Hollywood Poker Challenge Stories

[Patricia]

We had the Hollywood Poker Challenge tonight and it was a roaring success. Celebrities were playing and chatting and everyone had a great night. Please post all your stories from a wonderful tournament in here so that we can all share in the fun!

[realsup]

Hi! Thanks for inviting me into the tourneyment. Was able to finish 12th overall. Overall the tourney was fun despite not having any celebs hit my tables. In the chat all the celebs whho talked were very nice. Look forward to playing here more!

[Mike Watters]

Realsup...the unofficial results say you placed 10th. You're better than you think! :)

I myself placed 17th, and I want to thank the site for inviting me to play. Hollywoodpoker.com has gone out of their way to make sure I am taken care of, and I am impressed that, while there was a slight glitch or two...they were minor, and really didn't affect my play at all.

Advice to those who couldn't connect...install the newest Java, turn off the firewall...you really don't need it...and maybe stop using a proxy server...all that stuff might help.

I ran into only one celebrity...Willie Garson. Willie Garson. WILLIE GARSON!!!

Willie was doin' ok when he came to my table, but I had him covered. First or second hand after he arrived...he is in a pot for more than the minimum, and I draw KK. I couldn't have been happier. I raise, he raises back, I go all in, he calls....and he is drawing to Broadway! YES!

Of course he catches it. ;)

I steamed a little bit...and Willie, ever gracious, admitted in the chat that he got lucky. To the railbirds watching that hand with him...he DID get lucky. Good hand, Willie. :) My chat was not working at that point...so I wasn't able to say that.

But one day, Willie Garson....I will see you on the cyber-felt...and to quote Sammy Farha..."Now we go to war..." :cool:

Huzzah Hollywoodpoker! Congrats to all!!!

Mike Watters

[sound tech]

unofficially I finished 80th (right behind james woods) but was happy with that and thought it was great although i didnt play at a table with any stars either. Thanx to the chatting towards the end i found the downloadable version which for me plays much better. I barely got a deposit made on time took 3 credit card tries and i am glad i did. this is my new favorite poker room and looking forward to more events such as this......thanx hollywood poker :waytogo:

[Cyberlady1]

Just wanted to mention that I had a GREAT TIME, and a BIG THANK YOU TO HOLLYWOOD POKER. Even thou I did not finish, got knocked out early, I had a blast. There were some who called all in on a 3 - 7 etc (know what I mean), and here I had Q J.....and they won - :) Everyone was really nice. There were no Celebrities at our table, but did get to chat in the lounge. Vince and Willie :waytogo: - you both are fantastic :-) All of the celebrities are - See you at the tables in the future....and my everyone have a safe and happy Holiday.....

[Ean8]

Great idea for tourney! Hope you can do more of them, and maybe also keep some special added prizes always in for those of us "originals" who were depositers from the Ground Floor! :D

I finished 109th offically and 84th in prize list--so got at least the first cut of money!

Played with Dawn DeNoon (writer for Law&Order, among other things, and James Woods' girlfriend), and she could NOT have been more gracious to a bunch of slavering wannabe poker players!! :D

She and I were both down to about 300-400 chips, and I had pocket 10s and she was still in! I'm thinking I got the bounty, but she mysteriously stopped betting at like 85 chips left! :( So Cartman123 got her on the next hand, not me!

Ean

[Salas30]

This idea with the tournament is great, but for european players the time of day is really bad. Here in Denmark the tournament started 03 AM in the morning, so therefore I did not play. Please find another time that could suit players from both sides of the atlantic.

[Third_Eyer]

I placed 16th, but out of money...since I could not get my netteller account up and running in time.

I enjoyed the tourney and the celeb's chatting and talking some smack too. Sadly, I doubled up 2 of the celebs in the middle rounds and missed 2 bounties!

Just one thing though...I was trying to make a deposit in the last 30 minutes prior to the tourney start so I could be eligible for money spots--but my USA Visa and MC were rejected. Then, the chat area, people said to use netteller. But I was unable to get that setup in time and I didn't have a 'debit' card which they said would work too. The other gaming sites I play on have no problems with my visa/mc.

Sure, I only missed liked $50 in prize money, but what if I came in the top 5 places? That's when the money would be missed.

I liked the tourney and the players were courteous and professional, but this last minute 'credit card carnage' was quite silly and troublesome for newbies to the hollywoodpoker.com site, especially when faced with like 15 minutes to figure out an alternative fast deposit routine - that didn't happen.

Regards,

[scottieat]

This was a very entertaining event. The celebs were gracious, patient and quite skilled. I did get disconnected with a pair of ladies in my hand at a very unfortunate moment, but a little hitch in the giddyup of a brand new site is to be expected, so I'll definitely be playing here some more.

Thanks for the invite and for a great evening.

scottieat, Dallas, TX
TTTTJ

[actyper]

Very fun event, thank you HP.

I was fortunate to be sitting at the same table as James Woods! Awesome guy, friendly, and would chat with all players. Gave him the :waytogo: on his movies including Vampires! which I loved.

