Reviews (4)

Everybody Respects Matthew.
At least all the players I know do. Matthew Hilger, as both a player and author, has been greatly admired since his very clear and excellently organized, Internet Texas Hold'em, came out in 2003. He also has a website that's very popular with a forum discussing all kinds of issues which arise in poker, gaming, and life. With this book on Odds and Probabilities, he has added to his stature as an advisor because he expands his focus by addressing limit hold'em, no limit hold'em cash games, and no limit hold'em tournaments. He actually fills in nicely for the (very few) areas King Yao does not cover in his book. Hilger's approach is ideal for beginners because he not only explains pot odds, implied pot odds, and effective implied pot odds, but also rudimentary concepts such as adding and multiplying fractions along with probability. These are the types of questions that many newbies swept into games by the poker popularity explosion may be too embarrassed to ask on their own. Hilger made a good decision by sticking with the same type of organization he had in his first book. Every idea is followed up with sections called Test Your Skills and Chapter Review. Most players, I have found, really improve by studying expert hand analysis which is something Hilger performs many times throughout these pages. Although for me, my favorite section was the one concerning probability of winning with particular hands. Overall, Odds and Probabilities was invaluable.

Finally I understand the math side of the game
I have been playing for a couple of years, managing small profits in NL cash games and sit-n-gos.I've read several books and understand the basics of pot odds and implied pot odds - but this book takes my understanding to a new level.In sit-n-gos, I found that i was folding way too often when short stacks went all-in.This book explains the process in analyzing these types of situations in detail.It also explains how to go about determining how much to bet to protect your hand - a concept which I really only applied by feel before reading this book.The title of the book makes it sound like you are in for a calculus class, but that is the opposite of what the book is about.Yes, you math guys will get plenty of explanations for how the calculations are done, but the real emphasis is on how odds affect strategy which is really all I was wanting.Finally, the charts rock!One chart showed the probability of a raiser holding a pocket pair which i didn't even know could be calculated.I see the light!excellent book!

Good as strategy book, poor on math
I gave it 2 out of 5 because the math is poorly explained and organized. And the applied probabilities do not cover all important gaming situations. Nice charts, but a lot of websites post them. I was expecting a more rigorous approach of Hold'em math and a larger coverage. I found Petriv's and Barboianu's books on this subject far superior on these counts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Card Games - Poker    2. Gambling - General    3. Games    4. Games/Puzzles    5. Recreations & Games   

Reviews (8)

The best compilation from Martin Gardner's Scientific American mathematical games column
"My best mathematical and logic puzzles" presents 70 of the best of the brain teaser that Martin Gardner published over a period of 25 years in his Mathematical games column at Scientific American. It some cases references to new developments related with specific puzzles have been added.
The best of one of the best
Martin Gardner is the grand old man of puzzles and recreational mathematics. I recommend this book for intermediary and advanced puzzle enthusiasts - beginners might find some of these too challenging. Puzzles requiring intermediate mathematical skills
Marvelous book. I found it better than many books but my friends, who were not that conversant with intermediate mathematics did not like it much. Though this book doesn't require a knowledge of calculus, people who have this level might appreciate the book more. But it has more to do with mathematical 'thinking' rather than mathematics itself.Read more

Subjects:  1. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    2. Games/Puzzles    3. Logic & Brain Teasers    4. Logic puzzles    5. Mathematical recreations    6. Recreations & Games    7. Games / Puzzles    8. Puzzles & quizzes    9. Mathematics    10. Games   

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars & Diaries    3. Non-Classifiable    4. Recreations & Games    5. Mathematics / Recreations & Games   

Reviews (5)

Be patient and learn
This is one of the best "hard" sudoku books ever.I worked on it a bit earlier in my own learning cycle than I should have, and many puzzles took me a long time, but I finally solved them all.They taught me a tremendous amount.Don't do them if you can't give them time and patience, or if you are not willing to do meticulous marking up.But if you want a totally honest puzzle, where you know whether it can be solved entirely with logic or not, and have that dogged determination not to let a square filled with numbers beat you, this is your book!

