According to Hoyle: Official Rules of More Than 200 Popular Games of Skill and Chance With Expert Advice on Winning Play [Paperback]

Richard L. Frey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 1996

"A must for anyone who wants to play a game and play it correctly."
Charles H. Goren
Whether you play card games, dice games, parlor games, word games, chess, checker, backgammon, or solitaire games, here is a comprehensive, up-to-date book with the complete rules of your favorite games of skill and chance. ACCORDING TO HOYLE gives not only the rules but expert advice on winning, too.


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"A must for anyone who wants to play a game and play it correctly."
Charles H. Goren
Whether you play card games, dice games, parlor games, word games, chess, checker, backgammon, or solitaire games, here is a comprehensive, up-to-date book with the complete rules of your favorite games of skill and chance. ACCORDING TO HOYLE gives not only the rules but expert advice on winning, too.


From the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044991156X
• ISBN-13: 978-0449911563
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #519,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The How's and Why's of game-playing, Intro through advanced!, October 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: According to Hoyle: Official Rules of More Than 200 Popular Games of Skill and Chance With Expert Advice on Winning Play (Paperback)

As a child we played many games as a family, learning new ones as we advanced in understanding. Dad bought the Book of Hoyle which we referred to whenever we tried to learn a new game. He told us to take it with us when we played at other peoples' homes, "No such thing as 'House Rules'. Tell them you go by the Book of Hoyle or you don't play". It settled a lot of disagreements before they became volitile. I, too, gave my five children the book to learn from and take with them as their "Bible of Game Playing". Excellent strategies! This purchase is for a man in prison, to hopefully stop any arguments before they start!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Rules but Little Expert Advice, May 15, 2003

By 

"captain_economicus" (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: According to Hoyle: Official Rules of More Than 200 Popular Games of Skill and Chance With Expert Advice on Winning Play (Paperback)

Frey (the author) provides the rules and history for an impressive, although not exhaustive, list of card, board and casino games. He succinctly describes the history and the rules of each game. The rules are written fairly clearly, although those who are not familiar with the proper jargon may find them difficult to follow. Moreover, Frey provides almost no "expert advice on winning play" as the subtitle of the book promises. Advice on strategy is reserved to only a handful of games and, when provided, it is too short and commonsense to enhance anyone's play. You may wish to purchase this book as a general reference on the rules of the game, but do not expect it to improve your play.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to understand, May 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: According to Hoyle: Official Rules of More Than 200 Popular Games of Skill and Chance With Expert Advice on Winning Play (Paperback)

I found this book quite difficult to understand. It has too much jargon, and the instructions to the games are sometimes unclear. There is no glossary. It seems to be aimed at an audience that is already familiar with most of the games.