No comments about More Rummy Roots, Card Game.

3 comments about Vulnerable in Hearts: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons, and Contract Bridge.

1. While Vulnerable In Hearts easily reaches an adult audience, this memoir is reviewed here for its special interest to young adults as well, telling of a father, a son, and contract bridge, which binds their worlds. Eight decades of Balfour's father's life and the same period in the history of bridge are provided in an intriguing world history of the game. Plenty of teens will find the father, son and game interrelationships intriguing.



2. You don't have to be a bridge lover to enjoy this story of a young man's experiences in pre World War II Scotland, England and South Africa. But it helps! As the author's father says "Everyone likes bridge, they just don't know it yet." I highly recommend this wonderful memoir.



3. Sandy Balfour's family memoir, with emphasis on his father, is a charming and unusual book, and an easy read at only 200 pages. Bridge was the anchor for Dad's life, which otherwise was a disappointment in several ways, compared to his potential. Dad could shine at the bridge table and let his personality come through. Lessons in bidding, playing the hand, and relating to your partner and opponents also were proxies for life.
   
   The title comes from a comment near the end: "to be alive is always and everywhere to be vulnerable in hearts," recounted as he waited for father's imminent death. The title is simply a wonderful play on words and suited for a memoir that combines the complex game of contract bridge and similarly complex life in general. To some degree, to understand bridge is to understand the father.
   
   The book opens and closes with the death of the author's father. In between is a combination of the author's memories, a recounting of his father's life, and the history of contract bridge. The connection, besides the importance of the game in his father's life, is that contract bridge was invented the same year as his father was born.
   
   Father and his brothers were shipped from Scotland to South Africa as youths in advance of World War II, presumably to avoid service. Father ended up serving anyway and returned to South Africa permanently, although never completely leaving his native Scotland.
   
   The history of bridge, blended with the story in small doses as well as more extended sections, was very well done. I will assume it is accurate. It flows briskly, with a nice mixture of overview and detail, aided by several colorful personalities, such as Culbertson, and big names, such as Goren.
   
   Knowledge of bridge is not required, although it is helpful. I have played a little, so that the re-telling of various hands and the evolution of different bidding systems was not foreign. Players will no doubt enjoy some specific hands shown and speculate on what they might have done, just as in a bridge column.
   
   My only slightly negative comment is that the book lacks for action; not a lot happens. Perhaps some more anecdotes would have been appropriate. The family wasn't quite interesting enough, as presented, to take the book to the next level.
   
   I highly recommend the book for readers looking for an unusual memoir, and especially for bridge fans of middle age and beyond who can appreciate the bonus view of contract bridge over their own lives.

No comments about Crystal Oracle: Guidance From The Heart Of The Earth.

5 comments about Win at Hearts.

1. Joe Andrews does a masterful job of relating to the reader the various hands a player may encounter. His strategies and experience are second to none. I read the book often to help sharpen my skills and I notice I win more often because with the help of this book I understand the possibilities of each dealt hand more clearly. A definite read for any level of hearts player.



2. Not for one looking for principles. Mostly a collection of wild-titled hands, impossible to remember. Chapter Nine, "The Grand Squash," is devoted to a hand the author has seen only 3 times in 20 years. Go figure.



3. Supposedly teaches by showing many examples and situations where you could have done so and so .. I didn't find any real rules to follow and very few tactics that can be inferred from the examples. I'm an above average Hearts player and certainly have to say that I did not pick up anything to improve my game in this book. The best hearts book? Probably so, but only because there isn't another out there.

   Dry and painfully boring.




4. The Complete Win At Hearts is the only comprehensive work on the card game of Hearts which has been published to date. -And this old - timey game has been around for long, long time. The author obviously understands the game, and has laid out a detailed approach to the strategy of Hearts. The chapter about managing the Spades suit is clear and concise. Proper discarding, and play of the hand is thoroughly presented. Ample space is provided for Partnership play, three handed Hearts, the Jack of Diamonds variation, and defensive play.
   
   The only shortcoming in this book is the somewhat incomplete discussion about managing the hearts suit. Otherwise, it's a gem, with plenty of humor, and some of the most interesting hands you will ever see. I have waited for years to see if another author would come out with a new Hearts Book. So far, the game of Hearts is still represented by "The Complete Win At Hearts".
   
   Check it out - you will be glad you did!



5. There are things the book should have included but were not there such as what cards should be passed. He mentioned a very few that were good, but he should have given much more examples as to what cards to pass and not to.

1 comments about Heart Series: Introduction to Bridge Defense.

