A few days ago, after I had finished playing a tournament, I decided it
was time to write a column that I had been thinking about for awhile. I
thought I should do it while it was still fresh on my mind, and I hurried
home and tried to knock out this new column. I had been toying with the
idea of doing it, but I wanted to wait a certain length of time just in case,
on reflection, I might think it was stupid.
Today's experience at the club reinforced my need to do this column. I'm
not going to say anything that will change the poker world. All I will do,
hopefully, is to get something off my chest.
It has become one of my pet peeves in the poker world when certain
words are used that I do not think are applicable. I also do not think
these certain words are very accurate. The certain words that I am
referring to are "amazing" and "unbelievable."
Today while I was playing, I must have heard those words a hundred
times. It seemed every time someone got a hand beat, it was either
"amazing!" or "unbelievable!". Maybe It's just me, but when I think of
the definition of "unbelievable," I think of something like Charlton Heston
parting the Red Sea. "Amazing" would be like sending a rocket with 3
men on board 240,000 or so miles to the moon, and have them get off
the rocket, walk around and then have them come back to Earth.
I decided I should call Ripley's Believe It or Not, because they are
experts in the "amazing and unbelievable." If I could get them to come
and monitor a poker game in one of the clubs for a couple of hours, they
would be able to tell me if these occurrences were really "amazing" and
"unbelievable." Besides, if I were wrong and these occurrences really
were "amazing and unbelievable," Ripley's would have enough material
to open scores of new museums and have the material for several new
books.
First of all, it was not easy to get the corporate headquarters of Ripley's
Believe It or Not. Secondly, after you get them on the phone, getting the
right person to talk to is even harder. As hard as it was, I finally
succeeded in finding the right person, a very pleasant young man. I
explained the situation that I had encountered so many times. I said I
would be glad to accompany him to one of the clubs so he could
determine whether or not Ripley's would be interested in what was
happening there.
The young man then asked me specifically what some of the occurrences
were. I explained one case in a Hold-em game where a player had 2
queens in his hand, another player had 2 jacks and on the flop, a jack
came, and the player with the queens lost the pot. The player who lost
kept saying "Unbelievable! Unbelievable!" I proceeded to tell him a few
other hands that were "amazing and unbelievable." After the fourth or
fifth hand I told him about, he asked for my telephone number and said
he would get back to me.
I waited by the telephone most of the next day and the telephone never
rang. As the next few days passed, I realized he was not going to call
me back. Isn't it "amazing" how many people say they are going to get
back to you, and never do?
As is my custom when I'm through with a column, I let my wife read it.
She usually has something very profound to say. As usual, today was no
exception. She read this column and looked at me straight in the eye and
said, "Honey you're writing is unbelievable." It's nice to get compliments.
For what it's worth ...
was time to write a column that I had been thinking about for awhile. I
thought I should do it while it was still fresh on my mind, and I hurried
home and tried to knock out this new column. I had been toying with the
idea of doing it, but I wanted to wait a certain length of time just in case,
on reflection, I might think it was stupid.
Today's experience at the club reinforced my need to do this column. I'm
not going to say anything that will change the poker world. All I will do,
hopefully, is to get something off my chest.
It has become one of my pet peeves in the poker world when certain
words are used that I do not think are applicable. I also do not think
these certain words are very accurate. The certain words that I am
referring to are "amazing" and "unbelievable."
Today while I was playing, I must have heard those words a hundred
times. It seemed every time someone got a hand beat, it was either
"amazing!" or "unbelievable!". Maybe It's just me, but when I think of
the definition of "unbelievable," I think of something like Charlton Heston
parting the Red Sea. "Amazing" would be like sending a rocket with 3
men on board 240,000 or so miles to the moon, and have them get off
the rocket, walk around and then have them come back to Earth.
I decided I should call Ripley's Believe It or Not, because they are
experts in the "amazing and unbelievable." If I could get them to come
and monitor a poker game in one of the clubs for a couple of hours, they
would be able to tell me if these occurrences were really "amazing" and
"unbelievable." Besides, if I were wrong and these occurrences really
were "amazing and unbelievable," Ripley's would have enough material
to open scores of new museums and have the material for several new
books.
First of all, it was not easy to get the corporate headquarters of Ripley's
Believe It or Not. Secondly, after you get them on the phone, getting the
right person to talk to is even harder. As hard as it was, I finally
succeeded in finding the right person, a very pleasant young man. I
explained the situation that I had encountered so many times. I said I
would be glad to accompany him to one of the clubs so he could
determine whether or not Ripley's would be interested in what was
happening there.
The young man then asked me specifically what some of the occurrences
were. I explained one case in a Hold-em game where a player had 2
queens in his hand, another player had 2 jacks and on the flop, a jack
came, and the player with the queens lost the pot. The player who lost
kept saying "Unbelievable! Unbelievable!" I proceeded to tell him a few
other hands that were "amazing and unbelievable." After the fourth or
fifth hand I told him about, he asked for my telephone number and said
he would get back to me.
I waited by the telephone most of the next day and the telephone never
rang. As the next few days passed, I realized he was not going to call
me back. Isn't it "amazing" how many people say they are going to get
back to you, and never do?
As is my custom when I'm through with a column, I let my wife read it.
She usually has something very profound to say. As usual, today was no
exception. She read this column and looked at me straight in the eye and
said, "Honey you're writing is unbelievable." It's nice to get compliments.
For what it's worth ...
Believe it or Not
By Vince Burgio
By Vince Burgio
