World Championship Poker has officially gone live. Due to the increasing popularity of The Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour, ESPN’s World Series Of Poker, poker movies like The Gambler and Rounders, and the ascent of poker stars, such as Johnny Chan, Annie Duke, Chris Moneymaker, and Daniel Negreanu, we really are living in a poker web. Almost anyone inhabiting the planet can play poker in one form or another. Brick and Mortar houses have been around for a while, but thanks to the Internet (World Wide Web), all you need is a computer (or Xbox game console + Xbox Live), an internet connection and you’re good to go.

Stepping up to take the challenge in the game console department is Xbox in cooperation with software publisher Crave Entertainment and software developer Coresoft’s innovative game World Championship Poker. For about $20 and a subscription to Xbox Live, you can play a variety of poker game like the ever-increasing popular Texas Hold’em.

World Championship Poker has many nice features. On first use, you can configure your player avatar (the visual character that appears at the table). If you want, you can skip the character setup and use the default character, but it makes for more interesting game play to create a player that best represents you. The customization is very advanced, from the changing of clothes to facial shape and creation of custom tables.

World Championship Poker can be played online (Xbox Live subscription necessary) and offline (games in this mode are predictable, pointless and boring to a poker enthusiast).

The game's appeal is strictly for those who have an Xbox Live subscription.

• Xbox Live is an online gaming service that lets you play certain Xbox games over your broadband Internet connection
• Starter Kit includes one year of Xbox Live service and an Xbox Communicator voice headset
• Gamers use one account and one name with all Xbox Live-enabled games, making it easy to find friends and change games
• Communicator lets you trash talk your enemies and strategize with your teammates
• Note: Xbox Live requires cable or DSL broadband Internet service and an Ethernet cable to connect your Xbox to your cable or DSL modem (sold separately)

Taking poker clothing mainstream When most of us think of poker clothing, we think of t-shirts and hats with playing card suits or funny sayings on them. Well one company is out to change that. The Green felt Fashions, producers of the clothing line The Green Felt, takes poker clothing very seriously. They are the first line dedicated completely to poker enthusiasts, with some of the most original concepts and designs on the market. Read More...