Hollay
11-23-2005, 01:11 PM
Vote for your favorite entry in this week's Write to Win contest and you're automatically entered into a draw to win Hollywood Poker gear!
If you'd like to submit to Write to Win, all you have to do is write an article, poem, short-story (whatever genre you please) on the weekly topic and send it to hollay@hollywoodpoker.com. If your submission qualifies for the finals, it will be posted here, in the Center Stage section of the Green Room, where your fellow players will vote for their favorite. The person whose submission gets the most votes scores a tournament ticket that can be used for the Michael Woods Celebrity Invitational or the Hollywood Poker Celebrity Classic! :waytogo:
Next week's topic is included at the bottom of this post.
This week's entries:
Entry #1
The "bluff" is why I play poker. You see, I'm the guy who bluffed his way through high-school, college, on to jobs, into women's beds, backstage to Def Leopard concerts, into bars under-aged, and out of speeding tickets to name a few. I'm 33 now, and it has all really amounted to nothing more than a guy who has lived his life completely full of s#!+.
The luxury of the bluff, only exists for me at a poker table now. In the name of justice and equality, I always had the reputation of being a bully’s bully. I find that the easiest person to bluff, is the person who is trying to bluff you. I take pleasure in bluffing the money out of those who are trying to earn it based on some self -perceived psychological prowess that they think they are exercising over the table. Fact is, they only bluff they are pulling, is really on themselves.
My best bluff ever? Who knows. They all have the same impact on me.
It has never been about the money, so the size of my bluffed pots are not even relevant. I'm just looking to stick it to someone personally who is trying to stick it to others. Poker is my revenge on those who like to push people around. Yes - I get pushed around as well, but when I get to do it, it all seems worth it. I must say though, that I'm taking my lumps right now, martyrdom hurts. Perhaps one day I will wise up and champion a cause that is actually worth something. Maybe I'll join the Peace Corp, or perhaps Green Peace or something...nah, I'll just keep playing poker. After all, my best bluff ever seems to be the bluff I'm running on myself that justifies my poker playing.
~MinnesotaRon
Entry #2
Playing Bad-Excellently
I was playing 10-20 hold’em at the 2000 WSOP. I had played for two hours and was stuck $200. Everything was going bad though I was playing solidly. Playing good-good was getting me nowhere.
To change things up I decided to play some marginal hands very strongly, build some pots, and try to get lucky.
I started by calling in 1st position with 6/9 of diamonds. It was raised by the player in the five seat and four players called. I re-raised and everyone again called. The flop brought a rainbow 773. I bet and the 5 seat raised. Only one other player called. I re-raised and they called. The turn was an 8. I bet and only the 5 seat called. A dream 6 came on the end. I got a lot of strange looks and a few snickers when I declared a straight to beat my opponent’s QQ. The game was on.
Beginning with this hand, there were approximately 50 hands dealt in an 80-minute period. It was what amateurs visiting Las Vegas dream of. I played 25 hands. Each time I played I either raised or re-raised before the flop. I won all 18 hands that I saw the turn on.
The only pair I had during this stretch was 99--- 4 times. I won with it each time. Twice making big hands, but twice winning with 2 over cards on board and no improvement.
Four times I had AK or AQ. I never won once. I never folded my big blind before the flop. I won 10 other hands playing some hands you won’t see recommended in any poker book:
1. With A,J I turned a full house.
2-3. With 4,6 of clubs, I made a flush on the end the first time. The 2nd time I made a straight flush on the end to beat a full house and the Ace high flush.
4. With the 2 of clubs and 4 of spades I raised and had only one caller. The flop was A,J,10 with two clubs. I bet and got raised. The turn was the 9 of clubs. He bet and I called. The last card was the 6 of clubs. My opponent checked, I bet. He made a crying call. My flush beat his K,Q.
5. I raised with the A,3 of diamonds and got 3 callers. The flop was 9,9,7 with two hearts and a spade. I bet and everyone called. The turn was the 4 or spades. The first two players checked, I checked, and the last player bet. Everyone called. The river was the 7 of diamonds. Everyone checked. My Ace high beat the K,4 of hearts, 10,8, and K,Q of spades.
6. I had 10,5 of spades in the big blind. Two spades flopped and I made a flush on the end to win a jammed up $500 pot.
7-10. During this stretch. the same lady had begun hands with Aces, Kings, and Queens in the hole. Each time she lost--to my straight, to my flush, and to my full house.
She was quite upset and had been berating my play and me. My last hand she and I again went head to head. I had 4,6 again and the flop was 5,5,7 with two diamonds. I bet, she raised, everyone else folded, and I re-raised. She called. The turn was the 9 of hearts. I bet and was called. The river was the 7 of clubs. I checked. My opponent quickly bet. I looked at my hand a second. I was playing the board but could she have a busted flush draw. I smiled as I put in my raise and said, “Sorry I almost overlooked my hand”. My opponent angrily threw the A,K of diamonds face up in the muck and said, “You are luckiest and the worst player I’ve ever seen. You really play BAD”. As I stacked my 5 racks of red chips and prepared to head off to a super-satellite, I could not resist turning over my 4,6 off suit and replying, “ Yes, but don’t I do it excellently?”