Better than most but "Genius" is misleading
I like this book because the puzzles are more challenging than other books that make similar claims.But the challenge is primarily avoiding making stupid mistakes--each level seems to possess about the same degree of difficulty and does not include some of the more esoteric solving challenges that I would like to learn more about.

Perfect for advanced sudoku solvers
Sudoku Genius is by far the most enjoyable sudoku puzzle book I have every completed.One aspect I like about this book is that it is challenging but it does not require you to use brain-bending techniques like X-wing and Swordfish which after reading numerous definitions of I still have not been able to comprehend. Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Indoor Games    5. Puzzles    6. Recreations & Games    7. Sudoku    8. Games / Puzzles   

Subjects:  1. Competitions    2. Examinations, questions, etc    3. General    4. History & Philosophy    5. Mathematics    6. Mathematics / Recreations & Games    7. Problems, exercises, etc    8. Science/Mathematics    9. United States   

Reviews (3)

Ingenious!
Almost exactly ninety years ago, Sam Loyd's 'Cyclopaedia of Puzzles' was published in New York. This was a collection of a very large number of his puzzles which had mostly appeared in the American Press. Many were illustrated with delightful pictures at the head of the page, drawn in Sam's own hand. Barry Clarke's new book has marked similarities in layout with illustrations drawn by the author at the head of many pages and many puzzles had previously appeared in the 'Brain Twister' column in the Daily Telegraph. The drawings are remarkably like Sam Loyd's, but there the similarity stops. Sam Loyd's book was foolscap size and hard bound while Barry's has the typical Dover cover, but the real difference is in the puzzles themselves. Barry's puzzles are graded in difficulty, so that readers who do not wish to be challenged too much can start with the first section and gradually work themselves in. Also, the puzzles are ingenious and well thought out and hints are provided before the full solutions for those who need a bit of steering. This is altogether a very good read, guaranteed to keep the puzzler in the family busy over Christmas. I thoroughly recommend it. The Mathematical Poetry of a Puzzle Artist: Barry R. Clarke
In this most recent adventure into the Puzzling World of Barry R. Clarke, I found my mind quite well entertained. What I enjoy most about logic puzzles is their requirement for little if any prior knowledge, and each of Barry's "puzzlers" is no different. However, what is missing in most logic and mathematical puzzle books is a touch of true creativity and humor. In Brain Busters! I found that while my mathematical mind was challenged to the limit, I was also encouraged to think in new and original ways, moving from basic logic to the simple yet complex world of recreational mathematics. Barry Clarke pushes your mind to the edge with this most recent creation, and holds you there. Mind S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g!
I'm always thrilled when an exciting book of puzzles appears on the bookshelves, especially if it is by Barry Clarke.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's All Ages - Games    2. Games    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Logic & Brain Teasers    5. Logic, Symbolic and mathematic    6. Logic, Symbolic and mathematical    7. Mathematical recreations    8. Puzzles    9. Recreations & Games    10. Games / Puzzles    11. Puzzles & quizzes   

Reviews (3)

I predict this book will be aMathematical Recreations classic.
Martin Gardner is the name that always comes to mind when one thinks of Mathematical Recreations. Anyone who ever read Scientific American magazine will remember his column in every issue. He wrote the column for 25 years;and made puzzle lovers of millions of readers. His fans ran the gamut from those with a very elementary background in mathematics to those with a high degree of knowledge. What he did was to make mathematics something to enjoy and use as a recreational pursuit. Over the years, he wrote about 70 books,many that have been popular for a long time.
Gardner's collection of puzzles over the years (from Scientific American)
What a great collection of puzzles.Anyone who likes puzzles SHOULD own this.
THE gift
The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles and Problems is going to be THE gift to send to your puzzle-loving friends and family.Gardener is a master and a national treasure.Every math teacher should own this book as a resource, and every puzzle-lover should have it for hours of fun.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Logic & Brain Teasers    3. Mathematical Recreations    4. Mathematics    5. Puzzles    6. Recreations & Games    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Scientific recreations    9. Mathematics / General    10. Puzzles & quizzes   

Reviews (3)

Why did I wait so long?
I put this item in my "to buy" list the moment I heard about it, though I didn't actually purchase it until a couple months ago. Why did I wait so long!? This is an excellent set. All the books are here. The text is easy to read. It comes with an interview with Martin Gardner. If you have any interest in mathematics or mathematical puzzles this collection is a must have.

