How Not to Lose at Spades

by JohnGalt Strichman

The first edition of How NOT to Lose at Spades received unsurpassed acclaim
among the Spading community, and quickly became known as the "bible of Spades."

This edition is even better, with expanded coverage of key topics, and lots
of new material.

Written by one of the most highly regarded Spades players on the Internet,
How NOT to Lose at Spades identifies 80 common mistakes that players make which
cause them to lose games that they could have won. Through the use of over 100
bidding and playing examples, the author shows readers how to avoid these
mistakes, and in a very structured approach teaches readers how to think and
play like a winning Spades player.

The majority of readers see an immediate improvement in their game, and many
readers order additional books for their regular playing partner(s) or friends.

"How NOT to" is highly unique compared to other books on card theory. It is
written in a simple and fun style, with the emphasis on humor and enjoyment of
the game, rather than on complex diagrams, statistical theory, and technicalese.

Through this unique approach, the author teaches readers how to "think" when
they play, as much as how to play, and it is this approach which is the key
behind the book's popularity and success, and which has generated a loyalty
among its readers which is rare indeed.

Once you have read the book, you will probably think of the game very
differently than you ever have before, and you just may wind up being rewarded
in Spades.

Readers have achieved the following results using the teachings in the book:
ZSTOC (Zone TOC): WIN, ATLANTA, 2001 LIVE TOURNEY: WIN, LAS VEGAS, 2001 LIVE
TOURNEY "Main Event Cash Prize": WIN, ZONE CLUB CHALLENGE: 2ND and 3RD out of
114 teams, ZONE CLUB HONORS: (11 game tourney among the Zone's very best) WIN
and 3RD Place, Igames TOC: WIN, ZONE CLUB CHALLENGE: WIN and 2ND Place out of
125 teams, 2003 ZONE Sweethearts Tournament: WIN and $1,000 Cash Prize!

Do you know... the single most important consideration when playing Spades?
the biggest mistake made in Spades? Hamlet's secret to successful bidding? the
most powerful convention in the game of Spades? the 2 biggest mistakes players
make bidding Nil? how to bid an Autowin? how to make a Faux Throw when playing a
Nil hand? the Rule Of Four? how to bid the Prevent Defense? how to use the
Potato Chip Attack? how to insure your pard's Nil with the Dormy Dare? when to
go Undercover In A Miniskirt? when to use the Cover Charge, and when More is
Less?

If you don't want to lose at Spades, you need to know the answers to these
questions, as well as how to use the other 100-plus strategy and execution
approaches described in this 220-page book.

Special note: The book is 8.5 by 11 inch format, with 14 point normal
font.

From the Author:

I wrote this book in order to share what I have learned about how to win at
Spades with those players who want to be the very best players that they can be.

Even though I guarantee that you have never seen another instructional book
with the type of format and fun approach that I have used to help in the
teaching process, this is a serious book. It is designed to help you think about
Spades in a way that is probably very different from the way that you think
about and approach the game now.

This book is not a one night read. It is the culmination of 5 years of
working and reworking material, and I expect that it will take you a period of
time to absorb all that is in the book and learn to put it to use to your best
advantage. That being said, you (and your opponents) should notice an
improvement in your game by the time that you have gotten to page 50.

I play Spades for fun. I wrote this book to try to leave the game a little
bit better than how I found it, and to help as many people as I can have the
most fun possible that they can playing this game that I love. I consider
selling books to be an absolute privilege, and try to treat every reader as if
he or she is the last one that I will ever have.

Considering the number of hours that you probably spend playing Spades, your
investment in How NOT to Lose at Spades should be returned many times over. I
sincerely believe that this book will help you play better Spades for the rest
of your life

Good luck, and Happy Spading!

220 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2001