Bridge for Dummies [Paperback]

Eddie Kantar (Author)

Book Description

Series: --for Dummies | Publication Date: June 23, 1997

You can play bridge all over the world, and wherever you go, you can make new friends automatically by starting up a game of bridge. What exactly is it about bridge that fascinates countless millions, has fascinated countless millions, and will continue to fascinate countless millions? In a nutshell,

• Bridge is a social game: You play with a partner and two opponents. Right off the bat you have four people together. Inevitably, you meet a host of new friends with a strong common bond, the game of bridge.
• Bridge is a challenging game: Each hand is an adventure; each hand presents a unique set of conditions that you react to and solve. You have to do a little thinking.
• Bridge is a game of psychology: If you fancy yourself a keen observer of human behavior, look no further. You have found your niche. Players aren’t supposed to show any emotion during the play, but there are always a few leaks in the dam.
• Bridge is fun: Hours become minutes! Playing bridge can mean endless hours of pleasure, a host of new friends, and many laughs.

If you’re an absolute bridge beginner, you need the hand-held tour of the game that Bridge For Dummies can give you. Take your time getting to know the fundamentals, carefully examine the real-life examples, and get a feel for the basics before you start to play. Even if you have played bridge before, this book still has much to offer you. Author Eddie Kantar condenses his fifty years of experience with the game into tips and hints that can make you a better player.

Start with a birds-eye view of bridge and begin with techniques for taking tricks in a notrump contract. Move on from there to cover the following aspects of the game and more:

• Counting and taking sure tricks
• Working with trump suits
• Finessing for extra winners
• Grasping the importance of bidding
• Knowing when to pass and when to rebid
• Slam bidding
• Keeping score
• Playing defense

After you play a few hands, you may find that you can’t stop playing bridge. If this happens, call a doctor – you may be a bridgeaholic. The only cure for your addiction is play, play, play. In order to satisfy your craving for bridge, Bridge For Dummies will help you connect with bridge clubs, tournaments, computerized games, and even online partnerships.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For the beginner or near-beginner, the revised Bridge for Dummies  by Eddie Kantar is the best choice." (The New York Times, December 16, 2006) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

"One of the very best of thousands of books introducing the beginner to the game." Alan Truscott, Bridge Columnist, The New York Times Praise for Bridge For Dummies "Eddie Kantar has now fit his talent to the perfect format, which features laid-back bridge advice presented with his keen sense of humor." - Bobby Wolff, President, World Bridge Federation "Eddie Kantar entertains you while cutting through the complexities." - Frank R. Stewart, Bridge Columnist, Sheinwold's Bridge

Your First Aid Kit(TM) for understanding bridge terms and scoring

Find out how to rank, decode, and respond to bids Consider this friendly guide your bridge boot camp. From the tricks you need to know to the art of finesse, author Eddie Kantar gives you the advantage of his fifty years of experience playing this challenging game. Packed with plenty of example hands, this book will have you trumping your opponents in no time!

Discover how to: Build a bid Recognize losing cards Avoid opponents' traps Strategize with your partner Find clubs and tournaments Play bridge online

Get smart! www.dummies.com Register to win cool prizes Browse exclusive articles and excerpts Get a free Dummies Daily(TM) e-mail newsletter Chat with authors and preview other books Talk to us, ask questions, get answers

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (June 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764550152
• ISBN-13: 978-0764550157
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Bridge

More About the Author

Eddie Kantar, a transplanted Californian, is one of the best-known bridge writers in the world. He has more than 30 bridge books in print, some translated into 8 languages, and is a regular contributor to the Bulletin, The Bridge World, Bridge Today, and many other bridge publications.
Eddie, a two-time World Champion, is highly regarded as a player and known as one of bridge's great ambassadors.
Eddie learned to play bridge at age 11. By the time he was 17, he was teaching the game to his friends. Eddie was so enthusiastic about bridge that he often took his bridge books to school, hiding them behind his textbooks so that the teachers couldn't see him reading about bridge during class. At the University of Minnesota, where Eddie studied foreign languages, he taught bridge to pay his tuition.
Eddie gained stature as a player by winning 2 World Championship titles and 11 North American Championships. His North American titles include wins in the Spingold Knockout Teams, the Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams, the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams, and the Grand National Teams. Eddie is a Grand Master in World Bridge Federation rankings and an ACBL Grand Life Master. Today Eddie is best known as a writer, and many of his books are considered classics. When not playing bridge or writing about the subject, he can be found playing paddle tennis (an offshoot of tennis) or bridge at the paddle tennis courts at Venice Beach (come and join the fun in either game). By the way, Eddie is the only person ever to have played in both a World Bridge Championship and a World Table Tennis Championship (he did better at bridge).
Eddie was inducted into the Bridge Hall of Fame in 1996, the same year he was inducted into the Minnesota State Table Tennis Hall of Fame.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That Saved My Bridge Game, October 30, 2002

By 

Scott Snyder (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bridge for Dummies (Paperback)

I would have to disagree with other reviewers who write that this book is not for the rank beginner in bridge. I was a rank beginner in bridge who tried to read other bridge books and got absolutely nowhere. This was the book that turned the lights on for me at the bridge table. Kantar writes in a lively, funny and informative way that I found to be the "spoonful of sugar" to help the medicine go down. With this book, I went from a frustrated and confused player to one who really enjoys the game. Now, the bridge column is the first thing I read in the papers, and I'm always ready for a hand.

An excellent book. One of my favorites. Get it and improve your game dramatically.

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Useful, August 30, 2000

By 

Karel Kramer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridge for Dummies (Paperback)

This is the best book I've found on Bridge because Kantar explains the "why" behind the conventions. Once I understand the logic of a convention, and it makes sense to me, I can easily "use" the knowledge in my play. My game has definitely improved as a result of reading this book.

My husband, too, has found it useful and he plays at a higher level than do I. (He plays Duplicate regularly.) My Dad, who has been playing for 30+ years, picked up this book when he was visiting and has asked me to buy him a copy.

Thank you, Mr. Kantar!

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ditto: Great approach to teaching a sophisticated game, February 9, 2004

By 

Carlos N. Velez "carlos_n_velez" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bridge for Dummies (Paperback)

I am also new to bridge, and have also tried several other books on the subject. The three that I tried previously started with covering hand evaluation and bidding. By the time I get to the sections on "Responding to Responses at No Trump", I was getting lost. Kanter's approach is just the opposite. He teaches the mechanics of playing the hand first, THEN teaches how to evaluate the hand and bid. This is a great approach because once you learn how the play should be done, you are in a much better position to understand WHY you should evaluate and bid the way a hand demands you should. I've only studied the first 65 pages or so, but can already see a dramatic improvement in my bidding and my play. I can't wait to continue to study this great book.

Overall, a terrific approach to teaching this great game. I can't wait to read some of Kanter's other books as well.

Addendum: I continue to read and carefully study the chapters on play which preceed the chapters on bidding. There is lots of great material here. Don't let the "For Dummies" title fool you. This is a great book by a great teacher.

Addendum 2: Here I am 6 months after buying this book, and am I glad I did. I'm playing online regularly, and am gearing up for my first NABC in July! I'm still a novice, and there is a tremendous amount of learning and practice ahead, but this book has been a tremendous first step. I think that of all the beginner books that I've read on ANY subject, this has been the best in terms of preparing me for the next level.