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Little boys always love a Star War birthday party. Running around and fighting with their lightsabers is all they need to enjoy themselves but you can also devise games and decorate your party to make it really special.

With some tin foil and card you can create a whole galaxy for their imaginations to run wild in and you could create a party your little boy’s friends will never forget.

Take a look at these ideas

Party Essentials

If you are throwing a party there are a few essentials you always need like plates, cups, goody bags, napkins, invitations and balloons. You can of course pick these up from most supermarkets but if you want to make your Star War party one to remember why not use themed essentials.

You can pick up all your Star War essentials plus streamers, ribbons, table clothes and cutlery all in the Star War theme

Dressing Up

There are loads of star war birthday party costumes your little boy or girl could dress up in from Darth Vader to, Princess Leia, Anakin and Yoda. Dressing up is one of the most fun parts of a Star War Party. You could ask everyone to dress as someone different because there are so many good characters.

Games

Good verses Evil

You could devise a competition for your Star War birthday party between good and evil comprising questions and activities.

Split your guests into two groups (those dressed as goodies and those dressed as baddies). You can have several rounds to this competition as follows:

Question Round

You ask questions and the first team to shout out the correct answer gets a point. You could ask star wars trivia or space questions like “what is the nearest planet to the sun?” to keep the game in theme with your party

Group Round

This is a little like a treasure hunt. First of all cut out ten pictures of Star Wars characters (goodies not baddies) and stick them onto circles of card. These can be different sizes but should be no smaller than the circumference of a mug. Place these around your garden or house in view but not in obvious places.

Explain to your guests that ten members of the Alliance (Star Wars Goodies) have gone missing. The goodies need to find them before they are captured by the baddies. The two groups must go out and find as many of the missing as they can and they get one point for each one they bring back.

Fight to the Death

This round is the same as musical bumps but you explain that it is a fight, good against evil and the last man standing gets 10 points for his or her team.

Your guests dance around and when the music stops they must sit down as quickly as they can. The last person to sit down is out of the game. The winner gets ten points and their team wins the competition.

Laura Anne Grey is a Party planner from the UK designing and creating childrens parties. You can find more birthday resources and articles as well as free printable birthday supplies at barneys-printable-birthday-cards.com barneys-printable-birthday-cards.com

It’s cold here. And, where there’s cold there’s condensation. Small droplets of water form where warm air meets a cold surface. In camera terms. That means any part of the kit that is exposed to cold air.

This explains why my viewfinder got all steamed up when I started using my camera yesterday (ok, I had left it in the boot of my car overnight). Luckily, condensation doesn’t usually signify resultant damage to the camera or lens and, after wiping the moisture away, I was able to take my intended shots.

Care should be taken though. Rough treatment of your lens with an inappropriate cloth could lead to scratches. Pooling of the water droplets around the edge of the glass could possibly seep into the lens mechanism. Not a good idea.

Most times however, you are advised to leave and store your equipment where there is warmth. You can reduce condensation by storing your camera in a good bag when it is brought in from the cold – the temperature change will be less dramatic. Luckily, most condensation will evaporate very quickly.

I always carry a soft cloth with me. This serves to remove the condensation without risking damage to the camera or lens. So far, I have not had any problems, and don’t expect any.

Condensation that forms on the lens can even be useful! It can give a nice soft focus effect for impromptu romantic images!

Eric Hartwell is an experienced photographer and owner of the photography resource website ephotocentral.com ephotocentral

Five years ago I returned to the world of photography after a 20 year absence. Then I was a ‘struggling-professional’ photographer. I gave a face to the following type jokes:

Question – What’s the difference between a professional photographer and a McDonald’s family-pack happy meal?

Answer – The happy meal can feed a family of four.

I started in photography for the love of it. Eventually, I decided that all I had to do to become a professional photographer was to pass out my business cards and wait for the telephone to ring. I confused my love of photography with success as a ‘professional photographer.’

For me, being a ‘professional photographer’ dampened all of the joy that photography had given me over the years. I took on jobs that weren’t challenging or profitable. I didn’t take the time to figure out what type of photography offered the most profit for the effort, resources and time investment. I didn’t pay attention to where my best potential customers were or how to ‘overdeliver’ on my services to them. Although I went about operating my ‘professional photography’ business with all the best of intentions, plans, enthusiasm, and commitment, I had doomed myself to predictable failure. Of course, I recognized this ‘after’ I ran out of money, enthusiasm and hope. Hindsight is often 20/20.

