Hollay
12-14-2005, 12:04 PM
There were tons of great entries this week, so we have a few more entries than usual.
They're ALL worth the read!
Vote for your favorite and you're automatically entered into a draw to win Hollywood Poker gear.
The person who's entry receives the most votes will win a tournament ticket that can be used for the Michael Woods Celebrity Invitational or the Hollywood Poker Celebrity Classic.
Next week's topic is given at the bottom of this post, so if you want to submit to Write to Win, please e-mail your entry to me at hollay@hollywoodpoker.com.
Entry #1
Poker, fashion and the happily married man.
You've finally got a chance to go out and play some cards, so you start to cover your bases. The kids are taken care of, your wife gives you the go ahead (reluctantly, but you take what you can get), and you only have a few things left to take care of. This is where fashion becomes a critical factor in order to take full advantage of your poker experience.
Our first concern is where to conveniently hide the cell phone (as in "Sorry honey, I must have left it in my other jacket pocket"). This is to ensure that there are no interruptions at 2:30 am to inquire as to your whereabouts when you're invariably chip leader and sitting on the nut flush. Plans must be taken earlier in the day. Wear an alternate jacket so that you look and appear normal as you leave for the big game with your regular one. Fortunately you won't need multiple jackets to accomplish this security measure, as this ruse usually works only once or twice. The wallet of course must come complete with various folds and tucks in which to hide your expendable cash. It must be pliable, yet inconspicuous when opened in front of your loving spouse. Now let's not kid ourselves, every wife knows that we have such hiding places for our money, so the wallet must come complete with at least three of these spots - one of which is very inconspicuous. Depending on the length of your marriage, you may have already had to come up with alternate hiding places which might not reside in the wallet. Before the wives get too awfully upset about this, think about where you've hidden the cash we don't know about. Say you don't have the available space in your wallet - you'll of course have to become industrious and inventive. This is where footwear becomes important. If hiding your poker stash in a shoe, you'll need to purchase insoles. Not only does it conceal your money at home when you're not wearing them, but it is infinitely more considerate to the players that will be handling the cash at the end of the night when it emerges from your shoe. On the other hand, if they're handling your money it probably means that they have it, so there's less of a need to be considerate. It's a personal call.
While many experienced players are understandably concerned with the table image that their wardrobe helps to establish, we married men must also be concerned with more practical applications. If we plan to make it home with as little fallout as possible, our anticipated behavior at the event must be taken into account and addressed accordingly.
The following questions must be asked: What will I be eating and will I spill it on myself? Stick with the colors of the anticipated food. Most games have wings and pizza, if you're sloppy then consider red.
How much will I be drinking and how likely will I be to spill a drink on myself? If it's likely, then dark colors and synthetics are appropriate. If one has the capacity for total inebriation and often gets sick on themselves, then Hawaiian patterns prove to be more effective at concealing the results.
So here I am, ready to take on the world, all my basis covered. As I walk out of the house, phoneless jacket over a synthetic, dark Hawaiian shirt, my poker stash securely stored under an insole, I pause only to retrieve my baseball hat and sunglasses just so I can present to my opponents the image of the fearless, seasoned poker pro I pretend I really am.
See you guys at the tables!
~Mr. B. I. G.
Entry #2
There are words that go together, like apple pie and ice-cream, hold'em and fold'em, hugs and kisses, even Vince and Jimmy. But poker and fashion? Never would you think those two things would make such a combination.
If you have ever taken the time to surf the web or watch a poker game on TV or maybe checked out the latest in a poker magazine lately, then you know - poker and fashion together are as lucrative as online poker these days.
Where you have Doyle's cowboy hat and western duds, there is the Unibombers hooded sweatshirt and glasses, right down to Card-Sharx's T slogan of "Who needs a woman when you got a good hand" (Honey rolls her eyes!) not to mention "What’s your favorite position?" Can you imagine the poker knowledge you would get for wearing that tank top ladies?
