and have it shipped from Amazon. It will not be concidered contraband unless they decide to wet it and make a sculpture or something. Everyone enjoyed it.



2. I actually bought this book for my dad - an older gentleman who needs to keep the ol' brain pleasantly occupied. I coupled it with a (ubiquitous) sudoku set, too. He told me last week that he's been rationing them out so he won't finish the book too soon. Great stuff.



3. Not a bad puzzle book really, maybe not as good as some others but Ok nonetheless. However, they skimped on proofing I think, as the easy crossword puzzles are listed as the medium and vice-versa. A little discombobulating!



4. this is a great book. you must be an extreme crossword lover. i give it a three because all the puzzles are just too hard for me, not including the find the word. a little unfair rating, but it just wasn't what i expected. i wanted to see at least one suduko puzzle.



5. Working these puzzles is a great way to keep mentally fit, and this collection provides varying levels of challenge and types of brain-builders. Enjoy!

5 comments about Pot-Limit Omaha Poker.

1. Jeff Hwang has written the most helpful and insightful book on Omaha poker available. I also purchased Bob Ciaffone's 'Omaha Poker' and 'Pot Limit & No Limit Poker' by Reuben and Ciaffone. All three of these cash-game oriented books are valuable additions to a well rounded poker players library. However, Hwang is far more systematic in his presentation of key ideas, his prose is lucid, and his insights are gold. Those insights have provided 90% of improvement in my game that I have gained by reading these books.
   
   After a brief intro, Hwang jumps right into his core thesis: you only want to get involved with hands that have big play potential. Big play hands have structures that allow you to bet strongly when flopping the nuts with redraws to even better nuts by the time you reach the river. He then goes on to map out all of the types of big play potential hand structures in a clear and systematic way. While the big play notion, and the importance of counting nut outs have been made before, the systematic and lucid presentation in 'Pot-Limit Omaha Poker' really make it shine.
   
   If you are hold em player who is branching out into Omaha you should buy this book. If you don't, please invite me to your game.



2. very detail-oriented and specific book about winning concepts and applications. easy to follow.
   
   amazing value for the price.
   
   almost too good.



3. I don't know what Bob Ciaffone could have read to call it "very accurate technically" but it must have been a pre-printing proof of some kind. it could not possibly have been an actual physical book from the first printing.
   
   There may be great material here, but it is seriously damaged by poor editing (e.g. a whole paragraph repeated out of place on page 88/89) and the apparent LACK of technical review.
   
   As for the Quiz on page 118, step 3, neither choice is even remotely acceptable. When that trey of diamonds hits the board, you MUST call the floor manager, show the same card from your hand, and insist that every chip in the pot go back to the player who put it in. Then, get a new deck (and probably a new dealer), and you STILL need to reconsider whether you ever want to play another hand in that card room. OBVIOUSLY one of those cards was not printed according to the author's intent.
   
   I don't think there have been blocks larger than about a dozen pages without SOMETHING that any decent technical reviewer would have flagged.
   
   The editor of this book should be ashamed. The technical reviewers, if in fact there were any, should be terminated. And the author should seriously consider shopping for a new publisher.
   
   The "Poker Boom" has rushed yet another unready book into print. Yes, this book probably stands head and shoulders above many dozens of poker books *unworthy* of having been published at all, but we the buyers should send the publishers a message that shoddy production is not acceptable either.
   
   I'm barely even halfway through, but it would take a minimum of a revised edition to earn more stars. There's probably five-star quality material in here, but you practically need a pickaxe to mine for it.



4. I play PL08 for a living and I have to say this book refocused me on some of the concepts I kept forgetting.
   
   A phenomenal work and a must read.



5. This is great instructional and very practical book regarding Omaha. Hopefully the author is correct with the thought that Omaha will continue to become more popular. He does a nice job mixing up mathematical analysis and other topics such as bankroll management, etc. The author who has written for Motley Fool previously does a very nice job. Over time this will be considered a required reading for the Omaha player.

No comments about The People Puzzler Book: Jumbo Edition.

5 comments about My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Math & Logic Puzzles).

1. I just had to question this - the book is rated at a reading level for 4 - 8 year olds, but some of the reviewers mention going on technical interviews and keeping track of columns in Scientific America over a number of years?



