Hey all, on my first playthrough and I got completely and utterly side-tracked from the story to pursue the LOTE outfit because I enjoy side quests and challenges and doing things you’re not supposed to do (despite Rockstar’s best efforts) a little too much. I’ve been helped so much by the RDR2 Reddit and YouTube communities that I wanted to give back a little and also help those who have just started playing this amazing game a couple years late like me.
Note: There may be minor spoilers for Chs.2 & 3 below!
There are so many great resources out there, that I don’t intend for this to be a detailed comprehensive guide, but mostly a compilation of helpful tips & resources I’ve picked up along the way on this long adventure. I completed the challenges as early as possible in Ch.3 as Arthur as of 2/7/2021 in version 1.26 on a PS4 Pro, so it’s still possible!
Arthur, you deserve this.
I completed all of the challenges after the Fisher of Men mission in Ch.2 except for those locked behind other missions. Sharpshooter challenges 6-10 are locked behind The Sheep and the Goats, since you acquire a long-scoped rifle in that mission (though there are tricks to get a Rolling Block Rifle even earlier). Bandit challenges 6-10 are locked behind Horse Flesh for Dinner, since that’s where you unlock the horse fence.
I’ll note some ways you can be efficient and you may notice that I tried to frequent the same areas for a lot of the challenges: Little Creek Valley/Hanging Dog Ranch, Emerald Ranch, the big island across from Clemens Point

Bandit Tips
I’m doing a high honor playthrough, so this guide was my main starting point.
Here are my additional tips:
Bandit 1 - Hold up 5 townsfolk
Do this in Van Horn (no law around), note that some citizens are armed and will shoot at you, but you can just run away and come back.
Bandit 3 - Rob the cash register in any 4 shops in one day
I followed this guide to avoid a bounty. You won’t get any money though.
Bandit 5 - Amass $250 bounty in one state
If you start the challenges as early as possible as I did, save the Blessed are the Meek? mission for this challenge. You should get the $250 bounty easy.
Bandit 7 - Rob $50 worth of cash and valuables from townsfolk and travelers
Unfortunately I had already been pickpocketed in St. Denis twice (tailor and gunsmith) and I couldn’t get the Van Horn pickpocket to trigger (saloon), so I did the Annesburg station to the long tunnel trick for an easy no bounty robbery.
Bandit 8 - Steal 7 wagons and sell them to the Fence at Emerald Ranch
I used this tip from the comments in the main guide I used to make it go faster:

The Emerald Ranch stagecoach loop doesn't even require a camp where you "don't" sleep. I leave the fence and sprint full speed via the railroad tracks. You will not see the stagecoach respawned yet, but when I am close to the train station, at about the lone tree on the right hand side, I turn my back on where the stagecoach should be and when I turn around it has materialized.

It didn’t always work, so I did have to use the no sleep trick from the guide for some of the coaches.
Bandit 9 - Hogtie someone and leave them on the railroad 3 times
You can actually just use the same person three times. Cut them free, let them run around a little bit, tackle and hogtie them and drop them on the track again. I just used an O’Driscoll.
Bandit 10 - Rob 5 trains
I used this tip from the comments in the linked guide. I didn’t lose honor at all and there was no bounty:

I have found that all you have to do for a train robbery to count is to just take anything at all. You don't have to rob any people at all! I just went to the second-to-last car and took a can of fruit or pack of cigarettes, rinsed and repeated.

Explorer Tips
This one is super easy. I used the PowerPyx guide though most online guides should be fine.
The only potentially tricky part is getting the High Stakes Treasure Map guy to spawn. You can see potential spawn points in the PowerPyx guide. I actually ran into him twice and let him ride off before getting the map from him the third time, so it is possible to run into him at least three times. Each time was around Strawberry and Wallace Station. To get the map, I ran full speed at him and bumped him and the map went into my inventory (no honor loss).

Gambler Tips
This guide was my main starting point.
Gambler 4 - Bust one poker location out in each location
My only tip to make this faster is to sit at a table with a lot of players. You can always ride away and come back and the table will reset. Target those with less money.
Gambler 5 - Win 3 rounds of dominoes without drawing any tiles against 2 or fewer opponents
I recommend Emerald Ranch for all Domino challenges as Draw is the easiest to learn and play.
Gambler 8 - Win three hands of Blackjack with three hits or more
I got super lucky on this one (15 minutes), so good luck! I don’t know if the game rewarded me for this, but I didn’t just hit if it didn’t make sense (like if I started with two face cards). Definitely hit with aces as they can count for either 1 or 11. I think my three wins came when I started with an ace and a low number card.
Gambler 9 - Win three games of dominoes in a row
I recommend Emerald Ranch, but especially when there is only one opponent (ride away and come back if there are two). Try and keep track of the numbers and if you can, play the same numbers at the end of the snake that have mostly been used up. This can cause your opponent to draw nearly all of the remaining tiles and get you a lot of points and an easy win. I think one time I got 60+ points in one round. Definitely stand up and leave if you are about to lose, but on your turn, not your opponent’s turn or else it’ll be too late.
Gambler 10 - Win three hands of Poker in a row
Several people suggested Flatneck Station for this one or your camp, but Flatneck Station was what worked for me. Every time I went all-in at camp, someone else did too instead of folding.

Herbalist Tips
Fairly easy challenges that really don’t require much guidance, except for the infamous Herbalist 9, see below.
Herbalist 9 - Pick one of each species of herb
Ah yes, the four herbs (Wild Feverfew, Blackcurrant, Red Sage, Desert Sage) that are the only things standing between Arthur and the LOTE outfit.
The two main methods to get the four herbs in New Austin are with a covered wagon or a St. Denis buggy. I believe Unlockable Eden Gaming pioneered the method, but these are the guides I found most helpful.

Petko’s Getting Into and Driving Around New Austin (Buggy Method)
Petko's Picking Plants in New Austin (Buggy Method)
Dmitry Shepel’s Plant Locations (Wagon Method)
Jimbotron’s Detailed and Comprehensive Guide (Wagon Method)

Though it sounds like many have been successful with the wagon (and the Jimbotron video makes some good arguments for the wagon), I opted for the buggy for several reasons.

Availability – I tried some of the tricks to spawn the covered wagon consistently and it was never that consistent. It never took me more than a minute to get a buggy from St. Denis. I figured even though the distance from St. Denis to New Austin was much farther, there was less frustration and the amount of time between runs was probably about the same as I was not spending time saving and reloading or sleeping or running around Strawberry to get the wagon to spawn. Unfortunately, I had completed the Appleseed Timber Co. sidequests so their wagon was unavailable. Maybe I would have felt differently if I could have used their wagon.
Speed & Maneuverability – The buggy is faster and much easier to maneuver than the wagon. It makes getting in New Austin much easier and also avoiding the law easier.
Camera Control – This may be a personal preference, but I never had a problem with the camera zooming in on Arthur with the buggy, while with the wagon it seemed to zoom in on him much more frequently.

My personal experience with Herbalist 9:
After a couple of unsuccessful runs with both the buggy and the wagon (either getting randomly sniped or shot up by lawmen in New Austin), I decided to just stick with the buggy. My first successful run I picked 3 out of the 4 plants, which was exciting. I died when I went over a small drop, ejecting me from the buggy which resulted in getting sniped in the head. My second run I picked the last plant (Desert Sage—it spawns the furthest in) and went for the Prairie Poppy instead of doing the Blackwater campfire method, so I can’t comment on how effective that method is.
My personal tips for Herbalist 9:
Crossing the Blackwater region into New Austin

Definitely go through Beecher’s Hope and if you’re using the buggy, you probably don’t even need to take health potions. I never had trouble escaping the Pinkertons with my health intact.
A major tip noted in some videos is to time it somewhat so your Wanted status wears off just as your cross into Thieves’ Landing. The major benefit to doing this is that you won’t run into any lawmen with this method in New Austin. On my first successful run, for some reason I became wanted again (I think the game does it somewhat randomly at times as there was no one near me) just as I crossed the bridge into New Austin. I had to avoid the law while driving and picking plants which was much more stressful. On my second successful run, I had no status when I crossed over and it was a much more peaceful run.

Driving in New Austin

Per Petko’s video, the key is to be in first-person view (i.e., the most zoomed in view, but with first-person turned off) and aim down at the ground. This will keep the sniper from shooting through the wood of your buggy. Try avoid going down steep declines as this will expose the wood part of the buggy and the sniper will get you.
Once you have the driving down, go slow. You won’t get sniped as long as you’re driving correctly, so just try to ignore the sniper and don’t make mistakes like driving too fast and falling off a cliff.
I turned off the vibration on my controller so I wouldn’t be distracted by the sniper shots.

Picking Plants

Line up the plant with your front wheel and use photo mode to confirm that it’s in the right spot.
Use R1 to backup and try again if you overshoot.
Zoom out to the furthest 3rd-person view and turn your angles to block Arthur (see the many YouTube videos on how to do this). I personally found this part to be fairly forgiving and never got shot while doing this. I did time my dismount right after a shot and that seemed to always work. I got sniped way more while driving badly.

I definitely recommend keeping track of the herbs you’ve picked somewhere (I used OneNote on my phone). For the rest of the plants I used PowerPyx again.
Herbalist 10 - Season and cook all 11 types of meat
Probably the only two meats I had to go out of my way a little bit to get were:

Exotic Bird Meat – I got mine from a pelican at the Annesburg docks
Crustacean Meat – Took a canoe to the island off of Clemens Point (where the iguanas are) and killed a crab there

Horseman Tips
Overall a fairly easy set of challenges. I did all of them with my white Arabian that I got very early on. I don’t have much to add to what’s out there except for the following tips:
Horseman 4 - While mounted, drag a victim for 3300 feet using your lasso
For high honor, just grab an O’Driscoll or Lemoyne Raider and they will definitely die, but just keep going until the challenge pops.
Horseman 7 - Kill 7 enemies from horseback without dismounting
Use a gang hideout. I used Six-Point Cabin.
Horseman 8 - Kill 9 predators from horseback
Gators in the bayou are the way to go.
Horseman 9 - Ride from Van Horn to Blackwater in less than 17 minutes without touching any water
I found this guide to be the most helpful.
You definitely need to stock up on Potent Health Tonics (though I probably used only around 3-5) and I would disagree with the guide in just taking a straight path through Tall Trees. Only go off the roads once you get to the plains of Blackwater as it’s easy to hit a rock or tree if you go off the road in the Tall Trees region (which is why I failed my first run). Honestly stick to the roads if it’s easier for you and don’t be afraid to take the Health Tonics liberally. In my experience it’s pretty hard for the Pinkertons to kill you if you’re taking the tonics and riding fast, even if you stick to the roads. It’s way better to waste some tonics than dying or going off road and falling and then having to restart the run. I was able to do this on my second run.
Horseman 10 - Break every wild horse breed
First off, I got every horse without having to go to Blackwater or go off map. Here’s where I got mine.

American Standardbred, Appaloosa, Kentucky Saddler, Morgan – Little Creek Valley, ride from the east to the west and back and different groups will spawn.
Tennessee Walker – I kind of forget where I got this one, I think either where I looked for Mustangs or Hungarian Half-breds, but it’s pretty common so you shouldn’t have trouble.
Nokota – I used Jimbotron’s guide.
American Paint – I used Jimbotron’s guide.
Mustang – I used Jimbotron’s guide, but they are actually pretty common. I’ve also seen them in Little Creek Valley as well after I finished this challenge.
Hungarian Half-bred – Supposedly the hardest to get, but I broke one really early on when I was hunting for bison near Heartland Overflow before I had Horseman 10 active, and before I knew it was hard to get. I went back to the location in the screenshot below and found two of them there, so I think it’s a pretty common spawn for this horse, though it’s not 100%. The spawn point should be in the middle of a cluster of trees.

https://preview.redd.it/b1xa2jqymeg61.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=660aab100e1546cea46f6866701cc82f88a10fb9
If you have any trouble breaking horses, I found that this tip has never failed me: Just hold the stick in the 5 o’clock position while spamming the calm button.

Master Hunter Tips
Hunting was my first love in RDR2, so I have a soft spot for these challenges. Also this was the first set I completed. Most are pretty straightforward.
Master Hunter 6 - Kill 5 cougars with your bow, then skin them
I used this guide for consistent cougar spawns. The only comment I have is that the cougar won’t always spawn by the rock, but will sometimes spawn further up.
If you’re trying to knock out the challenges as quickly as possible, be careful when using poison arrows. Incapacitating a cougar with a poison arrow and then killing it with your knife won’t count as an arrow kill. You can however walk up to the dying cougar and headshot it with an arrow (I recommend Improved Arrows) to have it count toward the challenge. A clean headshot with an Improved Arrow is my preference over shooting it with poison arrows as it’ll yield a perfect pelt more consistently in my experience.
Master Hunter 7 - Use bait to lure and kill both a herbivore and predator
The interesting note is that boars count as predators. I killed a deer and a boar for this challenge.
Master Hunter 8 - Catch 3 small fish without using a fishing rod
I used a bow and arrow as I think dynamite lowers your honor.

Sharpshooter Tips
Sharpshooter 3 - Kill 5 flying birds while on a moving train
The only important tip is to make sure the train is moving. If you are reported for disturbing the peace (which will often happen once you start shooting) the train will slow and stop and your kills won’t count. There’s no point is trying to shoot more birds once that happens, so just run away and try again.
Sharpshooter 4 - Kill someone at 80 feet away with a tomahawk
I used a random four-person O’Driscoll camp. The key tip in my experience is using an Improved or Homing Tomahawk. I used a Homing. When I used a regular, it would miss pass 80 ft. Here’s the Reddit tip I used:

The way I did it is to have a full deadeye meter. Go into it, tag the targets head at the furthest range you can, then just back up while staying in deadeye. As long as he's not charging at you, when the meter runs out, he'll throw it and still get the kill, well past 80ft away.