Great Stuff
A lot of the puzzles were new to me and I sincerely enjoyed exploring areas in the mathemnatical games, that I was not familiar with.

The Gardner Canon on One CD!
Gardner's "Mathematical Games" column was to Scientific American what the cartoons are to the New Yorker. It was the first thing that readers turned to and usually the thing they enjoyed the most -- however fine the other stuff was. The Gardner column was fun without being flippant (how Gardner instinctively struck just that right note is one of the mysteries of his art). He managed to appeal to working mathematicians as well as precocious ten-year-olds. Though Gardner drew on a rich tradition of recreational math (he often cited Sam Loyd and H.E. Dudeney and devoted columns to each) he always transformed his material. Gardner managed to introduce many ideas that were then barely known except to specialists: fractals, flexagons, the game of Life, Newcomb's Paradox, and Penrose tiles, to name a few.
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Subjects:  1. Mathematics    2. Reference    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Recreations & Games    5. Gardner, Martin   

Editorial Review

This book has been a classic in the former Soviet Union since it was first published in 1956, and it remains just as entertaining today. A master at making math fun for his high school students, Boris Kordemsky loaded this clever collection with a wide variety of math and logic related games and puzzles dealing with magic squares, tricky weights and measures, properties of numbers, mathematical tricks, and more.Number and math game fans are bound to find several new amusements here. Even many of the well-known classics from generations past take on new life with the fresh twists Kordemsky provides. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An absolutely must have for puzzle lovers.

Wonderful, charming puzzles teach problem solving.
I was thrilled and surprised to see that this book is still in print. I loved puzzles as a child and spent many hours for fun working the problems in this book (which may have paved the way for my PhD in Computer Science). I fished out my old copy recently to show my 11 year old daughter how I spent my spare hours as a child - *not* playing computer games of dubious educational value. I am sure that working the problems in this book helped increase my problem solving skills -in a different and more general way than I was learning in school.
Comprehensive set of math puzzles for various levels
Nice collection of problems which demand some creativity as well as varying degrees of mathematical prowess.Also populated with interesting anedotes regarding mathematicians throughout history.Read more

Subjects:  1. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    2. Games/Puzzles    3. Mathematical recreations    4. Puzzles    5. Recreations & Games    6. Brain teasers    7. Games / Puzzles    8. Indoor games   

Reviews (1)

An impressive compilation of mathematical games and puzzles
Collaboratively compiled and edited by the team of Barry Cipra, Erick D. Demaine, Martin L. Demaine, and Tom Rodgers, Tribute To A Mathemagician is an impressive compilation of mathematical games and puzzles contributed by a roster of "Who's Who" in the world of puzzles. This 464 page collectionincludes Tripos, Black Jack, Chinese ceramic puzzle vessels, paper folding, Mongolian interlocking puzzles, rolling block puzzles, sliding puzzles, cryptic crosswords, The Panex Puzzle, polyonimo puzzles, and so much more.Tribute To A Mathemagician is a "must" for dedicated puzzle enthusiasts, mathematicians, and gaming enthusiasts of all kinds and categories!
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Subjects:  1. Game Theory    2. Mathematical recreations    3. Mathematics    4. Recreations & Games    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Puzzles & quizzes   

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Indoor Games    5. Logic & Brain Teasers    6. Puzzles    7. Recreations & Games    8. Games / Puzzles   

Reviews (2)

One of the best puzzles collections ever published
You are given 3 pairs of weights. One pair is red, one pair blue, one pair white. In each pair one weight is a trifle heavier than the other but otherwise appears to be exactly like its mate. The three heavier weights all weigh the same. This is also true of the three lighter weights. How can you identify which is the heavier weight of each pair by 2 weighings on a balance scale?
Lessons from the master ringmaster
On first thought, one would expect a circus that lacks clowns and elephants to be dull, dull, dull, but in this case that thought is wrong, wrong, wrong. The difference is of course in the quality of the ringmaster.From the first sound of "step right up folks," to when the lights fade outin the bigtop, one is led from one exciting ring to another. For the authordoes what all accomplished circus acts do, he makes the difficult seemeasy. Read more

