Stumped on what to get your significant other for Valentine's Day? Well, if they are poker players (or you are) here are some ideas on what you can get.

Chocolate Playing Cards. I've seen these at various locations online, and chances are good your local Chocolatier will have something similar so check with them.

Also popular are chocolates in the shape of the four suits - diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades.

(shown: Candy Warehouse)

 

Chocolate Poker Chips. Rich milk chocolate wrapped in foil, disguised as poker chips. There is probably no better way to instigate an impromptu game of poker with someone who doesn't normally play than by offering the reward of chocolate when they win.

Same as above, these can be found all over so take a look. (shown: Candy Warehouse)

 

Hallmark has come up with a 'King of Poker' gift set which includes a deck of WPT Playing Cards, 4 chocolate-mint 'poker chips', and a bag of peanuts with sesame snack crackers all enclosed in a poker-themed tin.   

This gift includes a full-sized Hallmark greeting card, with your personal message.

(shown: Hallmark.com)

 

If she is the type that melts at the sight of stuffed animals, she might like something like the Las Vegas Bear with Chocolate Medallion.

This one has a roulette-wheel wrapped chocolate, but you could even make something similar on your own.

(shown: Vegas Image).

 

Arrange for a dinner and movie night in - order some food from a local restaurant, and rent some poker-related movies like Rounders.

Ok, maybe it isn't the most romantic idea, but well...maybe you just aren't the most romantic person.

Sometimes it really is the thought that counts.

 

And if all else fails -

Simply get her some flowers. Roses are definitely recommended - red, long stem. Yes, they are the most expensive, but anything else screams how cheap you are. (Even though it just may be true.)

Suck it up. You can always play poker tomorrow night. 

It's official. Poker IS everywhere. 

Apparently having their logo on everything from shirts and hats to coffee mugs and decks of cards wasn't quite enough - now the World Poker Tour has entered the pinball machine market.

This seems kind of strange to me, but to be fair I probably haven't played a game of pinball since I last heard The Who sing about that Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Kid - however, I just can't help but think this seems so...seventies. Every time I look at the picture I conjure up visions of rumpus rooms, record players, and fake wood paneling. I imagine that Pac Man will soon be making a return, this time gobbling up poker chips rather than little white dots - but I digress.

The game features the voices of WPT hosts Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton, as well as hostess Courtney Friel - and for the record, you do actually attempt to play Hold'em as you bounce the ball off the bumpers.

If you are a big fan of the silver ball, (or anything and everything WPT) you can check out the full product information through the 'read' link below. 

Do any professional poker players actually play poker anymore? I have to wonder since they all seem so busy with product endorsements, video game participation, media appearances, book deals and the like. Chip and Karina Jett are no exception - and are adding 'entrepreneurs' to the ever-growing list. The Jetts have lauched a deck of playing cards featuring 'Poker's Most Wanted' - a collection of 54 cards diplaying full-color photo's of some of the greatest poker players in the world.

Yes, Chip Jett is the Ace of Spades, which I suppose is fair since he owns the company. Rounding out the other three aces are Johnny Chan, Eric Seidel, and Scotty Nguyen. I was disappointed to see that Phil Hellmuth was the 9 of clubs though - I thought for sure he would earn one of the two jokers.

You can view the full collection via the 'read' link below.

There are six shopping weeks left until Christmas. For those of you who like to plan ahead, I will be running a feature every week on gifts you can get for the poker player in your life, or even put on your own wishlist. 

         

This week, my pick is poker chip sets. Whether you are looking to upgrade plastic to clay, or get a customized set, Poker Chips Online has a large variety of chips available through their website.       

               

Created by Andy Alvarez and Michael Abdoulah, Im All In Wear Inc. is a clothing line designed for those who love poker. 

         

Their t-shirts are emblazoned with simple phrases like I Got the Nuts, Call Me, and Nice Catch. According to their website, the business partners recognized a market for the clothing line and focus on making quality, everyday casual wear that is comfortable and understated. They had an existing silk screen and embroidery business, which made starting this company much easier. Looking at the apparel, it is easy to see why players are buying it. The clothes are sharp and look very comfortable, and the logos are amusing. Professional poker player Scott Fischman can be seen wearing their shirts often. 

               

InternetTexasHoldem.com has introduced an online training tool which gives you more than just a glance into the thoughts of professional poker players.

Poker Tutor allows you to see the thoughts, reasoning, and rationale of professionals including Matthew Hilger, author of the bestselling poker instructional book Internet Texas Hold'em: Winning Strategies of an Internet Pro, as well as the Hendon Mob as they battle it out on the felt.

According to the press release, The Poker Tutor allows you to replay hands from live and online games, and lessons are available individually or as part of a subscription. For more information, you can visit their website through the link below.