Sharpshooter 5 - Kill 6 animals without switching or reloading your weapon
I did this on a bunch of turkeys and random animals near Emerald Ranch. You can go into Deadeye once, but don’t go into it again or else you’ll reload. Also pairs wells with Survivalist 3.
Sharpshooter 6 - Kill someone at least 660 feet away with a long scoped rifle
Based on a tip I found elsewhere (can't remember the source), I went to this island in the middle of the Little Creek River and shot the guard on the windmill platform at Hanging Dog Ranch using a Rolling Block Rifle. Easy peasy.
https://preview.redd.it/s4ztr2veneg61.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4caf452066d9167d58b2d6e6cb4e1a3e636fdc84
Sharpshooter 7 - Get 7 headshots in a row
Right after Sharpshooter 6, I stayed in the area and killed 7 deer or pronghorns around Little Creek Valley. It’s easier than human enemies in my opinion and you can skin in between kills without resetting the counter (can’t pass up the extra vension).
Sharpshooter 8 - Disarm 3 enemies without reloading or switching your weapon
Based on other’s people’s advice, I went to Cornwall Kerosene & Tar and l and went up this hill near the guards. I pulled out my Lancaster repeater that I modified with a short scope and shot one of the guards in the elbow. Then I ran away up the hill until the red enemy indicator disappeared. Rinse and repeat.
https://preview.redd.it/fb60ybfaoeg61.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44d621eebcde95c954eef72eff114018d974d333
Probably could just as easily work on the front gate guards at Hanging Dog Ranch, but I had to go to Valentine anyways to get a scope from the gunsmith.
Sharpshooter 9 - Shoot 3 people’s hats off in the same Dead Eye use
Although I did have Level 3 Dead Eye at this point, this guide works great for those with Level 2 Dead Eye and there's no bounty!
Sharpshooter 10 - Kill 3 flying birds with 3 consecutive long scoped rifle shots
This does not have to be in the same Dead Eye, so it’s really not bad. I did this near Annesburg, since I had just finished Sharpshooter 9, but Emerald Ranch is probably a good location since it has lots of birds and other guides mentioned north of St. Denis, since herons are large and fly slower than other birds.

Survivalist Tips
Survivalist 3 - Kill 5 animals with a varmint rifle
Pairs well with Sharpshooter 5, see above.
Survivalist 4 - Craft a dynamite, fire, improved, poison, and small game arrow
See a pamphlet location guide for the pamphlets. Just remember to read them!
Survivalist 6 - Kill a scavenging animal while it is feeding a corpse 5 times
This is great to pair with Weapons Expert 3. Kill an animal and then tomahawk the ravens or birds of prey that come. I recommend Emerald Ranch area as it’s very open and there is plenty of wildlife near the Heartland Overflow.
Survivalist 7 - Kill 8 small game animals with consecutive shots, using small game arrows
By the way, you can’t save and reload if you miss, it’ll reset the counter. It has to all be done in one go. The location that seemed pretty easy for me was again the island west of Clemens Point where you find iguanas. When I went to the shipwreck location on that island, a group of crows kept on circling in the area and I was able to grab most of my kills there. Don’t shoot the iguanas as they often won’t die from one small game arrow. Go for birds and if you’re looking for perfect snake pelts you can risk some water snakes near the shipwreck.
Survivalist 8 - Craft a homing tomahawk, improved tomahawk, volatile dynamite, and volatile fire bottle
Again, refer to a pamphlet location guide. The only tricky material here is the owl feather for the Homing Tomahawk. I found mine at night near Emerald Ranch. They can circle overhead or one can be sitting in the loft window of the barn.
Survivalist 9 - Catch a fish that weighs at least 19 lbs
If you’re going for early completion, most likely you haven’t caught all the Legendary Fish at this point. Save one of the big ones to easily complete this challenge. But if you have caught all the Legendary Fish already, don’t despair, I actually caught a couple fish for Survivalist 10 that were over 19 lbs.
Three helpful fishing tips:

You can go into your accessibility options and change the reel button to be a simple button press (Square on the PS4) rather than rotating your stick.
When the fish is not fighting, flick your stick down to pull the fish toward you then release, pause, and then repeat. You’ll make big gains in distance each time.
This may seem obvious, but don’t cast the line too far out unless necessary. Don’t make the battle longer than needed.

My first legendary fish legit took like 10 minutes, but after reading about how to fish more efficiently and implementing the tips above, fishing even the largest fish took like a minute or two tops.
Survivalist 10 - Catch one of each type of fish throughout the world
You could knock out most of the Legendary Fish in pursuit of this goal, but if you’re going for a quicker completion (as I was), I just used these fishing maps and only picked up Legendary Fish if they were nearby or if I had trouble catching a particular species.

Weapons Expert Tips
Stocking up on Potent Health Cures is recommended as running into a gang hideout and hogtying everyone can make a lot of these challenges super easy. Hanging Dog Ranch and Six Point Cabin are great locations to get these done.
Weapons Expert 1 - Kill 3 enemies with a knife
I only had one knife kill from an earlier mission, so I went to Six Point Cabin, popped a Potent Health Cure and stabbed some fools.
Weapons Expert 2 - Kill 3 enemies in 10 seconds using only throwing knives
After Weapons Expert 1 popped in my assault on Six Point Cabin, I cleared out the camp except for four guys, hogtied them, and went for headshots for an easy completion.
Weapons Expert 3 - Kill 3 birds of prey using only a tomahawk
Pair this Survivalist 6 to be efficient since ravens count as birds of prey.
Weapons Expert 4 - Kill 10 enemies with a shotgun using crafted ammo
I returned to Six Point Cabin and used Incendiary Buckshot. You can get the pamphlet at Copperhead Landing.
Weapons Expert 5 - Kill 5 mounted enemies, using 1 throwing knife per kill
This is probably not so helpful, but I did this during a mission (Pouring Forth Oil IV) as I didn’t want to stir up trouble into order to get lawmen or bounty hunters coming after me. A lot of missions involve mounted enemies, so if you want to avoid unnecessary bounties and keep a high honor, I recommend doing this challenge through missions.
Weapons Expert 6 - Kill 4 enemies at the same time with a single stick of dynamite
I did another run at Six Point Cabin, and went crazy hogtying people to do this challenge and the next one. You can use a Volatile Dynamite if you’re worried about getting all four at once as it has a wider range. I stacked five guys just to be safe.
Weapons Expert 7 - Kill 4 consecutive enemies by throwing and retrieving the same tomahawk
I lined up five hogtied guys and used an Improved Tomahawk for an easier kill, though if you aim for the head it shouldn’t matter. Some people mentioned that it’s best only to have one in your inventory so the game doesn’t accidentally replace the one you’re picking up, but I had multiple Improved Tomahawks and it wasn’t really an issue.
Weapons Expert 8 - Kill 15 enemies using a long-barreled sidearm
Make sure to modify one of your pistols with a long barrel at the Gunsmith. I went to Hanging Dog Ranch to do this one as there are more enemies. I cleared out the place, but I would recommend against doing that as it’ll take a few days for the whole gang to come back. I recommend killing half of the required count, riding away and coming back, so that the whole gang respawns. Then complete rest of the challenge and ride away again. If you do this, it’ll flow right into the next challenge.
Weapons Expert 9 - Kill 9 unaware enemies from behind, using the bow
Approach Hanging Dog Ranch from the west and use Improved Arrows if you want to ensure your kills, though Regular Arrows should work fine. There are two easy kills. One is the O’Driscoll that wanders outside of the stables. Make sure his back is at least mostly turned to you (head-on kills won’t count). The other is the guard on the windmill platform who is always in the same stationary position. You should get at least two kills each time, though you can sometimes get more depending on the patrol patterns.
Weapons Expert 10 - Kill a grizzly bear without taking damage, using only throwing knives
There’s a consistent grizzly spawn point not too far east of Hanging Dog Ranch between Watson’s Cabin and Wallace Station, so you can flow right into this challenge after the last one. Here’s what I did. I let the grizzly charge me, went into Dead Eye and threw a Poison Throwing Knife to incapacitate him. Then I switched to an Improved Throwing Knife and did a headshot. Boom. Done.

Bonus: Silver Dapple Pinto MFT in Chapter 2
I don’t think the Moonstone Pond glitch works any more as of 1.26. I tried for about an hour and could never get it to work.
The Arcadia for Amateurs – III method does work though! I didn’t have any luck with the tracking method, though from YouTube comments, it looks like people aren’t having any trouble even as of last week. Here’s the method I used and it was pretty easy. I was able to do it on the first try.

Thanks for reading and now it's time to do other things in the wonderful world of RDR2!

Another Thank You Rockstar Post

Butters "Trying to use Bitcoin to play online poker. ... It would sincerely bring some happiness to me." ..... because 1 level of gambling is just not enough !! 🎰 🎰 🎰 but his bank blocks Coinbase, need "Free" Bitcoin but he will "reciprocate in whatever way you wish." ... SMH 🤦🤦🤦

CreateYoureReality NFL Week 17 Analysis and Picks (Last week of regular season!!!😀 )

Weeks 15 and16 Recap: Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! The stats in the recap are just of week 15. I did not make a post or any plays on week 16, as I was busy playing an online poker tournament, here in New Jersey. My apologies for slowing down a bit this year, it has been rather busy here. We have one more week to get it in before PLAYOFFS?!., Lets see what value we can find.
Singles (4-4 -1.03u)
Parlays (0u) All Free Bets
Teasers (1-0 +8u)
BBDLS (0-5 -2.7u)

Sunday Games

Dallas at New York Giants: Potentially a huge game for either one of these teams. Whichever of these teams wins gets to sweat the Eagles/Washington game and pray for an Eagles win. Dallas has been playing well over the last quarter of the season holding opponents to 24, and their offense has been clicking averaging over 30ppg over that span. Even with the defensive improvement, they are still one of the worst defenses in the league. New York on the other hand has a top 10 defense. It has been doing a fantastic job this year, struggling a bit over the last two weeks but overall is still one of the better defenses in the NFL. Their offense scores a pedestrianly average of 17 ppg but on the bright side seems to have figured out their turnover problem with Daniel Jones. Taking into account full season stats, the algo has this as NY -2. Taking into account only the last 4 games the algo has this as DAL -4.5. The bets the algo favors the most are teasing either team +6.5 or more. It predicts the highest likely game script includes mostly low scoring games due to it being a divisional rematch to end the season and potentially get in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland: A very important game for Cleveland, not so much for Pittsburgh. Cleveland needs the win to guarantee a playoff birth, while PIT has already punched their ticket. In fact, PIT will be resting Big Ben, in order to have him at his freshest for a playoff run. Cleveland will be returning most of the players that were out due to Covid vs. the Jets. They will still be missing 2 LB and 2 Safetys, but the majority of the key offensive players have returned. For Pittsburgh they will see Mason Rudolph step in at QB, the last team he faced the Browns, him and Myles Garret got into a fight that saw Garret swing a helmet on an unprotected head of Rudolph. The algo loves Cleveland to come in and take care of business, however it only likes a spread of -7/8. It was 4.5 with Big Ben but with the news of him out, it adjusts about a field goal.

New York Jets at New England: Boy oh boy, what a dumpster fire we have here. Both teams out of playoff contention, and both seeing some of their worst lows. (Although the Jets are more used to this at the end of the season) Jets have had some recent success, winning their first two games and beating two pretty good teams in the process. Now they go for three in a row to close out the season vs the struggling offensively, New England Patriots. They will be sitting Cam Newton and starting Stidham this week. He has looked even worse than Cam, so I don't really know what we can expect out of their offense this week. The algo leans about as close to a pickem as the computer can produce so you can imagine with the Jets catching points and odds on the moneyline, we will be looking their way.

Minnesota at Detroit: This game is currently on my dog or avoid list. There is to much uncertainty with the Lions QB and who is starting. All we do know is that Dalvin Cook for the Vikings is not going to be playing this game due to a death in the family. With the missing key offensive player and the unknown with Covid who the starters will be, this game is an avoid. (Possibly find value with the dog if Stafford is announced playing right before game time)
With two mediocre defenses (The Lions just giving up) this could be a good game for a same game parlays on some props. Jefferson and Thielen are both close to breaking records. Cook is out so backup RB should get more touches...

Atlanta at Tampa Bay: This is a tricky one for me. The algo loves TB to take care of business at home and favors them by 6. However, I personally am weary of both this and the Saints game as neither team NEEDs a win and only the Saints can positively change their playoff seating with a win *(and a GB loss). I think it is possible and highly favorable for both teams to rest their key starters in order to give them a makeshift bye week. Because of that, I will mostly stay away from this game and the Saints game.

Baltimore at Cincinnati: A divisional game that is a "Win and you're in" game for Baltimore. They will be taking on the Bengals, that have actually looked great in their last few games. However, the algo does heavily favor the Raven's to get it done on the road to close out the season. It does think that two TDs might be a bit much though. Because of that I lean Baltimore winning and clinching a playoff birth, but will either look Cincy on the points or stay away from the spread.

Miami at Buffalo: A VERY important game for Miami. Win, and you're in. Lose, and most likely the Colts are in. Fitzmagic came in in the last 3 mins and gave them the win and this opportunity, however he is out with Covid this game so no Magic to be had. It will be down to Tua vs. whoever Buffalo decides to play. Personally I think the value is on Miami. Who knows who and how long the Buffalo starters will play, given they are already in the Playoffs. But, it would be sweet for them to keep a divisional rival out of the post season. My algo likes Buffalo, but my gut says Miami.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis: I shouldn't have to talk about this game. Indy knows they need a win and help, and Jacksonville already STUNNED INDY to open the season. It should be a confident grind of a win...but Rivers feeling defeated and needing help to make the post season, this might be a trap game.

Green Bay at Chicago: Ugh, such a hard game. My algo has GB as -3.5 Favorites (6.5 if they were at home) I think the loss of one of GBs key O-line might have a greater effect on them than one of their star offensive scorers. Rodgers is one of the best when given time, but take that time from him and he starts to crumble. Chicago has been playing as well as they could hope for down the stretch. They need a win or a loss and some help to be in.

Tennessee at Houston: Henry needs like 223 yards to reach the 2000 yard club. Houston is one of the worst teams in the league at stopping the run? Seems like a recipe for some TEN running and a play action pass or two for some big chunks. EZ$ Tenn

New Orleans at Carolina: The had NO as -6.5 here, but the loss of Kamara has to be worth at least 3 points right now given NO is already a little shorthanded without Thomas. Carolina has been one of those teams that just hasn't quit. They keep playing and will probably be a good team to bet on next year as they develop. Personally, a divisional game where NO doesn't improve their playoff standings with a win (unless GB loses to CHI) might be a recipe for CAR to have some easy shots at covering, backdoor covering, and maybe just winning outright. Like most of the teams with their ticket punched, there is a good chance they rest starters in the second half just to preserve the health of key players.

