Game Book Club

I had never even heard of Euchre until I hit college and then it became an obsession and past time that has endured through the years. When I first heard about it, I had no idea how to play. I watched as these two teams talked about bowers and jacks and was completely lost.

As the weeks went by, I began to finally understand and play the game, but it was the messy way of doing things. I learned by doing and lacked any real training on the rules and axioms of the game. I did this throughout college and it was fine.

Once I was out of college and found myself in the real world of Euchre tournaments, I didn't stand a chance. I knew the barroom version of Euchre and not the formal version. That's why I picked up the Columbus Book of Euchre and learned everything I would ever need to know.

It not only taught me the various rules of the game, many of which were ignored in college, but also the various strategies that I had never thought about. I had several Ah-Ha moments in this book when I simply thought, why did I think of that. Many of the subtle nuances of the game are so obvious, but unless they are pointed out to you are just outside your grasp.

It took a few weeks of reading and intense game play for me to get a full handle on everything, but soon I was one of the top players. I can honestly say that without this book, I would not have become half the Euchre player I am today.

I have been bowling for many years and there reached a point where I seemed to plateau at the sport. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not get my score or my technique to improve. I practiced for hours and hours and I just couldn't make my ball to the things the pros did.

I even had a few of the 300 bowlers give me some tips, but they never helped. I tried looking online and found a little book called Bowling Fundamentals. This book retaught the way I played bowling and helped make be a better player.

The truth is that most people don't learn how to bowl the proper way. When they try to improve or mimic the pros, they don't have the learned skills necessary and so they fail. That's what happened to me. I never had anyone teach me how to bowl the proper way. Everything I learned, I did by myself. Bowling Fundamentals takes the game of bowling and gives you the step by step instructions on how to play the game as it was meant to be played.

No longer did my ball fly straight, but spun and hooked like the pros. I watched as the pins flew when they contacted my ball. It was glorious and I owe everything to this book. If you can’t seem to bring your A-game to the alley and watch as everyone else seems to continue improving, then you need to read Bowling Fundamentals.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or intermediate, you’ll get something from this book.

There are dozens if not hundreds of games out there for you to learn about. They range from the simple to the complex, but if you try to purchase a book about each individual interest, then you could go bankrupt.

It doesn't matter what kind of game you are interested in learning about. It could be baseball, baseball card collecting, football, card games, and it goes on and on and on and on. A quick trip to amazon.com and you realize that most of these books cost $20 or more. You could buy one and find out that it was completely not the one you wanted.

You can visit your local bookstore, but what are the odds they have a decent selection of books about your given subject. One place you can always count on is the local library. Even if they don't have the book you want, then you can have them order it from another library. You have an average of two weeks to read it and by then you can decide if its worth actually buying it or not.

May libraries are keeping up with the times and have different types of e-books available for rent. Don't let a narrow mind keep you from getting the game book you really want and need. A trip to the local library can make the decision to buy much easier and it won't cost you a cent.

So, you have a new girlfriend and you want to impress her at the state fair by winning her one of those ridiculously gigantic stuffed animals that there's absolutely no use for. But, how? You can either walk in cold and lay down a small fortune, only to come home with a two cent plastic snake, or you can prepare, prepare, prepare.

There's a reason why people never win carnival games. They're rigged so the mullet-bearing carnie always comes out on top. That's right, they're purposely built to make you lose, time after embarrassing time. And, unless you know the secrets to each of the games, chances are you'll walk away with a little less pride and a lot less cash.

This is just the humiliation that author Matthew L. Gryczan is prepared to spare you with his book Carnival Secrets: How to Win at Carnival Games. Gryczan investigated these frustrating games through interviews with carnies, law enforcement agents and game manufacturers for a couple years as well as collecting his own statistics and measuring out to games to build replicas of his own. Then he took everything he learned through his study of the games and a boatload of practice on the ones he made himself and took it to the carnival circuit, boasting 10 big wins in the first year and a whole lot of money saved.

In Carnival Secrets, he shares what he learned about 35 different games, including winning game strategies and which ones to totally avoid. If you like carnival games but hate losing or have just always wondered how they work, this is an interesting and worthwhile read.