A Holiday Wish List

With the holidays fast approaching, you may be wondering what to get your spouse, family, or friends for gifts. Fortunately for you, if they are poker players, there are probably many things on their wish lists. In today's column, I will try to help you solve the problem of what to give the "hard to buy for" poker player.

There are new poker books being published constantly, as well as updated versions of some of the best poker books that have been around for years. Giving your loved ones books that they don't already have not only solves the question of what to buy, but also can provide a means of improving their skills, which can result in effectively putting more money in their pockets. Many good poker books can be ordered through www.cardplayer.com.

There are many new poker DVDs on the market. I highly recommend the one filmed at the World Poker Players Conference last month, not just because I was involved in coordinating the Conference, but because the material in the seminars presented by Lee Jones, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Caro, Mark Gregorich, Barry Tanenbaum, Mark Tenner, Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Harman, George Epstein, and Roy Cooke is truly outstanding. You can order this multi-DVD set for $39.95 at www.cardplayercruises.com, or by calling (888) 999-4880 or (702) 655-0919.

Have you ever thought of giving your special person poker lessons? This is truly the gift "that keeps on giving," since education is something that will be useful in reaping rewards for years to come. I can highly recommend that you contact Card Player columnists Barry Tanenbaum, Bob Ciaffone, and Roy West to inquire about their lessons. Online schooling is available for $14.95 monthly or $149.95 annually at www.pokerschoolonline.com, where you can learn to become a winning poker player through lessons, audios, and interactive classrooms.

Poker apparel is another nifty holiday gift. I have seen lots of ads lately for T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats with all kinds of nifty poker phrases on them. The World Poker Tour has lots of branded merchandise that I am sure your favorite player would enjoy receiving. Things like WPT logowear and even WPT playing cards and chip sets can be ordered by going to the website at www.worldpokertour.com.

Poker supplies are very hot items these days, since many people seem to be interested in honing their poker skills through home games. There are many casino suppliers that will be happy to sell you personalized sets of chips, playing cards, dealer buttons, poker tables and tabletops, and just about anything you need to play.

Having been on more than 50 poker cruises, I would certainly suggest that a wonderful holiday gift would be a Card Player Cruises 2005 vacation. There are trips to Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska, and Europe, so selecting which cruise to give is the hardest part of purchasing a cruise gift. They are available to suit all different budgets; the listing of 2005 cruises is available at www.cardplayercruises.com.

Another nifty gift would be to give someone a paid entry into an upcoming tournament. Who wouldn't want to receive a freeroll for a chance to parlay it into big bucks?

You can also have one of the top poker players in your bedroom, kitchen, or office. An ideal holiday gift is the 2005 Poker Pages Players Calendar, featuring Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Daniel Negreanu, and more. Order your calendar today for $12.99 plus postage at www.pokerpages.com.

Well, this should give you shoppers plenty of food for thought. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy the holidays. Don't forget to let your loved ones know how much you appreciate and care about them, not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year, as well. Happy holidays!

Now, let's play poker!

Linda Johnson is available to host poker events and seminars. You can contact her through her website at www.cardplayercruises.com.