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. 

Their line of products includes mens and ladies shirts, jerseys, hoodies, as well as baby clothes and much more. They also offer accessories including baseball caps and thermal mugs.

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.

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

This would make an original gift for anyone who plays poker. They have some more nice glass items on their website, as well as a number of other gift ideas. 

Please note: we are not affiliated with the companies that make these items. They are simply random items that we have come across and liked. Use your own discretion when ordering anything online. 

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.

They currently feature Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, Mark Seif, Amir Vahedi, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, David "Devil Fish" Ulliott, Humberto Brenes, Johnny Chan, Men "The Master" Nguyen, Scotty Nguyen, T.J. Cloutier, Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu, David Williams, Doyle Brunson, Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Harman, Phil "Unabomber" Laak, and Phil Hellmuth.

Prices range from $25.00-$45.00, and some are limited edition and signed.

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."

For whatever reason, the launch of PokerRoom.com's cell phone-enabled service is sparking a lot of mainstream coverage. Sure, it's (sort of) a new idea - playing real money poker games on your cell. But I'm not sure exactly who the market is for this type of product, and I think it's a service that is almost guaranteed to be treated as strictly a novelty by hardcore poker players.

I'm not sure I know any players who wish to wager hard-earned cash while waiting in line at Subway. If this technology does somehow catch on with a large number of players, you can take this to the bank: you're going to see a lot of people throwing their cell phones after a bad beat. It'll make for great business for Nokia.

A sampling of today's media coverage, with the required "scary warning" language by the personal responsibility police, can be found here. (I really like the cocaine and heroin - spelled heroine - comparison, very nice touch!)

Spotted this past weekend at the local mall: Officially licensed World Poker Tour shirts at 79% off.

If you live in one of the 46 states with a Finish Line athletic retailer and you're in the market for some new WPT t-shirts, you might want to head over and be on the lookout for the clearance bin. At the local store - shirts aplenty (of various phrases and artwork) and all marked down from $24.00 to $4.99.

Assuming this clearance is company wide (as is usually the case with national retailers), there's a good chance your local outlet is moving these shirts at a similar price. I'm not sure if this reflects a waning in the scorching popularity of everything poker, or rather just Finish Line moving out a product that doesn't fit well in its lineup. Either way, it's a $5 shirt.

I think I've found the ultimate combo to go along with my Hawaiian shirt at this year's World Series of Poker. I'd like to see you try and get a read on me when I'm wearing a pair of these - CamoVision wraparound camoflaugue sunglasses.

You think Raymer's "eyeball" hologram shades threw people off? How are people going to make a play at me when they can't even see me, because I've blended completely in with my surroundings? As the slogan says, "You can see out, game can't see in."

With a field approaching 6600 players, I'm predicting at least two dozen appearances of these things.

I've been wanting a new poker table for some time. There's just something about the smooth glide of the cards over a felt surface. Sadly, I can't really justify the granddaddy of luxury poker tables (especially since it would be perpetually coated in cat hair). However, I did manage to snag a nice deal, courtesy of Poker Bargains. It's a folding table-top that sits on top of a dining room table and offers chip and drink holders for eight players. Both sides are covered in felt and there is a betting line on one side, just plain green felt on the other. Best of all, the table top folds into thirds and tucks away into an included carrying case for portability or easy storage. Tonight is the inaugural run at the home game, so we'll see how she stands up the spilled beer, maurading cats, and splashed pots.

I was facing six hours inside a metal tube at 32,000 feet with nothing but a copy of SkyMall, which I'd already read cover-to-cover, twice. That was the situation that had me plunking down $35 for Excalibur's little handheld Texas Hold 'Em game and a pack of AAA batteries. Slap on some WSOP branding and this otherwise clunky-looking  game, circa 1980, starts to seem downright appealing. Don't fall for it. The description sounds great -- six-handed sit-and-gos in limit, pot-limit, and no-limit Texas Hold 'Em, plus 120-player tournaments in those same games. The actual gameplay, however, leaves a lot to be desired. The buttons are laid out bizarrely. The sound is awful and should be turned off immediately and permanently. The display suffers from information underload. In this day and age of pixel-by-pixel design choices, going back to a pre-printed LCD screen is a huge disadvantage.  You can't really follow the betting, which isn't really so bad in limit games, but in the other variants, it makes the game more maddening than enjoyable. Overall, I'd highly recommend you pass on this game. If it were less than $10 and came with batteries included, maybe it would be worth it, but as is, this game couldn't even hold my attention for more than an hour, and you'll never get a more willing customer than a poker fanatic stuck on a cross-country flight.