Customer Reviews

Spades for Winners

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I knew from the first minutes of reading this authors spades tips that I had found the book that I wanted.

I had previously purchased 2 different spades books and found them very disappointing. I was already a good, experienced, spades player and was not interested in studying the obvious and rehashing beginning spades techniques.

This book offered me expert spades strategy that I could immediately put to use. He very effectively taught me how to be an agressive, smart, competitor. My skills quickly advanced. Now I can honestly say that I am not just a good spades player, but an advanced spades player. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about learning how to play with the best.

To sum up this book in one simple line, "Spades for Winners" is incomparable. Now there is finally a book that covers every facet of the game through expert analysis and an aggressive approach. Steve Fleishman has blown away the Spading community with a far superior exposition on Spade theory. To even try and compare other books with this cutting edge book is akin to comparing a top expert in any field with a novice. Such a comparison does not do the book justice!

Fleishman begins with a simple yet superior bidding system and then progresses through beginner and intermediate play of the hand. Every hand is treated with a thorough analysis explaining each technique. Particular attention is given to trump management -- a subject that has been neglected in all other literature on Spades.

The beginner can read this book without being overwhelmed. Fleishman presents Spades theory in such a way that it is easy to absorb while also providing keen analysis. If you want to learn how the very few elite players play this game, buy this book.

This is really a great book for the spades player. I
never knew there was so much about spades. I have been
playing for about five years and thought it was a very
simple game and there was nothing left to learn. Wow was
I wrong. One of the things that really impresed me was
that Fleishman explained the secret of making high-level
bids. I always was afraid to bid too high but not any
more.

If I had to find something negative to say it would be
that the author sometimes is way ahead of me. I didn't
use to count the cards. But now I am making the effort
and it is paying off. I advise others not to bother
with any of the other spades books they are only for
beginners. This is the one for serius spades players.

Finally someone who understands the game and it's mathematical underpinnings has put his knowledge down on paper. It's concise, to the point and intelligently presented. If you want to understand how top-flight bridge and spade players manage their cards, this is the book. Steve very methodically lays out the underlying principles and proceeds upwards thru the beginning and intermediate concepts. Numerous hands to demonstrate the points being discussed along with detailed analysis of the bidding and play accompany the ideas.
This is without a doubt the best of the 3 spades books I've come across. If you want to play aggressive attacking spades, this is where you start. And as in all partnership games, it's much more enjoyable when you have a like minded partner across the table !!

The authors other book "Master Spades" is for advanced players. This book is targeted towards beginner and intermediate level players.

The book covers a wide range of topics from nil bidding, covering the nil, setting the nil, how to maximize your trick taking ability, what to do if you have lots of Spades (don't go wasting them trumping), Bag avoidance (concentrate on making your bid first and setting the opps), bidding, and other topics.

There are a large number of sample hands, bidding quizes, and card playing quizes.

I found the book to be interesting and enjoyable, though it takes some time to work through the examples. If you're willing to invest a little time reading this book it will enable you to enjoy your Spading more because you will win more often. Its not just a list of a few tips, you need to go through the examples. Its worth the time to do so.

After you've read this book and applied the techniques and played a couple of hundred games, try "Master Spades", by the same author. Its a classic, and a must read for any serious Spades player.

Spades for Winners begins with a brief history and overview of the game of spades, and then offers a simple yet sound bidding system that is easy to understand, and just as effective as some of the more complex systems in use. The remaining 300 pages are devoted primarily to card play.

Steve presents an aggressive style that is superior to the popular bagging strategy in common use. He demonstrates in easy to understand language how to get the maximum mileage from your cards. His techniques are well explained, and normally illustrated with full deal examples. Particular attention is paid to two subjects that are a common weakness of spades players at all levels, nil defense, and trump management. Bagging strategy is also covered, but the emphasis of the book is on playing aggressively to set the opposition.

Spades for Winners focuses on the foundations of strong play, and is intended for the beginner to intermediate level player. Such players can expect to see their play improve significantly after reading this text. Experts too may benefit from a review of these principles. My only caution, is that this book is not to be read lightly, but should be considered a learning tool, and thus be studied appropriately.

If you're a novice, or average player, aside from sitting down with an expert for one-on-one tutoring, this book is simply the best way to improve your play.

Steve Fleishman has announced (at his web site) a sequel to his first book (Spades For Winners".) The newest book is called "Master Spades". I thought that Steve's first book was pretty darn good, especially for those who have played extensively, before. The advanced chapters were great for improving my overall play. The first book "Spades For Winners" was an absolute beast to read.!! I had just learned the game, and the best value the first book had was to improve my bagging and counting techniues. AS FOR THE NEWBIES AND ROOKIES TO THE GAME - I RECOMMEND "How Not To Lose At Spades" or the "Win At Spades - Basic and Intermediate".
After I finished "Spades For Winners", I was exhausted - but my game was better. I play in Yahoo, and my rating is soaring. Now a second 350+ page monster ("Master Spades") is about to be born! That's more than 700 pages of spades- reminds me of "Tolstoy's - War And Peace". For those who have the money (yes, these books are pricey), and months of free time, I suggest reading Steve's books. For those who want to put Spades in its true perspective (a game of fun), play on the internet.

This book covers the beginner-intermediate stages of the game in a very concise, clear manner. I was very pleased with how Fleishman didn't attempt to make generalized statements which don't always holds true. His writings leave room for the advanced line of play. It seems that too many Spades authors attempt to objectify the game and make broad sweeping statements that don't always hold true. Fleishman avoided this pitfall rather well.

The book starts out with a good bidding system, moves on to the different positional plays, and finishes with intermediate strategy. It's well organized, and one can tell that the author has a very in depth understanding of the game. If you're willing to put some time and effort into studying this great book, your game will improve tenfold. An excellent book! I look forward to reading his book on advanced play!

"Spades For Winners" is a really neat book, and an excellent primer for the novice and experienced Bridge player. I would never recommend this book as a teaching guide for most Spades players - except those at the Expert level... However, if you are learning Bridge, you will find many wonderful strategies here. Everything is covered - Bidding, play of the hand, finessing, trump management, endplays, crossruffing, unusual discards, opening leads and defense. It is obvious that Fleishman is an accomplished Bridge player, and it shows. Forgot about all those fancy Bridge books - learn from the Spades Master. Who needs all those old timey conventions? Transfer bids key card, and Ace-asking bids are now obsolete. Just pick up this book, and learn everything you need to know about Bridge. ! Move over Goren, Kantar, Jacoby, and Lawrence. Spades for Winners will revolutionize Bridge, and bring the ACBL back to its glory years. Fleisman's concepts are here to stay. If you want to become a Life Master and win some big time cash Prizes at "live" events, then grab "Spades For Winners" -pronto! - And you will find that this book will also make you a very advanced Spades player as well. It's like getting two games for the price of one. What a book, what an author........

If you're past the young intermediate stage of spades, you might find this book just a repeat of what you already know. For those of you I'd recommend Steve's more advanced book "Master Spades". Although, there are some people I've partnered with who were supposedly 'advanced' players who didn't know even the basic concepts set forth by Steve in the last chapters of Spades for Winners. IE setting vs bagging equals more wins! An eleven bid is always a setting opportunity! Also the bidding chapters in this book I'd like to prescribe to some of my random partners.

I'd say overall this is a must read for those of you who would like to take your spades game to the next level. Then after you practice the basics in this book, move on to "Master Spades" by Steve.