~SBTrue
Next week's Write to Win topic: Poker: A winter sport.
If you'd like to submit to Write to Win, all you have to do is write an article, poem, short-story (whatever genre you please) on the weekly topic and send it to hollay@hollywoodpoker.com. If your submission qualifies for the finals, it will be posted here, in the Center Stage section of the Green Room, where your fellow players will vote for their favorite. The person whose submission gets the most votes scores a tournament ticket that can be used for the Michael Woods Celebrity Invitational or the Hollywood Poker Celebrity Classic! :waytogo:
Next week's topic is included at the bottom of this post.
This week's entries:
Entry #1
The "bluff" is why I play poker. You see, I'm the guy who bluffed his way through high-school, college, on to jobs, into women's beds, backstage to Def Leopard concerts, into bars under-aged, and out of speeding tickets to name a few. I'm 33 now, and it has all really amounted to nothing more than a guy who has lived his life completely full of s#!+.
The luxury of the bluff, only exists for me at a poker table now. In the name of justice and equality, I always had the reputation of being a bully’s bully. I find that the easiest person to bluff, is the person who is trying to bluff you. I take pleasure in bluffing the money out of those who are trying to earn it based on some self -perceived psychological prowess that they think they are exercising over the table. Fact is, they only bluff they are pulling, is really on themselves.
My best bluff ever? Who knows. They all have the same impact on me.
It has never been about the money, so the size of my bluffed pots are not even relevant. I'm just looking to stick it to someone personally who is trying to stick it to others. Poker is my revenge on those who like to push people around. Yes - I get pushed around as well, but when I get to do it, it all seems worth it. I must say though, that I'm taking my lumps right now, martyrdom hurts. Perhaps one day I will wise up and champion a cause that is actually worth something. Maybe I'll join the Peace Corp, or perhaps Green Peace or something...nah, I'll just keep playing poker. After all, my best bluff ever seems to be the bluff I'm running on myself that justifies my poker playing.
~MinnesotaRon
Entry #2
Playing Bad-Excellently
I was playing 10-20 hold’em at the 2000 WSOP. I had played for two hours and was stuck $200. Everything was going bad though I was playing solidly. Playing good-good was getting me nowhere.
To change things up I decided to play some marginal hands very strongly, build some pots, and try to get lucky.
I started by calling in 1st position with 6/9 of diamonds. It was raised by the player in the five seat and four players called. I re-raised and everyone again called. The flop brought a rainbow 773. I bet and the 5 seat raised. Only one other player called. I re-raised and they called. The turn was an 8. I bet and only the 5 seat called. A dream 6 came on the end. I got a lot of strange looks and a few snickers when I declared a straight to beat my opponent’s QQ. The game was on.
Beginning with this hand, there were approximately 50 hands dealt in an 80-minute period. It was what amateurs visiting Las Vegas dream of. I played 25 hands. Each time I played I either raised or re-raised before the flop. I won all 18 hands that I saw the turn on.
The only pair I had during this stretch was 99--- 4 times. I won with it each time. Twice making big hands, but twice winning with 2 over cards on board and no improvement.
Four times I had AK or AQ. I never won once. I never folded my big blind before the flop. I won 10 other hands playing some hands you won’t see recommended in any poker book:
1. With A,J I turned a full house.
2-3. With 4,6 of clubs, I made a flush on the end the first time. The 2nd time I made a straight flush on the end to beat a full house and the Ace high flush.
4. With the 2 of clubs and 4 of spades I raised and had only one caller. The flop was A,J,10 with two clubs. I bet and got raised. The turn was the 9 of clubs. He bet and I called. The last card was the 6 of clubs. My opponent checked, I bet. He made a crying call. My flush beat his K,Q.
5. I raised with the A,3 of diamonds and got 3 callers. The flop was 9,9,7 with two hearts and a spade. I bet and everyone called. The turn was the 4 or spades. The first two players checked, I checked, and the last player bet. Everyone called. The river was the 7 of diamonds. Everyone checked. My Ace high beat the K,4 of hearts, 10,8, and K,Q of spades.
6. I had 10,5 of spades in the big blind. Two spades flopped and I made a flush on the end to win a jammed up $500 pot.
7-10. During this stretch. the same lady had begun hands with Aces, Kings, and Queens in the hole. Each time she lost--to my straight, to my flush, and to my full house.
She was quite upset and had been berating my play and me. My last hand she and I again went head to head. I had 4,6 again and the flop was 5,5,7 with two diamonds. I bet, she raised, everyone else folded, and I re-raised. She called. The turn was the 9 of hearts. I bet and was called. The river was the 7 of clubs. I checked. My opponent quickly bet. I looked at my hand a second. I was playing the board but could she have a busted flush draw. I smiled as I put in my raise and said, “Sorry I almost overlooked my hand”. My opponent angrily threw the A,K of diamonds face up in the muck and said, “You are luckiest and the worst player I’ve ever seen. You really play BAD”. As I stacked my 5 racks of red chips and prepared to head off to a super-satellite, I could not resist turning over my 4,6 off suit and replying, “ Yes, but don’t I do it excellently?”
~SBTrue
Next week's Write to Win topic: Poker: A winter sport.