In honor of Independence Day here in the United States, Playthings chose the board game Patriot Challenge as its toy of the week. The game is illustrated with U.S. postage stamps and is designed to teach all the necessary elements for passing the citizenship examination. For an added measure of fun, Patriot Challenge incorporates some interactive elements, such as requiring players to sing the national anthem or pose like the Statue of Liberty.

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likecool points out Pokermate fully-automated touch-screen poker tables, eliminating cards and chips, and eliminating some types of cheating and mistakes in favor of other types of cheating and mistakes. I’m assuming that you don’t even have to actually be sitting at the table to be playing at the table.

Other downsides include not being able to read your opponents (but you may be able to see what button they’re reaching for), no chit-chat (moves are timed), no hostesses and no tips. Kind of takes all the fun out of it, I think.

likecool previously brought us the X10 flat surface poker table. On this table, the cards are face down on your screen, but when you cup your hand over them, the card images curl up.

Casinos are slowly phasing in these types of tables to replace traditional tables. Other automated tables in the industry include Axtra poker table:

and the PokerTek PokerPro:

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Jersey City, NJ: Double shooting as payback for dice game robbery. (source)

Essex, UK: (Not a criminal, but …) A kids plunges to his death falling out of a window while running down a corridor on a dare as payment for losing a game of poker. (source)

Freeport, Bahamas: Two players shot at a dominoes game. (source)

Columbia, SC: Man shot in the rear end during fight at card game. (source)

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