Now I have returned and my excitement and enthusiasm is even more intense than twenty years ago. The world of photography is exploding in growth and changing almost just as fast. Since I am older now, I should be more mature and better able to make well thought-out and researched business decisions.

The greatest aspect of current photography, for me, is technology. I prefer digital over film. Digital allows me to shoot and practice more than I could with film. Also, I can manipulate the photo to get the best image possible. Technology helps me to find information to help me make business decisions. Technology now helps me to target my potential customers and market specifically to them. Its not a hit and miss marketing exercise.

I found photography books that helped me to focus on a profitable photography niche. Prior to finding the books I had absolutely no concept of what a photography niche was or how important it is to being a successful photographer. There are many very good books about successful photography business. For me, one of the best (after my 20 year absence) was “The Business of Studio Photography” by Edward R. Lilley. His book kept me from repeating my costly mistakes of the past.

Twenty years ago I had never heard of stock photography. Now, stock photography is where I put most of my scheduled time when I am shooting for business purposes (versus shooting for my love of photography). There are a lot of books about stock photography. “Sell and Re-Sell Your Photos” and “Sellphotos.com” both by Rohn Engh, have been two of the best investments that I have ever made. I have a clearer understanding of the business of stock photography and where I fit. Stock photography is experiencing a great deal of change. Some long time stock photographers simply don’t like what is happening. Other long time stock photographers welcome the changes and adjust accordingly. Since I am relatively new to stock photography, the changes have little meaning or consequences to me. Author Michal Heron’s books “How to Shoot Stock Photos That Sell” and “Pricing Photography” were very valuable in broadening my understanding of the stock photography business. The latter book also offers pricing information for assignment photography.

One of the best aspects of the current photography world is technology. I enjoy showing my work. Photography websites allows me to show my work, to supplement my advertising/marketing and to sell my work. I had established a number of photography websites before I found one of the greatest internet ‘freebies’ for photographers. A site called Proimageguide.com gives fully operational photography websites for free! That’s right free! The free photography website has no advertising or popups! They give you a fully operational photography website for three months for free and they hope you like their service so well that you will become a paid subscriber. This free photography website is more functional than the photography websites that I pay for. The fully functional photography website that is offered by Proimageguide.com is flexible for whatever your photography niche may be, from amateur photographer to professional photographer.

“The Photographer’s Guide to Setting Up a Website” by Martyn Moore, is a great resource to assist you in understanding how to set up a photography website. The book offers free resources for photographers such as a free web site, free photography website templates, etc. The book has an accompanying website which contributes to the value of this particular resource.

If feels good to be back in the world of photography. Initially, I was overwhelmed. With the assistance of all the available information on the internet I was able to learn the current business of photography and to share it with others. For sure, the world of photography is massive and growing. I take the time to get all the information necessary to make the best business decisions. I have reversed my business success record. I actually make money in the photography business. Being back makes me a few bucks and allows me to get paid to do what I love – photography.

Kalem Aquil is the owner of a website that offers information and resources to assist all level of photographers display their work, find customers and market their photography as well as themselves as photographers.

Marketing-for-Photographers-and-Photography.com Marketing-for-Photographers-and-Photography.com

Topkapi, the movie, is a heist film which takes place at the Topkapi Palace, now a museum, in Istanbul, Turkey. It was directed by Jules Dassin and features his wife Melina Mercouri (recently Minister of Culture in Greece) of ‘Never on Sunday’ fame, which he also directed and acted in.

The museum contains a remarkable dagger encrusted with huge emeralds and many diamonds. This was the object of the heist. Peter Ustinov plays a kind of fool who is recruited to help with the heist. The movie is funny and suspenseful and features the museum as a building of unusual form and design.

One of the great attractions in the museum is The Apartment of the Holy Mantle and Sacred Relics which contains the mantle of Muhammed. If you go to Istanbul, be sure to see Topkapi and the Hagia Sophia Cathedral.

