You'll do well to find a man or woman in Ireland these days that doesn't at least have some idea how to play poker. TV channels have discovered the public appetite for the game, with whole channels dedicated to the sport, while even RTE covered the recent Irish Poker Open. Many people are trying it for themselves, with Global websites like www.ladbrokespoker.com all finding that Ireland has more players per head than pretty much any other country. If you do take up the game, one of the first things to learn is not to get suckered in trying to hit big hands if you're a card short. The idea of drawing that last card to fill your flush or straight is very attractive, but all the while some guy across the table is sitting pretty with his top pair, happily filling the pot with your money. Occasionally a break comes your way and you get the card you're looking for, but all too often you draw dead and find yourself with no hand to speak of and a much lighter stack of chips. It's a lesson that can be applied to a lot of gambling - play the solid cards, and let the other guy pay to see if he hits the jackpot. This weekend's live Ulster Championship clash between Tyrone and Donegal is exactly that kind of game. Ladbrokes are offering 10/11 Tyrone, 5/4 Donegal and 6/1 about a drawn match, and with Donegal's recent league form, a lot of people will be drawn to backing them. Don't - Tyrone are the bet this weekend - they are the top pair. They may have had some injuries lately, but what you get with them is a team that has proven at the highest level that they can dig out wins, a team that was motivated to go back to the well after they won their county's first ever All Ireland, and a team where every player has the inner mettle to step up when needed - witness Ger Cavlan's glorious free to beat Fermanagh in Clones in the quarter final. The allure to Donegal is obvious - they have a lot of marquee forwards, they looked very stylish in winning the league and they are the fashionable team of the moment. However they took on a highly depleted Armagh in the quarter final and still needed a bad square ball decision to come through - this is not a team that has proven themselves in the white heat of Ulster Championship football. They might win this Sunday and prove themselves to be more than a good league team, but this column would be a lot happier to have the proven performers of Tyrone on their side. For our second recommendation, it's to Croke Park, but not to the big one. Doubling the above with Wexford to beat Louth at 10/11 gives aggregate odds of 13/5, odds that could easily hit. Wexford may not have won promotion, but they beat Meath and drew with Cavan and have consistently performed in the Leinster championship over the last few years. Once again, Louth might have potential, but any team that needs three games to get over Wicklow is clearly still a few cards short of being a powerful hand. Wexford's Ace Mattie Forde has them in front right now and they should stay there. TO PLACE YOUR BETS, CLICK HERE NOW LADBROKES Tweet

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