And did you know that at the last World Series, online poker sites offered up to $5,000 to players who would wear their gear at a televised final table? Unreal hu? Some big MONEY in poker and fashion! I bet if the "Gambler" Kenny had of only known then what is known now, he wouldn't only HOLD'em, he would have SOLD'em too!
But all that is talking clothing. To me, there is only one true poker fashion. The real, true poker fashion! The purest fashion of them all.
That being your POKER STYLE. I call that P.L.A.Y.S.
Goes like this!
P=Poker Etiquette
L= Language
A= Attitude
Y= Your limit (accountability)
S= Style
You can dress like a pauper and play like a poker pro or dress like a goddess and play like a tyrant and talk like a troll.
Clothing might put you in the top fashion of Vogue but it won't make your STYLE - only your POKER P.L.A.Y.S. will give you that.
Poker and Fashion is a huge business. Poker has been around forever and so has clothing. We have seen changes in both of them over the years. I hope that poker never loses the romantic respect of it's STYLE (PLAYS ) that it has always portrayed with such grace and elegance. That is the best poker fashion of all!
Remember: dress in your best poker fashion possible. It doesn't cost a lot to see the best P.L.A.Y.S. in Hollywood!
- - Honey - -
Entry #3
Bueno Bono
For many years I was in the sporting goods business. Warm-ups or jogging suits were a big part of my business. I sold many of my poker buddies and others warm-ups when I came to town for a tournament.
My wife summed it up best when we were watching a WSOP final table where over half the players had on my warm-ups. “You may not be remembered for your play,” she opined accurately, “but you have had a significant affect on poker fashion.”
During the 1992 World Series of Poker, top tournament player John Bonetti was looking over my selections and he was very interested in a beautiful, but expensive ($155), warm-up for his wife. After some deliberation, he decided to wait and possibly get it later. I suggested that I trade him the warm-up for apiece of him in that day’s seven-card stud high-low tournament. The tournament entry fee was $1550. The $155 cost of the warm-up was exactly 10% of his entry fee, but I offered to take only 7% since a discount seemed warranted based on his outstanding tournament record. In his own “Bono” style-- he considered, he calculated, he talked to himself, and he finally turned down my offer,
“Forgettaboutit, not going to happen.”
As fate would have it, later that day I was seated next to him at the start of the 195 player tournament. I offered the trade on the warm-up to him again and again he passed. The first two hours of the tournament John won very few pots and lost half his initial chips. At this point, the players received a ten-minute tournament break. John caught up with me as I headed outside for some fresh air. He said in his own inimitable style, “Hey big guy, still want to trade for that warm-up?” I smiled and pondered his offer. Considering his position was substantially worse than when I made the offer, I thought of negotiating a better deal or better yet responding, “Forgettaboutit, not going to happen”. On the other hand, I had a very good feeling about Bono’s chances. I decided that stuffing my ego away and leaving a little on the negotiating table was okay and said “Sure John, even though you’re a little low on chips, you’re always a threat to win.”
John won a big pot on the first hand after the break with aggressive and brilliant play. Shortly thereafter, he showed the other well-known Bono trait: Amazing luck at crucial times. In a hand against Eskimo Clark, Bono started with ABC and Eskimo check-raised him on third and fourth streets with rolled up sixes. Bono picked up a useless nine and ten on fourth and fifth streets. Eskimo got a deuce and trey. On fifth street Eskimo bet all-in and Bono thought for several minutes before calling. (John later explained that he only called because Eskimo was all in and he felt the pot odds just barely justified it). A miracle four and five came to make a wheel and eliminate Eskimo who failed to fill up.
There was no stopping him after that. At about 3 AM, only Bono and two less experienced players remained. However, Bono had only 26% of all the chips (his opponents each had about 37%). At that point, they took a break to discuss a deal to split the prize money. If they made no deal and played to the end, first place would get $100,000; second place would receive $50,000; and third place would get $25,000.