For more information, try this site:

frommers.com/destinations/print-narrative.cfm?destID=350&catID=0350020332

Or type in Topkapi in a search engine.

Here is part of a review of the movie by Daniel Fienberg:

“It’s amusing how nearly every second of Jules Dassin’s Topkapi feels familiar even if you’ve never seen the movie. To begin with, Dassin was, to some degree, parodying his own grand theft classic Rififi, which came out in 1955. But since Topkapi’s release, it has become something of a blueprint for films in the heist genre. From Brian DePalma’s explicit references in Mission: Impossible to John Woo’s gentle allusions in Once a Thief to Frank Oz’s debt of gratitude on The Score, any time a master criminal gets a gang together to steal that which can’t possibly be stolen, it’s hard not to tip your hat to Topkapi. Even Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 seems to owe as much to Dassin as to the Brat Pack original. Surely all of this idolatry has to mean something.

What it means is that *nobody* stages a robbery set-piece like Dassin. So you can rent Topkapi and sit through over an hour of stale planning and clumsy attempts at humor, but when the film has ended, somehow all of the earlier stuff has faded away and all you remember is the masterful robbery.

The opening credits of Topkapi are shot through an emerald, playing tricks with light and perspective. These tricks of the eye become a visual theme in Dassin’s film. The first character we meet calls herself Elizabeth (Melina Mercouri) and she takes us on a tour around a museum in Istanbul, pointing out the treasures of the Turkish Empire, before arriving at a bust of a sultan wearing a dagger in a shoulder holster. The dagger is studded with diamonds, but also contains the four Topkapi emeralds, flawless stones, each priceless. And Elizabeth has a plan to get that dagger.

It starts with the suave Swiss Walter (Maximilian Schell), an ultra-successful robber who insists on only one thing — the job must be done entirely be amateurs, people without police records. The first amateur brought on board is Cedric Page (Robert Morley), a Brit with a love of elaborate toys and an appreciation for complex electrical systems. Page explains that the challenge in getting the dagger comes from the ultra-sensitive alarm keyed to the floor of the museum. Even a ping pong ball is enough to set off the alarm. They set up a plan for circumventing the alarm and for no reason that I fully understood, they decide to smuggle their materials from Greece to Turkey in a fancy convertible. And then, even more confounding, they decide to get a heel to drive the car across. That heal is Arthur Simpson (Peter Ustinov), an academic now living in exile in Greece, offering tours of the local nightlife in desperation.”

You can read all of it here

epinions.com/content_77023841924

Enjoy the movie if you can find it.

Jack Wilson is a writer, artist, movie fan and traveler.

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If you’ve ever been to a regular casino you probably know that they offer various bonuses, comps and other incentives to players to keep them coming back to the casino. Unfortunately, these are often reserved for the so-called high rollers. That is not always the case however, as gamblers who play cards in a good internet poker room have found. There are great online poker bonuses available at these websites and you can begin receiving them as soon as you sign up. For example, the first of your online poker bonuses will be a nice cash amount added to the first deposit you make to your account so you start out with more money to play with.

Then once you start gambling at the site there will be even more online poker bonuses. These will consist of special prizes awarded on a daily basis, special tournament opportunities and even free entries into high dollar tournaments. Of course the online poker bonuses are just part of the reason more people every day are doing their gambling in an internet poker room. You get the convenience of being able to play whenever you want without ever leaving your own home. You also have a secure account and your winnings are paid to you promptly.

There are great choices when it comes to the games you want to play and even the types of tournaments you want to enter. You can play for high or low stakes, or anything in between. You can have it all at a good internet doylesroom.com/” title=”Poker Room poker room including convenience, security and exciting games and tournaments as well as great online poker bonuses.

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Part Four of Four Parts

The Soldiers of Nirut

The Inner Fortress of the Quiet Mound
6-26-2007

From the Journal of General Terb

“No one really knows what went on in the inside of the Fortress at ‘Quiet Mound,’ especially during the last days of the Great Battle of the Mound, in particular with Niruh, the brother of the King Nirut of Lihterb, and his companion Rognat—but of course I do, for I was the Commanding General there. I wrote this journal entry, for I fear history will overlook this battle, one of many in the scheme of all things. So I leave it in the vaults of the dungeon, for posterity’s sake, written on strong and lasting snake skin.

