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Copyright © 2006 Poker News
HEADLINE: So Dad's A Poker Player? Gift Ideas
For Fathers' Day.
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Here for other Great Poker Gift Ideas!
Body:
It's rolling around to that time of year again. Dad sometimes
doesn't get the adulation from the family that Mom gets, but on
Fathers' Day you have the opportunity to make up for all those
ties and bottles of Old Spice that have come in years past. If
Dad is a poker player, there are a few items that can bring a
smile to his face.
If, for example, he's a 21st century dad and has the dexterity
to play with the latest gaming systems or the computer, you can
surprise him with the latest from the video game world. On May
30th, Daniel Negreanu's "Stacked" is finally ready to
hit the shelves (Daniel promises, according to his blog!). The
game itself has been in the works for well over a year now and
is promising some revolutionary aspects to it that should make
it the premier poker
video game on the market.
The game will be entering into the market on all the important
systems (XBox, XBox360, PlayStation, PSP, GameCube, etc.) and
has not only Daniel's name behind it but also a heavy promotional
push from MTV as well. Daniel has called for some of his friends
from the professional poker ranks to join him in the game as well,
with Jennifer Harman, Evelyn Ng, Erick Lindgren, Josh Arieh, Carlos
Mortensen and David Williams all helping to provide additional
challenges to players. What is the true "brain" of the
game, however, is what everyone is waiting to take a look at.
The University of Alberta's "Poki" artificial intelligence
(AI) has been adapted for usage in "Stacked", which
should give the game a firm advantage over some other video game
productions. The "Poki" AI has been called perhaps the
best artificial intelligence that has been developed for computers
to play poker. It has played Phil "The Unabomber" Laak
heads up (with Phil taking the computer down) and has been partially
used in other computer games before. Perhaps tinkering with the
"Poki" system is what has delayed the game so far, but
if the video game can actually provide a serious challenge for
poker players, then "Stacked" could be a game to have
for your video game or computer system.
Married poker professionals Chip and Karina Jett have also come
up with some poker memorabilia that will make Dad's next home
game a more special occasion. Through their company, JettPoker,
Inc., their 'Poker's Most Wanted' series of poker memorabilia
promises to have something that Dad may want to use in his next
home game or put on the poker room wall.
The 'Poker's Most Wanted' series is anchored by the standard
deck of playing cards that feature the photographs of fifty-four
of the greatest players in the game today. The deck is stylized
after the 'Iraq's Most Wanted' cards that were distributed to
the coalition forces at the beginning of the Second Iraq War and
make an interesting conversation starter as to who is included
and who isn't while a home game is going on. Also available is
a full color wall poster that features each of the cards in the
deck and the 'Poker's Most Wanted' baseball cap that is fashionable
for wear at the tables.
All of the items from JettPoker are reasonably priced and you
could get each of them for Dad for Fathers' Day. The deck of cards
costs $7.95, the wall poster runs for $19.95 and the baseball
cap is $15.95 (each item has shipping and handling charges as
well) and are available at pokersmostwanted.com. Having seen these
items when Chip and Karina had them in development, I can state
that a poker playing Dad would enjoy them tremendously.
Finally, the World Poker Tour has anted up some items that will
definitely catch Dad's fancy for Fathers' Day. From wireless games
for the cell phone (in addition to the WPT Texas Hold 'Em game
they now offer a Seven Card Stud version), accessories for outdoor
grilling (barbecue grill covers and accessories), jewelry (gold
WPT bracelets) and automobile accessories (seat covers and various
other items), the WPT has Dad covered away from the tables. They
also have quite a bit of poker merchandise for Dad to employ at
his next home game.
Dad can decorate the poker room after Fathers' Day with WPT Bar
Mirrors, chip sets, poker mats and even the World Poker Tour pinball
machine (a very nice gift for Dad on Fathers' Day for only $4,995).
There are also a wealth of informational poker material, with
Antonio Esfandiari's new book "WPT: In The Money", DVDs
and the WPT Video Game (for all gaming systems) all available.
All of these items can be found at worldpokertour.com or in various
stores in your area.
There are many gifts for a poker playing Dad as you can see!
Hopefully somewhere among these gifts could be just what you are
looking for as Fathers' Day approaches.
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