Sporting News, The: Fanscape - Muhammad Ali; World Series of Poker; Babolat's new tennis racquets

　　Microgaming has announced four new June launches at GIGSE 2006 – one of them based on next month’s football World Cup in Germany.

　　World Cup

　　A game that enable players to bet up to $75.00 and go after rewards through a series of Scatter, Wild and Bonus rounds that can yield as much as $12,500.

　　The referee signals ten free spins where winnings are multiplied by a factor of three and the Wild Footie ball symbol can help deliver the bonus opportunities in this game. There’s also a Free Kick Bonus, with players one-on-one with a flying goalie.

Cashanova

　　Described as, “the mother of all slots” with 5 reels and 30 pay lines, together with free spins, multipliers and multi-tiered bonus games.

　　Multihand 3 Card Poker

　　Multihand 3 Card Poker provides the gambler with a choice of playing each hand individually, or up to a maximum of 5 hands for additional speed.

　　The player can face off against the dealer by staking the Ante bet, Play bet, as well as an optional Pair Plus bet whereby the game pays out according to the rank of cards.

　　MegaSpin - Major Millions

　　Instead of playing one machine, MegaSpin puts up six, increasing their chances of hitting the big progressive jackpot.

　　Roger Raatgever, Microgaming CEO, said, 'We are proud to showcase these releases at GIGSE. They demonstrate our commitment to releasing topical and exciting games that are state of the art. The games keep our operator's offerings fresh and the player's excitement levels high. We're sure our operators and their players will love these and the rest of the games that we've lined up as part of our busy release programme for this year.'

How to ... Play poker with the big boys

Don't deny it. You're tempted. Everywhere you look there is an article about Positively Fifth Street, the story of James McManus going to cover the World Series of Poker for a magazine and playing instead, finishing fifth and winning $247,000 against the world's top pros. You think: "I could do that."

Before you hop that plane to Vegas, you better be ready. Be like Mac--read plenty of poker primers by pros David Sklansky and TJ Cloutier and practice on computer programs for countless hours. Then, when you're going head-tohead with these pros, be ready to face intimidation. The pros will push you to bet over your head or overplay your cards. Don't do it. "If the pros see you as a conservative rock who only plays pots with strong cards, they'll give you more respect than you often get in a friendly home game," McManus says. Then, when you raise them, they'll actually fold.

And don't forget poker requires lots of luck. McManus brought a half-dozen

lucky hats and kept pictures of his wife and kids in his shirt pocket or on the table. It worked for him.

From the lab to the net--French connection

If springtime in Paris sets you daydreaming about Roland Garros instead of romance, make a date with Babolat. U.S. tennis pro Andy Roddick loves Babolat's Pure Drive racket. So, when the French company came out with the VS NCT Drive (unstrung $209) and VS NCT Control ($199) aimed at us normal folks, Fanscape checked it out.

NCT stands for Nano Carbon Technology--the rackets were built with carbon tubes using nanotechnology, which is the spaceage manipulation of materials on an atomic level. Though it's strange--actually incomprehensible--that NASA scientists spend time moving molecules to improve Fanscape's forehand, the racket certainly works wonders, especially when combined with the old-fashioned natural gut strings that made Babolat famous.

With these light but well-balanced rackets, the ball stays on the strings longer, giving extra control and more spin, yet it still jumps off with zing. Getting the power of a stiff racket without the awkward can't-feel-the-ball effect apparently comes not just from nanotubes but also from Babolat's Dual Woofer shock absorbing system. Sometimes it's better not to ask.

Sultan of swap: rare Bambino jersey up for bids

There are only six known Babe Ruth Yankees uniforms, and Lelands.com is auctioning off a flannel, pinstriped one with "G.H. Ruth" stitched beneath the collar. Bids are being accepted online and by telephone until May 30; Lelands.com president Michael Heffner says the winner may have to shell out $500,000. You can get a genuine, live major league rookie for less than that.

E-mail comments or suggestions to fanscape@sportingnews.com.