“We had captured Niruh and Rognat threw them in a cell deep in the dungeons of the Quiet Mound, and what I really wanted to do was cut their throats, but Lived said, ‘No! We may need them for a ransom.’ And that sounded logical, and I added: ‘I’ll take the chance’, so I said, and did.

“Then shortly thereafter, before the sun went down, we saw the great mass of Nirut´s soldiers surrounding the compound: swords, spears, bows and arrows, ropes to climb the walls, daggers in their hands, all ready for battle.

“We all rested, uneasily that evening and throughout the night, until first light, when they tried to bust down the front gate with a large tree they had cut in the Rat Forest, nearby, made it into a battling ram of sorts, and tried to rush and bust through the two foot thick wooden door of the fortress, to no avail.

“I stood on top of the tall, thick wall of the enclosure, and commanded my men to continue to shoot arrows—non stop—at the enemy below, and hideously I thought at the time, what fun it is to kill the enemy, one after another, it gets to you, you know, desensitizes you, and the more you get to watch and kill, the more you want, the less the previous kill matters, and so it often has to be more gruesome, and you watch the arrows pierce their skin, eyes, skull, watch the blood ooze out. It is how it is, not necessarily how it should be.

“Then the General, the old one that seemed always to be by Nirut´s side, he came up with an idea, where he got it I don’t know, perhaps from hell itself. Anyhow, I didn’t know of the Iron Net, not at that time, but I would shortly.

“During the Battle I glanced at the sun, it was low and hot, and the first few battles got to both armies, and then we started to fight in the cool evenings, just before twilight; them and us, we all seemed to have had the same idea—fight when it’s cool.

“In a way it was all senseless, all this bloodshed, and when we all agreed to let our prisoners go, a form of goodwill to Nirut, for inside the fortress we were tired of fighting and most wanted to go back home to the Valley of the Arrows in the Desert, most had children and wives, and we knew Nirut was like a wild dog that once he got a hold on something, he’d not let go he’d take every once of blood of every soldier he had to win, break the devil in two, if he could, we were hoping he would have not come to this conclusion yet.

“Anyhow, we agreed and so did they to this ceasefire, and I suppose it stopped the fighting for a day, or a few hours longer, not much more, and then the King of Lihterb had second thoughts, and so did his general. (We did have a feast that night in the courtyard even brought some lamb meat down to our captives.) In the meantime, King Nirut took us as a continued threat bitterly, screaming vainly for revenge outside our fortress walls—and then the net came, the iron net, right over the fortress walls, it was dropped by two spacecraft, it locked itself tightly around us, like a snake would to its prey; we had never seen anything like it before, it scared us just to experience the sight of those iron knitted chains interwoven above our heads, it was as if we were cursed.

“What could I do—I yelled passionately, ‘We’ll fight on…’ and I remember seeing the King smile, I think he wanted that, and we did fight on, what else could we do, and he killed all our men, life flies. Only I and a few others escaped, the others escaped through the Forest of Rats, which Nirut tried to avoid. I escaped on Rognat’s spacecraft a ways away in the Grasslands of the giant snakes. And so to the reader, this is my recollections of the event that took place.” Terb

See Dennis’ web site: dennissiluk.tripod.com dennissiluk.tripod.com

Attempts to gain world advantage, or national advantage, or advantage for particular groups of producers by not doing something or not allowing something to be done are now much more familiar, at all events, in this country than they were during the last half of the nineteenth century. I propose in this lecture to discuss the significance of this now dominant idea. To anyone trying to take a wide view the first thing that suggests itself is this. Throughout the realm of living things until one comes to man restriction is never found. Life goes forward with a reckless urge, not to restrict, but to expand. One species competes with another species, one member of the same species competes with another; trees and plants with innumerable seed; fish with myriads of eggs; animals, less prolific indeed, but quite prolific enough; elephants and lions innocent as Adam himself of the theory and practice of birth control. Restriction-for, of course, restriction in the sense of limitation there always is and must be - is a secondary effect of struggle.

