Julie
05-24-2005, 08:22 PM
Hi all,
Thanks to everyone who submitted article's for this week's Write to Win topic - Your first time...playing poker. I had a lot of fun reading your articles and it was tough picking the finalists.
So, without further ado, please cast your votes to select which article will appear in this week's Extra. Remember that the winner will receive a fabulous MWI tournament ticket and a random voter will score some HP gear!
Entry #1:
One Hand Down
by SuperSub24
I stood behind my husband with shaking knees and chattering teeth as he
bullied his way around a 3/6 table taking down pot after pot from this
particular poker room's regular players. He would nudge me every so often,
and give me a wink that said "You should really sit down and play. I know
you want to." So, after about 10 minutes of listening to the melodic
clanking of the chips being thrown into the middle of the table, I was drawn
in. I bought in for $100 for my first set of chips, and found myself in
seat two with my husband in seat six.
My hands were shaking so hard I could barely set my chips up in front of me
without knocking down an entire stack. The veteran male players sized me up
and stared me down trying to get a read on this obviously rookie player as
my first hand was dealt. As I reached in front of my chips for my cards my
hands shook so badly that I almost gave the guy to my right a free look at
my hold cards. He turned his head and chuckled, giving me a reassuring grin
and adding "Don't be nervous. You'll get used to it."
I turned up my cards just enough to see that I was holding an Ad 3h. "Ok,"
I said to myself, "I can handle this one." I called the $3 bet that was
made by the kind old man in the cowboy hat to my right and waited for the
flop. Ah Ac 4c. I had to squint my eyes to make sure I saw it right. The
hand was checked to me. So I made a timid bet, placing my $3 in chips in
front of me, but shaking so hard that I nearly threw them across the table.
After two callers, the man in the cowboy hat raised. "What? Why would he
do that? There's just no way." I deliberated in my mind. I called, and the
two previous callers fold. The old man gave me a glance and laughed rather
self-assuredly. The turn came up an insignificant card to me, and I knew it
didn't help him when he checked. I bet. Another call to my right and the
river shows me a 3c. After another check from my opponent, my bet, and his
call, I flip over my cards showing my aces full as he reveals his KK.
The dealer turned to me and winked as he pushed the pot towards me. The
gentle cowboy to my right watched me arrange my chips, and whispered "See?
I was right." I lifted my head up just long enough to see my husband
grinning from ear to ear. He knew I had found my niche. I gave my opponent
a light pat on the back and a thankful smile, and finished piling my chips
just in time for the next hand to be dealt. "This is my game," I thought to
myself. "One hand down and a million to go."
Entry #2:
Our family(or cosa nostra),
by Shadrak
At the old age of 9yrs., I was finally invited to play in the family poker game.
Since i didn't have money, I was allowed to play for doing extra chores; but was told if I won, I would win real money.
The very first hand of 5 card draw, I had two pair, I bet (each chore was worth a dollar), 2 chores, my Aunt raised a dollar, I called with a chore. She asked, if I would kindly get her a beer from the ice box in the garage. When I returned, she asked what I had, I showed my pair of queens and deuces. I was very un-lucky to run into her 4 Aces! Oh well, now I owed 3 chores.
I played very cautiously, waiting for the right hand. Soon I made a two card draw to a flush. My Dad and I raised each other back and forth the pot was huge(about 30 dollars), for my 15 chores. My Dad asked what I had, I proudly showed my 9 high flush. He smiled and asked me to get him a beer from the ice box. When I returned, he showed me his Royal Flush! I was in tears. I couldn't believe my bad luck.
Finally I got dealt a monster full house (3 Aces, 2 Jacks). I could hardly control myself, with a big smile, I raised my Grandfather, a months worth of chores. Before I could lay my cards down, Grandfather asked me to get him a beer. when I came back, he asked me what I had, I proudly showed my Aces full of Jacks. I was crushed when he showed me his 5 Aces!
It just went downhill after that, every hand I had got beat. I was tired from all those trips to the garage for beer. Since we had a refrigerator in the kitchen where we played, I suggested next time, they keep the beer in that refrigerator. My Grandmother said, "My what a smart boy you are! Thats a great idea!"
The next time I was allowed to play (2 months later, when all the chores were paid off), I continued my terrible losing streak, and was really tired from making all those trips for sodas from the ice box, in the garage. I'm starting to think, we really need a bigger refrigerator.
Article #3:
My first time...playing poker
by Totter
As his fingers danced across the keyboard, the address bar in his browser revealed his latest curiosity. With the click of the ‘enter’ button, a new world opened before his eyes. Fingers shaking, eyes fixed on the screen in front of him, he scanned the page for the one magical word that will project him into an unknown world – the world of online poker.
As his eyes focused on the ‘register’ button, his heart skipped a beat as he slowly reached for the keyboard. With a click of the mouse, the monitor came alive. A few more strokes of the keyboard and his personal information was forever entrenched in a database somewhere in cyberspace.
Within 5 minutes, I pulled my cyber-self up to a $5 sit and go tournament, ready to try my hand at this wonderful new game that was in its infant stages of obsession. “A friendly bunch”, I thought, as idle chit chat was displayed in the chat box. My time at the table wasn’t long lived. I soon realized I was losing chips faster than I could hit the fold button and before long I was wishing everyone at the table a quick ‘gg’ (what I had learned in the chat dialogue to mean ‘good game’) as I exited the game. My first experience with online poker, or any poker for that matter, was quick and painful. But at the same time, I was still intrigued and pushed by the thought of some day acquiring the skills needed to keep up with those that have obviously studied the game much longer than I.
Sitting there, wondering what just happened, I reached for the power button and left that world behind…But I was to return soon enough.