Seattle at San Francisco: Except for the loss to the Giants, Seattle has been on fire in the second half. Their offense hasn't had the firepower it started the season with, but it seems to be adding some more short passing into its game and finding a better balance. While the defense seems to be clicking on on cylinders. They have given up 17 or less in their last 5. As for San Fran: " Shanahan said he doesn't expect Garoppolo (ankle) to return this week. Wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk (ankle) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring), left tackle Trent Williams (elbow), defensive end Jordan Willis (ankle) and cornerback Richard Sherman (calf) have already been ruled out. Kicker Robbie Gould was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list"
I think this is the best odds you are going to get on SEA winning the whole thing. I gave this play out to my premium subscribers a few weeks ago, but I like (and bet) SEA having the best odds/price to make it out of the NFC. If by some lucky chance GB and NO lose today, SEA can still get the number one seed and a first round bye. They are currently +1200 to win it all and have (in my algo's opinion) the best QB in the NFC right now.
🤑🤑🤑 GO GET THAT MONEY 🤑🤑🤑

Las Vegas at Denver: This is one of my throwaway games. My algo has this as LV -2, however both teams are out of the playoffs and this game leaves the door open for anyone to flop, or try their heart out. Personally I love Derrick Carr and I think the Raiders are primed to make a deep playoff run next given a few additions to defense.

Arizona at LA Rams: Hmmmm... Kyler Murray is playing(hurtish) Arizona basically needs a win and in. Rams also need a win, but can still make it with a loss. Both teams should be playing their harderst, the biggest variable is going to be the Rams QB. Goff is hurt and will not play. Rams will be going with recently upgraded from the practice squad, Worford. He will be playing in his first NFL game, and I expect the Rams to lean very heavy on the run. Worford IS a mobile-ish QB, so it isn't out of the question for him to take the rams to a good low scoring, defensive win. If he can just make 4-5 good throws on key downs and NOT turn the ball over, I think the Rams come out on top. But if he can't handle the NFL speed and commits even one turnover, then AZ becomes the favorite to win.

Washington at Philadelphia: Last game of the night! Flexed here because it has massive implications in the NFC East. If Washington wins, they win the NFC East and make the playoffs as the 4 seed. If Philly wins, then the winner of the Dallas/NYG game will be the winner of the NFC East. Washington let go of their rookie QB and Alex Smith will start with a "hurt" calf. Philly has 9 players on the injury report and is expected to reach deep into their reserves to field players for this one. My algo slightly favors Washington to win, but given 3-5 points at home, on primetime, I lean heavy Philly.

Singles (91-116-1, -30.11u)

NYG ml (1u to win 1.1u)
N. Chubb ATTS and Browns ml (2.4u to win 2u)
NYJ ml (1u to win 1.35u)
NYJ +3.5 (2.6u to win 2u)
Justin Jefferson 70+ Rec Yards and 1+Tds Over (3u to win 6.45u)
Justin Jefferson 100+ Rec Yards Over (1u to win 1.8u)
Justin Jefferson 125+ Rec Yards Over (1u to win 4.5u)
Adam Thielen 68.5 Rec Yards Over (1.15u to win 1u)
Marvin Jones 64.5 Rec Yards Over (1u to win 1u)
Calvin Ridley Over 87.5 Rec Yards (2.3u to win 2u)
Mark Andrews Over 50.5 Rec Yards (2.3u to win 2u)
Dez Bryant ATTS and Ravens win (1u to win 3u)
Buffalo 1Q ml (1.2u to win 1u)
CHI +4.5 (1.1u to win 1u)
Derrick Henry Over 118.5 Rush Yards (5u to win 4u)
Brandin Cooks Over 69.5 Rec Yards (3.33u to win 3u)
CAR ml (0.5u to win 1.13u)
CAR +6 (2.2u to win 2u)
LAR if the points go back to 3...and the money line if it goes over 125.
John Wolford Over 25.5 Rush yards (5u to win 4u)
Tyler Higbee Over 24.5 Rec Yards (1.1u to win 1u)
Tyler Higbee Over 2.5 Rec (1u to win 1.07u)
J. Hurts 56.5 Rush Yards Over (1.1u to win 1u)

Parlays (6-30, +33.96u)

Ravens ml, Browns ml, Seattle ml, TEN ml, J. Wolford ATTD and Rams win (2u to win 27.73u)
Ravens, Browns, TEN, Seattle, Indy, NYG +6.5, NYJ +6.5 (FB to win 110.56u)
Ravens, Browns, TEN, Seattle, Indy, TB, LV, NYG +3.5, NYJ ml, CAR +6 (5u to win 270u)

Teasers (4-4, +34.6u)

CLE -2.5, NYJ +8.5, NYG +8.5, LAR +8.5 and U48.5, SEA ml and U52.5 (3.86u to win 23.45u)

BBDLS (0-66, -50.24u)

I have 7 in for 9u

Futures plays:
Seattle to win the NFC (100u to win 600u)
Seattle to win the Super Bowl (83.33u to win 1000u)

Thank you everyone for reading. Good luck to all!!

At 75, my mother decided to play through "Red Dead Redemption 2" and I am so pleased to share her essay about the experience with all of you. Please enjoy: "Unsung heroes: Reconceptualizing a video game as a work of art." by Jessica Hoffmann Davis, EdD **SPOILER ALERT**

Unsung heroes: Reconceptualizing a video game as a work of art.

Jessica Hoffmann Davis, EdD (jessicahoffmanndavis.com)

The doorbell rang just as the doctor at St. Denis (a fictive town in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2) was telling Arthur, (my playable character in the 80+ hour game) that he had incurable tuberculosis. Devastated, I raced to the door, explained quickly to the technician that I couldn’t sign anything for the moment, and rushed back to finish watching that cinematic cut into the regular action of the game.
As I returned to the door, I could hear the technician stifling a laugh. Clearly, he found it amusing that a woman of my advanced age was immersed in a video game. “Which one?” he asked pleasantly.
“Red Dead Redemption 2,” I replied, and his mouth fell open. “You know it?” I asked. “Who doesn’t?” he exclaimed. And of course, he did.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) was one of the hottest games of 2018. The New York Times reported it making $725 million in the first three days it opened, making it the “highest grossing opening weekend of any entertainment product—ever” (Suderman, NYT, 11/25/18, p. 8). “I tried it,” he said, “but I don’t really have time to stay with the story with two young children climbing all over me.” Yes, that would be hard. For me, at this stage in my life, my only regular interruption was my little dog who thought the horses, dogs, and other animals so realistically portrayed in Red Dead Redemption 2 were in the room with us. Lucky was also frightened by the sound of shooting guns that admittedly happened frequently throughout the game.
“How’d you get into it?” the technician asked. “My son is Dutch van der Linde.” Dutch is the sophisticated enchanting evil manipulative philosophic idealistic intellectual outlaw whose charisma and treachery are at the center of the game.
“You mean the character in the game is like your son?” “No”, I replied, “the character in the game is my son.” He was baffled. “The actor who plays Dutch van der Linde is my son.” “Oh. you mean, he gave the voice to the animated figure?” Apparently, this guy had never heard of performance capture and how the game’s animation is framed by digital recordings of the actual actions and expressions of the actors. “Performance capture.” I explained, “you know they wear the leotards with electric ping pong balls all over them?” “Oh yeah,” the technician nodded, clearly impressed, unsure by what. “Well, good luck with it,” the young man said, “Hope you win.”
Win? Proof positive that he had never played Red Dead Redemption 2, a game that has no winners or losers and a course of action determined by individual players. For most of the time, as the only playable character Arthur Morgan, (a misguided big-hearted gunslinger), you’re an actor in the theater of the game, riding your horse, tackling missions as directed, trying to do your best. For the rest of the time, you’re the director, deciding what comes next in the narrative, making choices that range from virtuous vs. damnable courses of action to what outfit your character will wear.
Fully within the shape and direction of the narrative, you are co-constructor of a story…or is it a movie? Now and then, with filmed action cut-scenes, it definitely is. Either way, the New York Times calls the game a “work of art” (ibid, p.8); an online fan calls it an “experience”; I call it an “adventure.” No, a “story.” No, a movie in which I am the protagonist and the director. A reader of lines; a writer of outcomes. I agree. “A work of Art.”

Origins

My son, actor Benjamin Byron Davis, worked on the Red Dead Redemption 2 project for five years. Five years of flying back and forth between Los Angeles and New York, memorizing countless lines (the script was 2000 pages long), rehearsing in locations on either coast, performing in black spandex “mo-cap” (motion capture) suits, gun belts at his side, riding a saw horse that would appear as a Tennessee Walker or an Arabian, imagining in a warehouse studio space, the vast landscape of the wild west.
Reportedly, the hardest part of it all was the non-disclosure agreement that the ensemble signed, assuring Rockstar Games that the actors would not reveal a minute of what they were doing prior to release, let alone that they had any knowledge that there would ever be a prequel to the earlier game, Red Dead Redemption.
When the game finally emerged, it was met with thunderous enthusiasm and commentary suggesting it had broken the boundaries between technology and art, exploring territory traditionally reserved for the arenas of dramatic or cinematic arts. Beautifully written, gorgeously acted, and outrageously picturesque, the game welcomes players into an imaginary world in which they can ride their horses all night, explore new directions as the sun rises, pause to camp under a shading tree or alongside a slippery river, feel a gentle rain, marvel at a star studded sky, and inter-relate with characters as close as fellow outlaws in the Van der Linde gang and as mysterious as strangers alongside an unknown road.
The terrain would become familiar, the dead tree marking the road to camp, the tree lined path to the Braithwaite Manor. the train tracks, water ways, and jagged narrow mountain paths. But I knew nothing of this when the Red Dead Redemption 2 ensemble of performance capture artists came to FanExpo Boston at the Boston Convention Center in August, 2019.

The Fans

I had never attended a fan expo or comic-con before. These conventions famously provide a venue where literally thousands of comic book/video game fans can gather. Walking about as if it was another day at the mall, are life sized superheroes, video game characters, and other creative inventions of comic book types. The costumes are pristine and professional looking and even the youngest children look as if they’ve just emerged from their movie trailers down the street.
Walking through galleries of booths selling such collectible objects as original artwork and vintage comic books or giving away trinkets that promote an upcoming game, I was struck by the creativity with which the atmosphere was infused. And when I reached the designated area in which fans could actually meet their favorite video game actors and get an autograph or a selfie, I was astonished by the length of the lines. I knew this happened around the world; Benjamin had already taken part in conventions in Hawaii, Philadelphia, Texas, and Kuwait. But what impressed me greatly, moved some chord within that is devoted to the arts in education, was that practically all of the fans waiting on line to meet the real Dutch van der Linde, had a gift in hand. The gifts were drawings of Dutch from various scenes in the game, or “wanted” posters of the artist’s design-an artistic response to the work of art that was the game; and the artwork itself was first rate. Surely some were more crudely drawn than others, but all the work presented had clearly been crafted with care and affection.

Reflection

Later, Dutch van der Linde (Benjamin) and Arthur Morgan (Roger Clark) sat on a panel and talked about the experience of working on Red Dead Redemption 2, the challenge of learning masses of lines in short periods of time, developing a role over time, working in those spandex suits, and especially the non-disclosure agreement that kept them from telling anyone what they were up to until release. It made the ensemble closer, only being allowed to talk about it all with each other. And then the questions came from the audience. I was sitting between Captain Marvel and I think the Joker, in a room filled with costumed articulate adults framing the most sophisticated questions, reflecting their knowledge of the narrative of the game, the process of production, and its place in the greater context of video game play, culture, and history.
“What other artistic arena was it most like?” “Literature.” The actors replied. “When did Arthur discover Dutch wasn’t all he had thought he was?” and among this interesting back and forth, an occasional fan would ask Arthur to call his horse or Dutch to say out loud the resonant phrase, “I have a plan.” The fans waxed rhapsodic about the performances and I realized two things: 1) the attachment these players felt with the actors from the game was more intimate and profound than the connection audiences have with actors in plays and movies: and 2) the only way I would get to experience my son’s celebrated performance was to learn to play Red Dead Redemption 2.

The Challenge

It was then that I bought a copy of the game (RDR2) and a Play Station 4 (PS4), the video console that enables game play. Installing the PS4 was not complicated but it took me a few days to find the courage to think that I was capable. The console came with a controller with which the player enters and navigates the game and learning how to use that smooth hand-held device took me the better part of two weeks. That was not just because of lack of confidence, not just because I believed that such a device belonged to another generation, but also because the controller is a pretty complicated device. There are so many options for control that I quickly ordered the Red Dead Redemption 2 guidebook which fearsomely is 385 pages long. The print is small. Enter my hand-held large red magnifying glass.
I practiced and practiced but mastery came slowly. My ineptitude with the controller prevented me from keeping my horse on a steady keel and caused me to make awful mistakes. I would unintentionally punch my horse or jump off it when I meant to jump on. I speak in the first person, but “I” in the game is the character of Arthur Morgan, a lovable gun slinger who has made some poor life choices but basically seeks to do good (when he is not shooting and looting bad guys).
Arthur and I are connected by that controller; we decide where he will move, what he will wear, if he will shave his beard, give money to the collection pot for Dutch’s gang, go into a saloon and play poker or check into a train station and pay the bounty on our head for some or another murderous mistake. Consider the intimacy of the relationship when you and he are the lead character in the game. The controller allows that connection.
With each week of game play (1-3 hours a day; occasionally a decadent lot more), my facility with the controller increased and remarkably, as I got more facile, the game gave me more things to do-there seemed a reciprocity of skills and tasks. I felt scaffolded by the game (and that incredibly detailed guidebook) and that allowed me to invest fully in the experience of this alternate world where gangs were disappearing but still shooting it up and revenge was disparaged but still motivating bloodshed.
As we moved from the cold snowy opening scenes of the game throughout seasons of flowering and abundance, with animals (reportedly 200 species) gamboling through meadows and towns, the environment became more detailed and complex. There were entries in Arthur’s journal (drawings and words) to read and interpret, books on shelves that you could open and study, abandoned interiors to explore and loot, Native American lore to inspire, the chill of a wave of industrialization meticulously portrayed as a backdrop to the development and deterioration of characters to whom we grow unreasonably attached.
“Let’s ride.” Is a refrain you hear in the game that informed my play every time I returned to it. My designated chair; the open guidebook and the magnifying glass; my coffee on the table; a few post-its stuck to the mug—reminders about which is a punch which a repel; the smooth feel of the ps4 controller in my hand, and I was ready to play. “Let’s ride.” And ride we did, through a landscape of images and words and music that sustained and engaged. A story line filled with excitement and nuance, chapter to chapter; through decisions that had consequence and proved our autonomy and effectiveness; attending to detail, collecting herbs, horses, weapons—so much to encounter and learn. I came to be unsurprised this game took 8 years to create. It would seem to require more.