Voluntary and deliberate restriction is utterly unknown. One might perhaps suggest as an explanation of this difference between man and other living things that there is room for restriction only in connection with exchange, and that no living things other than man engage in exchange. But neither half of this statement is exactly true. It is not only among men that exchange takes place. Bees exchange their services in conveying pollen from male to female flowers against honey provided by the flowers. The rhinoceros, I am told, carries on his shoulders small birds, which provide him with information in exchange for large supplies of what, in the rhinoceros, correspond to fleas. Perhaps we should not make too much of these animal exchanges: though you may note that neither party to them ever dreams of bettering himself by cutting down supplies. The other lapse from accuracy in the statement that I made just now is more important. It is not true that there is only room for restriction in connection with exchange. It may be found outside exchange altogether; for example, among men, in the important matter of population. Now a rhetorician, if he disliked restriction, might convince himself and, less probably, his audience, that the non-existence of restricting practices among living things other than man constitutes some sort of ethical argument against them. They are, he might say, “unnatural”, and therefore, with one of those magnificent logical leaps proper to perorations–and therefore wrong! This, of course, is mere verbiage. Elephants and lions do not deliver lectures-or attend them. This room with its electric light and, may I say, uncomfortable seats is, from their point of view, most unnatural. But, on whatever other grounds we may regret our present occupation, we need not on this ground feel any twinges of conscience.

The truth is that issues about the merits or otherwise of restriction cannot be settled either by reference to what is natural, or, indeed, by any other a priori consideration. There are a great number of different kinds of restriction, introduced for a great number of different purposes. There is no escaping the pedestrian task of distinguishing among them and examining the different kinds separately. There are, of course, many ways in which a division could be made. It is a matter of choice and convenience what kinds we shall discuss and how we shall group them. I select two kinds that lie inside the territory of exchange and one that lies outside it. The two kinds are, first, restrictions imposed, whether by themselves or with State encouragement, upon the output of particular groups of producers inside a country; secondly, restrictions imposed by the State upon trading between its citizens and foreigners. The third kind consists of mutual agreements among national States to restrict their armaments.

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Just about every dancer out there has a blooper story to tell. Bloopers are almost like a right of passage and there are a lot of us out there that are seasoned!

Bloopers can happen for many reasons; like you forgot to check your costume and make sure your snaps and hooks are sewn on tightly. I mean, when you dance every weekend and perform 2 to 4 shows in a night your costumes will start to suffer.

I had ten costumes that I checked and made sure they were ready to dance in. Then, I just started to let the “costume check” slide a little. By appearance my costumes looked good but hidden from the general public were a few pins here and there. And that, my friends, is where the bloopers come to life.

I remember I was dancing for a recreational camp for kids and there had to be at least 200 kids ranging in ages from kindergarten up to teenagers all watching me perform. Before I knew it as I was doing my favorite turn, my back straps broke and there for a few seconds were my breasts bared for everyone to see. The younger kids didn’t quite get what had happened but the older ones did. Fortunately I had my niece with me who pinned my back straps together and I went back out to continue my performance. To my dismay the group leaders were already leading the kids out of the room and only a few stayed to see me finish. I don’t think I helped our community out much at that performance. To my knowledge they haven’t invited any belly dancers back. Moral of the story: Check your snaps and hooks!

Weight fluctuation is another blooper waiting to happen. I learned the hard way that my daughter’s socks are not a good substitution for bra pads. I had lost weight and fixed one costume but not the other. I figured that socks would give me the boost I needed while being hidden from view. So I decided to wear the costume that I didn’t fix first because what did I have to fear, I had my daughters socks. But socks, as I found out, have a mind of their own.

I was dancing for a huge group of diplomats from Iran and our FBI at a local restaurant that I perform at. Everybody was yelling my name and clapping as I came out ready to dance the night away. And that was exactly what I was doing until I noticed a few grins and giggles from the audience. One man pointed to my bra and from my vantage point, my breasts and bra looked fine. But when I did a chest circle there to my horror was my daughter’s sock hanging down my right side. So I did what any professional would do, I pulled it out and threw it. Everybody laughed and applauded and I continued to dance with one big breast and one small breast. After the evening was over and everybody had left I went looking for my daughter’s sock. I couldn’t find it anywhere and even had the wait staff (who were still in hysterics) help me look for it. But it was nowhere to be found. Weeks past and I forgot about the missing sock until the owner of the restaurant told me that my sock was given to the head diplomat as a gift and reminder of his stay here. So whoever took it had it framed and presented it to him. Also to go along with the sock were 5 video cameras that captured the infamous sock rolling down my right side. So moral of this story: bra pads!

