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4 Books On Mentalism (Useful for Bridge)

There are a lot of skills in life which can turn you into a better opponent and partner at the bridge table.

Books on mentalism

Learn more about mathematics, linguistics or music theory and these fields will carry over to how you carry yourself. Playing a fair game isn’t just about the game itself, but about the skills that surround the player.

I’ve always had an interest in the art of mentalism, stage magic and cold reading.

I’ve also always been convinced that these skills can enhance a card player’s aptitude for a better game.

There’s no need to imagine the need to turn yourself into Sherlock Holmes, but learning more about these skills can greatly benefit a bridge player.

Here are 4 great books on mentalism (useful for bridge)

#1: The Art of War

by Sun Tzu

The Art of War is a war-strategy classic.

It’s also a book that’s recommended to students of business, philosophy and many other disciplines where negotiation enters into the deal.

It’s not a traditional book on mentalism, but who can argue that the book teaches skills that are useful to anyone who is interested in mentalism and knowing more?

Read it, read it again.

It’s classic for a reason.

#2: What Every Body is Saying

by Joe Navarro

Body language is almost universal.

It also happen to be an outward sign of internal thoughts.

Hell, what could be more useful for understanding humans and their interactions better? (Answer: very few other things.)

If you’re interested in understanding psychology, strategy or people, learning body language is essential.

What Every Body is Saying is an excellent place to start.

#3: Tricks of the Mind

by Derren Brown

Derren Brown is famous for weird stunts, weird magic and other weird behavior that only a mentalist would ever be able to legally get away with.

He’s the Houdini of his time. Just like Houdini, he happens to like exposing fraudsters and teaching trade secrets (while still being able to keep the best kept secrets a secret!).

As a start in the art of reading people, Tricks of the Mind is a great take on learning more.

He covers the basics and more advanced concepts, including some suggested scripts.

Don’t forget to check out other books by the same author, and remember to look up some of his performances on the Great YouTube.

#4: The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading

By Ian Rowland

Whenever you’ve seen someone foretelling the future or pulling facts out of someone’s dead relative one fact after another, you’re actually looking at a deceptive art called cold reading.

Cold reading is the skill of reading body language and other cues (including speech) to gather information from people without their knowledge.

It’s used by mediums, and it’s used by financial scammers. Draw your own conclusions from this.

If you don’t want to be fooled by cold reading, learn the tricks that are being used to fool. In this case, knowledge is truly power.