Played a few hands with him. First time I took about 1/4 - 1/3 of his stack, my AK vs his AJs, and an A on the board. He got me back later though.

I held 66, flop comes out 456x. He bets about 3x BB, I call. Turn J (I think). He checks, I bet 4x BB. He calls. River 3. One of the 2 cards I didn't want to see. He goes allin with his remaining 400 odd chips. James was playing a nice tight game, and I had put him on an over pair. Did he have the 77? I called, and flashed it, 77.

Regardless, I had a great time though! :waytogo:

[CaseyWhite]

Losing is usually not fun, but I enjoyed it last night. I didn't kick James Woods' butt like I promised him I would, but if it makes him feel any better, I got my OWN butt kicked. It was great fun, and I look forward to more tourneys to come. Thanks celebs! - Casey White :waytogo:

[-tango]

I had a great time! The pre-tourney chat with the celebs was a blast, I think it psyched a lot of us up for the game. I'm kind of new to tourneys but I think I finished 47th so I'm pretty happy with that.

Unfortunately because of a glitch with Net Teller (that was my fault) I didn't realize my money account wasn't set up until just before the tourney so I'm not eligible for any prizes but the experience was great.

I also didn't get to play with any stars so I have a suggestion: Next time how about having a star at every table? By the way, since there are so many poker celebs, how about inviting people like Annie Duke, Johnnie Chan etc to the next Star Studded tourney?

Love the look of the site, very classy
-tango

[cab12]

Thanks for the tournament, I had trouble getting to my table in the beginning but soon figured out the problem... I then placed 8th.... I really like the software and the other players seemed more relaxed than at other sites...

[EuroRican]

undefinedWe had the Hollywood Poker Challenge tonight and it was a roaring success. Celebrities were playing and chatting and everyone had a great night. Please post all your stories from a wonderful tournament in here so that we can all share in the fun!
Hello Patricia,
The tourney last night was the most enjoyable one I've played in to date. While I did not get a shot at busting a star, we did keep tabs on where they were and how they were doing. All the players I played wwith at the various tables were gracious, fun, and the level of play aws very impressive. I play at several online poker rooms and I can't tell you what a treat it was to play with so many players that actually played poker as opposed to the usual maniac crapshoot at other sites. Great job everybody at Hollywood Poker and thanks for putting together such a great event. James, I'll be looking for you next time my friend, LOL. Ciao.

~Julius

[ahellofadeal]

I want to thank everyone for a great time .
I know there was a lot of work to put it on.
Maybe next time i will do better.
THANK YOU AGAIN
ahellofadeal

[LuckyPam1]

Thanks for the tournament. I enjoyed playing with James, even though I had lousy luck! (boohoo)

I especially appreciated the opportunity to make a suggestion on a change to the website. Even if the change is not made, it was nice to have a voice.
P.S. I just want to point out that I was beat by AWAY. This is a pet pieve of mine. If you agree, please let the site know.
Anyhow, I hope you have another challenge like this one. THANK YOU. LuckyPam1

[raymond_022]

Both my girlfriend and I played in the tournament, she finished 135th (ramengirl) and I finished 5th :waytogo: (raymond_022), we had an awesome time! Besides making the final table and almost winning it all, it was just great for both of us to have the opportunity to play along side with James Woods and Vince Van Patten! Hopefully in the future we'll get to play with other celebs such as Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire. Thanks HP for an awesome time!

[pokerlips]

Hello everyone, :)
I had a great time even though I finished out of the money.
The tables are colorful with nice avatars, and the players are friendly. I talked with James Woods brother who was funny, easy to talk with and smart too. I am a player from Canada and he was knowledgeable about NHL hockey, Montreal, Toronto and poker of course. Willie Garson was pretty funny too. I wouldn't mind keeping in contact with either of them and helping with the poker site. Anyways, hope to play gain soon. Thanks everyone. Pokerlips

[RogueRat]

Dear Hollywood Poker and James Woods,

I had a great time during the Hollywood Poker Challenge, despite finishing a meager 3xx-ish:rolleyes:. Although there were never any "Stars" at my table the atmosphere was fun and exciting. Reading the chat in the tournament lobby was entertaining. Since my exit from the tournament was so quick, I really do not have any stories to tell. However, I'd like to share the following:

I'm an average joe, work a regular 40/week (feels like 60) job and I play poker part-time (on and off for the past 12 years). I first met Jimmy, and girlfriend Dawn, at the Hustler Casino in Gardena, CA. They are two of the nicest, down-to-earth people I have met in a casino. It was great watching Jimmy move on up the poker chain, from the time he first started (or at least when I first met him) playing low to mid limit stakes. I'm impressed by the way he treats people and actually listens to people at the table. Jimmy's table presence is fantastic - at the very worst - entertaining (I mean in a good way, not like Hellmuth's antics). I'm sure those that stayed in the tournament longer than I and were seated at Jimmy's table will know what I mean.

