A new poker aid has been launched, aiming to help online players hit the big money heights at their favourite online casinos. 

The FTR Tournament Trimmer has been developed by poker website FlopTurnRiver, and provides details of tournament history to all those who download it.

The free product differs from usual offerings in that players are able to review not just hand histories but the way in which entire tournaments have panned out in a digestible format.

Other online offerings launched recently include blackjack and video poker assistants, with firms looking to capitalise on the surge in popularity that such games have experienced following new game launches from the likes of CryptoLogic.

Hand histories have long been a part of online casinos, and offer players another reason to avoid leaving the comfort of their own homes when gambling. 

A contestant on the new series of the UK version of the Apprentice is an online poker buff in his spare time, it has been revealed.

Andy Jackson, a 36-year-old from Scotland, also uses the internet for another of his favourite pursuits, trading on eBay, but retains a love of gambling online, the Herald newspaper has reported.

“My passions are winning, winning and winning,” the car salesman said.

Mr Jackson will pit his wits against a variety of other contestants including a quantum physicist and a former army lieutenant.

The Apprentice sees 16 hopefuls compete for the chance of securing a six-figure job at one of Sir Alan Sugar’s companies. The success of the programme has meant that the new series will screen on BBC1. Previous editions of the show had aired on BBC2.

Online poker is flourishing in South Africa despite having been made illegal in 2004, it has been reported. 

The National Gambling Act passed three years ago effectively ruled out the possibility of playing online in the country, but the commitment of a number of internet operators has resulted in poker becoming increasingly popular. 

South African online casinos are freely accessible, while entrepreneurial students have set up their own sites that encourage low-level group games among friends, the South African Sunday Times newspaper reports. 

“We set up the site so poker fans could talk about the game and organise their own events,” founder Carl Crous told the paper. 

Elsewhere governmental moves that would potentially see online gambling regulated rather than prohibited have been approved by the cabinet. 

“[Poker has] always been regarded as a respectable and highly skilled game,” South African National Responsible Gambling Programme (NGRP) executive director Peter Collins told the Sunday Times. 

Last month it was revealed that UK gambling figures had travelled to South Africa to see an effectively monitored betting system in operation. 

Harley Davidson has announced the release of its latest product, aimed at bikers or even wannabe-bikers interested in the latest poker innovations.
 

The firm has released details of its own brand of poker table, a lavish offering that comes complete with the famous bike logo as well as the Harley Eagle itelf.

The wooden and leather table comes with four similarly-designed height-adjustable chairs, as well as brass-plated medallions. But the catch comes with the price – coming in at around $5,000, the table is set to become the ultimate in either luxury purchases or overpriced novelties, depending on players’ point of view.

Harley Davidson regularly runs a number of poker run events, which involve riders racing around for several kilometres, only stopping to pick up the cards which will make up their hands, with the best hand at the finish line winning the event.

Players looking for a more relaxing way to play, or those with far too much money on their hands, will no doubt cast their eye over the new table.

World Poker Tour (WPT) host Vince van Patten has moved on from simply observing the action to creating it himself with the publication of a new murder mystery novel.

The Picasso Flop, marketed as the first Texas Hold’Em mystery, focuses on a poker tournament held at Las Vegas’ Bellagio casino, and leads the reader through a web of confusion following two murders that take place during the event.

Written in conjunction with Robert J Randisi, the novel also features a number of real-life names and characters, along with a cameo appearance from WPT co-host Mike Sexton.

However, initial reviews of the innovative new poker product have been mixed, with book reviews criticising the book’s poor plotting and numerous flaws while simultaneously praising its concept and page-turning style.

Van Patten himself was once highly skilled in another sport, having played professional tennis in the 1970s and 80s, with a defeat of John McEnroe perhaps his finest hour.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit main event held in Rincon, San Diego, has been won by Peter Feldman, it has been revealed.

Feldman secured the $281,000 first place prize after holding off Davidson Matthew, who went home with just under $150,000.

Stiff competition also came in the form of 2006 Poker Player of the Year Gavin Smith, who eventually went out in seventh position.

In winning the tournament Feldman became just the second player to have won two WSOP Circuit competitions, having won an event in New Orleans in May 2006. Chris Ferguson was previously the only player to have won two events.

Despite being chip leader as play began at the final table, Feldman insisted he did not feel too confident.

