"There was too much material to cram into Spades for Winners," says the author, "so the most fascinating stuff was saved for Master Spades." And so was written the first Spades book aimed at the experienced player.

Master Spades is written in three sections. There is Techniques, which shows you how to get the most of your cards. Then there is Strategies, by which you and your partner can work together to find the best course of action

There is a wealth of Spades information presented in this book and nowhere else. Learn the 11 standard methods of nil-busting. Dis- cover new tricks for the Ace of Spades. Get the most out of your small cards. Give the opponents difficult guesses while removing your partner's doubts. Discover the fine points of handling the 5-5.

Here you will find the experts' secrets. The invaluable Count Card Principle gives you peeks into the other hands. You can develop effective teamwork with your regular partner, or any other capable partner, for that matter.

How can you determine when to bag and when to set? And how do you let your partner know your intentions? The vital Bag/Set signal resolves such partnership problems.

Master Spades is crammed with fresh, original concepts on playing the game of Spades. They are presented in a simple fashion, easy to learn. All ideas are illustrated with full-deal examples. Master Spades is a book for intermediate and advanced Spades players who seek the status of true expert.

Master Spades is the Holy Grail of advanced spades play. Many of the concepts presented here are simply not available from any other source. The book is comprised of three sections: Techniques, Strategy, and How to Read a Spades Hand.

Techniques focuses on strong individual plays, generally in a single suit, and shows readers how to get maximum benefit from their cards. Strategy uses the concepts from Techniques in Part 1, and builds upon this foundation to show how to best way to handle a deal as a whole. How to Read a Spades Hand is an exercise in card reading, and is presented in the form of individual puzzles, and challenges the reader to find the best play. This is a "final exam" of sorts, a chance to apply what you've learned before you take your new knowledge into "live" play.

Three entire chapters of the Strategy section are devoted to Nil Defense, a common weakness of spades players at all levels. In these, Fleishman presents 11 standard methods of nil setting, as well as some more advanced concepts that build upon these.

Particular attention is also given to trump management, the area that truly separates the experts from the common players. Fleishman shows many powerful ways to use the trump suit to your advantage, most of which are seen far too seldom in actual play.

Some cautions. Master Spades is not easy reading, but must be studied carefully to truly benefit. In the introduction, the author states, "It takes a lot of work to excel in any craft, and Spades is no exception. There are no magic potions here. To improve your play requires concentration and the willingness to work." This rings quite true. This book should be viewed not as armchair reading, but rather a college text to be studied carefully. Also, beginner and intermediate level players would do well to read Fleishman's other book Spades for Winners first, as the concepts presented here are "top-flight," and will overwhelm those without a firm foundation. That said, if you're serious about becoming an expert, this book is nearly mandatory reading.

-- John Serokman (Purple Cow), Wayne MI