1. This is the third book in the ACBL Series by Audrey Grant. The Club Series is on bidding and the Spade Series is on Play. This books assumes that you know bidding at least equal to the first two books. This book is not easy. It takes some thinking and study. It is a thorough discussion of standard leads, signals and defensive play. Anyone who is weak in these methods can learn from this book. It does not include other signals such as Laventhal and upside down discards. To learn about these you need to get Kit Woolsley's fine book on Modern Defensive Signals. Many more advanced books on defense are available including books by Root and Kantar but this book does a great job explaining defensive philosophy to novices.

1 comments about Rummy Roots Card Game.

1. This fun game is a good beginning to learning roots for words. The rules are basic and some questions arise in play that the given rules don't answer. So, we just make up our own and establish at the beginning of play.
   There are several games to play at different levels of knowledge starting with a game that assumes the players know nothing of roots. If your kids can read, your kids can learn their roots.
   What I really like is that it has levels of strategy that can become more complicated with each level of play, so if your kids are competitive players, the game is even more challenging.

5 comments about Poker Nation: A High-Stakes, Low-Life Adventure into the Heart of a Gambling Country.

1. This book is a little difficult to categorise. It is not really an autobiography, it is not a poker 'how-to' manual although it does provide some interesting insights. So what is it? It seems to be a book about deciding to write a book.
   
   Andy Bellin has a simple, easy to read prose style. The book proceeds at great pace mixing personal experiences and anecdotes very effectively, providing an interesting and illuminating insight into the world of poker and addiction. I was gripped from the first chapter and read the book very quickly. It is often funny, sometimes chilling and slightly scary but it always holds your interest. It is also thought provoking as it prompts readers to consider their own attitude to gambling and addiction in general.
   
   Recommended.



2. "Poker Nation" is the perfect introductory book for those new to the game, especially if you've just started getting into the 2005 World Series of Poker coverage. It's more of a series of anecdotes, musings, and observations than it is an Xs and Os how-to guide, so you won't get overwhelmed by the technical aspects of the game. Bellin's personal style of writing conveys all the highs and lows that poker can entail, and does so in a humorous, self-deprecating manner. If you're like me and rarely read books from cover-to-cover, you might be surprised how much of an easy read this can be.



3. I dont play poker at all. I picked this book up with the intent of improving my stock, currency and commodities trading under the premise that professional poker players and traders are two of a kind. Despite my ignorance of poker, I find this book a real page turner covering not only poker skills and tactics, but its addictive and even devastating effect on life of many poker players. It's very interesting and informative. The author's writing skill is excellent. No matter whether you like poker or not, if you are interested in reading fascinating stories, you will be very satisfied.
   
   p.s. As per whether it will help my trading, a little bit, I must say.



4. If you ever wondered if the world of poker is for you, read this book! most poker players will never set at the million dollar game(or table) - most poker players have to grind it out hour after hour - this book tells you all about that world!



5. This book reminds me of another good poker book, All In by Jonathan Grotenstein & Storms Reback. It a little bit of many different things. There's poker advice, poker history, biographies, poker stories, and humor. It's a great book for someone who wants to learn a thing or two about poker but doesn't just want to read strategy books like Super System.

3 comments about Defense, Second Edition: The Heart Series (ACBL Bridge).

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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!

No comments about Defense in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition: The Heart Series.

5 comments about The Original Wizard Card Game.

1. This game is ideal because it's simple to learn, quick to play, and very entertaining. Even my father, who really doesn't enjoy cards or board games at all, can easily be persuaded to join us for a round of Wizard. We've found that 4-5 people playing this game makes for the best setup because there are more chances for missed bids (and thus an added drama factor!) and the game doesn't last too long. You'll be surprised at how attached you can become to a card game--whether you miss your bid or trump everyone else, you're likely to become emotionally involved, and that makes this game an intense but fun way to spend an afternoon or evening. Five stars for sure on this product!



2. This game is so much fun -- introduced by some random boy our daughter brought home for dinner (another story); it took me months before I quit calling it whiskey . . . by which time, we were totally hooked on playing wizard; it usurped cribbage at the game table. Lots of fun, two to six can play. It's quick, it's fun; try it today!



3. More fun than poker! Doesn't matter how well you play cards, those extra trumps trump you everytime!



4. AS a family we have played this game many times. It's fun for ages 8-80. The rules are simple and easy to follow. One does not have to be a card shark to enjoy this and it works for any number of players from 3 to 6. I would highly recommend it for those who enjoy having family around the table.



5. This is a fun game. The strategy changes a lot based on the number of people playing. It is like Hearts, but less frustrating to those of us without much luck.