The Journey

Meanwhile, my son had announced to his fans that his 75 year old mother was attempting to play Red Dead Redemption 2 and they responded with wonderful comments of support. They were moved I’d taken such trouble to see what my son had done, moved that an “older” person would make the effort to experience “their art.” I was buoyed by their support; they called my efforts “wholesome.” They made me feel welcome and proud of my novice exploration of the world they knew so well. And what did others know of the magic I was discovering in an area the uninformed consider a “waste of time”?
Perusing the topics of some of the very many academic articles on the subject, I noted that while there is persistent concern for the effects of violence in games, scholars in the field recognize a variety of positive aspects. Of interest to me, they acknowledge what I felt first-hand: the experience of “presence” as in actually being there within the game as well as a sense of personal efficacy as I moved along (Vorderer, Bryant, 2006). So much to learn from historical content to usable skills such as manual dexterity, spatial awareness, and the attention to detail inherent to aesthetic education.
As I came to the end of the RDR2 story, final scenes brought me to tears. The characters found the ways they were meant to find but not always what I would have wished for them. Since my son is a veteran actor, I have seen him in many roles, but never as an animated version of himself—a version that visually walked his walk and audibly exploited the dark and playful regions of his wonderful voice. My journey had allowed this encounter with an extraordinary performance of an extraordinary role. And I had also had the extraordinary experience of playing a role; well, sharing a role with the character Roger Clark so marvelously brought to life. I became facile with a venue I had previously only seen from a distance—a grandson ignoring me, attending somehow to this mysterious arena for play. I entered that world, became absorbed, and didn’t hear when I was called for dinner.

In Closing

As I came into the finish line, I texted some reflections to my son:
…the “game” was somewhere between my recollections as a child of playing dolls that I dressed and placed in imaginary scenes and playing cowboys and Indians with those plastic figures whose legs were bowed so they could ride securely on their little plastic horses. But beyond the imaginary part of it all; it was so real. As if I was living in another time when folks travelled over roads that were narrow paths that led over wooden bridges and through rushing streams. And when the weather changed- my first worry was whether Arthur needed a coat or a bigger hat…and we kept going along beautiful trails, rowing wooden boats, jumping on wagons-noting all along stars in a changing sky, old houses that seemed familiar-as if they were from history and not an artist’s pen.…and my attention to detail throughout spilled over into the real world beyond. I would hear voices in the supermarket that sounded like the background voices in RDR2.
How glorious the moment (the last time) when we saw the whole gang (fractured at that point but going off together) following Dutch on his white horse “Let’s ride.” Words cannot recreate for someone who has not entered this world what it contains and inspires. Such a range of emotions and encounters and I have yet to do anything with the watches and rings in my satchel, the playing cards, the dominoes …the letters we received. The world that was created here is rich with possibilities that I have still to explore, but it has taken me months to come from front to back, from ignorant thoughts of “just a video game” to real admiration of a “work of art.”
Like other works of art, we never capture it all in one encounter, we can return and find new things over and over and the questions the work asks us are never fully answered, fraught with possibilities for interpretation. For me, this time, my question is: “where was redemption among these murderous heroes, these virtuous criminals, these friends to the end or not?” These outlaws, dealing death left and right, but so moved by the losses of each other. Evil and goodness all around, no clear lines between. Arthur’s dream, a triumph against the winds and tides of the rest. And my triumph by the way, learning something new for which I had no experience or ability, awakened by the challenges and delight of this extraordinary creation.
What a privilege to play.
References
Suderman, P. (2018), New York Times Nov. 25,p.8/
Vorder, P. & Bryant, J. (2006) Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses, and Consequences. NY: Routledge.

40 Best Songs of All Times About Poker, Dice, Cards and Addiction

40. Go Down Gamblin’ - Blood Sweat and Tears

Released in 1971, Go Down Gamblin’ by Blood Sweat and Tears is a song describing a gambler who is “born a natural loser.” He never wins, no matter what game he plays, but, he doesn’t feel like a loser. As the song goes – “Cause I've been called a natural lover by that lady over there, Honey, I'm just a natural gambler but I try to do my share.”

39. Gambler - Madonna

Gambler is a song written and played by Madonna, made for the film Vision Quest. Although the song reached the top 10 in the charts of the UK, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, and Norway, Madonna performed it only once on her 1985 The Virgin Tour. It’s a catchy song, we suggest you play it as you spin the reels of some of your favourite retro online slots.

38. The House of the Rising Sun - The Animals

Our list wouldn’t be complete without the 1964 hit song - The House of the Rising Sun by The Animals. Everybody knows the famous lines ”My mother, she was a tailor, sewed these new blue jeans, my father was a gamblin' man way down in New Orleans.” This single had a major success and made it to the top 10 songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the USA. Likewise, the hit was featured in the video game Guitar Hero Live.

37. The Winner Takes It All - ABBA

Whether we admit it or not, we all love at least some songs played by the very well-known Swedish pop group, ABBA. According to some sources, Bjorn Ulvaeus wrote the 1980 hit song The Winner Takes It All which was inspired by his divorce to his fellow band member, Agnetha Fältskog. The winner takes it all is a sort of a comparison to a divorce (especially the part ”I've played all my cards and that's what you've done too, nothing more to say, no more ace to play”), where one of them is the winner and the other one is left with nothing. And things are just the same when it comes to gambling, so we’ve decided to put the song on our list.

36. Shape of my Heart - Sting

We’re all aware of the fact that our gambling behaviour can be influenced by certain types of music and that's because online gambling and music go hand in hand. So, we suggest you start playing your preferred games with one of everyone’s favourite songs by Sting called The Shape of my Heart. It was released in 1993 and used for the end credits of the film Léon. In one of his interviews, Sting explained that the lyrics of the song tell the story of a card player who places bets not in order to win but to figure out something that’s been bothering him - “some kind of scientific, almost religious law.”

35. All I Wanna Do Is Play Cards - Corb Lund

“Well, I guess I really oughta be makin up songs but all I wanna do is play cards. I know it's dumb and sick and wrong but all I wanna do is play cards. Got the studio booked in Tennessee, and my record producer's callin me, the tape will roll in just three weeks and all I wanna do is play cards.” Does it sound familiar? It’s a 2005 hit by Corb Lund called All I Wanna Do Is Play Cards, once you hear it you’ll be playing it on repeat.

34. Gambling Man - The Overtones

When you’re falling in love, it’s perfectly normal to feel like you want to gamble everything just to attract that person’s attention to notice you and love you back. Well, Gambling Man is a lively 2010 song that tells a story of a guy fascinated with his love, so he places all his bets on her, as the song goes - “I played my hand, I rolled the dice, now I'm paying for my sins, I got some bad addiction.” This time, he feels that this love affair is different from any other – “Baby, it's you, yeah, yeah, that's right.” The song was released in 2010 and has been popular ever since.

33. Poker Face - Lady Gaga

Although the Poker Face song is more about the game of romance rather than the game of poker, the catchy refrain that starts with “Can't read my, no he can't read my poker face” kinda reminds us of winning at the tables, so we couldn’t skip it this time. Released in 2008, the song achieved worldwide success, topping the charts in the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada and several European countries.

32. Little Queen of Spades - Robert Johnson

Moving on to the Little Queen of Spades, a song title by the American blues musician Robert Johnson who recorded the song in 1937 and first released it in 1938. The first version of this gambling-themed song has a playing time of 2:11, whereas the second one lasts 4s longer (2:15), and is considered an alternate take and first appeared on Johnson's album The Complete Recordings, in 1990.

31. Train of Consequences - Megadeth

Another great song Train of Consequences is the title created by Megadeth, released as the first single from their sixth studio album Youthanasia in 1994. The song was later included on their compilation albums and its music video was the 26th most played video on MTV. There’s this part of the song “No horse ever ran as fast as the money that you bet, I'm blowing on my cards and I play them to my chest” – which is about a person’s gambling problem, who realises something’s wrong with this lifestyle, but it still hunts him down. Could be just the thrill, but he just can’t stop playing.

30. Gambler - Whitesnake

Released on the album Slide It In (1984) and appearing on the compilation album Gold (2006), Gambler is the song by the British hard rock band Whitesnake. These words may sound familiar - “No fame or fortune, no luck of the draw, when I dance with the Queen of Hearts, a jack of all trades, a loser in love, it's tearing my soul apart”. And in case you’ve never heard it, we think you should give it a shot, the chances are you’re going to love it!

29. Gambling Man - Woody Guthrie

Now here’s one single from 1957 - Gamblin' Man. The song was taped live at the London Palladium and published as a double A side, with Puttin' On the Style. Reaching #1 in the UK Singles Chart in the summer 1957, it was “the last UK number 1 to be released on 78 rpm format only, as 7' vinyl had become the norm by this time.” Written by Woody Guthrie and Donegan, this gambling themed song was produced by Alan Freeman and Michael Barclay.

28. Roll of the Dice - Bruce Springsteen

According to Songfacts, Roll of the Dice was the first Springsteen’s song he didn’t write by himself. In fact, E Street Band’s pianist Roy Bittan helped with the music, while Springsteen was in charge of the lyrics, starting with – “Well I've been a losin' gambler, just throwin' snake eyes, Love ain't got me downhearted. I know up around the corner lies, My fool's paradise in just another roll of the dice.” After he broke up the E Street Band in October 1989, Springsteen wrote lyrics for the Roll of the Dice (with two other songs) and liked them to the point where he began writing and recording more songs.

27. Queen of Diamonds - Tom Odell

Here’s one song about a gambling fanatic who’s trying to satisfy his own addiction but also someone else, hoping it’s going to save him. Released in 2018, Queen of Diamonds is Tom Odell’s song from the album Jubilee Road, based on the local characters that inspired this British songwriter to include the whisky-soaked gamblers who regularly visited one betting shop.

26. The Angel and the Gambler - Iron Maiden

Now, this song may divide Iron Maiden fans and it’s most probably because of its repetitive lyrics that can be a bit annoying. The release we’re talking about is The Angel and the Gambler. Truth be told, the melody in general is very catchy and, even a bit similar to The Who in some moments. As the song was released in 1998 while Blaze Bayley was its frontmen, it’s missing the well-known high-pitch vocals from Bruce Dickinson.

25. Ramblin' Gamblin Man - Bob Seger

We’re moving on to a rock single from 1978 - Ramblin' Gamblin Man by Bob Seger. The author meets an old acquaintance, a professional gambler who happens to be a swagger. As such, he attracts people’s attention whenever he bets. Putting so much of his faith in the cards (rather than in people), he walks away every time, just before avoiding loss. Along the way, the narrator realises that, if you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll find he’s a very cynical man, who will never change.
Another gambling-themed song worth mentioning by Bob Seger is Still The Same.

24. Blow Up The Pokies - The Whitlams

Blow up the Pokies is the next song on our list, played by The Whitlams. It is the second single by the group from their 4th studio album, Love This City. Released in the year 2000, the song became a hit and made it to number 21 on the ARIA Singles Chart. According to several resources, the lyrics written by singer Tim Freedman were inspired by the destruction he saw in original Whitlams bassist Andy Lewis's life, due to his gambling addiction.

23. A Good Run of Bad Luck - Clint Black

Now here’s one 1994-song packed with gambling-related terms. As you listen to A Good Run of Bad Luck, recorded by American music artist Clint Black, you'll have a bit of fun as you try identifying what all these gambling terms mean. The song is a bit fast and is about falling in love by using gambling metaphors. The main character is willing to spend a lot of money to win his special lady over and, although he has had a period of bad luck, he is not giving up – “I've been to the table, and I've lost it all before, I'm willin' and able, always comin' back for more.”

22. When You’re Hot, You’re Hot - Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed won a Grammy for the song When You’re Hot, You’re Hot which was released in 1971. Most people remember it as it was a major hit, ranked as number 1 in the country charts, also making its way up the Pop Top 40. It’s an enjoyable novelty song about the ups and downs of the gambling life, about one’s winning streak caught in an illegal game of Crap.
Country star Jerry Reed also came up with a version The Uptown Poker Club in 1973.

21. Lawyers, Guns and Money - Warren Zevon

Next one up - Lawyers, Guns and Money is a song by Warren Zevon, the closing track on his album Excitable Boy, released in 1978. An edited version of this song was distributed as a single and found itself on the A Quiet Normal Life best of compilation on the CD and LP. The song goes like this - “I went home with a waitress the way I always do, how was I to know she was with the russians, too? I was gambling in Havana, I took a little risk Send lawyers, guns, and money Dad, get me out of this, hiyah!”

20. The Lottery Song - Harry Nilsson

According to the man in the 1972 pop-rock song The Lottery Song by Harry Nilsson, there's more than one way to get to Vegas. Addressing his lover, the narrator mentions a few different options for buying a ticket and going to Sin City – “We could win the lottery we could go to Vegas,” and “We could wait till summer, we could save our money” as well as “We could make a record, sell a lot of copies, we could play Las Vegas.”

19. Casino Queen - Wilco

Now here’s one black-humoured gambling-themed song, released in 1995 and titled after a casino. Featuring a dirty electric guitar, Casino Queen was composed by an American songwriter, Jeff Tweedy, who wrote this song after playing a game in a riverboat casino accompanied by his dad. Inspired by the event, the author wrote: “Casino Queen my lord you're mean, I've been gambling like a fiend on your tables so green.”

18. Have a Lucky Day - Morphine

Another song on our list that you simply must check out starts like this: “I feel lucky, I just feel that way, I'm on a bus to Atlantic City later on today. Now I'm sitting at a blackjack table and swear to God the dealer has a tag says, "Mabel." Hit me, hit me! I smile at Mabel, soon they're bringing complimentary drinks to the table.” Check it out yourself - it’s called Have a Lucky Day by Morphine.

