Best book to learn how to play the cards

[xx1943]

Hi all,

 

mentoring in BIL I want to recommend my students a systematic, easy to read book about all basic issues of declarer and defensive play.

 

My own favourites are:

 

1) Victor Mollo, Nico Gardener: Card play technique

 

2)Terence Reese, Roger Trezel: MASTER BRIDGE SERIES Volume 1-3

 

3) Robert Berthe, Norbert Lebely: "Pas A PAS" Volume 1-4

 

2) 3) are only available in German and/or French.

 

Please tell us, what book you would recommend a beginner and/or intermediate, who wants to improve his card play.

 

Many thanks

 

Regards

 

Al

[EricK]

I think the "Expert" series by Danny Roth are very good. They painlessly lead even a total beginner to the point where they can make quite advanced plays. They encourage counting and so on from the word go, and don't teach rules, but ideas.

 

They are

 

The Expert Beginner

The Expert Improver

The Expert Advancer

The Expert Club Player

 

Eric

[jillybean]

Bridge Master Audrey Grant edition (b/i) & Bridge Master 2000 are great for practicing declarer play and FUN.

[xx1943]

Bridge Master Audrey Grant edition (b/i) & Bridge Master 2000 are great for practicing declarer play and FUN.

Hi Jilly

Rite you are for practizing and having fun.

these are the best bridge-software I've ever seen.

 

But to learn the play systematic you need a book too.

 

Many thanks Eric for your hint.

They encourage counting and so on from the word go, and don't teach rules, but ideas.

That exactly is what "counts" imo. :rolleyes:

 

sincerly

 

Al

[inquiry]

Hi all,

 

mentoring in BIL I want to recommend my students a systematic, easy to read book about all basic issues of declarer and defensive play.

 

My own favourites are:

 

1) Victor Mollo, Nico Gardener: Card play technique

 

2)Terence Reese, Roger Trezel: MASTER BRIDGE SERIES Volume 1-3

 

3) Robert Berthe, Norbert Lebely: "Pas A PAS" Volume 1-4

 

2) 3) are only available in German and/or French.

 

Please tell us, what book you would recommend a beginner and/or intermediate, who wants to improve his card play.

 

Many thanks

 

Regards

 

Al

They never played bridge before (or essentially never before)? Watson, Play of the hand. Soft ware for them.. A. Grants, special edition of Bridge Master 2000

 

If they have played awhile and know all about suit establishment, finesses, and the like.. Kelsey's Bridge logic, declarer play, killing defense, and more killing defense. Software to get them, Bridge MAster 2000, level 1 and 2.

 

IF they know all about how to count the hand, then Clyde Love's Bridge Squeezes complete.. Software to get them, Bridge master level 3 and 4

 

If they are experts, or near experts who know all there is to know abou tthe game, then Ottik and Kelsey "adventrues in card play" Software to get them, Bridge master 2000, level 5

 

Ben

[whereagles]

Actually, most card play books for beginners are didactically very, very bad. Even those wrote by the best players. Lack of systematization is their main problem. The authors always seem unable to categorize the various strategies possible, making the key ideas to appear messed up and disorganized. This, of course, confuses beginners.

 

I've read many books on expert play, and a few on beginner play. It is my experience that the few books that are well-written and fit for beginners are those of the French bridge university.

 

The situation is a bit better when it comes to books on bidding. The French school still provides the most systematic and logic books, but the competition from other schools is acceptable.

[inquiry]

Actually, most card play books for beginners are didactically very, very bad. Even those wrote by the best players. Lack of systematization is their main problem. The authors always seem unable to categorize the various strategies possible, making the key ideas to appear messed up and disorganized. This, of course, confuses beginners.

Well, Watson's "Play of the Hand" is clearly the best book for students to learn the fundamentals of card play. It starts out painfully slow... just what the neophyte needs, and then builds from there. Card combinations, defense, and more esotic plays (eventually). It was written in the 1930's but those basics haven't changed, And it will not get the student bogged down with backwash squeezes and the liek, becasue in the 1930's they didn't "exist"

 

Trust me on this one. You can't go wrong with Watson.. and to be quite frank, a lot of our experts on the BBO would benefit greeatly by reading it, carefully.