Long skirts can be a bloopers’ best friend. I like my skirts long because I am short and if my skirts are just a little above my ankles they make me look even shorter. So the bottoms of my skirts get dirty and I have to wash them a lot. I had one particularly long skirt that I just loved. It was separate from my belt and I loved this because than I could mix and match to my hearts content. Well, one evening I wore my favorite skirt for a big dinner party at a nightclub I use to dance at. The family who had the dinner party filled most of the club. They had especially asked for me and I was very honored to dance for them.

So the night began very innocently with me dancing around tables and on chairs. They even put me up on the tables a few times. It’s amazing what your skirt can get caught on. There I was dancing and just finishing up my drum solo when I decided I wanted to end on stage. So I jumped down off the table and began to stroll over to the stage only to realize that my skirt didn’t want to come with me. As my audience tried to get me unstuck my skirt somehow got pulled down and was close to my knees. (Thank God I had on matching underwear). Finally my skirt was pulled free and I gracefully pulled my skirt up and was able to finish the last minute of my show. The family loved the little drama and said that they would remember that night for a long time. The moral of this story: Stay on the stage and don’t dance on tables!

Props can either be friend or foe. Sometimes I really believe my veil, cane or sword is on the side of the bloopers. You know how it is, you practice in the studio or home and everything goes great but as soon as you get out and perform something bizarre happens to your prop. I have often wondered if my props were possessed. It’s amazing how your veil will get caught on your costume or how your cane flies out of your hand. My sword was better behaved but would occasionally act up.

One evening in Fort Worth I was dancing in a very crowded restaurant and I was dancing with my cane. Everybody was enjoying themselves and the owner of the restaurant was sitting at a table not far from our little stage. I was twirling the heck out of my cane when to my surprise the cane flew out of my hand and landed on the restaurant owners lap. The whole restaurant applauded and yelled for more. So I slowly went up to the restaurant owner and asked for my cane and he gave it back to me with an amused look on his face. Fortunately for me my cane music was almost over and I didn’t have to try for another amazing encore with my cane. So the moral of this story: If you mess up with your prop, make it look good!

The last of the bloopers are the hidden kind. You know, the kind that don’t show themselves until you are on stage dancing and then you realize that the stage is uneven or worse you just stepped on something that feels very slimy. And let’s not forget the shrinking stage.

Let’s face it, when we get hired to dance at a party or event, we can’t always check the stage out beforehand. I remember when I was hired for a party and I asked how big was the space where I was dancing and they replied that it was a good-sized space, at least half of a room. So I choreographed a dance accordingly to what I was told. Well, my stage was 4ft by 3ft. and by a raging fire in a fireplace with little kids sitting all around me. My choreography changed immediately and I was amazed that I didn’t pass out from the heat.

The uneven stage is the one blooper that hides itself very well. I have been on stages that looked even but when I danced on them turned me into a lopsided sideshow. I remember at this one restaurant that whenever I would spin that I would slowly but surely spin into a table on the right side of the stage each time. I would stop at that table just before I’d loose it. I finally asked the other dancers if they did the same thing and they all replied yes. Thank God! Who wants to be lopsided alone? The slimy story gives me shivers up my spine so I think I’ll pass on it. Besides I think you can visualize the scenario without me giving you the details.

So these are just a few of my blooper stories. The one thing I realized throughout my 22 years in dance is that even though we all strive for perfection in our dance, the bloopers keep us grounded. Sometimes I think back and have to laugh at the dumb and embarrassing things that have happened to me. If you can laugh at yourself then you have just given yourself a wonderful gift. Laughter keeps us humble and it keeps us healthy. So keep on laughing and keep on dancing!