17. Kentucky Gambler - Merle Haggard

Written by Dolly Parton and released in 1974, Merle Haggard’s Kentucky Gambler is another song on our ultimate gambling playlist that you should pay attention to. It’s about a miner from Kentucky who leaves his family to gamble, under the bright lights of Reno. Unsurprisingly, his winning streak comes to an end, and he loses all his winnings. All broke, he decided to return back home only when he arrived, he found out his wife was involved with someone else.

16. The Jack - AC/DC

The next song on our list will give you some adrenaline boost, for sure. It goes like this - “She gave me the queen, she gave me the king, she was wheelin' and dealin', just doin' her thing, she was holdin' a pair, but I had to try…” Sounds familiar? This song from the 1975s is called The Jack and is played by AC/DC and there’s no way you can skip it.

15. Blackjack - Ray Charles

Moving on to something a bit different - a melody that blackjack lovers can listen to as they play is Ray Charles’ Blackjack. Apart from being a good quality song from 1955, it carries an important message with an emphasis on how brutal the game of blackjack can be. Some sources say that Ray Charles wrote it after beating T-Bone Walker at a blackjack game session.
Yet another Ray Charles’ famous song about gambling is called a Losing Hand.

14. Ooh Las Vegas - Gram Parson

“Ooh, Las Vegas, ain't no place for a poor boy like me”... is a song-into for Ooh Las Vegas which was written by Gram Parsons and Ric Grech. It was first released by Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris in 1974. Playing this song would be perfect for the beginning of the road trip (i.e. to Las Vegas), especially if you have the energy to sing along.

13. The Stranger - Leonard Cohen

Published in 1968 and performed by Leonard Cohen, The Stranger appears in the The Ernie Game movie about a man released from a mental asylum. More appropriately, it is the perfect opening song in the 1971 Western McCabe & Mrs Miller, in which Warren Beatty plays a gambler. As you listen to this song (without watching the movie), it makes you see fascinating images of card games, smoky dreams, and concepts of risk versus safety.

12. Desperado - Eagles

Written by Glen Frey and Don Henley, Desperado song is one of The Eagles’ greatest hits from their 1973 album of the same name. The song features a classic tune while the ballad tells the story of a lone wolf imprisoned by his loneliness. As for the lyrics, they have loads of card references mentioning the queen of diamonds, the queen of hearts, and so on.

11. Huck's Tune - Bob Dylan

The next song on our list is about the risks of poker, money, and relationships, which are precisely what the movie Lucky You is all about. Does it ring a bell? That’s right, this 2007 song is called Huck’s Tune and is performed by Bob Dylan. Each of us can all relate to lines "You push it all in, and you've no chance to win, you play 'em on down to the end." Play the song and you’ll enjoy more than 4 amazing minutes of Bob Dylan.
Likewise, Bob Dylan recorded Rambling, Gambling Willie and Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, both excellent and both inspired by gambling.

10. Four Little Diamonds - Electric Light Orchestra

A song by the British rock band Electric Light Orchestra Four Little Diamonds was released in 1983 and found itself on the album Secret Messages. The single wasn’t so popular in the US, being only 2 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, at number 86, and number 84 in the UK. This song refers to the singer’s cheating lover who tricked him out of a ring which had 'four little diamonds' on it.

9. You Can't Beat The House - Mark Knopfler

Moving on to our next choice for the day, You Can’t Beat the House. It’s the third song on the Get Lucky studio album released in 2009 by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler. The album and the songs received favorable reviews with the album reaching the top three positions on album charts in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland. The singer’s divine voice combined with beautiful music and lyrics goes like this – “You can't bear the house, you can't bear the house, tell the man somebody, you can't beat the house.”

8. Deck of Cards - Don Williams

Deck of Cards is a recitation song that tells the story of a soldier who gets caught while playing cards in church and then faces a sentence from a superior officer. The soldier defends his case, explaining he wasn't about to deal a hand of poker, but was rather confirming his faith with the cards. Performed by T. Texas Tyler, the song managed to become a major hit in the 1940s and 1950s. Also, Wink Martindale had an even bigger hit with his 1959 cover, with a successful version by Don Williams featuring Tex Ritter and Buddy Cole.

7. Gambler’s Blues - B.B. King

First recording of the song Gambler’s Blues by B.B. King was in 1966, and it was released in 1967. The song appears on the album Back in the Alley (1970). Some say gambling and blues go hand in hand, so if you (gambling fans) haven’t heard it, listen and see for yourself.

6. Tumbling Dice - Rolling Stones

One of our favourite songs on the list is Tumbling Dice, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It tells the story of a gambler who can’t remain faithful to any woman. Being released in the 1970s and featuring a blues boogie-woogie rhythm, the song was and still is one of the greatest singles of all time.
Rolling Stones also recorded Casino Boogie, and it’s from their 1972 album, Exile on Main St.

5. Luck Be A Lady - Frank Sinatra

The next song on our list is about a gambler who hopes that he will win a bet, the outcome of which will decide whether he is able to save his relationship with the girl of his dreams. You probably know what song we’re talking about; it’s called Luck be a Lady released in 1965 and performed by one of the most popular musical artists - Frank Sinatra.

4. Deal - Grateful Dead

Next one up is the song Deal. It was first performed by the Grateful Dead in 1971, as a regular part of the repertoire through their 1970's tour. Although being less common to the fans during the 1990s, the band continued to perform it. The singer opens with the message: “Since it cost a lot to win and even more to lose you and me bound to spend some time wondering what to choose,” that later kicks off with a chorus: “Don't let your deal go down...”
Loser is another song first performed by the Grateful Dead in 1971 as well, heavily played during 1971 and 1972.

3. Ace of Spades - Motörhead

Ok, the next song is loaded with some great gambling verses like "The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say, I don't share your greed, the only card I need is the Ace of Spades" will definitely set you in the right mood for hitting some winning combinations. Released in 1980, the song was inspired by slot machines that the lead singer Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister played in London pubs.

2. Viva Las Vegas - Elvis

As soon as you start playing the second song from our playlist “Viva Las Vegas,” you’ll probably picture a huge casino and a great gaming atmosphere. Performed by the legendary Elvis Presley, the 1964-released song brings the glamour of the city, and its beat will get you in the mood for some serious gameplay. This song was written for the movie of the same name starring Elvis Presley, in which he plays a race car driver waiting tables at a hotel to pay off a debt. There’s this famous scene when he performs this song at the talent competition alongside many showgirls.

1. The Gambler - Kenny Rogers

Performed by the legendary country singer Kenny Rogers, The Gambler song is our number 1 - it's full of some betting advice that are relevant today, even though it was released more than 40 years ago, in 1978. Here’s how it goes… “If you're gonna play the game, boy you gotta learn to play it right, you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.” These classic chorus lines were told from the first-person perspective inspired by a conversation the author had with an experienced poker player on a train. Written in the form of poker metaphors, Schlitz wrote the tune in honor of his late father.
Johnny Cash is also among other musicians who recorded The Gambler in 1978, on Gone Girl.

What do you think? Which one is your favourite?

Timeline of Red Dead Online

My attempt to fix Competitive Hearthstone

Hey everyone, apologies in advance, this is going to be a LOOOONG first post. In this post I'm going to try to tackle the problems with Hearthstone Esports and what Blizzard can do to have it taken seriously again. This is in response to recent comments by Firebat claiming that there really isn't a competitive Hearthstone scene anymore, and while I'm sure it was a genuine mistake, his actions over the weekend don't really seem to convey that he's taking the GM league very seriously right now. While some of my solutions may be unrealistic (MORE MONEY!!!), I'm really just trying to start a conversation and hoping that someone from Blizzard sees these ideas and they get bounced around a bit up top. Let's get to it!
The problem with GM League
I totally understand why the GM League exists. I have no doubt that viewership numbers are much higher when a major streamer like Dog or Amnesiac is involved than relative unknowns like DocPwn or Hamster. Someone at Blizzard clearly looked at those viewership numbers and thought "Why not have nothing but well-known streamers play each other?" The problem with this line of thinking is you lose what's known in poker as "The Moneymaker Effect".
For those that don't know, "The Moneymaker Effect" is what's thought to have caused a huge explosion in interest in poker popularity in the Mid-2000's. Chris Moneymaker was a Tennessee accountant who, through an online satellite tournament, was able to get in to the World Series of Poker, usually a $10,000 fee, for $80. He then proceeded to knockout well known poker pros Phil Ivey, Dan Harrington, and Sam Farha on his way to winning the 2003 tournament and 2.5 million dollars. Chris Moneymaker suddenly led people to believe that ANYONE can win the WSOP. Entries to the 2004 tournament tripled. Entries to the 2005 tournament doubled again. Poker became mainstream, and although the huge increase in turnout meant that regular pros lost any real chance of taking down the coveted bracelet, what they gained in fame and exposure was worth far more.
So the problem with the GM League is that it loses the "Anyone can win" factor. I can not win the Hearthstone World Championship this year. You can not win the Hearthstone World Championship this year. The only people that are allowed to win the Hearthstone World Championship are those currently in the GM League. While it is possible to win other tournaments and use those to catapult yourself into next year's GM League, the odds of this happening to a complete unknown with a full time job seem astronomical. Part of the fun of Hearthstone is I can sit across the table from a vastly superior player like Zalae and have a chance to win (AND I HAVE...1-0 AGAINST ZALAE! Let's not talk about my record against Ant or Navioot...) This isn't really possible in many other competitive esports games, I have no chance of getting my friends together and taking down a pro team in Overwatch or League of Legends. If I literally can't win or even compete in the Hearthstone World Championship, why am I invested?
Tournament Mode
I firmly believe that Hearthstone Esports will never take a serious step forward without the advent of a real in game tournament mode. While ladder certainly has it's advantages, the fact that tourney mode doesn't exist despite being the most asked for feature in Hearthstone makes it tough to take competitive Hearthstone seriously. My plan would feature two tourney modes, casual and competitive. Theoretically Casual would be fully customizable (Ban any Class! Only Highlander Decks! All Decks must contain Gruul!), but that's not really relevant to this conversation. Competitive Tournament mode would feature 8-man tourneys that would eventually lead to a spot in the Hearthstone Seasonal Qualifiers. It would be a 4 step progression that would look something like this...
Bronze Tourney:
Entry fee: 150 gold, or 1 arena ticket, or 1 Bronze tourney key, or $1.99
Structure: Best 1 of 1 (Players are locked into the deck they choose at the start of the tourney)
Rewards: 1st place: Silver Tourney Key (Value 500 gold)
2nd place: 400 gold
3rd-4th place: Bronze Tourney Key (Value 150 gold)
Silver Tourney:
Entry Fee: 500 gold, or one Silver Tourney Key, or $5.99
Structure: Best 1 of 1 (Players may switch decks between rounds. Players are limited to the 18 decks in their lineup. Players will be given the decklist to what deck their opponent played in the previous round)
Rewards: 1st place: Gold Tourney Key (Value 2000 gold)
2nd place: 1000 gold
3rd-4th place: Silver tourney key (Value 500 gold)
Gold Tourney:
Entry Fee: 2000 gold, or one Gold Tourney Key, or $19.99
Structure: Best 2 of 3 (Players may switch decks between games. Players are limited to the 18 decks in their lineup. After a player wins a game with a deck, that deck may not be used again that round. Players will be given the decklist to what decks their opponent have played so far this tourney)
Rewards: 1st place: Platinum Tourney Key (Value 7500 gold)
2nd place: 4500 gold
3rd-4th place: Gold Tourney Key (Value 2000 gold)
Platinum Tourney:
Entry fee: 7500 gold, or one Platinum Tourney Key, or $69.99
Structure: Best 2 of 3 (Players may switch decks between games. Players are limited to the 18 decks in their lineup. After a player wins a game with a deck, that deck may not be used again that round. Players will be given the decklist to what decks their opponent has played so far this tourney)
Rewards: 1st place: Seasonal Qualifiers chip (Value 30000 gold)
2nd place: 15000 gold
3rd-4th place: Platinum Key

A Seasonal Qualifiers Chip would obviously get you in to the big Seasonal Qualifier tournament that happens once every 4 months. This is a MASSIVE tournament that will happen over two days and will be a major time commitment. Not everyone that gets one of these chips will be available or actually want to participate in such a massive tourney that takes up an entire two days. So this is a key component of this structure: A Seasonal Qualifier Chip can also be redeemed for EVERY CARD in an expansion of the players choice. Hopefully this will incentivize more Platinum Tourney play, one problem I see in this structure is that players won't continue to play these tourneys after they get their Chip, or people that can't make the Qualifiers the week it's scheduled just won't participate. The massive payoff of a Seasonal Qualifier Chip should hopefully ensure that these tourneys go off regularly.

The tourney structure also provides a gold and money sink for Blizzard. Let's be real, Blizzard is never going to pick up any of these suggestions if they don't see profit in them, having an additional revenue generator for them might be that profit that is needed. My payout structure on these tourneys is 100 percent, so the value of the rewards given to players in a bronze tourney is 1200 gold, exactly the amount of gold that is necessary to start the tourney (8 x 150). Blizzard may need to make the payout structure a little less forgiving, 90 percent is typical in most poker tournaments. The house does need to make money. Consider my payouts a player friendly suggestion, but I wouldn't be shocked if an actual tourney mode setup by Blizzard isn't quite as generous.

