PLAY BRIDGE TODAY by Lan Sluder is a short, easy-to-use how-to guide to help you learn to play bridge fast. The simple approach in this unique guide lets you learn bridge basics in minutes. Just add up your points and start bidding and playing right away. Using this simple new approach and the handy "cheat sheets" to bidding and play, in minutes you'll be having fun playing the most fascinating of all card games. There's nothing complicated here, no confusion, no jargon The author isn't a bridge expert. He's just a regular guy, living proof you don't have to be a rocket scientist to play this fascinating game. Lan Sluder also is the author of more than a dozen books on travel and retirement, including Fodor's Belize, Amazing Asheville, Moving to the Mountains, Living Abroad in Belize, Frommer's Best Beach Vacations, Easy Belize and others. PLAY BRIDGE TODAY covers all these subjects and more: Why Play Bridge? The First Rule Is to Have Fun What You Need to Know About Bridge Mechanics of the Game: Bidding Merchnics of the Game: Playing Purpose of the Game: How You Win Scoring Bridge (By Hand or Using Digital Apps) Ready, Set, Deal Bridge Bidding 'Cheat Sheet' Bridge Play 'Cheat Sheet' Bridge Probabilities -- Only the Essentials Bridge Etiquette Definition of Common Bridge Terms Resources to Help You Play Better About the Author

A four-lesson course on declarer play designed for true beginners. If your students are ready to get more serious about their declarer play, this course is the perfect 'how to' guide. Students will find that it is surprisingly easy to: * Count winning and losing tricks. * Master three basic techniques for eliminating losers. * Manage entries. * Set priorities. What to do first, second, and so on? * Plan the play. This Teacher's Manual will make your job easy. It's a virtual script for the four lessons found in Playing a Bridge Hand: Just the Basics, and includes table-top examples and practice deals for students.

This work is about bidding at duplicate bridge. An effort has been made to be certain that the concepts, the conventions, and the treatments used are not only written clearly but are backed up by bidding examples and an extensive glossary. The target of this work is the moderately experienced player who, along with a partner, wishes to elevate thier level of bidding. Playing this system a partnership is not likely to feel that their bidding system is inferior compared the the systems of whoever their opponents may be. The conventions and treatments presented conform to the ACBL's General Convention Chart.

Getting to good games, slams, and staying out of poor contracts is an important aspect of bridge. The best way to improve your bidding is not to add a new convention but to improve your hand evaluation skills.

In Mastering Hand Evaluation: Understanding the Principles of Partnership Bidding you will learn about the science of hand evaluation, going far beyond 4-3-2-1 high card points. Enhance your ability to recognize good cards and discover the magic of the 30-point deck. Popular point count and losing trick count methods are examined and tested with a database of over 121,000 hands from championship play as well as practice matches with at least one world champion at the table. Improvements to the best methods are introduced based on the results.

When should you invite on the way to 3NT? When there is a known fit, how many losers does partner have for his 1NT opening? Based on the modified New Losing Trick Count, how many losers do you need to start a slam investigation if partner may have more than minimum values? When you learn the answers to these questions and apply the techniques, your partnership communication skills will improve dramatically.

Hand evaluation is not simply a personal skill. If you and your partner study these techniques together, you will both be on the same wavelength. Your new-found ability to have an intelligent conversation during the auction will lead to better bridge results.

Lawrence Diamond is a Gold Life Master with multiple Bracket 1 and Flight A wins. In 2014, he ranked 265th on the Barry Crane Top 500 list.