The winner is post #73, part 2.

Second place is post #96, part 2.

Third place is post #75.

Not bad.

thanks!

some abstract design:

I agree

nice work

I think I know what really throws me and that's the size of the chips. They dominate the cover too much.

I really like this if only for the chips not looking like an afterthought. Not sure about the maze of cards motiff, though.

Don't like the X over the King. What are you trying to convey there?

this one might even work with no chips in the maze.

They might reduce the size of the maze and put the chips at the finish. Symbolically implying winning chips is your reward for solving the maze.

I absolutely love it, but the chips in the bottom left really don't go with the design.

That same chip stack I keep seeing everyone using is really taking away from there designs

OK. Will remove. Thanks for the feedback

I wish Mason would explain why they HAVE to be there.

They'd look OK on the lower left corner, near the exit, where thy can be much smaller.

Those chips just seem WAY out of place in general from a design standpoint ... get rid of them? The books are already branded with the 2+2 on the spine, and the older ones didn't have the chip pile anyway (The theory of poker, Inside the poker mind).
But if they MUST be there ... then maybe more like the Harrington on Online Cash Games book.

Oh they 'HAVE' to be there? Hmmm, don't get it if I'm honest, like jpsy design is an extremely clean vector, then the chips just take away from the whole design as I believe they do on everyone elses design

someone took peeling the onion literally.

nice execution.

You can make a cover without the chip thing on there, but someone else is going to put it on there for you. I turned in DUCY? like this:



And guess what happened... yup, pile of chips in the head. So I'd pick a good place you can live with, as out of the way as you can get away with. Maybe box-frame it if you're doing a light cover or w/e.

I like it, perhaps add a little bit more color/brightness to the design as a whole.

I also really like how the cards fall from the onion, maybe add a face card or two?

Edited

nothing really special to convey just an abstract one as i said. maybe i will work on it more but im not sure. thanks for the comment!

idea of yesterday:

I don't like the change in the chips as now you have to put the logo chips somewhere and they're going to go back to looking like an afterthought.

Like the coloring of the first one best. No offense to the 80s, but the yellow of the second one makes it look so 80s. The white of the third one looks too washed out and bland.

my fav is the black one too however i used to post more color version, as colors are sometimes so subjective.

I think if the logo chips have to be on the front they could be used in the maze, but combining a photo with a vector illustration looks a little off. This would be more noticeable when printed. With this design they would be best on the spine or back. If not used in the maze, it might be a good idea to frame/box them in to distinguish them from the design.

There are a lot of great eye-catching designs here, But (except for the title font) I like everything about this.

This is the one that sends the right messages when I am looking at seven books in Borders and can only afford one. Someone is going to show me the way to that chipstack; that box is mine, and I'm going to avoid those wrong turns that lead to empty. (Although, it might b nice if the cards in that box were AKs at least.)

The cards make both the model and the maze and speak to the way we have to negotiate every hand through every street. It's striking and speaks. The simple color scheme appeals to me, also.

I think the mistake with the font is about weight as much as being too busy. That card model is delicate, and the heavy title is off-balance and makes the structure seem fragile, which is not the message to be sent. I'd KISS the title font in a darker red or black or white and a lighter weight but same size font.

For a book cover, this is my #1 pick.