Seasonal Qualifiers

So this is where my plan is going to get a bit an ambitious, perhaps overly so. But whatever, it's reddit, let's dream a bit! The Seasonal Qualifiers are when Hearthstone is going to try and basically take over Twitch. This will be, depending on interest, either a 1,024 person, or a 2,048 person double elimination tournament. Let's use the 1,024 person tourney as an example...let's say 200 different people were able to get a Seasonal Qualifiers Chip and want to use it for this tourney. Let's also say we decide to give an invite to the top 300 players on ladder over the season, using the old HTC point system (Importantly, these players would NOT receive a Seasonal Qualifiers Chip, just a Seasonal Qualifiers Invite. You would be potentially losing a lot of whales if your top 300 players got the whole expansion for free every season.) The last 500 or so spots go to influencers. I know, I know, this throws the whole notion of this being a "competitive tourney" sort of out the window. But this is supposed to be an "Anyone Can Win" tourney. Plenty of celebrities buy in to the WSOP every year, and it doesn't taint the eventual champions victory just because Ben Affleck got knocked out on Day 2. So let's see who we can get with this thing, with the caveat being that no appearance fees are going to be paid, but the eventual world champion wins $1,000,000 dollars. That still probably won't be enough to entice top streamers like Ninja or Pokimane to join in the fun, but who else can we get? Obviously, major "non-competitive" Hearthstone streamers would need to be involved, like Kibler or Kripparian. Just in case they aren't willing to give up their whole weekend, Blizzard may need to let them know that participation is mandatory if they want to continue to be featured in fun paid events like next weeks Innvitational. But let's think outside the box a bit. Is that top prize of $1,000,000 and some twitch exposure enough to entice Olivia Munn? Daniel Negreanu? Magnus Carlsen? I think one of the major problems with GM League at the moment is that Blizzard thinks a matchup like RDU vs. Thijs is going to bring in huge viewership numbers. Maybe it will, but those people watching will already be heavily involved in Hearthstone. You want to bring in some huge viewership numbers? How about a Hearthstone grudge match between former couple Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers?

As far as actual structure, it would most likely be 1,024 player, double elimination tournament. Here's what that would like after 7 rounds...

Round 1: 1,024 players 512 players (1-0) 512 players (0-1)
Round 2: 1,024 players 256 players (2-0) 512 players (1-1) 256 players (0-2) eliminated
Round 3: 768 players 128 players (3-0) 384 players (2-1) 256 players (1-2) eliminated
Round 4: 512 players 64 players (4-0) 256 players (3-1) 192 players (2-2) eliminated
Round 5: 320 players 32 players (5-0) 160 players (4-1) 128 players (3-2) eliminated
Round 6: 192 players 16 players (6-0) 96 players (5-1) 80 players (4-2) eliminated
Round 7: 112 players 8 players (7-0) 56 players (6-1) 48 players (5-2) eliminated

This would leave us with 64 players that can advance to Seasonal Playoffs. Seasonal Playoffs, Seasonal Championship, and World Championship would proceed as they did before GM League, with Seasonal Playoffs being a 7 round swiss tourney followed by an 8 man single elimination, and Seasonal Championship and World Championship having a group stage followed by 8 man single elimination. Prizes for these tourneys would have to significantly increase to entice players, I would guess $1,000,000 for World Championship and $250,000 for Seasonal Championship. Whether that is ultimately worth it to Blizzard depends on how much they are willing to invest in tourneys, hopefully some of that cost could be recovered by the satellites to get into Seasonal Qualifiers, but it seems unlikely that all of it would. For Hearthstone Esports to be taken seriously, it's going to take an investement from Blizzard. But the potential of completely dominating Twitch on Seasonal Qualifiers day could be worth it. As an aside, if there really is a TON of interest in Seasonal Qualifiers, this is what the 2,048 person tourney would look like...

Round 1: 2,048 players 1,024 players (1-0) 1,024 players (0-1)
Round 2: 2,048 players 512 players (2-0) 1,024 players (1-1) 512 players (0-2) eliminated
Round 3: 1,536 players 256 players (3-0) 768 players (2-1) 512 players (1-2) eliminated
Round 4: 1,024 players 128 players (4-0) 512 players (3-1) 384 players (2-2) eliminated
Round 5: 640 players 64 players (5-0) 320 players (4-1) 256 players (3-2) eliminated
Round 6: 384 players 32 players (6-0) 192 players (5-1) 160 players (4-2) eliminated
Round 7: 224 players 16 players (7-0) 112 players (6-1) 96 players (5-2) eliminated
Round 8: 128 players 8 players (8-0) 64 players (7-1) 56 players (6-2) eliminated

This would leave us with 72 players, which is still a manageable amount for Seasonal Playoffs. Anyway, I would love to get some feedback on what you guys think about this plan, and the numerous holes you can poke in it. Thanks for the read guys!

Bill Sanders, part 2.

