Well, a rule of thumb is this: Never pay attention to the show. There are no "hidden powers" to cards, that is an element added to the show to make it more interesting. In addition, the rules on the show often change and are rarely accurate. For a complete list of rules, I'd like to refer you to this website: http://www.netrep.net. This contains not only all of the basic rules to the game, but advanced rules, complicated scenarios, and thousands of individual card rulings in case a tricky situation ever emerges.

 

I'll also give you a few links within the website so that you don't have to dig to find the important stuff:

 

Official Rulebook: http://www.netrep.net/content/category/3/6/38/

 

All of the basic game rules.

 

Restriction List: http://www.netrep.net/content/category/3/7/38/
 

Although generally you may play three of a card in your deck, some cards have additional restrictions upon them. There are also two "formats." Each format has a different set of card restrictions. The "Traditional" format has less restrictions, and can be more exciting, but it is also more luck-based (and can be potentially more expensive as well if you're on a budget).

 

The "Advanced" format has more restrictions, and even some cards that are banned (can not be used at all). As such the games generally last longer, and the better players prefer this format as it is more based on skill than on luck. However, it may require a longer attention span than your child has if he is young. I would suggest trying this format to start, though, as it is the "official" format in that all competitions at the Regional level and higher use this format, and if your child has any lasting interest in the game he will most likely eventually drift towards this format anyways. Also, it is relatively easy to build a good deck with minimal cost (I can list off winning decks that most likely cost under $20-30 altogether).

 

Card Errata: http://www.netrep.net/content/category/3/15/38/

 

These are the only real "hidden powers" that cards have. Except they aren't really "hidden," but the cards were improperly translated from Japanese to English and so had to be corrected. You may want to check this just to make sure that all of the cards you or your child is using actually do what they say (and if they don't do what they say, you'll find out what they actually do on this page).

 

Three other pages that you may be interested in later are Basic Gameplay FAQs, Advanced Gameplay FAQs, and Specific Card Questions and Answers. The site is pretty user-friendly, so you should have no trouble finding these and other sections should the need ever arise. These three sections and the Card Errata section will be extremely helpful if a dispute ever arises during gameplay.

 

I would also recommend signing up at http://www.pojo.biz/board/. Once there, the following three forums may be very helpful for continued and timely assistance:

 

Yu-gi-oh! Newbie Forum: http://www.pojo.biz/board/forumdisplay.php?f=90

 

This is a forum where new Yu-Gi-Oh players can look for help.

 

Yu-gi-oh! TCG Q&A: http://www.pojo.biz/board/forumdisplay.php?f=14

 

For questions related to gameplay, mechanics, rulings, and collectibility of the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG.

 

Yu-gi-oh! TCG Deck Discussion: http://www.pojo.biz/board/forumdisplay.php?f=12

 

Post your deck here if you are looking for advice. Or you could e-mail me and I'll try to get back to you. Be warned that although there are many "Moderators" in the Q&A and Newbie forums that will make sure that advice given is correct and that any incorrect information is corrected/removed, Deck advice is an almost purely subjective topic and so be warned that any advice given you will not necesarilly be good advice. You are also free to post decks in the Newbie forum, but again, the same caveats apply.

 

 A list of people whom you can generally trust to give sound advice are:

 

the zealotpker (me)

ss4giel

moderators (you will know someone is a moderator because their username will be in bold)

Catalyst

Outrider

SiphonX

Spoontang

xpheonix87

BerserkerAzn

SKAK!X!K

ParshathRules8391

METALSOCKO

Megaa

Tao Ren

LogicaX

TheMan_KQJ

PressAltAndF4

 

I'm sure there are more, but these are the first ones I could think of.

 

Good luck, and if you encounter any more trouble feel free to e-mail me.

 

~zealotpker