The established names and rising stars who hit the headlines last year have been named by poker journalist Earl Burton in his rundown of the nine players of 2006.

Michael Mizrachi tops the list, and with Phil Hellmuth and Joe Hatchem also featuring prominently, there is no shortage of familiar names – but the article, written for PokerNews.com, also contains its fair share of surprises.

Number two in the list is Jeff Madsen, the rookie player who rose to prominence during the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) before going back to school to complete his education.

However, there is no room on the rundown for 2006 WSOP champion Jamie Gold, who has subsequently found himself tangled in a legal dispute regarding rightful ownership of part of his prize money.

Rounding out the top three is Roland de Wolfe, who won over $2 million during the year at various events around Europe. De Wolfe was named European Poker Player of the Year at an awards ceremony in Paris last month.

Online players also get a look-in in the shape of Cliff Josephy, who was successful at a number of web-based tournaments during 2006.

Poker strategy website PartTimePoker.com has released three new tools aimed at helping novice players get a handle on the popular pastime.

The Poker Quiz, Opinion Survey and Forums will also provide established players with ways of making their voices heard in the new year.

With the last few years having witnessed a poker explosion both online and in the popular consciousness a growing number of players are wanting to learn the ins and outs of the card game.

PartTimePoker hopes that its online quiz will provide a benchmark for poker puzzles, with users being able to vote on the best play for a particular hand and then compare results with others.

Part of the discussion process will take place on the forums, which also reward users with prizes the more posts they make.

Those wanting to make more active contributions to the online world are also catered for, say PartTimePoker. The company advises that its opinion survey will let online gamblers suggest new directions for the game in 2007.

All those who complete the survey will also stand a chance to win one of ten iPod shuffles, the website reveals.

Online gaming firm InterPoker has just finished celebrating a successful year of Extreme Poker events, with 2007 promising to be no different.
An innovation exclusive to InterPoker, Extreme Poker combines physical and mental tests with an exotic location to unique effect.

Last year saw the game hold events across the globe, ranging from the Arctic conditions of Finland to the Caribbean paradise of St Kitts.

But land is no boundary for Extreme Poker – the inaugural November event was actually played ten metres underwater in a Caribbean dive centre. Play involved the usual rules, with the added regulation that anyone running out of air or being forced to move to the surface was eliminated.

That is the kind of challenge now expected from Extreme Poker, but InterPoker regulars can suggest where the next event should be held by emailing Ryan Hartley at ryanh@interpoker.com.

More adventurous players can themselves enter the competitions as and when they are announced – making for a thrilling 2007 courtesy of InterPoker.