(This part is 100% done, though I may edit it to improve the language or add minor details that connect this part of the story to others.)
I assumed he’d make an appearance eventually. I didn’t expect that he’d appear that very Saturday night, bottle in hand, or the Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of the next week, or basically every day I’d offered to spend time with him. Those first couple visits he only seemed to wanna talk about the various brands of small batch liquor he was introducing me to, their flavors and subtle notes and origins, and any discussion about his life was met with short replies. Then eventually the wall started to come down as he shared more and more of his life, and then it was like a leak in a dam, the walls of mistrust crumbling to a torrent of thoughts and feelings. It had been so long since Bill had anyone he could trust enough to really open up and share his life with, and the opportunity to unburden gave him a kind of younger man’s energy and giddiness that was rather infectious.
First, and frankly to my total surprise, he loved Lydia. He was totally, completely, head over heels in love with her. I’d assumed the frost of their relationship was built on mutual disdain, but it became clear that he viewed her intense vanity and need for approval and control of the social strata of the town kinda like a husband whose wife was in the throws of dementia - he hated the disease that was her narcissism, not her, and was proud to be her “caregiver.” Still he acknowledged how one-sided that love seemed to be and the frustration of having lost her to the delusion of being the Southern Queen of their small town. As much as he loved her, they hadn’t fucked since Sarah and Samantha, and then only as a means to conceive them. And he bristled at Marco, the kids’ well-built and square-jawed and so-called “manny.” “I know he’s fucking her every moment I’m out of the house,” he sighed. “I want her to be happy. He obviously makes her happy. Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”
I guess it’d been a couple weeks in when he admitted all this. It made him tense, and I hated how much he hated it but I knew that getting it off his chest was therapeutic. He told me about the girl he’d met as a young Air Force recruit in Montgomery, about getting married a bit too early but knowing they were both madly in love, and then having to say goodbye the day he found out she was pregnant - 1988, when he was shipped overseas.
I did the math when he told me that story. 1989? “You...have another kid? They’re what, like 32…”
He just shook his head. “No...don’t...I can’t go there.” He shut down, cold, dark. Ok, not a place he was prepared to explore.
“So when did you get to come back home?”
“‘94.”
I sputtered. “Holy shit, five years?! What happened?”
He shrugged. “Gulf War happened. I was a comms specialist, and they didn’t have enough to go around. After the actual war ended they begged me to join Southern Watch, that was an air defense operation out of Al Dhafra base in Saudi Arabia. No one else could do it, they said. And they offered me a lot of money to stay on. So I took it. Sent it back to her. Kept my head down. Thought about home.”
I shook my head as he talked, my respect for a seemingly simple, one-dimensional football coach growing as I began to see his depth. Hell, if anything the fact that he didn’t brag about his remarkable life, allowing Lydia to convince everyone that she was the more interesting of the Sanders, made him all the more impressive.
I glanced over. Tuesday and Thursday he wore the same school polo and khakis. But this was Saturday, and on Saturday he wore shorts and a tee, the standard uniform that suggested he’d either been coaching or lifting all day, or both. I took in the sight of him as he looked into his glass, drunkly rambling these details that seemed so insignificant to him. The full silver grey head of hair, the stubble that seemed impossible to shave away, the broadly thick muscled body that stretched his tee shirt so tightly I could make out every detail of the left nipple that was glaring at me. I was reminded once again just how attracted I was to him, and the erection growing in my own jeans that followed reminded me that I did have an agenda with Bill. Maybe it was time to push forward on it. We’d certainly shared enough drinks, that evening alone to test some boundaries.
“Hey, can I ask you something kinda personal?”
The question took him by surprise. “Like I haven’t been telling you personal stuff this whole time?”
I laughed, “ok fine, but like really, really personal.”
He looked hesitant at that. “Ok…”
You were overseas for, what, five years right?
“Yep.”
“How old when you left?”
He had to think. “18, almost 19.”
“Ok, so you were away in Muslim countries for five years. No girls, right?”
He grinned, starting to see where my line of questioning was going. “Nope.”
“So like...did you just...I dunno, jack off constantly?”
He cracked up at that. “Honestly, pretty much yeah. I mean the Air Force was always a lot of hurry up and wait, and when we were being rushed we didn’t have time to think about it. But when there was nothing happening, yeah, not much else for us to do but lift weights and watch shitty reruns and share titty mags.”
“Wait, did you...did your unit I mean...you looked at titty mags...together?”
He grinned and looked away, a bit embarrassed. “I mean you gotta understand, it was close quarters, not a lot of privacy. At first we’d just disappear into the john when we needed to rub one out but after a while you start to realize how stupid that is since everyone knows exactly what you’re doing. Nobody brings a titty mag into the john with ‘em for casual reading. Plus, you know, there are certain times when every guy needs a release, and our schedules were so carefully synchronized that we’d all end up spanking at the same time anyway, I don’t know how it happened but eventually we all just gave up pretending and...did it.”
“That’s crazy. How often did that happen?”
He shrugged. “Maybe three times a day at least. Like we’d all wake up at the same time, rub one out. Another time in the showers, when we knew the evidence would go down the drain. Before bed too, you know, just so we could get to sleep. And then sometimes if a couple of us had sittin’ around time and nothing else to do...”
I shook my head, nakedly fascinated. “Who would initiate it? Would you just start jacking off at the same time or did someone get it going?”
He glanced quizzically my way. “You’re awful curious about a room full of guys jacking it.” Fuck, I thought, I really did express way too much interest way too quickly.
In moments like this you might think the best response is the perfectly crafted, well-prepared explanation, but it’s really not. Besides not always having one ready, most people don’t have a good explanation for every thought that pops into their head; and a streetwise man like Bill, especially one who had gotten so used to people lying around him, might be put off by someone who had a good reason for every mental fumble.
I paused, seemed to consider it and shook my head and laughed. “Yeah man, I don’t know. That was a weird train of thought, never mind.”
Bill laughed and clasped a giant hand on my shoulder. “Chris, how long’s it been?”
“Since what?”
I mean...did you date anyone after Lucy?”
“...no, not really,” I lied. “Just never found another girl like her. Or good enough to replace her, I guess.”
“Well I’m no counselor, but it sounds to me like you miss what it feels like to be, you know, intimate with a girl. Maybe that’s why you got so wrapped up in all that stuff we did at Al Dhafra. Not much more intimate a guy can do with another guy, is it?”
I can think of a few more intimate things I could be doing with you, I thought. Instead I shrugged. “Maybe. Intimate is a weird word for it though, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged that off and his voice trailed, maybe questioning his choice of words. I felt like the train of thought we’d wandered onto was derailing. I wanted it very much to stay in place.
“The Band of Thebes...” I offered contemplatively, almost as a half thought..
“Eh?”
“The uh...it was called the Sacred Band of Thebes. Had a Western Civ professor who talked about it in college. It was this elite army unit that protected Thebes in like, I wanna say, the 6th century BC. Unstoppable warriors. All guys, all doing it with each other.”
“Doing it? Like…” Bill made a bit of a grotesque humping motion that he never would’ve embarrassed himself with if he were sober. I had to laugh.
“Yeah. I guess they all paired off, but then they also did stuff altogether? I dunno. Anyway it was a bonding thing. I guess the idea was that you’ll fight a hell of a lot harder for your best friend if you’re banging.”
“Huh,” Bill took that in. I honestly expected him to recoil from the idea - I had to get used to his being a lot more worldly than I’d given him credit for. “Then I guess...yeah, it was kinda like that.” He shook his head. “But how did they...I mean like they couldn’t all be gay could they?”
“They didn’t have the hang ups we do about gay stuff,” I said matter of factly, working so hard to not sound like a gay pick-up artist targeting a straight guy. “Greeks, Romans, Spartans, all those dudes, before Christianity came along they all did stuff with each other. I think a lot of ‘em saw it as a big part of why they were so good on the battlefield.”
I could see Bill trying to wrap his mind around this new paradigm. That he didn’t reject it outright was, again, pretty surprising. Not that I couldn’t have backed it up - we live in an Information Age where the truth about history is always at our fingertips, and I was (mostly, I learned later) right about what I’d told him. But I was introducing him to the notion that two “straight” men could bond over sex, and his conservative upbringing hadn’t dismissed it; maybe because of those daily jerkoff sessions with his friends.
And then it was silent for too long. I felt the air between us begin to fill with awkward unspoken questions, and I suddenly realized that I didn’t know what he’d ask and I didn’t know if I was ready to answer, but I also didn’t want the evening to end. Anyway, we’d gone far enough into the rabbit hole for one night; I decided it was time to shift the conversation.
“Anyway, probably a good thing you guys didn’t have the Internet. As much porn as there is now to watch you’d probably have never gotten anything done.”
Bill laughed. “Yeah, I guess it does get kinda boring with the same half dozen skin mags.” Then he grinned slyly. “I gotta tell you a secret Chris. Can you handle it?”
I was pretty drunk at this point - nowhere near Bill’s staggering level of functional drunkenness but I was definitely boozy, and where I’d probably have liked to keep my poker face my eyes widened as I imagined what dark secret he was about to bring me into. “Yeah man, of course.”
“Never seen the Internet porn stuff. Not once.”
My eyes must’ve left their sockets based on Bill’s awkward shift, like I’d broken the rules of our fast-bonding friendship by shaming him with my expression. “I...sorry,” I recovered,” I’m just amazed you got by without it! Like...how?”
“I dunno, just never needed it. I mean, not at first. I had magazines, and a few videos, and when that didn’t work I had my imagination. But mostly, you know, I had Lydia.” He sighed there, and I wasn’t sure if it was at how much he loved her or how far wrong things had gone since. Maybe both. “Anyway by the time I...coulda used it, I feel like the tech just kinda passed me by. And there’s nowhere I could watch it - couldn’t watch it at home because I’m sure Lydia woulda caught me and raised hell. Can’t watch it here - I know the school tracks those things, and I don’t know how to cover my tracks with stuff like that. So I never tried. Just...you know, kinda rub one out in the shower sometimes when I need to, that’s all. Anyway that stuff...it gives your computer viruses, doesn’t it?”
“Man,” I shook my head, taking that in. “Ok, well first of all, it’s not that techie to find, and no, it doesn’t usually give your computer viruses anymore. And second…” I pulled out my smartphone and opened Pornhub, clearly versed enough that I could look up a video one handed while holding a conversation. “We don’t have an IT department anymore to keep track of who looks at what videos or for anyone to even care, honestly.”
I opened something obvious from the front page - two bimbos going to town on one dude’s hog - and handed him my phone. He was instantly entranced - probably had a lot to do with how fucked up he’d got, but he was also shocked by the quality. “This is...unreal. And this is just...free?”
“Yep,” I nodded.
“How can I find this?”
“Well, there are a lot of different sites. This one is called Pornhub, it’s one of the easiest. You just put what you’re looking for in that search box, right there.”
“Well...what can I search for?”
I had to laugh a little. “Honestly anything. You’d be amazed how many pornographic videos there are for every single little thing that might possibly get someone off. What turns you on in a girl...besides Lydia?”
He chuckled mindlessly as I caught myself before he answered, knowing what his first answer would be. I don’t know I guess...a little older? Smaller frame? Tits not so big?”
I shook my head softly - he was, basically, describing his wife. “Try typing ‘petite milf.’”
“What’s a milf?”
“Just...just put it in the thing.”
Bill typed the words into the site and I chuckled as his eyes widened at the hundreds of options available to him. He chose one of the first - an attractive if severe looking woman being orally serviced by a young man clearly half her age - and leaned back dazily to take in a new and wondrous sight that the rest of us have so easily taken for granted.
I should have seen it coming, honestly. The long talk about bonding over pornography and masturbation, the long silence, how horny and drunk we both were, the space that had closed between us as I introduced him to the magic of Internet porn. But I was entranced by the erotic film he’d chosen; and, honestly, the erotic feeling of lurking over Bill’s shoulder, lost in sexuality. Then my hazy focus, so fixated on the admittedly incredibly hot film in which the older woman was now sucking the young man’s sizable cock, refocused just past the film to the movement in Bill’s crotch. His right hand was buried deep in his shorts, the already sizeable bulge now an impossible to miss hard-on that he was tugging on furiously. Of course I was looking for a way to eventually turn our “friendship” into something like this. I guess I just expected it to take a lot longer. And I expected to be the one to initiate it.
As if on cue I guess he glanced over at me, and I don’t know how he could tell my gaze had shifted from the screen to his crotch, but he grunted drunkly, uncomfortably. “Sorry man, it’s just been so long...”
Obviously he didn’t mean it had been so long since he jacked off - he’d already admitted to doing that regularly. I think maybe he meant this...this thing he’d talked about doing in the Air Force and which he clearly seemed to miss, jacking off in front of another guy he trusted and bonded with. Even if I didn’t find Bill sexy as Hell or have a plan that would have sent us both somewhere down this very road, the idea that Bill might trust me as much as his military friends, or at least enough to play with himself in front of me...well let’s be honest, I wasn’t going to embarrass my new friend by letting him be the only drunk pervert in the room. I unbuttoned my chinos and thrust an obvious hand into my pants, bringing to full attention the dick that had been at 80% since I caught him jacking it. My obvious self-molestation gave him the permission that I guess he needed to wrestle down his shorts, pull out his dick, and fully enjoy himself. I remember in my drunken state as we both openly stroked our cocks together thinking despite their differences how much like Tommy he really was, wanting so much to get off in his own way but also looking to me to join him as if to say “if you do it too then it’s not weird.”
He didn’t last much longer after that. Maybe a couple minutes, and a guttural, primal growl came from the back of his throat. No curses, no Gods or “ah yeahs” or “fucks,” just a deep moan of pent-up satisfaction as his eyes closed and then his balls unloaded, and he jerked wave after wave of cum...onto his athletic department t-shirt.
If Bill’s orgasm wasn’t enough to set me off, I could feel his drowsy attention turn to watching me. For a moment I stepped outside myself and saw the scene - Bill with his beercan cock hanging out, covered in his own come, holding porn on my phone in front of me so I could masturbate in front of him. He was almost twice my age and despite my time in the gym I was nowhere near as massive as him, so I couldn’t help but see him as the coach in every porno urging a naive player to jackoff for him so I could keep my spot on the team or something. I pulled up my dress shirt with my left hand as my right furiously abused my dick, and as I allowed myself the fantasy of hearing Bill’s deeply masculine voice say something, anything to encourage me, it set me off and I realized how futile my attempt to save my shirt was. My dick exploded, and I doused it in my own come.
Once I stopped gasping in ecstasy I kinda blinked and looked over at him. He was still watching me, and I thought he was still lost in watching my orgasm; then I realized he was looking at how absolutely drench my dress shirt was. And I looked over at his similar predicament, and then we just kinda laughed, the dumb drunk laugh of a couple college kids who realized they’d done something incredibly stupid that they’d probably regret when they were sober.
Bill peeled off the shirt, exposing his impressively muscled chest. I did my best not to stare even though I knew he’d probably be flattered. “What’re you gonna do,” I joked, unbuttoning my own shirt which fortunately had a tee underneath. “Go home like that?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Short walk to my office. I’ve got like two dozen of these shirts. Just need to make sure Lyds doesn’t see what happened to this one.”
I looked at the clock. 1 am. I realized how ridiculous it was to care - Saturday night, and anyone still on campus would be too drunk to notice that Coach was shirtless, let alone that I was in a tee shirt. I worried too much.
Bill saw my gaze and acknowledged the time. “Yeah shit,” he said unsteadily, “I gotta head out anyway. If I don’t leave now I’ll pass out here and then I gotta hear about it from her tomorrow.” He stood, and his balance swam for a moment and I thought I’d have to catch him; then he steadied and waved me off and I realized he’d probably made this same walk home a thousand times before. As he opened the door I sensed the awkward speed of his exit, and I guess he did too. He turned back, looking at me uneasily. “Hey man we’re...we’re good right?”
“Absolutely,” I grinned. “But like...we’re doing this again yeah?” I emphasized this in case there was any doubt about what part of the evening I’d enjoyed the most.
He grinned back awkwardly and nodded. “Yeah.” And then he was gone.
——-
We were never really comfortable with just admitting that we enjoyed the experience of jacking off in front of each other. We always required multiple pretenses. We had to be drunk, and we had to acknowledge how horny we were, how long it had been since either of us had pussy. Sometimes I’d tell him about this crazy porn I’d seen, or he’d tell me about some fantasy he had knowing that I’d be able to find porn of it pretty much instantly. Often one of us would have to remind the other that this was temporary, that we were both just in a rough patch. But there was never a late night visit from that time on that didn’t include us jerking off in front of, and really for, each other. We started taking off our shirts after that first-time mistake, and eventually just got naked in front of each other. It was so freeing being naked in front of Bill, stroking madly with him in the flickering light of the porn I was casting to my TV. While his age and charisma intimidated me enough to not just have my way with him like I might’ve done with one of his students, I gathered my courage enough to admit to admiring his muscular body; and just as I suspected he loved the flattery, and would compliment my gym progress and give me tips, all while we were stroking, and it was erotic as hell.
And at some point - I was too drunk to remember how it happened, if he’d asked or if I’d admitted it or if he saw my reactions and sussed it out on his own - he realized how turned on I was hearing him talk about what he wanted turned him on about or what he wanted to do to the girl or girls on the screen, and he’d go out of his way to be vocal about his fantasies knowing that I’d come a hell of a lot harder. And sometimes, especially if he’d finished before I did, he’d lean into me and in his gravely voice describe in intimate detail how I’d savage the girls, and I’d thank him by blowing a powerful load on my chest. Then we’d towel off or shower in the bathroom in the back and either call it a night or continue along more mundane conversations.
That’s assuming we were both sober enough to continue. As our newly intimate “friendship” progressed he and I both drank more. A lot more. I was generally together enough not to lose total control, but he blacked out frequently, especially Saturday nights when he wasn’t pressed with responsibilities the next day. Fortunately he had the discipline not to do anything too insane - once we realized he was blacking out he’d recognize his vulnerability and default to doing what I told him. I know what you’re thinking, and no, I didn’t use those moments to make a pass at him or suck him off or whatever. That’s not how I wanted this to go. It had to be something he wanted. Something he chose. That’s how I’d know it was real. So usually I’d let him pass out on the couch or in my bed in the back, or if both of us were supremely fucked up he’d take one and I’d take the other. Except for that one night, that one Saturday night that we were far more gone than we’d been any other night, and all I could remember as darkness took me was his body pressed against mine.
The chaos of an alcohol-induced slumber gave way to the peaceful chirping of birds outside my window as I woke up. Then I realized I hadn’t woken up on my own - I’d been jostled. I looked up toward the Sunday morning light pouring in from the window to see Bill, buck ass naked, staring down at me in shock.
“What...what the hell happened?!” He was...angry? Confused? Still drunk, no question. I was still drunk and I hadn’t got nearly as fucked up as him.
I looked down at his cock, half-hard from, I suppose, morning wood. Then I processed what I was seeing and looked under my own covers. I was naked. I looked around the room - our clothes were tossed everywhere. I mean...I knew what happened, and I think he could guess what happened, but he needed me to say it. Or did he? Maybe it’d be better if I didn’t tell him.
“I...I don’t remember,” I said with absolutely no confidence.
Bill grunted at that. “You’re a shitty liar,” he said.
I shook my swimming head - just that motion disoriented me. “Ok I think I remember things but...I mean...I don’t want it to get...weird.”
He shrugged. “Like it’s not already weird?”
I sighed deeply - he wasn’t wrong. “I...I remember doing things on the couch, and then I was on the couch on top...oh God, I was on top of you...you...looked like you were really happy…”
Bill rolled his eyes and held up a hand. Either he didn’t believe it or he didn’t wanna hear anymore - I could totally understand either. “Let’s just...I don’t even wanna...fuck we didn’t even close the door.”
I looked over to the door to my office. It was wide open, and beyond I could see the full length mirror I’d set up in the corner for affirmation exercises. And beyond, the door to the counseling center was open…
“FUCK,” I breathed, “Bill the fucking doors are all open!!”
“Relax,” he mused, “No one comes in this building on Sundays. No one woulda seen anything.”
“No,” I whispered as though whispering would turn us both into ghosts and make us disappear. “Look! That mirror, it’s pointing out into the counseling center…”
“So?”
I clambered over the bed to find and struggle my underwear on. “There’s a security camera out there!”
I saw reality smack Bill in waves. He looked like a confused prize fighter being taken down by an invisible featherweight. Finally he sputtered, “Well fuck Chris why are the goddamned doors open?!”
I pulled on my shirt. “We...were smoking cigars and it got all smoky.” I stumbled out of the makeshift bedroom, into my office and then into the counseling area. Bill followed shortly behind - he’d found my robe hanging behind the door and put that on. He was in a robe and I was in underwear, but fuck it, if that camera caught what it probably caught that would be the least of our worries.
I logged into Joe’s computer, sweating whiskey and bullets. “I gotta have an excuse for why I logged in, he’s gonna see…”
“Fuck it, who gives a shit,” Bill seethed. He paced in short circles, undoubtedly imagining the holy hell if we HAD hooked up and a video of it ever found its way outside the office.
Finally I pulled it up. The recorded video file from the night before. I was just gonna just trash it; then curiosity hit me. “I...I could just delete it,” I swallowed dryly, my mouth a desert. “Or...we could play it first.”
Bill stopped dead. He looked at me emptily, I guess deciding if he’d prefer to know the whole truth or to be left always wondering. Finally he circled around the desk to stand behind me. “Fuck it,” was all he said.
I took a deep breath, clicked play, and fast forwarded to around 1 am. There it was. The camera was set far back in the counseling center but it was pointed directly at my door, and with the video in full screen we could easily see the two shapes sitting in my office, chatting, having a good time. We lit cigars. More talking. Suddenly, the larger of the two shapes, the broad muscled and silver haired man, leaned into the smaller. We were kissing. Then things seemed to get more aggressive. The larger shape pushed papers off the coffee table, yanked the smaller onto it, fiddled with his belt, and then buried its head in the smaller shape’s crotch. He was giving me a blowjob. After a few minutes I clearly returned the favor, his larger shape propped against the couch, head back, enjoying the experience of having finally had his cock sucked after far too long.
And then Bill and I watched as I pulled down my pants awkwardly, looming over him as he leaned back on the couch, and my ass thrusted forward. He was getting fucked.
“Fuck,” said Bill, predictably uncomfortable, “can we fast forward?”
I sped the video up. We fucked some on the couch, then stumbled half-dressed to the bedroom. The mirror in the corner of my office framed us perfectly. It was even harder to see what exactly was happening in bed, but from the movements and from what we’d already seen, it was pretty clear to both of us what we spent the rest of the night doing.
I glanced over at Bill who was leaning over my shoulder. I hazarded a glance down into his (my) open robe. He was hard. He was hard?
“Damn,” he said, and then left an awkward pause before saying plainly, “I kinda hoped I was on top once.”
I just stared at him in dead silence. He laughed. He LAUGHED. “Come on man, please don’t let this make things weird.” There was a troubled edge to what he’d tried to express casually. He was much, much more concerned about things being weird between us than WHY they might’ve gotten weird.”
I chuckled nervously. “Ok but...I wanna delete this file now.”
“Yeah yeah, of course, delete it,” he waved and stepped back contemplatively. He looked down the hall at the glass doors that led to the entrance area, as though someone might appear. Of course they wouldn’t - he was right, no one would be here on Sunday. He just looked up, rolling his eyes. “Starting to remember it anyway.”
“What do you remember?”
“You in my mouth,” he mumbled uncomfortably. “And inside me. I’m amazed my fuckin ass isn’t dying now, you were like a goddamn jackrabbit.”
He was suddenly so matter of fact and so cool about what he was now remembering that I had to shock-laugh. “How...how are you so cool about this?”
“I know this isn’t gonna make a lick of sense to you, but it does to me. Chris, it happens. I haven’t been with Lydia in forever. You haven’t been with your girl, what was her name, Lucy, in forever. We were drunk and lonely and desperate and super horny. A lot of guys went through the same thing when we were at Al Dhafra.”
“Yeah but you told me those guys just jacked off together, they didn’t…” he grinned slyly. “Wait…they did?”
He nodded awkwardly, acknowledging silently having left out what was obviously a key part of the story. “Yeah...like I said, desperate. I think pretty much much every dude in my unit paired off and fucked around at least once. Like your Greek warriors maybe. We never talked about it but we knew it happened. It wasn’t gay.” He paused and took in my shocked expression. “Well yeah, it was pretty gay I guess. But it was desperate gay. Prison gay. Also the worst kept secret on base.” He chuckled to himself. ”Pretty sure I was the only guy that didn’t do it. Maybe there was a part of me that always wondered what I missed out on. I guess now I know.”
I shook my head, just kinda taking in how cool he seemed to be with what happened. “Did you...I can’t believe I’m asking this...did you at least enjoy last night?”
He looked up and to the right, pondering it a bit. Then he smiled down at me. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did. Did you?”
I wasn’t as brave as him - I looked away, smiling awkwardly. “Yeah. I mean getting past the weirdness of it, it was so long since I’d been with anyone and it...it was pretty fucking amazing.” I looked down again, or rather eye level, at Bill’s erection poking through the robe. He saw my gaze and looked down at it himself. There was no denying it was there, and pretending he wasn’t clearly horny and inches from my face seemed absolutely futile. “The only thing is...I mean I fucked you, but did you fuck me?”
He pondered that. “I don’t think so.”
“That seems...unfair,” I said a bit weakly, grinning up at him sheepishly, offering a kind of unspoken “so maybe I’m curious about what it’d be like to get fucked now.”
He grinned down at me. “Did you stop that camera? Is it recording us?”
I chuckled. “It’s stopped.”
“Good. I don’t have anywhere to be for a while. So...maybe you and I can fill in some of the gaps from last night?”
He thrust his erection lightly toward my face. I grasped it in one hand, pointing it to my lips. I looked up. “No matter what, this stays between us, right?”
He nodded, putting a hand behind my head. “Just between us,” he insisted, and pushed his cock into my mouth.
——-
If you haven’t looked into some of the pioneering research into memory by Beth Loftus, I highly recommend it. Loftus is the leading authority on false memory, having proven in multiple studies how hilariously and spectacularly unreliable our own memories can be. We want to believe that our memories are sacrosanct keepers of truthful personal experiences, but in reality memories are wildly easy to hack and manipulate. In particular when there are specific gaps in our memory you might assume that we accept that emptiness and move on but in truth we struggle unconsciously with the fear and implications of memory loss and we will cling to any evidence of our activities that might fill in those gaps, even allowing the implications of that evidence to imprint themselves as apparently genuine memory, whatever those new, and potentially false, memories might cause us to question about ourselves.
His name was George. He was an escort based in Gatlinburg, and like a lot of escorts based in the Tennessee mountains who swore they weren’t gay, they just needed the money, he was older and muscular and manly and a “total top.” He didn’t need to be a perfect match. His broad upper body and silver grey hair and perpetual stubble were exactly what I needed. I sent him a message online, and he called me on my cell. $200, he said, plus expenses to get to and from Copperhill, for one night. Only thing: he never bottomed, and was never going to. I countered: $350 if that “only thing” could go away. I heard the agonized pause in his voice, the calculus he weighed before he agreed. $350 is a lot of money in rural Tennessee, first dick in the ass or not.
He arrived at my office on a Saturday night, a night I’d told Bill I was going to have a rare late evening client so we couldn’t meet for our usual drink-and-chat. I offered him a cigar and a few glasses of Maker’s Mark, and we shared a little friendly banter. When I’d had a few drinks in me I told him my fantasy: that we’re just a couple of friends who get way too drunk, that he makes a move on me, that we’d trade blowjobs on my couch and coffee table and I’d take his virginity on my couch, then we’d move on to the bedroom in the back of my office where I’d fuck him senseless. He blanched at that, but he’d agreed and come all this way. He knew it was part of the deal.
After George left Sunday morning I collected and saved the remnants of the cigars, and I even took a picture of the room as it looked, papers strewn from the coffee table where George had in his zest to play his role pushed them aside, so I could recreate it exactly. Most importantly I checked the video recording of our tryst. The low quality feed didn’t perfectly capture either George’s face or mine, just the general shapes and colors and movements of our bodies and heads. But of course, that was the point. I just needed Bill, watching later, to see a blurry and redated video of what could only logically be he and I and the culmination of one evening’s stupid, drunken mistake and, with the replanted cigars and papers and my having carried his blackout self into bed with me and tossed off his clothes, for him to decide that we’d not only had sex, that he’d not only taken my dick inside him, but that he’d absolutely loved every moment of it. From there, he could choose: accept that it was a one night thing, a crazy drunken moment between friends that would never happen again; or decide that he wanted it to be the first of many drunken moments we’d have together and hide together from the rest of the town.
I could work with either choice. He just happened to pick my favorite.