When the meeting was over, John came over to me smiling and said, “I told them I was the best player and even if I had less chips, I wanted an even three way split of all the money or they could ‘forgettaboutit, not going to happen.’ They took it.”
John’s playing and negotiating skills had given me my most profitable warm-up sale ever--$4000. Bueno Bono!
~ SBTrue
Entry #4
Poker and fashion? Ha! In the same sentence! Well you know - we are a sport, aren't we?
I mean all the sports have a certain kind of apparel associated with them, so why can't we?
Football has those cool jerseys that keep you warm and go well with sweats or a pair of jeans.
Basketball has the colored tank tops with the player’s names and the cool shoes known as Nike Jordans.
Baseball has the stylish and practical baseball caps that we all find a use for and then of course there is soccer, but who watches soccer? Relax soccer heads -only joking!
Seriously though, who does watch soccer?
So what is poker apparel/fashion and what can we do to improve it? Well the sunglasses are fashion and you have to agree that nothing looks more stylish than a poker face hidden behind a pair of stylin’ shades.
Then there is the cap; a great companion of the sunglasses and perfect for those bad hair days. Not to mention even better for those no hair days. (That is to all my brothers with their solar powered sex machine bald spots).
Finally there are the shirts. My god - the shirts. The good luck ones, the no-need-to-iron ones, the ‘I'll tell the world I am a gambler’ ones with just embarrassing cards and colors thrown all over them. Now these can be improved. In fact let's make some rules.
Rules:
1. No shirt may be worn more than 24hrs
2. If wearing a shirt more than 24 hours, please make sure they are equipped with built in holes in the armpit section to give some air filtration.
3. After 24hours of playing you must make the obligatory restroom run to brush teeth, wash armpit, throw water on face and change shirt.
4. Fresh shirts may be purchased at the gift shop and under these conditions bad taste memorabilia shirts shall be allowed.
As for the ladies, it is smart strategy and preferred that if you have been gifted with a seductive cleavage, then you should display that beauty thru a tight, low cut top to be sure to promote whatever site or business you are promoting. This is good for many reasons which I shall list below.
1. It gives you ladies an advantage playing us because we certainly can't concentrate under those conditions.
2. It makes the other ladies feel like they should be wearing the same and we definitely encourage that.
3. It's good for "good old USA business promotions."
4. If not so lucky as to be cleavage friendly, I would advise the even trickier see-through top without a bra. Also a great advantage at the table. :)
In conclusion we are a fashion entity filled with shameless self promotion, practical and comfortable clothing. Who needs Hollywood fashion when you have everyday poker wear?
~lostinlasveg
Entry #5
Perception: Poker and Fashion
I never gave two cents to what folks wore when they played poker. As long as they had the money, that's all I cared about. But as time went on, I realized just how much fashion could play in how you were perceived in this game called poker.
I mean, if you dress like a bum, male or female, don't take a shower, have an odor emanating from yourself, and have brown teeth, then you're most likely to be accepted as an individual who doesn't care about themselves or others. Take note. You will be called by everyone and eliminated from the game.
If you wear a tux, or a wedding gown, and you're flaunting your gold and silver jewelry, and/or you speak with a foreign accent when you really don't have a foreign accent, you will be perceived as someone who has either just escaped from an institution, or, someone who is just entering an institution. Take note. You will be called by everyone and eliminated from the game.
If you dress like a normal person, with clean clothes, decent teeth, and a nice hairstyle, you may go unnoticed and have a better chance of bluffing. You will also have an opportunity to temporarily leave the table to visit with other players to talk about fashion and people who dress like bums or royalty. Usually this is done at the bar.
In closing, I firmly believe and suggest you dress not too shabby, or not too glitzy. It also might help your game if you wear an "I Gave To The Red Cross" button on your lapel, walk with a limp, or open your shirt/blouse displaying a hairy chest and a Sicilian Gold Horn chain necklace, or all of the above. This applies to both males and females - or these days, anything in between. I've played poker with them all.
Good luck!
