The trick is to know exactly when to deal.

It sparked an argument in a local household when an elderly gent was offered close on the 20 grand he'd gone on the show to win so he could make adaptations to accommodate his wheelchair-bound son-in-law.
"Cowl," cried the gambler in this house. Cowl, by the way, is what punters call anybody who fails to back anything stronger than a pair of twos at poker.

"Just right," argued the lady of the house. "Sure people have turned down big offers and left with pennies."

Even Noel, who usually sides with the contestants, reckoned this bloke had thrown in the towel too early. But though the offers continued to increase to over £70,000 as the boxes were opened one-by-one, the big numbers suddenly disappeared and it turned out the contestant had been right all along.

He had nothing more than 50 pence in his box, which is what he'd have won if he'd been greedy and rejected the successive offers.
A lesson for life, methinks.

A FRIEND was telling me that her son wasn't too impressed when he received a prospectus from a university "across the water".

He apparently had filled his name in on a form at a recent careers event and duly received a hefty publication packed with information about the educational establishment in the post.

However, despite having his full Co Antrim address and BT postcode, the university had finished off the address with "Republic of Ireland".
Now, doesn't that say a lot about the standard of their teaching?

I HEAR that quite a few energetic swimmers may well be making a splash for charity over at Larne Leisure Centre in the next day or two.

The annual Swimathon aims to raise £1.8 million for Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Swimathon Foundation – the Larne venue is one of more than 500 pools lined up for the nationwide event this year.

So, well done to all who have signed up and happy swimming!

CALLING all Arsenal fans.

Yes, I know you've been through the mill of late and you're probably thinking fondly of the good old days when the Gunners called the shots in the Premiership. When legends like Henry, Bergkamp, Keown, Dixon, Adams, Seaman and Ljungberg were in their pomp.

Well, if you're into memorabilia there's an opportunity to buy a substantial piece of Highbury history – a framed home shirt signed by the above players and more (18 in all), which comes complete with a match ticket stub and VIP pass by way of authentication.

The date is October 1, 2000 when Arsenal beat Manchester United with a single Henry goal.

Other players in the squad that day included Silvinho, Luzhny, Grimandi, Parlour and Kanu.

It's being sold off to raise funds for Friends For Romania, a cross-community group based at Cambridge House and St Louis grammar schools in Ballymena which visits orphanages in the eastern European country frequently, to distribute much-needed aid.

Highest bid at the time of going to press was £250.

Interested? Ring 07955 695 870 for details.

I WONDER how much marital strife is being caused by Larne Borough Council?

Now, before imaginations start to run riot, I will explain that I'm talking about how the ever-increasing demands for householders to recycle could be causing tension in homes throughout the borough.

I've heard that some folk are just not as interested in recycling as their partners, bringing about an almost daily opportunity for arguments and accusations.

"Who put that plastic bottle in the grey bin?" one side could accuse. Or how about: "Why do you always leave it to me to wash out the cans?"
I'm not even going into the depths of whose responsibility it is to take cardboard drinks cartons to Redlands!

So, how does your partner rank in the recycling compatibilty test? If he or she isn't up to the necessary standard, then perhaps Smiley Buildings could run some "counselling" sessions!

A CHARITY walk from Shane's Hill to Slemish mountain has raised over £2,000 for Cruse Bereavement Care.

The organisation offers counselling and support services for anyone affected by a bereavement. A total of £2,356 was raised.

Around 40 people, many from Larne, turned out for the five-hour walk last month, according to organiser Tom Alexander. The one-off event was so successful, he said, that the charity plans to repeat the fundraiser next year.

"We will be doing it again – it was a great turnout," he said.
To contact Cruse Bereavement in the East Antrim area you can call 028 2766 6686.

IT'S not every day you see a heading like this – "Police warn of ... copper thefts"

It brought a smile when it arrived as part of the weekly round-up of all things criminal sent to the Times every week by the local constabulary.

So who are they warning? Themselves? Do you know any coppers who have been stolen? Have they been, shall we say, nicked? Keep your eyes peeled.