Bridge for Dummies (Paperback)

by Eddie Kantar (Author) "Welcome to bridge boot camp!..." (more)
Key Phrases: extra winners, three sure tricks, following bidding sequence, East South, West North, North East (more...)

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 the Paperback edition.

Product Description
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.

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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 (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #323,031 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Karel Kramer (Pine Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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!

55 of 57 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)

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.

39 of 39 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)

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.