 

Ben

[ArcLight]

So far Ive read 27 books on Bridge. (That doesnt make me an expert, but I enjoy reading Bridge books!)

 

How to Defend a Bridge Hand by William Root is an excellent intoduction to defense. I recommend it for beginners through internediates. I like it better than Kantars Modern Bridge Defense and Advanced Bridge Defense, but they are both good and worth reading.

 

How to Play a Bridge Hand William Root is a very solid book on declarer play. I recommend it for beginners through internediates. I prefer it to Kantars Topics in Declarer Play which is an ok book.

 

Each of the Root books have 300+ example hands for the reader to folliow, and around 100 problems.

 

[William Root also has: Modern Bridge Conventions and Common Sense Bididng, both well written and of value toa beginner/intermediate player.]

 

I recommend these books over Watsons Play of the Hand. Watsons book covers some more advanced topics but is less enjoyable to read. I also prefer Victor Mollos Card Play technique over the Watson book, as I find it much more readable.

(I dont think beginners need to worry too much about how to execute Squeze plays. They should learn when to/not finesse, the danger hand, elimination plays, etc)

 

[Note: I am not knocking The Watson book, and its considered a classic. But I find other books more enjoyable to read, and they also cover most of the same material.]

 

Bridge Master is a great learning tool, because the player experiences the lesson rather than just reads about it. The level 5 problems are very difficult, and beyond my level. Beginners will certainly benefit from levels 1 and 2. You can buy additional sets of 30 lessons here at BBO for $10 each. That works out to about $5 and hour for some fun lessons. And you can always redo them 6 months later, so the real cost is closer to $2.50 an hour

 

 

The Mike Lawrence software is excellent, but I think a player should hold off a bit if they are just a beginner. Play a bit, read some of books, then try it.

 

 

[After reading those books on the basics try Points, Schmoints by Marty Bergen.

And the Law of Total Tricks by Larry Cohen, and its sequel Following the Law.]

[sceptic]

I have just been given William Root, Play of the hand, I am only on chapter one but it seems like a sound book to me

[fred]

You might want to try the card play chapters in Learn to Play Bridge 1 & 2. This material is available for free through Explore Bridge! (or you can download the programs from free through www.acbl.org).

 

If the introductory stuff is too basic for you, skip ahead.

 

There are several Bridge Master hands (plus a lot of text and examples) in each of the chapters on declarer play in these programs.

 

When I was learning my favorite textbook on play of the hand was a book by Blackwood that I think was called "The Play of the Hand". It was a thick book with a black cover. I have no idea if this book is still in print or not, but it was excellent.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[luke warm]

i agree with ben, watson's classic is what i'd give a beginning bridge/card player... i also agree with the bridgemaster cd... you can even order extra deals of whatever level you feel best suits you

[xx1943]

You might want to try the card play chapters in Learn to Play Bridge 1 & 2. This material is available for free through Explore Bridge! (or you can download the programs from free through www.acbl.org).

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

Hi FG

Many thanks for the hints.

I tried to download from www.acbl.org´. Alas the link to the download was not valid.

Regards

Al

[xx1943]

[Note: I am not knocking The Watson book, and its considered a classic.  But I find other books more enjoyable to read, and they also cover most of the same material.]

Hi

After rereading Watsons book inspired from this thread, I found this is exactly the point.

Al

[luke warm]

i imagine that's because you aren't a beginner... the first half of his book is, to me, priceless for someone who has never played

 

there are better books that cover individual aspects of his... squeezes, end plays, leads, etc... but i'd still give his to a beginner

[flytoox]

Mike Lawrence's Dynamic Defense at Bridge, a book tell you how world players defend simple but tricky hands. The best book on defense. Worth 5times reading.

 

I have read it for 3 times, and I learn sth new everytime I read it.

 

Hongjun

[sceptic]

I have bth bridge master and audrey grants edition

 

I have completed both (it only took me 7 months and the explanations are excellent) all levels.