Currently, I rarely see him except when the tournament trail makes stops in the LA area casinos. I presume that he has moved on to greener pastures and wish him and Hollywood Poker success.

RogueRat

[Patricia]

Great stories everyone, I'm glad a good time was had by all. It was fun for us so we are glad it was fun for you as well. :) Keep the stories coming and be sure to check under the Hollywood Poker Annoucements to see what Vince and James have to say.

[jowest]

Just wanted to drop a quick note. I am so pleased with this site!! The tournament was awsome (the free money helped with that decision).
It seems the skill level of your players is higher than any other site I have played on. Keep up the good work!

[WolfRiver]

The tournament was a lot of fun!
Altough I've never benne taht disapointed of winning 1000$.
I finished 2nd and believe I should have won it all. I really wanted that seat!
On the killer hand, I had A-J headsup and I raised. Moon called. Flop came 2-7-J (or something like that). Bingo!!! I bet a lot of chips and got called. Turn came King. Oh! Oh! I checked and called a small bet. River was a brick and I again called a small bet. Moon had A-K. Then, against 650K, I was able to build from 17K to 120K before losing...
But I really had a great time!

Oh yeah! I also busted Vince Van Patten... hehe!

Can't wait to have details for the 1000$ tourney coming!

WolfRiver

[Rayjack]

First I want to congratulate all the people behind the Hollywood Poker Green Room it was a pleasure to play with all the stars, 20 minutes before the start we had a good chat with the players, I was amazed that James Woods was answering to almost everyone on line. Few thinks I want to point out, one is the time difference is very important if the Hollywood Poker wants the European players to play, I agree with Salas30 and I suggest a time between 12.00 and 14.00 is most reasonable for all us we are in the European time zone, lets not forget that we are 10 hours behind and the time of the tournament is very early in the morning, second is that no player in a tournament should have the right to be a way once the tournament started, because on a real table tournaments we have the 10 to 15 minutes breaks but nobody can just go and come back as he please, third is the change from one pot limit to another is not displayed so we know how many hands we have left to the next, I think this is important for all tournament players so they can assess their betting tempo and keep a momentum. And last during the tournament the Star Players according to the site announcement should have a star in front of them indicating that is a celebrity playing, the only star players with that indication was Mimi Rogers and Willy Carson, I don’t know about anyone else if the seen any but in my computer didn’t show up. Thanks again Mr. Woods who I had the pleasure to meet and play at the Mirage Casino last summer he is a hell of a poker player and one of the best actors of our time.

[hoof31]

So finished third after having a 3 to 1 chip advantage over Moon and Wolf. The hand I went out on, Moon called a large raise of mine with a 7 2 or 7 4 offsuit. Intersting call, anyway he paired the sevens and I had king high. The Ouch part however, is that I attempted to make a deposit with 2 different credit cards and had them rejected by my card company. So, 3rd and I have nothing to show for it. That hurts, it was alot of fun though.

[hoof31]

The tournament was a lot of fun!
Altough I've never benne taht disapointed of winning 1000$.
I finished 2nd and believe I should have won it all. I really wanted that seat!
On the killer hand, I had A-J headsup and I raised. Moon called. Flop came 2-7-J (or something like that). Bingo!!! I bet a lot of chips and got called. Turn came King. Oh! Oh! I checked and called a small bet. River was a brick and I again called a small bet. Moon had A-K. Then, against 650K, I was able to build from 17K to 120K before losing...
But I really had a great time!

Oh yeah! I also busted Vince Van Patten... hehe!

Can't wait to have details for the 1000$ tourney coming!

WolfRiver


Heh Wolf, I am fairly certain, I should have won it all, but is nice playing against you. Congrats.

[Gary_J]

Congrats to everyone who cashed and Thanks to Hollywood Poker for making this possible! Never did get a really good hand before I was knocked out somewhere in the middle by Willie Garson. (thanks Willie!) :o) All in all, it was a GREAT tournament and LOADS of fun! Looking forward to doing it again sometime.

Keep up the good work HP! :happy:

[naschburger2]

A fun tournament I don't think I had a celeb at my table but I didn't know how to identify them. If you didn't recognize the name how were they distinquished from a normal player. Anyway finished 15th oh but for the flush that beat me on the river think I would have made final table. Maybe next time, keep up the good work.

[Stoidela]

I wish there would have been a way to spread the celebrities around a little more fairly. I saw more than one celeb at a table at least 4 times, including Mimi taking out Jeff Fahey! Meanwhile, I was never at one table with a single celeb.

Overall, though, it was a great game, and James is certainly a chatty cathy. Which is nice, actually.

[KrewlOne]

I really had a great time. Came in 44th but with people not depositing it bumped me up. Was real proud to outlast the celebs but it wasn't because they played bad! Everyone was on it that night! Congrats to the winner and hope to see some of you all in a rematch! :waytogo:

Krewlone

[Spidey57]

:waytogo: Absolutely loved playing and talking with lots of friendly folks. Can't wait to do it again!