Pokulator LLC is a popular creator of poker odds calculators. They recently launched Pokulator Pro, which is a free download and is compatible with online poker room Party Poker. The program automatically detects what hand the user has, calculates the winning percentage for that hand, as well as displays the odds for making every other possible hand. It even tells you what possible hands could beat you. 

          

It is important to note that Pokulator doesn’t advise players on how to play their cards and can’t read what others at the table hold, it merely displays the odds based on the player’s hole cards and the cards which are revealed on the table. Another feature is a quiz mode called Pok-U-Trainer that will test your knowledge on four different levels of strategy. 

             

Pokulator LLC recently developed a customized version for Bluff Magazine’s website. You can read more through the link below.

Michael Friedman wrote an article on Poker News that would be of interest to any person who likes poker and is looking for some early Christmas gifts.

The World Poker Tour has come out with their own jewelry line. The jewelry will be designed by Roberto Martinez and sold by the World Poker Tour.

There are eleven shopping weeks left until Christmas. For those of you who like to plan ahead, I will be running a feature every week on gifts you can get for the poker player in your life. 

           

Poker Drink Chip Coasters, includes set of 6 etched and polished glass coasters plus base.  The dimensions are 5 x 5 x 2-1/2 inches. Listed price is $99.99

               

VendingData Corporation has agreed to purchase the intellectual property and global distribution rights for a high frequency RFID chip. These chips go inside casino chips. VendingData is purchasing these rights from an Australian based company called Dolphin Products.

Dolphin will continue to manufacture the “smart”casino chips. Dolphin Products is one of the few casino chip manufacturers that has designed a commercially viable high frequency RFID casino chip. The RFID chip is embedded within a traditional casino chip. This technology offers casinos several advantages including the ability to enhance chip security and accounting management.

There are twelve shopping weeks to go until Christmas, though I usually wait until the 24th of December to do most of my gift grabbing. However, for those that like to plan ahead, I will be running a feature every week on gifts to get the poker player in your life.

So, to kick off week one, here is my pick for a novelty poker gift: Poker Heads Collectibles. Now you can have your favorite poker players in all their bobblehead glory sit on your desktop, table, or on your monitor - which is where I keep mine.

A new poker gadget was created to solve a common tournament issue that most poker players have. DB Dealer is this new product. This device combines two essential elements of tournament play. It combines a dealer button and a blind timer together for multi-purpose use. It costs $20.

This device is more for home games since most casinos have expensive computer systems set up to handle that type of work. The DB Dealer is a round plastic device that is the size of a standard casino dealer button (which is a little larger than a poker chip). This gadget has a built in LED timer. The DB Dealer can be set in five minute increments up to 95 minutes. Click on the below link for more information.

Hall of Fame football legend John Elway is jumping into the poker world. Don't get too excited folks. He's not signing up for the next World Poker Tour event. While John is a long time amateur poker player, he has no intentions of playing it professionally. Instead, he's tackling the merchandising frenzy that's surrounding poker. He owns a furniture company and they are making poker tables. People need certain accessories to play a home game the right way and John is looking to provide some help. According to John, he has his own poker room in the basement of his house and knows what people want. Click on the below link for more information.

There are several types of poker chips out there for you to purchase. Everyone needs a good set if they want to start their own home game. There are three basic types of poker chips out there. Check out the below article for more details on the different types. Most people start out with "plastic chips." These chips are more suitable for beginners and can be purchased anywhere. "Clay" chips are the most popular ones out there today. These are the chips that you see in casinos and on television. They are also the most expensive. Clay poker chips are not exactly made of clay. Instead, they have clay filled composites in them which end up providing much greater durability in the long run. If you are looking for a poker chip that is less expensive and will last a long time, you should go with a heavy plastic poker chip. These poker chips won't feel like the casino poker chips but the weight will almost feel the same. A fellow poker blogger of mine, Dick Gatewood has a site where he sells clay poker chips. Dick is the poker room manager at Sam's Town Casino in Las Vegas. Going online is one of the better ways to purchase a set of poker chips so check out his site.

2K Sports - formerly known as the sports division of Sega Games - will be bringing a WPT game to the Xbox and PS2 (as well as the Xbox 360 upon launch). The game, World Poker Tour 2K6, will make its public debut this week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. Few details have been released at this time, but the public will get a first look this week and more info should be available soon.

What we do know is that the game will feature WPT graphics and presentation, so you know what that means...the long-awaited video game version of Vince Van Patten!

Quotes I want to see in the game:

"Oh look at this, he's picked up a legitimate strong hand here...K-9 offsuit."

"This is a potential disaster for (player's name)!"

"Look at the acting job going on right there, he looks like he's auditioning for Baywatch."