2. Marvelous book. I found it better than many books but my friends, who were not that conversant with intermediate mathematics did not like it much. Though this book doesn't require a knowledge of calculus, people who have this level might appreciate the book more. But it has more to do with mathematical 'thinking' rather than mathematics itself.

   So get this one if you are good at mathematical thinking and want to challenge yourself. If you are weak in math and would rather read puzzles that require only logic, cleverness, and lateral thinking only, this may not be the one for you.




3. Martin Gardner is the grand old man of puzzles and recreational mathematics. I recommend this book for intermediary and advanced puzzle enthusiasts - beginners might find some of these too challenging.

   Intermediary puzzlists will find the pleasures of often working at the upper edge of their skills. The solutions at the end of the book are complete enough so that even those who didn't get it right the first time will get aha insights.

   The book is well worth its price even for puzzle enthusiasts. Even I knew many of the puzzles beforehand - classics indeed - but the notes in the solutions often add a twist, a clever solution or a human interest point of view.

   The age recommendation of amazon.com - 4-8 years - is probably either an insider joke or a typo. I'd recommend this book to people between 14-80 years of age, and even over.




4. "My best mathematical and logic puzzles" presents 70 of the best of the brain teaser that Martin Gardner published over a period of 25 years in his Mathematical games column at Scientific American. It some cases references to new developments related with specific puzzles have been added.
   
   Martin Gardner was always especially careful to present in his American Scientific column only new and unfamiliar puzzles that have not been included in classic collections before. Now you can challenge your solving skills and rattle your ego with a compilation of his best mind-benders.
   
   Here is an example of what you can find inside this book (31. The absent-minded teller}:
   
   "An absent-minded bank teller switched the dollars and cents when he cashed a check for Mr. Brown, giving him dollars instead of cents, and cents instead of dollars. After buying a five-cent newspaper, Mr. Brown discovered that he had left exactly twice as much as his original check. What was the amount of the check?"
   
   One of the best things about Martin Gardner books is that a carefully explained solution follows each problem, this way you learn and add new abilities to your problem solving skills, that will sure be helpful in solving real life problems, while entertaining yourself with a good and challenging reading.



5. Nice collection of puzzles with varying difficulties, which do not require any special knowledge of mathematics.

5 comments about The Theory of Poker.

1. This is the grand daddy of all poker books. if you only get one book, this should be it. teaches you to think for yourself in poker situations



2. Sklansky's Theory of Poker is no longer the newest book on advanced poker thought, but it remains required reading for both the average and the more experienced player. While some of the specific hand-analysis and tactical advice has been updated or superceded by more recent and also excellent books by the likes of Harrington or Gordon, the basic concepts do not change, and Sklansky is an insightful analyst, as well as an excellent teacher. The attentive reader will find his time and thought well rewarded.
   
   According to Sklansky's Theory of Poker, the game is one of mistakes - the point is to induce mistakes in your opponents' play while avoiding mistakes in play yourself. The basic nature of poker, in any of its forms, implies that you have imperfect and limited knowledge of the value of the hands your opponents hold, and they have limited knowledge of yours; it is because of this limited knowledge that mistakes can take place.
   
   Mistakes and errors are simple to define. If you had perfect knowledge of all hands, you would play your own hand in a certain, mathematically correct way. To the extent you play your hand differently, due to lack of knowledge or deception or whatever, you have made a mistake. Sklansky teaches various ways of inducing those mistakes in others, and also how to correctly analyze your own hand and options for play.
   
   Sklansky draws on multiple forms of poker for examples; not just Hold 'Em, but also 7 Stud, 5-card Draw, Razz, etc. For the player only familiar with Hold Em this may be a little confusing at first. The book is meant as a theoretical examination of principles built into all poker games, and is not really a how-to-play for Hold Em or any other form of poker.
   
   Sklansky's writing is dense in the sense that he does not beat around the bush or waste time or fill his book with fluff. The book is not light reading, and probably should not be your first book if you are not thoroughly familiar with the play as well as the language and jargon of the game. It cannot be skimmed. But there isn't a player out there who would not benefit from a careful reading, and would not benefit more from re-reading again six months later, this book.