 

I started to do bridge master again and it may still take me another 7 months at this rate and I still need to look at the solutions at times, but it is a very smart piece if software and very helpful for someone learning , I would recommend this to all it is also a lot of FUN

[helene_t]

Kelsey's "Winning Card Play" is a very good book. It covers everything, from simple fineses to the devil's coup, and explains it in depth. It does not say much about signalling and matchpoint strategies, though.

[ArcLight]

I just finished Mike Lawrences "Complete Book of Hand Evaluation" and Marty Bergens "Hand Evaluation". I enjoyed reading them together. The Bergen book is a much faster read, with a few formulas, and hand evaluation problems. The Lawrence book was slower going as he presents the reader with many auctions. As the aution progresses he explains how your hand changes in value. He tries to get you in the habit of estimating the other players holdings in all 4 suits.

 

I recommend both books for beginners through intermediates.

[Flame]

I just love mike lawrence's books on play.

[jikl]

An interesting book on the 4 handed games is Dormer on Deduction by Albert Dormer.

 

Sean

[flytoox]

I just love mike lawrence's books on play.

his bidding book is even better:)

[flytoox]

I just finished Mike Lawrences "Complete Book of Hand Evaluation" and Marty Bergens "Hand Evaluation". I enjoyed reading them together. The Bergen book is a much faster read, with a few formulas, and hand evaluation problems. The Lawrence book was slower going as he presents the reader with many auctions. As the aution progresses he explains how your hand changes in value. He tries to get you in the habit of estimating the other players holdings in all 4 suits.

 

I recommend both books for beginners through intermediates.

i just reread the hand evaluation book. i think it worths reading many times.

[Chamaco]

For beginners I recommend , in order of preference:

 

1- How to play a bridge hand by William Root

2- Berthe & Lebely Pas a pas (ssome volumes were published also in english I think, check on the Baron Barclay book catalog)

3- Mollo's Card Play technique

4- I'd like to recommend also Kantar's "Take your tricks", excellent tip easy to follow for BIL players

5- the "Card play made easy" series by Klinger/Kambites is also excellent

 

I did not like Watson's Play of the hand despite his celebrations.

Of course all the material included is good, but the organization and the manner of writing is IMO uninteresting

 

---

 

For defense I recommend

How to defend a bridge hand by William Root for a start and thenany Kantar book

:-)

 

----

There are then more advanced books such as:

 

1- Declarer play: Lawrence's books, Kelsey's, Dormer's and above all Terence Reese's books. Also, I have seen unmentions Marshall Miles' "All 52 cards"

 

2- Defense: Partnership defense by Kit Woolsey and Killing defence at bridge by Kelsey's are a must

 

But these are only for a later stage, after the first impact with basic technique has been overcome.

[ArcLight]

I tried reading Terrence Reeses books, they are highly recommended by many players (including Mike Lawrence).

But I was put off by his attitude. This may be silly, but I didn't like "Reese the person" as he came across in his books and it turned me off to what he was trying to teach. He came across as an arrogant jerk. There are so many other GREAT bridge books I figured I could skip his. Now maybe someday I will try and read his books again, but I have a lot of other stuff to read first.

 

I can't over state how much I like Bill Roots books - How to Play a Bridge Hand, and even better How to Defend a Bridge hand. For beginner through intermediate they are terrific. (I think many of the "Intermediates" on BBO would do well to read these two because they don't know a quarter of what these books teach)

 

I have all of Mike Lawrence's books and software and am slowly progressing through them. It takes a while as his books require a lot of thinking and trying to figure out whats going on, who has what, distributions, etc.

 

I'm very eagerly looking forward to the upcoming "I Fought the Law of Total Tricks" by Mike Lawrence.

 

If the LAW isn't as accurate as its advocates espouse, then maybe Bergen bidding isn't as effective as some think it is?

[luke warm]

i'll buy lawrence's book on lott also, but i would like to say something... bergen does base a lot (most) of his bidding on lott... while it's true he hasn't played competitively in a long time, i think it would be an error to think that his law-based bidding/play was anything other than successful, when he did play... he won an awful lot of national titles...

 

maybe lawrence is going to deal with theory, or practice, or some combination, but anyone who has based competitive decisions on lott should already know to what extent it can be trusted