Leyla Najma of Albuquerque, NM has been performing as a professional Belly Dancer for 22 years. She offers workshops, private classes and has recently started producing a series of shows called “Cleopatras Courst” as benefits for local organizations. Leyla can be reached at mailto:leyla@leyla-najma.com leyla@leyla-najma.com, or leyla-najma.com leyla-najma.com

Poker hand rankings are one of the most important aspects of any poker game. When playing online poker, especially fast online poker games such as Texas Holdem Poker, you need to be able to quickly discern which cards are needed to create a better poker hand.

Beginners often find themselves losing their first few games by not being able to identify which cards offer the best opportunities to build a really strong hand. It’s fairly simple to understand the poker hand rankings if you just take a little time to study them.

Remember that when you’re playing Texas Hold’em poker you are trying to create the best 5-card poker hand from a total of 7 cards. There are 2 hole or pocket cards and 5 communal cards. You may use any combination to create your best hand. You may even use all five communal cards.

These are the Poker Hand Rankings :

Royal Flush :
This hand is unbeatable, the highest ranking hand possible. A Royal Flush is made of 5 cards of the same suit, Ten through to Ace. Ten; Jack; Queen; King; Ace - must be the same suit.

Straight Flush :

This hand is not as strong as the royal flush but just as rare. A straight flush made up of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. For example 6-10, 3-7 or Ace-5 (an ace can play both high and low in straights)

Four-of-a-kind :

This refers to any hand containing four similar cards, such as 4 Kings, 4 Tens, or 4 threes.

Full House :
A full house occurs when you have Three-of-Kind and a Pair. For instance, 3 sevens and 2 fives forms a Full House.

Flush :
A flush is any five cards of the same suit. The cards may be in any order, if they were in succession it would be a straight flush.

Straight :
A Straight is five cards of any suit in succession. Straights are very common in Holdem Poker.

Three-of-a-kind :
This is any three similar cards of any suit. For instances 3 kings, 3 seven or 3 fives…

Read more: texas-holdem-net.com/poker-hand-rankings.html Poker Hand Rankings

Stanley Majors is an experienced online poker journalist who writes articles on a range of poker topics.
His numerous articles found on texas-holdem-net.com Texas Holdem Net ,provide useful and factual poker information and insight.

Are you ready to take the jump from amateur photography to professional?

Amateur photography as a hobby serves many important purposes in life. This is true regardless of your amateur status - every day millions of great images are captured by young and old amateur photographers around the world and end up never being seen by anyone.

We all like to take images during special occasions, or when we go on holidays we like to record the special event. Did you ever consider publishing your best work on the web?

Most amateur photographers would like to be able to sell their work. Knowing where and how will certainly give you a helpful start.

Taking the jump from amateur photography to professional or semi-professional photography isn’t easy and will seem like a daunting task at the best of times. The following is a guide to help you if you are ready to take the jump.

You don’t need a collection of hundreds of images to start selling. If you have a collection of twenty good images, you’re off to a good start.

The first step is to create an online portfolio or Website. If your photography interests involve landscape, wildlife or any images that can also be sold as framed prints, create an online credit card facility so that visitors to your website have the option of buying.

The next step is to submit images and your website details to companies that might use your work. Contact local newspapers and local advertising companies that may suit your photography interest.

One of the greatest fears with amateur photographers is seeing the rejection slip coming in the door. This should not turn you off, if you feel your images are good enough - submit them to other companies - every photographer receives rejection sometime during their career.

One of the greatest lessons that any amateur photographer can learn is that you must study a selective photography market. If your photography interest is fashion - study the fashion industry - buy different magazines on a weekly and monthly basis. Know the standard of work submitted by other professional photographers.

You must be your own hardest and toughest critic. If you think that your photographs are “just ok” then they are not good enough. You must be truthful to yourself. Once you are satisfied that your images are good enough, you can start submitting, and with a little bit of luck the first steps on the road to a new career will have begun.

Seeing an image published for the first time will give you a great feeling. Seeing your images being published on a regular basis will give you a new lease of life.

The road from amateur photography to professional photography involves a lot of hard work, but if you are willing to put in the work your amateur status will certainly become history.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer. For more tips you can visit his goldprints.com/ photography directory. To view his images visit his on-line gallery of goldenirishlight.com/ flower pictures or see his trovoo.com/ travel site.