“I came in with a lot of chips and that’s kind of a tough situation sometimes. You feel like if you don’t keep accumulating chips you could start pressing things,” he commented.

One of the UK’s many poker satellite television channels is to attempt to break away from the pack by launching versions of its content in Germany, France and Scandinavia, it has been revealed.

The Poker Channel was the first of its kind when it launched two years ago, and features a number of televised tournaments such as the European Poker Masters. Events from yesteryear such as Joe Hachem’s victory at last year’s Aussie Millions are also screened regularly.

The move into Scandinavia is unsurprising given the popularity of the game in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, but the channel’s forthcoming presence in France suggests that there remains a market for poker event in countries which are seeking to prohibit the game from flourishing.

“The channel has been a huge success in the UK, attracting up to one million viewers a month, from just 8m homes, since its launch in March 2005. We are delighted to be broadening our reach across the whole of Europe, having agreed deals with the leading networks in such fast growing poker territories,” said chief executive and founder of the Poker Channel Crispin Nieboer.

Life as Head of Poker could sometime be tough. This Wednesday I had to spend 5 hours teaching 3 Playboy bunnies how to play poker. Kitten, Hannah and Emily came into the office around lunch time and all of a sudden most of my male colleagues wanted to help out with stacking chips, were gladly going to the kitchen to fetch some coffee, volunteering to wipe the table in the board room – any excuse really to find a reason to help out in the Playboy bunny training session. I can’t remember a single time before I have been so popular. Kitten, Hannah and Emily were clearly used to this kind of attention and floated through the office in a glamorous manner while the guys in the office tried to act like they were working. When it came down to my poker training the girls actually where smarter than they looked and by the end of the session they mastered the concepts of semi-bluffing, double bluffing, how to read other players and sand bagging (check-raise). If you are going to the EPT final in Monte Carlo you will be able to see them in full poker action with full bunny suits on against the best. Beware all of you poker pro’s out there.
Fire and Ice and Bunnies in Bunny Suits 
This week London has been invaded by the worlds gaming industry due Europe’s biggest gaming conference ICE. The biggest in the world takes place in Vegas (where else?). This one is pretty darn big though covering three football pitches with exhibitions. The actual conference is quite boring and you can spend hours finding out about shuffling machines, security software, how to subscribe to bingo trays online and other meaningless things. If you’re lucky you could end up collecting countless T-shirts in the process. The fun stuff goes on at night when many different people from the industry come out for a few drinks and if one is lucky we all end up in the local card room! Surprisingly this was exactly what happened! There is no greater pleasure than taken money from competitive colleagues! I was on a roll and ended the night £250 up even if I managed to loose a £300 pot at the end of the session. Read the last paragraph on this grueling bad beat. By Wednesday it was time for the yearly Fire and Ice party. 1000 gaming professionals in one massive night club in London. Free drinks in the beginning and then more free drinks in the VIP-PlayboyGaming lounge. Through my training earlier in the day I qualified to get hold of one of the sought after VIP-entries. And of course my new friends Kitten, Hannah and Emily were on site and this time in bunny outfits. I’m telling you it feels weird to discuss the concept of slow playing with a person who stands in a bunny suit in a posh nightclub. Yes, life at the moment is hard!
Bad Beat of the Week  
Ok, all of you who don’t like the bad beat whining can stop reading now. I will reveal how I managed to loose £300 in a pot that I thought was the best call of the night. I was sitting on SB in a £1-2 NL game, picked up KQ in the hole. Got 3 limpers before me and decided to raise it up and make it £10 extra. BB folded and two more players stayed in. Flop Q 3 6 rainbow. I’m first to act so I fire off a £25 bet. A loose Irish guy immediately pushed it all in and making it a £100 extra. It’s an over bet that stinks bluff or semi-bluff long way. The third player folds. I go through his actions and it just doesn’t make sense. If he had AQ before the flop he should have raised it preflop. Same thing with QQ and most other pairs. I was afraid of a hand like Q6 or Q3, but if he had that why didn’t he fold pre-flop. I was on a roll and the guy looked nervous so I called him. He turned over Q9. Yes, the best call of the night. The turn came a 9 and to rub it in an extra 9 hit on the river. Now that hurt but when I thought about it was the only pot of importance I lost during the whole night so I was happy overall. With this I would like to wish all of you a good weekend and good luck at the tables.  Henrik