3. I hate to give such a great book a negative title and mediocre review but the fact is that this book is just no longer relevant. Had you bought this before the poker boom you would be golden. The best piece of advice you can get from this book is the basic theory. Other than that the whole book is geared around limit cash games. We all know that NL tournaments is where it is at right now so I would check out Dan Harrington's books first.



4. This is a must read for any serious beginner to intermediate player. Most advanced players will probably have knowledge of the biggest part of the topics covered but it's never bad to refresh yourself.
   
   Essential information covered is pot odds, implied odds,draws and the free-card concept, among other things.



5. How would you play if ALL the cards were face-up? Any difference, when the cards are face down is a mistake. Ditto for your opponents. Sklansky expounds this fundamental theorem in great detail. This is a must-have book.

5 comments about Microsoft Flight Simulator X For Pilots Real World Training.

1. This book is what I was looking for and did not find in Bruce Williams'Flight Simulator as a Training Aid. The authors are Real Pilots who have painstakingly incorporated their vast experience into a very readable and often entertaining soup to near nuts FSX-based teaching tool. I have been using the book for the last three weeks in preparation for a ten day intensive IFR training course. The proof of the West Cummings book's success will come with my flying pudding a few more weeks hence when I get checked out. I get the feeling I'll do ok which will be in no small measure due to the comprehensive and well organized approach taken in the book.
   Hightly Recommended for real or simulated piloting.



2. I've had all the Microsoft Flight Simulators since 1985 and have always winged it when it came to flying. That works but I never really knew what I was doing. I think this book is the best I've seen so far in helping one to learn to fly with the reasons why. Links to downloadable files are an extra bonus that expand the contents. The author also ties his content in with the lessons in the Simulator Program. Very comprehensive coverage.



3. My opinion is anybody who gives this book less than five stars is REALLY hard to please or has some pet peeve they can't turn loose of.
   
   I have spent (wasted in many cases) lots of money and time on GA training books in the past and ignored this one for quite a while as "just another book on flying." When I saw the price drop below $20, I decided to take a risk. Wow! This could be the best training book I have every bought. I hate to be dramatic about that but honestly, I probably have fifteen books of this nature and this is the clearest, most well laid out of any of them. I love the way the authors bring FSX into the training as yet another tool to help you practice your technique. The online material (especially the films) are very helpful too. It is obvious these guys did not write this book because they are "professional authors" but because they really do love flight training.
   
   This book is a labor of love and you would do yourself a disservice by passing it by.



4. I got this book and was amazed! It is a huge book and has everything in it. I have only started and this book has all the details and covers pretty much everything you need.



5. I think based on the reviews below - you get the drift. Those reviews speak for themselves (and the book). I don't need to repeat every thing noted by the other reviewers. It's a great book and I learned more than I would have ever thought.
   
   Don't let the 800 pages scare you off. The diagrams and the tutorial flights are just awesome. I have been flying MSFS since way back in the early days. The interest over the years has come and gone and I would skip a version here and there... then FSX hit the market. I since have turned this interest into a full fledged hobby. Everything from a TrackIR, Matrox (3 screens), Rudder pedals, yokes,good PC and a full set of navigational charts and IAPs - I thought I had it all together and knew everything there was to learn. What I found out from this book, I had barely scratched the surface. What I was missing was real world knowledge. This book has tied it all together and has made my hobby seem almost as authentic as the real deal. Now I can go any place at anytime in any aircraft.
   
   Great great book! Do yourself a favor and invest the tiny expense (relative to the rest of this hobby) and enjoy. Remember, it's all about the journey and not the finish line. Soak up the knowledge that these authors have penned for your simming pleasure!
   
   If you would like more information or would like to discuss simming in general feel free to contact me at fly-bman2006@hotmail.com
   
   Bman.

No comments about Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Screen.

5 comments about Phil Hellmuth Presents Read 'Em and Reap: A Career FBI Agent's Guide to Decoding Poker Tells.

1. Not quite finished with the book (although it is an exceedingly quick read) but I am well enough along to recognize the value in Joe's lessons on limbic responses at the card table. Joe's observations are categorized and rated according to strength. I feel like I have much more artillery in the observational arsenal.



