Bridge For Dummies
by Eddie Kantar
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Book Reviews of Bridge For Dummies
Book Review: Not for Novices
Summary: 2 Stars
This book by E.Kantar is a mix of good and bad teaching and most novices would be better off with almost any other for beginners.
Kantar fails to stress that all 12 HCP hands with the same hand pattern are far from equal and thus do not qualify for an opening bid of one. A hand with four quacks(Q+J)is not equal to one with three Kings nor to one with three Aces even though each has a nominal 12 HCP count. Some, but not all, new books will tell students that an opening bid should also have two quick tricks, which are Aces, Kings and Queens in combinations.
Ch.Goren, the preeminent bridge teacher of old, urged students to count quick tricks as part of opening one bid requirements. There is no need nor a good reason to dumb down bridge teaching today.
Also, Kantar does not credit points for long nor short suits for opening bids,as is common in nearly all new books, so that 5,6,7,8 and 9 card suits are treated as equal and all requiring 12 or 11 HCP to open.
Such teaching is not helpful to novices and as a long time techer I would not use or recommend this book to novices, but more experinced players might find it worth reading.
Another shortcomming of this book is a lack of adjustments for unprotected honor cards. E.g. Axxxx,QJxx, QJ,QJ is not a 13 HCP count and should not be opened by a novice.
Another problem with the book is that all illustrations are ideal for the situation at hand, while most hands in real life are less perfect.
This second edition has only six more pages of instructions than the first and with just 372 pages of bridge, not 408 as claimed.Mr. Kantar is known as one of the best players in the country and the world. But lesser
players have written far better books for novices.
Stig Holmqui
Book Review: The Best!
Summary: 5 Stars
Great book for beginners! It is clear, concise and full of humor, making it fun to read, as well as easy to comprehend. It is very well organized and progresses logically from the basics to all you need to know. The rules and conventions included are The Standard American System (new since the Goren days) and are consistent with American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) standards. In this system, distribution points are counted only after partners have agreed on a suit, which is fully explained in the book.
I bought the first edition of Eddie Kantar's "Dummies" book when I retired 9 years ago and took up bridge again after a 25-year break, needing a refresher course and upgrade from the Goren years to modern bridge. As an intermediate player, I value it as a reference in case of forgetfulness... This 2nd edition has improved diagrams and other updated information. Highly recommended for beginners and beyond . . .
Another excellent book by this author: "Eddie Kantar Teaches Topics in Declarer Play at Bridge."
Book Review: The Only Way to Learn
Summary: 5 Stars
Over Memorial Day weekend of this year, I decided to learn to play bridge after never playing the game at all. I took several on-line lessons and other learning tools. The next week I bought Bridge for Dummies (BFD). I read the book cover to cover a couple times, highlighted appropriate passages and quickly learned the game.
Within a month I was playing online confidently based on what I learned in BFD. I had people comment that there was no way I was only playing for a month. After another couple weeks I played duplicate bridge at a local club and finished second my first time playing live.
I highly recommend this book to everyone wanting to learn to play bridge. If this book has one weakness, occasionally you will find instances where bidding strays from SAYC. But simply print out the 4 page SAYC brochure and tuck it in the book.
Bridge is by far the best game of any type I have ever played and this book gave me a foundation to grow from.
Book Review: Best Book for Dummies I have Read!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best book for Dummies I have ever read.
Kantar presents material in an order that makes sense. It is the first time I understood what I was doing in Bridge. As soon as I read some information on playing, I went to my software program, Bridge Baron (also excellent), and immediately played several hands by myself, making every contract with ideas Kantar had given me; even making contracts with what I used to think were awful hands. Kantar seems to be a born teacher. You can easily see that he loves his subject and very much enjoys imparting knowledge to others. This book is worth every penny! It is one of the best Christmas presents I received this year.
Book Review: A Great Introduction to Modern Bridge!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a big fan of the 1st edition of this book and was pleasantly surprised to find that the 2nd edition is a marked improvement. The new hand diagrams are a big improvement. Mr. Kantar has done quite a bit of rewriting of the material and the 2nd edition seems more tightly organized than the 1st edition. The new "cheat sheet" is an improvement as well. The strengths of the 1st edition -- the author's engaging style and humor, the clear presentation of bridge basics, and the steady, logical progression of material -- all remain intact.