~KietoFrito
Next week's Write to Win topic: Holiday Homegames.
They're ALL worth the read!
Vote for your favorite and you're automatically entered into a draw to win Hollywood Poker gear.
The person who's entry receives the most votes will win a tournament ticket that can be used for the Michael Woods Celebrity Invitational or the Hollywood Poker Celebrity Classic.
Next week's topic is given at the bottom of this post, so if you want to submit to Write to Win, please e-mail your entry to me at hollay@hollywoodpoker.com.
Entry #1
Poker, fashion and the happily married man.
You've finally got a chance to go out and play some cards, so you start to cover your bases. The kids are taken care of, your wife gives you the go ahead (reluctantly, but you take what you can get), and you only have a few things left to take care of. This is where fashion becomes a critical factor in order to take full advantage of your poker experience.
Our first concern is where to conveniently hide the cell phone (as in "Sorry honey, I must have left it in my other jacket pocket"). This is to ensure that there are no interruptions at 2:30 am to inquire as to your whereabouts when you're invariably chip leader and sitting on the nut flush. Plans must be taken earlier in the day. Wear an alternate jacket so that you look and appear normal as you leave for the big game with your regular one. Fortunately you won't need multiple jackets to accomplish this security measure, as this ruse usually works only once or twice. The wallet of course must come complete with various folds and tucks in which to hide your expendable cash. It must be pliable, yet inconspicuous when opened in front of your loving spouse. Now let's not kid ourselves, every wife knows that we have such hiding places for our money, so the wallet must come complete with at least three of these spots - one of which is very inconspicuous. Depending on the length of your marriage, you may have already had to come up with alternate hiding places which might not reside in the wallet. Before the wives get too awfully upset about this, think about where you've hidden the cash we don't know about. Say you don't have the available space in your wallet - you'll of course have to become industrious and inventive. This is where footwear becomes important. If hiding your poker stash in a shoe, you'll need to purchase insoles. Not only does it conceal your money at home when you're not wearing them, but it is infinitely more considerate to the players that will be handling the cash at the end of the night when it emerges from your shoe. On the other hand, if they're handling your money it probably means that they have it, so there's less of a need to be considerate. It's a personal call.
While many experienced players are understandably concerned with the table image that their wardrobe helps to establish, we married men must also be concerned with more practical applications. If we plan to make it home with as little fallout as possible, our anticipated behavior at the event must be taken into account and addressed accordingly.
The following questions must be asked: What will I be eating and will I spill it on myself? Stick with the colors of the anticipated food. Most games have wings and pizza, if you're sloppy then consider red.
How much will I be drinking and how likely will I be to spill a drink on myself? If it's likely, then dark colors and synthetics are appropriate. If one has the capacity for total inebriation and often gets sick on themselves, then Hawaiian patterns prove to be more effective at concealing the results.
So here I am, ready to take on the world, all my basis covered. As I walk out of the house, phoneless jacket over a synthetic, dark Hawaiian shirt, my poker stash securely stored under an insole, I pause only to retrieve my baseball hat and sunglasses just so I can present to my opponents the image of the fearless, seasoned poker pro I pretend I really am.
See you guys at the tables!
~Mr. B. I. G.
Entry #2
There are words that go together, like apple pie and ice-cream, hold'em and fold'em, hugs and kisses, even Vince and Jimmy. But poker and fashion? Never would you think those two things would make such a combination.
If you have ever taken the time to surf the web or watch a poker game on TV or maybe checked out the latest in a poker magazine lately, then you know - poker and fashion together are as lucrative as online poker these days.
Where you have Doyle's cowboy hat and western duds, there is the Unibombers hooded sweatshirt and glasses, right down to Card-Sharx's T slogan of "Who needs a woman when you got a good hand" (Honey rolls her eyes!) not to mention "What’s your favorite position?" Can you imagine the poker knowledge you would get for wearing that tank top ladies?