2. First, let me say that I wouldn't give a great poker book a good review because I don't want to have somebody I'm playing against getting smarter by reading it. But, having been a dumb donkey for buying this book, I'm disgusted enough to tell others that it is such a worthless ripoff of Mike Caro's classic BOOK OF TELLS that it is a shame it was printed. More shameful is that I bought it. Page after page, the author praises his powers of observation and his expensive seminars. He promises that reading his book and, yes, attending his seminars, will make you a great pro. Much of this self-hype sounds like a used-car salesman talking about the beauty he's going to sell you if you act today.
   
   All the photos are ridiculous, but even funnier is the section about feet. Sure, if somebody is sitting right next to you, I guess you can see if they have their feet wrapped around their chair legs, but players who sit for hours and hours tend to do all kinds of things with their feet and legs that have nothing to do with the hand they are in. When somebody first arrives at a table, for instance, they are often fresh and a little excited, so they will have their feet "ready for action." But after just a little while, we relax and just try to keep our knees from locking up and our toes from going numb. You can look at my feet under the table all you want--if it helps you read me, great!
   
   The biggest laughs are in the section about how to hide your own tells: Act like a robot, wear a hat and sunglasses, and cover your mouth and nose with your hands. Hey, who said poker was supposed to be fun?
   
   Mr. Helmuth contributes a few stories from tourneys in which he made mind-boggling lay-downs or bluffs based on somebody biting a lip or looking scared. Otherwise, this mess belongs entirely to Mr. Navarro.
   
   I gave this a second star for the introduction in which the author does make a good, strong case for developing observation powers away from the table and not only while in the heat of battle. (See, I am trying to be fair!) But that is only about seven pages, not enough to shell out the bucks for.
   
   If you do decide to get this book, keep it a secret, because any decent, experienced poker player who knows you bought it will laugh at you until you cry.
   
   A final note: I have noticed that poker books stand out as being dog-piled praised by everybody the author ever sat next to at a table. What a back-slapping, good-old-boy club they have going for most of the books. Fortunately, all the false praise makes it very difficult for readers to know which ones can really help their game!



3. This book is pretty bad. It has a few useful tidbits of info if you are willing to wade through pages and pages of filler material. I strongly suggest anyone considering purchase go to a bookstore and examine the book first. Here are some things you will find:
   
   1. Look at the print - it's practically double-spaced.
   
   2. It's filled with unnecessary full-page photos. For example, look at page 168, where a full-page photo shows what whistling looks like.
   
   3. It reuses photos. Look at pages 34 and 87. Notice anything? Entire page taken up with exactly the same photos. The captions are slightly different, but basically say the same thing.
   
   4. It reuses content. Everything is repeated over and over and over again. There are countless examples of this throughout the book.
   
   5. The writing is very long-winded. Open to any random page and read a few lines and you'll see what I mean. Here's an example: pages 133 to 137 describe a single tell called a tongue-jut, including a full-page photo to show what it looks like. Here's what those 5 pages say: if a player flicks his tongue between his teeth for a second, he feels like he got away with something. That's it. 5 pages.
   
   6. The Phil Hellmuth anecdotes are self-promoting, uninteresting and basically useless to the reader. Is anyone surprised by this? To see what I mean, flip through the book and read any section with a gray background. For example, on page 137, Phil begins a 3-page story about how great he was at reading Howard Lederer in a certain hand.
   
   And so on...
   
   The cover of the book tells us that Joe Navarro wrote the book with Marvin Karlins, but it's presented by Phil Hellmuth. What this means is: Joe wrote up everything he could think of and only came out with about 10 pages of actual content. They hired Marvin to spread that out to a full book, but still came up short. So they added Phil Hellmuth to give his endorsement and write a bunch of anecdotes to stretch the story even more. Finally, they threw in a bunch of photos to get up to about 200 pages, still a minimal length for a reference book on poker.
   
   Don't take my word on this - go to a bookstore and look for yourself.
   
   p.s. I'm not a huge fan of Mike Caro's book either. It's just so old. There definitely is a need for a modern, well-written book about poker tells. Anyone have any ideas?