Subjects:  1. Games/Puzzles    2. Mathematical Recreations    3. Mathematics    4. Recreations & Games    5. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (8)

The value of logic, or the illogic of value?
This book, by a well-known poser of puzzles, sets out of the order of a thousand logic puzzles in a format loosely styled upon the presentation of Scheherazade, but in a somewhat less entrancing way.The problem with logic is that there is just so much of it about. Perhaps the axiom 'less is more' might have been applied and some judicious excision of the more mechanical or repetitious examples been performed.The jewels are lost amongst the glass beads. Obviously by its nature mathematical logic eschews value judgements, but in the present case this seems to have been taken rather too literally.

Good book---too much algebra
This book is a good source of riddles, old and new. Unfortunately, a lot of the riddles are just basic algebra problems... and that's not very fun. But if you skip (or quickly work out) the silly algebra riddles, there are still a lot of other interesting riddles. And also there's a neat way to prove Gauss's summing rule in this book.
Better than Sam Loyd!
This is probably the best book on logic puzzles ever written (aside from other Smullyan books, that is).It is witty, challenging, and has problems of all kinds.The first half is framed as a continuation to the Arabian Nights, with ingenious and original puzzles (aside from the occasional oldy snuck in) given an Arabian touch.
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Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Logic & Brain Teasers    5. Logic puzzles    6. Mathematical recreations    7. Puzzles    8. Recreations & Games    9. Brain teasers    10. Mathematics / Recreations & Games   

Reviews (5)

Making numbers make sense!
Mr.Flansburg's methods of stressing basic math skills are new and important before algebra or higher math will make sense. His new web site thehumancalculator.com also offers more information about his goal to wipe out innumeracy. He taught me it's never to late to conquer math phobia and fulfill my career goals that never materialized because of math avoidance.

Confused on age level
The book was ok however, I wanted a book for older students.This is recommended for 6 th 8 year olds.The book is in an easy to read format and has breaks to complete exercises to practice what you learned.

In a math-phobic era more people should read this book!!
I homeschool my kids who like the ideas behind math but find drilling real agony!!! They are beginning to see the fun in it and don't mind repetition any more. Thanks and praise to Scott Flansberg!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Education    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Games & Activities - General    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Mathematics    8. Parenting - General    9. Recreations & Games    10. Study and teaching    11. Study and teaching (Elementary    12. Study and teaching (Elementary)    13. Family & Relationships / Parenting   

Editorial Review

Here's a delightful little book that combines the joys of mathematical recreation with some fine storytelling. It follows the Arabian adventures of a man with remarkable mathematical skills, which he uses to settle conflict and give wise advice. The tales of his travels involve the solving of mathematical puzzles and sharing insights from the minds of some of history's great mathematicians. In reading it, you can almost smell the spices and feel the desert wind. You just don't find this kind of atmosphere in books about mathematics. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Absolutely fabulous, never mind that it's 'obviously fake'
I absolutely loved this book!If I could afford it, I would be doling this out to my numerous young relatives at all gift-giving festivities.It is a good introduction for young people (and not so young)to mathematical curiosities such as magic squares, as well as probability and logic.Did you know that "diabolical" has another meaning?
Great problems
The problems scattered through the story are mathematical classics. The story is plot and intrigue lite even for stories of the myth, legend, and fairy tale genre. However, the mathematical problems may be worth the price if you love mathematics or are looking for problems told in text.

