According to Hoyle : Official Rules of More Than 200 Popular Games of Skill and Chance With ExpertAdvice on Winning Play

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: A great read for anyone interested in cards. I managed to pretend to my friends that I knew nothing about cards before cleaning them out after reading this book...

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Summary: The How's and Why's of game-playing, Intro through advanced!
Review: As a child we played many games as a family, learning new ones as we advanced in understanding. Dad bought the Book of Hoyle which we referred to whenever we tried to learn a new game. He told us to take it with us when we played at other peoples' homes, "No such thing as 'House Rules'. Tell them you go by the Book of Hoyle or you don't play". It settled a lot of disagreements before they became volitile. I, too, gave my five children the book to learn from and take with them as their "Bible of Game Playing". Excellent strategies! This purchase is for a man in prison, to hopefully stop any arguments before they start!

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Summary: Comprehensive Rules but Little Expert Advice
Review: Frey (the author) provides the rules and history for an impressive, although not exhaustive, list of card, board and casino games. He succinctly describes the history and the rules of each game. The rules are written fairly clearly, although those who are not familiar with the proper jargon may find them difficult to follow. Moreover, Frey provides almost no "expert advice on winning play" as the subtitle of the book promises. Advice on strategy is reserved to only a handful of games and, when provided, it is too short and commonsense to enhance anyone's play. You may wish to purchase this book as a general reference on the rules of the game, but do not expect it to improve your play.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult to understand
Review: I found this book quite difficult to understand. It has too much jargon, and the instructions to the games are sometimes unclear. There is no glossary. It seems to be aimed at an audience that is already familiar with most of the games.

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Summary: Wonderful way to win friends to proper use of rules
Review: I have used the Book of Hoyle for many years. We We have made our winter trek to the south and I forgot my book of Hoyle. I cannot be without it as we need it for our weekly card games with friends. We are having trouble buying in our area and want to know "whats up" It is a must for every household.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful way to win friends to proper use of rules
Review: I have used the Book of Hoyle for many years. We We have made our winter trek to the south and I forgot my book of Hoyle. I cannot be without it as we need it for our weekly card games with friends. We are having trouble buying in our area and want to know "whats up" It is a must for every household.