City Pages analyzes the poker games that the two major candidates for the American presidency like to play, and how it symbolizes their politics.

An interview in The New Yorker three years ago revealed that McCain is an avid gambler:

Wes Gullett, a close friend who worked for McCain for years, told me that they used to play craps in Las Vegas in fourteen-hour stints, standing at the tables from 10 a.m. to midnight. “Craps is addictive,” McCain remarked, and he headed for the fifteen-dollar-minimum-bet tables. “This is a very, very superstitious game,” he said. When his turn came to throw the dice, he picked them up and blew on them first.

This piece in CNN describes Obama’s long-running poker games:

Obama was a regular at the low-stakes games — sometimes stud poker, sometimes draw — designed to break up the tedium of long legislative sessions. Poker, beer and cigars were staples; Democrats and Republicans, lawmakers and even the lobbyists who Obama sometimes rails against dealt the cards and placed their bets.

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Al Carlson, manager of a guitar studio around North Bay, Canada, author of the How and Why Guitar System, and engineer-producer behind The Brazillion Girls, invented an abstract game called “Bump and Jump” which he’s now trying to sell.

His impetus for inventing the game, which is “similar to checkers and chess,” is that he thinks players like to jump pieces but don’t like to lose them. No real information is provided about the game in the source, but it sounds a lot like Chinese Checkers.

$1 of each sale is donated to benefit autistic children.

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Another day, another article showing how libraries are on full steam ahead with the board gaming movement.

The School Library Journal posts another article on all types of board games and which ones to choose based on which video games you already enjoy. Many good selections and hat tips to Board Game Geek.

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Mindy Kaling of The Office will be on hand to launch The Office DVD Game in Scranton, PA on July 19.

The first 125 customers will get to meet Mindy, writer, co-executive producer and the actress who plays Kelly Kapoor on the show. The launch will also raise funds for United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

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Two midle-aged guys from Sharon, MA want you to get excited about their game Match Me If You Can.

Taking turns, a player asks a question and writes down a list of his own answers, and the others write down their list of answers. Players get points for items on their list that match those on the asker’s.

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MM Games creates free, unauthorized print and play games themed around television shows and movies, such as Lost, Bewitched, and Shaun of the Dead.

They also have some bona fide real games to download, although you’ll have to pay for them. Their latest games are Deathville Assassin, Night of the Slasher, and Galactic Hero.

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Rapscallion, a new card game from Bezier Games, is reaching retailers. This game is based on standard poker hands, but players must bid for playing cards with special bidding cards and powerful Rapscallions. The game is recommended for 2-6 players and estimated to take 45 minutes.

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Following similar changes made to the Call of Cthulhu and A Game of Thrones CCGs (now Living Card Games), Fantasy Flight Games has decided to eliminate the blind-purchase aspect of the Mutant Chronicles Collectible Miniatures Game. Instead of randomly filled boxes whose contents are unknown until after purchase, from now on Fantasy Flight will be using window boxes. Players will know exactly what they’re purchasing.

If you ask me, these developments are long overdue. And I’m glad to see Fantasy Flight on the vanguard of this trend. I’ve been intrigued by a number of collectible games out there—miniatures in particular—but I just can’t get over the concept that I’m being asked to spend my money without being told what it’s for.

(announcement [PDF])

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During last night’s episode of television game show Million Dollar Password, actor Steve Schirripa (of HBO’s Sopranos) was challenged to find a hint for the word “dragon.” His first try, “fire,” seemed to confuse contestant Ochi. But after he next tried “dungeon,” Ochi didn’t hesitate a moment with the correct answer.

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