Win at Hearts (Paperback)

by Joseph Andrews (Author) "Heart evolved from a game played around 1750 in Spain called "Reverse..." (more)
Key Phrases: one black point, spade lead, slam scores, Vienna Coup, Next South, Direction Irrelevant (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
With the development of multiple card-playing sites on the Internet, Hearts is more popular than ever. The author has drawn on his own considerable experience to explain such fine points as proper cards to pass from various Hearts Or Spades combinations, and explains all you need to know about popular variations like Cutthroat, Partnership, Three-Handed, and Jack Of Diamonds. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Bonus Books; 2nd edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566251109
• ISBN-13: 978-1566251105
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #901,228 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars it could've been much, much better, October 7, 1999

By	moonblower_1 (Baton Rouge, LA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

I am regularly one of the highest-rated players on Yahoo Hearts, and I bought this book some time ago to improve my game. It has some good ideas, but I was generally disappointed. There is too much discussion of trick plays, and definitely not enough on good solid fundamental play. The section on spade-suit management is pretty well explained-out, but I found the heart-suit management section lacking. (hearts do make up half the point total of each hand, after all). The style of the book is very home-spun, resembling a compilation of hearts tidbits, without a thorough discussion of principles involved in playing the game. At one point Andrews says offhand that one should generally slough minor suits before breaking hearts, but he doesn't say why, and under what circumstances you don't. The "hearts player's diary" was a big waste of paper and ink. There is a lengthy discussion of the 'partnership' version of the game, but the section on the -10JD game is altogether lacking (if that's what you want the book for), with only about 5 pages devoted to it. One of Andrews' 10 cardinal rules which nearly everyone online would disagree with is "Dump the QS on the first available player, unless your hand is absolutely safe". Rather, you save the QS for the low man at the table. The score of the game is always an important factor in determining your play (especially what hearts you pass), and this is not addressed at all in this book. Also not addressed is how to determine who has the QS, and manuever so the low man gets her. I also would've liked to see a section on how to shoot the moon, since this is an aspect of the game you cannot readily practice without torching your scores. This book does contain a few good ideas for the novice or intermediate player, but if another book on the subject becomes available on this site, I'd definitely suggest buying it before buying this one.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NOT for beginners at all!, May 29, 2001

By	Teddy Bird (Deer Creek Mesa, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Win at Hearts (Paperback)

I've been playing hearts online for a few months now, and have been horrified to learn how bad I am at this game. I take everyone's advice, pass a low heart, void a suit if possible, etc etc etc, but still I eat her highness four out of five hands. So I bought this book. Well, with the exception of a few helpful thoughts in the very beginning of the book, there is emphatic attention paid throughout 75% of the book to preventing Moon, and achieving it. Let me tell you something, MOST of the people in online hearts are not thinking moon usually. That's why I said that this book is not for beginners, in my review title. I am sure it's great for people who have a good grip of the strategies best practiced in this game. But if you are looking to LEARN those strategies, I don't believe this book is good. It's very limited in teaching those things, although it is not totally silent.

I also found the writing style extremely cumbersome. A hand is diagrammed, then its play-through is described in prose, and this is a lesson. NOT. I wanted much more in the way of "black letter law" -- strategies that are time-tested, and then a demonstration of the applications of these strategies.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharpen your Hearts game with this book! It really works!, August 21, 2000

By	Chris (Reading, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Win at Hearts (Paperback)

I am an avid Hearts player, having played it on various computers (though only a few times with real cards) for several years. In that time, I have come up with several ways to improve my game, but my rating on the MSN Gaming Zone, where I usually play, continued to flounder below average. Once I read this book and began applying Joe's strategies to my game, I found my win/loss ratio improving and my rating steadily increasing - I have gained almost 200 rating points since reading Joe's wisdom. Granted, you can't win them all, but with help like this, you should certainly win at least your fair share. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the game of Hearts, whether a newcomer to the game or a seasoned veteran. Rules (even for variant forms of the game), tips, strategies, a little history, and even a glossary of terms and list of Hearts web sites - this book has it all!