And did you know that at the last World Series, online poker sites offered up to $5,000 to players who would wear their gear at a televised final table? Unreal hu? Some big MONEY in poker and fashion! I bet if the "Gambler" Kenny had of only known then what is known now, he wouldn't only HOLD'em, he would have SOLD'em too!
But all that is talking clothing. To me, there is only one true poker fashion. The real, true poker fashion! The purest fashion of them all.
That being your POKER STYLE. I call that P.L.A.Y.S.
Goes like this!
P=Poker Etiquette
L= Language
A= Attitude
Y= Your limit (accountability)
S= Style
You can dress like a pauper and play like a poker pro or dress like a goddess and play like a tyrant and talk like a troll.
Clothing might put you in the top fashion of Vogue but it won't make your STYLE - only your POKER P.L.A.Y.S. will give you that.
Poker and Fashion is a huge business. Poker has been around forever and so has clothing. We have seen changes in both of them over the years. I hope that poker never loses the romantic respect of it's STYLE (PLAYS ) that it has always portrayed with such grace and elegance. That is the best poker fashion of all!
Remember: dress in your best poker fashion possible. It doesn't cost a lot to see the best P.L.A.Y.S. in Hollywood!
- - Honey - -
Entry #3
Bueno Bono
For many years I was in the sporting goods business. Warm-ups or jogging suits were a big part of my business. I sold many of my poker buddies and others warm-ups when I came to town for a tournament.
My wife summed it up best when we were watching a WSOP final table where over half the players had on my warm-ups. “You may not be remembered for your play,” she opined accurately, “but you have had a significant affect on poker fashion.”
During the 1992 World Series of Poker, top tournament player John Bonetti was looking over my selections and he was very interested in a beautiful, but expensive ($155), warm-up for his wife. After some deliberation, he decided to wait and possibly get it later. I suggested that I trade him the warm-up for apiece of him in that day’s seven-card stud high-low tournament. The tournament entry fee was $1550. The $155 cost of the warm-up was exactly 10% of his entry fee, but I offered to take only 7% since a discount seemed warranted based on his outstanding tournament record. In his own “Bono” style-- he considered, he calculated, he talked to himself, and he finally turned down my offer,
“Forgettaboutit, not going to happen.”
As fate would have it, later that day I was seated next to him at the start of the 195 player tournament. I offered the trade on the warm-up to him again and again he passed. The first two hours of the tournament John won very few pots and lost half his initial chips. At this point, the players received a ten-minute tournament break. John caught up with me as I headed outside for some fresh air. He said in his own inimitable style, “Hey big guy, still want to trade for that warm-up?” I smiled and pondered his offer. Considering his position was substantially worse than when I made the offer, I thought of negotiating a better deal or better yet responding, “Forgettaboutit, not going to happen”. On the other hand, I had a very good feeling about Bono’s chances. I decided that stuffing my ego away and leaving a little on the negotiating table was okay and said “Sure John, even though you’re a little low on chips, you’re always a threat to win.”
John won a big pot on the first hand after the break with aggressive and brilliant play. Shortly thereafter, he showed the other well-known Bono trait: Amazing luck at crucial times. In a hand against Eskimo Clark, Bono started with ABC and Eskimo check-raised him on third and fourth streets with rolled up sixes. Bono picked up a useless nine and ten on fourth and fifth streets. Eskimo got a deuce and trey. On fifth street Eskimo bet all-in and Bono thought for several minutes before calling. (John later explained that he only called because Eskimo was all in and he felt the pot odds just barely justified it). A miracle four and five came to make a wheel and eliminate Eskimo who failed to fill up.
There was no stopping him after that. At about 3 AM, only Bono and two less experienced players remained. However, Bono had only 26% of all the chips (his opponents each had about 37%). At that point, they took a break to discuss a deal to split the prize money. If they made no deal and played to the end, first place would get $100,000; second place would receive $50,000; and third place would get $25,000.
When the meeting was over, John came over to me smiling and said, “I told them I was the best player and even if I had less chips, I wanted an even three way split of all the money or they could ‘forgettaboutit, not going to happen.’ They took it.”