4. Mike Caro's book was revolutionary since it was the first book that categorized all the tells from the poker table. I believe everybody should read Caro's book first if you want to learn about tells, but this books teaches you on how to continue learning how to read tells.
   
   Joe Navarro talks a lot about standard position, this is how people are in their normal state. You have to be observant on how people look like when they aren't under any pressure or stress. Base on this knowledge you will then start trying to read this person on tells. In the end of the book Navarro teaches you how to improve your observation skills with some exercises.
   Some reviews says that this is just a copy of Caro's book. I don't believe that's true, you will find information here that you can't find in Caro's book.



5. This is one great poker book. I play a lot of poker and everything else I've ever read about poker tells (even by the famous Mike Caro) has been completely useless. This book paid for itself the first time I played poker after reading it. I now feel like a professional player able to make some great reads.

5 comments about People Puzzler.

1. I was most happy with this book. Just wish I could purchase previous issues. Cannot wait until the next one.



2. I subscribe to People mainly for the Puzzler! It's easy but not too easy, and nothing like the "newspaper crossword". My husband and I actually argue every week, "It's my turn!", "No it's my turn, you did it last week!" Now, I get to do a puzzle every day! As one reviewer said, the ink fom the back of one puzzle can transfer to another page, so I just put a piece of paper behind the page of the puzzle I'm working on. I'm glad that the pages are in full color, and not on cheezy newsprint. The star info/bios are fun, but a little dry, it almost seems like they needed page fillers. When does a new one come out?



3. This is best crossword puzzle book EVER!!! I recommend it to EVERYONE, and I even say I got it off AMazon.



4. Liked the puzzler book but pencil or pen marks go through to the back of the page. I have to put a piece of paper on the other side to keep it from bleeding over.



5. I'd say I'm more of a word search gal than a crossword puzzle girl, but I have always enjoyed the Puzzlers in People magazine. I find them to be of a 'medium' difficulty, and often contain items that I recognize easily. The hardest part for me is to avoid the temptation of peeking in the back when I get stuck (my husband has caught me doing this a few times)! I keep this in the drawer of my bedside table to work on a puzzle or two before going to bed.

5 comments about Preschooler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games & Activities To Occupy 3-6 Year Olds.

1. This book was a sanity saver for a mom with 3 year old twins. How neat to have a resource to turn to on rainy days, snowed in days or days when things are going chaotic. This book is full of all kinds of activities and suggestions on how to occupy your little ones. I love it!! The activities are so easy to do and they are so creative. There are recipes, games and instructions to make homemade toys. These are just a few of the many materials covered. I recommend this book for anyone who has young children!



2. I bought the toddler's busy book when my son was two years old and we loved it so much that I decided to purchase this one a year later. We've done most of the activities in this book and my now four year old still loves it. He will go and grab the busy book from the shelf and ask if we can find him something to do! Must have for all moms of preschoolers!



3. I'm only 100 pages into The Preschooler's Busy Book, but after the first few pages I knew there was hope for me and my daughter facing the winter months indoors together. I took the author's advice and brought along a "Busy Bag" on a shopping trip we took with my mom and grandmother. I packed books, markers, some bracelets, and magnets that she could play with on a small cake pan while I pushed her in a stroller. It was truly a life-saver. She is 3 and a half, so we are just entering this new stage of boredom and inquisitiveness, so I cannot wait to try some of the great ideas I've found in the book. I also purchased the Arts & Crafts Busy Book, because she loves craft projects, but my imagination is limited. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter are really great too and make you think about the joy of motherhood. The size of the book is nice and compact, not too big to bring along somewhere to read. It's also convenient that you don't have to spend a lot of money on these activities. Most items can be found around the house. The only reason I gave it four stars is because I haven't completely finished reading the book yet, but I anticipate it to be a five-star review overall.



4. I bought this book to survive our long winer season we are having here in Boston. This book offers a lot of good tips to keep our toddlers and preschoolers busy.



5. This book is well written and has great ideas, hundreds of them. Some are real simple and there aren't any pictures, I find myself reading it thinking "why hadn't I though of this before?" some activites are just a few minutes each. I had checked it out at the library before purchasing. Would reccommed this book.