Best introduction to math for kids
I would be a different person without this book.This is THE book that made me like math 35 years ago.Many (most?) educated Brazilians were exposed to this book and keep buying it for their kids.
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Subjects:  1. Mathematical recreations    2. Mathematics    3. Recreations & Games    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Indoor games   

Reviews (3)

Now Add Some Math
Killer sudoku is my favorite sudoku variation (with the possible exception of killer samurai sudoku).The game is the same in many ways.The grid layout is the same.The logic for solving is the same.The completed puzzle is the same.But the clues, the clues, are different.Unlike with traditional sudoku, you will not start with a partially filled puzzle grid.Although I have seen a handful where one or two numbers is given, usually no numbers are provided.So how do you solve these?
a Good Collection of Puzzles
I was hoping to be the first person to review this one, but it appears I'm a couple of days late. When I bought it, I was unsure about whether it'd be good or not because there were no reviews.
I'm hooked on Killer Sudoku!
If you're a Sudoku fan and are looking for something a bit different, pick up this book!
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Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Indoor Games    5. Logic & Brain Teasers    6. Puzzles    7. Recreations & Games    8. Sudoku    9. Games / Puzzles   

Editorial Review

The title doesn't lie. Mathematician Georges Ifrah's masterpiece, Read more

Reviews (8)

Like Reading an Encyclopedia
This book is subtitled "from Prehistory to the invention of the computer", which is a little misleading.The text really ends about the stage of Europe's adoption of "Arabic numerals".
A great book to browse through
I was intrigued enough by Mr. Peterson's review here to look at the review by Dauben that he mentions. My conclusion is that the Dauben review should be treated with a grain of salt. It's not particularly balanced. In some of the criticism of Ifrah from people with more degrees than he has, one gets just a whiff of jealousy that the reviewers didn't have the endurance to write the book themselves. A deception?
This book is getting raves from intelligent readers who are notRead more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History & Philosophy    3. Mathematics    4. Number Systems    5. Numbers    6. Numeration    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Mathematics / Recreations & Games   

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Indoor Games    5. Logic & Brain Teasers    6. Puzzles    7. Recreations & Games    8. Brain teasers    9. Games / Puzzles   

Reviews (10)

If you are looking for brainteasers...
you will not find them in this book. It is not the kind of book you spend long times to figure out the answers. For example, for many pages in the first section, the author talks about "this sentence is wrong" type of paradoxes. I recommend "aha! Insight" if you are after brainteasers.

One of my favorite Martin Gardner books
Fascinating, informative, fun to read, etc., etc., this book contains short, one to two page entries on about eighty puzzles and paradoxes, divided into such categories as logic, probability, and time. Among my favorites is the vanishing leprechaun, a picture that sometimes has fourteen and other times has fifteen leprechauns in it: By switching two parts of the picture you can see a leprechaun vanish right in front of your eyes.
Gardner at his best, explaining the unexplainable
This is an ageless book for the people who love to think and do it well. A paradox is a situation where a supposedly valid chain of reasoning is performed and yet you end up with a conclusion that cannot be true. In many cases, the paradox is due to imprecise definitions of words or statements that are so broad in scope that they refer to themselves. For example, when a Cretan says, "All Cretans are liars." The scope of the sentence is so broad that it includes the sentence itself. Therefore, if the statement is true, the person saying it must be lying and if the statement is false, then the Cretan is telling the truth, which means that according to the statement he must be lying.
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Subjects:  1. Mathematical recreations    2. Mathematics    3. Paradox    4. Recreations & Games    5. Riddles    6. Science/Mathematics   

Reviews (7)

Interesting Read
I have never read any books on "recreational mathematics" so didn't know quite what to expect from this book--in general I found it entertaining and interesting, with a broad range of topics, including physics, statistics, logical paradoxes, higher dimensions, etc.You don't really have to be a math person to enjoy this book; almost anyone interested in stimulating topics should find at least parts of it interesting.
The imporatance of Mathematics
Martin Gardner is the grand old man of popular mathematics.He especially likes the math behind puzzles, riddles and logical conundrums.Logic and mathematics is the source of his thinking on the Skepticism he professes in his writings on pseudoscience, religion, the paranormal, UFO's, and other outlands of science and rational thinking. A fun and interesting read
This book covers a wide variety of subjects. It is not a puzzle book in the strict sense of solving little teasers, but it is a book that starts one thinking in broader terms. Some paradoxes and concepts addressed in this book, that great thinkers spent time debating and questioning, are fun for us more common thinkers to consider as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games/Puzzles    3. Logic & Brain Teasers    4. Mathematical Recreations    5. Mathematics    6. Recreations & Games