John’s playing and negotiating skills had given me my most profitable warm-up sale ever--$4000. Bueno Bono!
~ SBTrue
Entry #4
Poker and fashion? Ha! In the same sentence! Well you know - we are a sport, aren't we?
I mean all the sports have a certain kind of apparel associated with them, so why can't we?
Football has those cool jerseys that keep you warm and go well with sweats or a pair of jeans.
Basketball has the colored tank tops with the player’s names and the cool shoes known as Nike Jordans.
Baseball has the stylish and practical baseball caps that we all find a use for and then of course there is soccer, but who watches soccer? Relax soccer heads -only joking!
Seriously though, who does watch soccer?
So what is poker apparel/fashion and what can we do to improve it? Well the sunglasses are fashion and you have to agree that nothing looks more stylish than a poker face hidden behind a pair of stylin’ shades.
Then there is the cap; a great companion of the sunglasses and perfect for those bad hair days. Not to mention even better for those no hair days. (That is to all my brothers with their solar powered sex machine bald spots).
Finally there are the shirts. My god - the shirts. The good luck ones, the no-need-to-iron ones, the ‘I'll tell the world I am a gambler’ ones with just embarrassing cards and colors thrown all over them. Now these can be improved. In fact let's make some rules.
Rules:
1. No shirt may be worn more than 24hrs
2. If wearing a shirt more than 24 hours, please make sure they are equipped with built in holes in the armpit section to give some air filtration.
3. After 24hours of playing you must make the obligatory restroom run to brush teeth, wash armpit, throw water on face and change shirt.
4. Fresh shirts may be purchased at the gift shop and under these conditions bad taste memorabilia shirts shall be allowed.
As for the ladies, it is smart strategy and preferred that if you have been gifted with a seductive cleavage, then you should display that beauty thru a tight, low cut top to be sure to promote whatever site or business you are promoting. This is good for many reasons which I shall list below.
1. It gives you ladies an advantage playing us because we certainly can't concentrate under those conditions.
2. It makes the other ladies feel like they should be wearing the same and we definitely encourage that.
3. It's good for "good old USA business promotions."
4. If not so lucky as to be cleavage friendly, I would advise the even trickier see-through top without a bra. Also a great advantage at the table. :)
In conclusion we are a fashion entity filled with shameless self promotion, practical and comfortable clothing. Who needs Hollywood fashion when you have everyday poker wear?
~lostinlasveg
Entry #5
Perception: Poker and Fashion
I never gave two cents to what folks wore when they played poker. As long as they had the money, that's all I cared about. But as time went on, I realized just how much fashion could play in how you were perceived in this game called poker.
I mean, if you dress like a bum, male or female, don't take a shower, have an odor emanating from yourself, and have brown teeth, then you're most likely to be accepted as an individual who doesn't care about themselves or others. Take note. You will be called by everyone and eliminated from the game.
If you wear a tux, or a wedding gown, and you're flaunting your gold and silver jewelry, and/or you speak with a foreign accent when you really don't have a foreign accent, you will be perceived as someone who has either just escaped from an institution, or, someone who is just entering an institution. Take note. You will be called by everyone and eliminated from the game.
If you dress like a normal person, with clean clothes, decent teeth, and a nice hairstyle, you may go unnoticed and have a better chance of bluffing. You will also have an opportunity to temporarily leave the table to visit with other players to talk about fashion and people who dress like bums or royalty. Usually this is done at the bar.
In closing, I firmly believe and suggest you dress not too shabby, or not too glitzy. It also might help your game if you wear an "I Gave To The Red Cross" button on your lapel, walk with a limp, or open your shirt/blouse displaying a hairy chest and a Sicilian Gold Horn chain necklace, or all of the above. This applies to both males and females - or these days, anything in between. I've played poker with them all.
Good luck!
~KietoFrito
Next week's Write to Win topic: Holiday Homegames.