Thanks to everyone who submitted article's for this week's Write to Win topic - Your first time...playing poker. I had a lot of fun reading your articles and it was tough picking the finalists.
So, without further ado, please cast your votes to select which article will appear in this week's Extra. Remember that the winner will receive a fabulous MWI tournament ticket and a random voter will score some HP gear!
Entry #1:
One Hand Down
by SuperSub24
I stood behind my husband with shaking knees and chattering teeth as he
bullied his way around a 3/6 table taking down pot after pot from this
particular poker room's regular players. He would nudge me every so often,
and give me a wink that said "You should really sit down and play. I know
you want to." So, after about 10 minutes of listening to the melodic
clanking of the chips being thrown into the middle of the table, I was drawn
in. I bought in for $100 for my first set of chips, and found myself in
seat two with my husband in seat six.
My hands were shaking so hard I could barely set my chips up in front of me
without knocking down an entire stack. The veteran male players sized me up
and stared me down trying to get a read on this obviously rookie player as
my first hand was dealt. As I reached in front of my chips for my cards my
hands shook so badly that I almost gave the guy to my right a free look at
my hold cards. He turned his head and chuckled, giving me a reassuring grin
and adding "Don't be nervous. You'll get used to it."
I turned up my cards just enough to see that I was holding an Ad 3h. "Ok,"
I said to myself, "I can handle this one." I called the $3 bet that was
made by the kind old man in the cowboy hat to my right and waited for the
flop. Ah Ac 4c. I had to squint my eyes to make sure I saw it right. The
hand was checked to me. So I made a timid bet, placing my $3 in chips in
front of me, but shaking so hard that I nearly threw them across the table.
After two callers, the man in the cowboy hat raised. "What? Why would he
do that? There's just no way." I deliberated in my mind. I called, and the
two previous callers fold. The old man gave me a glance and laughed rather
self-assuredly. The turn came up an insignificant card to me, and I knew it
didn't help him when he checked. I bet. Another call to my right and the
river shows me a 3c. After another check from my opponent, my bet, and his
call, I flip over my cards showing my aces full as he reveals his KK.
The dealer turned to me and winked as he pushed the pot towards me. The
gentle cowboy to my right watched me arrange my chips, and whispered "See?
I was right." I lifted my head up just long enough to see my husband
grinning from ear to ear. He knew I had found my niche. I gave my opponent
a light pat on the back and a thankful smile, and finished piling my chips
just in time for the next hand to be dealt. "This is my game," I thought to
myself. "One hand down and a million to go."
Entry #2:
Our family(or cosa nostra),
by Shadrak
At the old age of 9yrs., I was finally invited to play in the family poker game.
Since i didn't have money, I was allowed to play for doing extra chores; but was told if I won, I would win real money.
The very first hand of 5 card draw, I had two pair, I bet (each chore was worth a dollar), 2 chores, my Aunt raised a dollar, I called with a chore. She asked, if I would kindly get her a beer from the ice box in the garage. When I returned, she asked what I had, I showed my pair of queens and deuces. I was very un-lucky to run into her 4 Aces! Oh well, now I owed 3 chores.
I played very cautiously, waiting for the right hand. Soon I made a two card draw to a flush. My Dad and I raised each other back and forth the pot was huge(about 30 dollars), for my 15 chores. My Dad asked what I had, I proudly showed my 9 high flush. He smiled and asked me to get him a beer from the ice box. When I returned, he showed me his Royal Flush! I was in tears. I couldn't believe my bad luck.
Finally I got dealt a monster full house (3 Aces, 2 Jacks). I could hardly control myself, with a big smile, I raised my Grandfather, a months worth of chores. Before I could lay my cards down, Grandfather asked me to get him a beer. when I came back, he asked me what I had, I proudly showed my Aces full of Jacks. I was crushed when he showed me his 5 Aces!
It just went downhill after that, every hand I had got beat. I was tired from all those trips to the garage for beer. Since we had a refrigerator in the kitchen where we played, I suggested next time, they keep the beer in that refrigerator. My Grandmother said, "My what a smart boy you are! Thats a great idea!"
The next time I was allowed to play (2 months later, when all the chores were paid off), I continued my terrible losing streak, and was really tired from making all those trips for sodas from the ice box, in the garage. I'm starting to think, we really need a bigger refrigerator.
Article #3:
My first time...playing poker
by Totter
As his fingers danced across the keyboard, the address bar in his browser revealed his latest curiosity. With the click of the ‘enter’ button, a new world opened before his eyes. Fingers shaking, eyes fixed on the screen in front of him, he scanned the page for the one magical word that will project him into an unknown world – the world of online poker.
As his eyes focused on the ‘register’ button, his heart skipped a beat as he slowly reached for the keyboard. With a click of the mouse, the monitor came alive. A few more strokes of the keyboard and his personal information was forever entrenched in a database somewhere in cyberspace.
Within 5 minutes, I pulled my cyber-self up to a $5 sit and go tournament, ready to try my hand at this wonderful new game that was in its infant stages of obsession. “A friendly bunch”, I thought, as idle chit chat was displayed in the chat box. My time at the table wasn’t long lived. I soon realized I was losing chips faster than I could hit the fold button and before long I was wishing everyone at the table a quick ‘gg’ (what I had learned in the chat dialogue to mean ‘good game’) as I exited the game. My first experience with online poker, or any poker for that matter, was quick and painful. But at the same time, I was still intrigued and pushed by the thought of some day acquiring the skills needed to keep up with those that have obviously studied the game much longer than I.
Sitting there, wondering what just happened, I reached for the power button and left that world behind…But I was to return soon enough.