Weekend Reader: Two Haralabos Voulgaris Gambling Stories From The Past. (Very long).

[Note to this sub: Here are two gambling stories involving Haralabos Voulgaris. Two things you should know. 1) I originally wrote this for a completely different, anonymous audience and not for all the wonderful "Shoe Fitness Architects", "Pizza Delivery Engineers", Overnight Security Enforcers, and DMV Workers that I've gotten the pleasure of meeting on here during my time on /billsimmons. Instead, it will seem like I'm talking to a room full of strangers, and for the first time. So if you read something that you've already seen me say on this sub, you know the reason. I also sound “different” in this.
2) It's long. You've been warned, I don't want to hear shit about it being so damn long. Think of this as a throwback to the Page 2 days, when you knew a guy was going to take a huge, extended shit because he just printed out Simmons' latest article and ran into the bathroom. You know, the “glory days”.
If you read this on Friday, you can save this for your afternoon work shit. Read it on your phone though, because it's got a short YouTube clip in it that helps tell the story.
If you read it over the weekend, I suggest smoking a bowl beforehand, especially to our Canadian friends up North. Doesn't have to be Top Shelf, just something to buzz you going in.
That's it. Enjoy.
The recent news of the Dallas Mavericks hiring Haralabos Voulgaris as Director of Quantitative Research and Development recently blew my mind. I knew it was Bob's goal to be an NBA GM, and this job isn't quite on the GM level, but I still can't believe he's made it onto a real NBA organization. I still think of him mostly from his early 2000's poker and sports betting days, and I never imagined he'd be able to hold down a real job someday. I didn't think anyone from the gambling world ever could.
I was heavily into sports gambling and poker at the same time as Bob was ascending as a sports gambling force, from the late 80's until well into the 2000's. I didn't know Haralabos well, yet I heard about or saw him all the time. This pretty much describes all relationships in gambling to be honest. But I did make sure to hear all the stories about Haralabos back then, because they always made the gossip rounds and were usually funny.
I'm here to share two of Haralabos' famous gambling stories, to give you a little insight into the man. If you are an Old School gambler, you've already heard them. But they are now 15 years old, and I couldn't find a good telling already on the Internet, so new people might get a kick out of these. Sources are at the bottom of this post.
People need to understand that, back then (early 2000s), Bob was best known for two things: betting the NBA, and being a smart ass trash talker at the poker tables. Bob was a world class needler that people highly resented because he had “Fuck You” kinds of money and he sure lorded that fact over everybody. He found everyone in the gambling world incredibly stupid compared to himself, and wasn't afraid to let people know it. I guess that's not much different than his Twitter in 2018, except he's learned to be more polite about it.
It was amusing being in a poker room with Bob in it, unless you were the focus of his remarks. He did not have any boundaries and was merciless, and really went after people “Micheal Jordan style” with the ferocity of his put-downs. Asked to describe him, I'd say 98% of players back then would call him an “arrogant dickhead” (including me at that time), while 2% would say “really sharp guy who doesn't tolerate fools” (including me now). We would all agree that he could be hilarious.
With that set-up, here are two Haralabos Voulgaris gambling stories that let's you know what he was like back in the early 2000's.
Story #1
My favorite Haralabob story, which long time 2+2ers have already heard about and whose legend has grown over the years, is the infamous Freddy Deeb story. If you know it, you are already nodding your head. But hopefully it's new to you. It's a classic.
Freddy Deeb was a rich business man from Lebanon, but a lot of people thought he was Egyptian (close enough for poker players). “Fast Freddy” was a decent if unspectacular poker player who pre-dated the poker boom. So Freddy was a legit and well known regular even before TV got involved with the game, and parlayed that “real, genuine poker player” label into appearances on TV when the poker boom happened. He had strong credibility.
Freddy is probably most famously remembered for being accused of “Going South” by Johnny Chan on an episode of High Stakes Poker. Freddy handled that accusation in typical Freddy fashion – making a big deal about this small joke insulting his integrity, aggressively confronting everyone about it and challenging them to heads-up poker matches to prove his manhood. The dude could be a hothead. (“Going South”, which was more commonly called “rat-holing”, is when a player sneaks high denomination chips off the table undetected after winning a big pot, so he has no possibility of losing them back in a later big hand. It's a unethical way to play “hit and run” if you win big quickly, without the “running” part being as obvious as picking up and leaving immediately.)
The two things you needed to know about Freddy: 1) He was short. I mean really short, like 5'1” or less. Not to play Freud too much, but you can probably guess that the reason he spent all his time in poker rooms was because of this physical limitation. Poker attracted the social rejects like no other activity in the 1990's, and welcomed the physically and mentally defective in droves. It was a haven almost exclusively for nerds and losers, before TV made it cool for everyone to play No Limit Texas Hold'em, The Cadillac of Gambling Games (so hip!).
2) Stemming from #1, Freddy could have a short temper. If you are jumping straight into a “Napoleon Complex” accusation for Freddy, well, in this case you're the heavy favorite. Freddy was a quiet, nice guy for 90% of the time he played. But Freddy was quick to act like a gangster you didn't want to fuck with if you ever gave him the chance, with that persistent shoulder chip that will never go away. Everyone let him play gangster without comment as long as he still had a bankroll to gamble with.
Here is a YouTube video that illustrates both points perfectly. Watch the whole thing to the end for maximum comedy – it's fucking hilarious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqwQiIy1b48
Here's Freddy acting like a super tough guy, and – in the moment - you can believe it too. Until the camera pulls back and shows the other players at the table, and then you get a height perspective of the whole scene. It's unreal funny at that point. Gus Hansen sitting next to him looks like Yao Ming by comparison.
So when this first HBob story happens, poker is just about to really take off. My guess is that it was around 2003-4, so the hype around poker was growing fast but still not close to the peak yet. The first Season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) had already aired, and it was a cultural phenomenon. Poker players were speculating already that WPT tournament champions were going to be as famous as top professional athletes, and with the same kind of ultra-lucrative sponsorship opportunities and endorsement deals. A very common topic at the table was how much getting to the final table at a televised WPT event was worth in fame, above and beyond any of the listed prize money. Perhaps a few million? It was a crazy time, and being on TV was all anyone cared about back then. Seems a bit silly now.
Freddy had been on TV a few times with some respectable runs in some bigger tournaments. The WPT and ESPN featured him in a few “flavor of the game” clips during their early poker broadcasts, and that seemed like a pretty big deal, especially to Freddy. TV Poker was grooming narratives and trying to create presentable, relatable stars in the poker world and weren't above adding in some artificial flavor to an otherwise unremarkable cast of characters.
Being a legit long time poker player was enough for Freddy to get some screen time – the TV producers could take it from there. I think the narrative was along the lines of how anyone – all ages, ethnicity, shapes and sizes could find a home in the poker world, and Freddy exemplified all that. It all went directly to Freddy's head, and he was not alone during this time.
Anyway, the story goes like this. Haralabos is playing in a very juicy high stakes poker game in a California casino, most likely the Commerce. The game was already full with 9 players, which is the max in most California rooms.
Haralabos himself was very new to poker at this time. He dabbled previously, but only started playing for big stakes in the past year or two because of the huge influx of new poker players, who watched the WPT on television and flooded into casinos, chasing riches. Thus there was easy money to be made. Before then, of course, he was focused on his NBA gambling. He was very near the height of his powers as an NBA sports bettor, and known pretty damn well in the sports betting world, if not the general public yet. Far more people in poker knew about Bob than he knew about them, though. He was just starting to get serious about playing poker. Bob knew about some of the bigger poker names he gambled with betting sports together in the past, but knew almost none of the newly (and artificially) created TV “poker stars” that ESPN / WPT had chosen to promote.
So Freddy walks into the Commerce one day and sees the high stakes poker table, and eyes the line up. Freddy knows this “Main Game” is incredibly juicy, and wants in – immediately. He calls the floorman over and insists they create an extra space at the table for him and for the game to be played 10-handed. 10-handed was actually the common number of players in Las Vegas poker tables at the time, and Freddy was usually based there. Freddy is sort of 'big timing' the floorman, reminding him how much he's played there over the years, how much rake he's given that casino, and how all these new poker players want to play with someone like himself, a big-shot, old school, now famous poker player.
There is nothing that poker players like more than poker room drama (except maybe comped food), so this commotion has drawn the attention of every table within earshot. Everyone near by was focusing on the Main Game with Haralabos in it. Drawn from many accounts, here is a recreation of what happened:
Freddy (accented, slightly broken English)(to Floorman): Johnny, there's no board. Just put me in big blind right now and we can play with ten.
Floorman Johnny: Table's not big enough for ten, Freddy. This isn't Vegas. Our players will object. Everyone wants their space.
Freddy: Just ask then. If there are objections then Freddy will wait. But no one will object! C'mon Johnny, how much action I give to you? Freddy is “action player”. Everyone wants to play with Freddy. They see me, they know “That's Freddy” and they want to play.
[Yes, Freddy was talking about himself in the Third Person. What can I say?]
Floorman Johnny (reluctantly, to Main Game): Guys, Freddy wants to sit and play 10-handed. There is no board an he doesn't want to wait around for nothing. Any objections?
Haralabos (immediately): I object. Who the fuck is this guy? [To Freddy] Buddy, you're not special. What makes you think you control this game? If more people come, then you can start a “Must-Move” game and play in that. Otherwise, wait your fucking turn like everyone else. Ok, buddy? [To Floorman, incredulous] What the fuck?
Freddy (heated at Haralabos): Listen, buddy. Everyone here know Freddy. Floorman. Dealer. Players. All know Freddy, love Freddy. Who the fuck are you? In Vegas, Freddy wants a game, the manager come running to help Freddy! They bring in best table to start new game for Freddy! They get best dealer on break to come deal! They bring in new chips, new cards for Freddy! They bring special chair for Freddy to sit in!
Haralabos: Oh yeah, Freddy? Is it a high chair?
A thunderclap of uproarious laughter rang out from all who were listening in, perhaps fifty people or more, all rubberneckers from other tables drawn in by the drama. There was no denying the spontaneity, no denying the reason, and certainly no denying the focus of who the laughter was directed at. Fast Freddy, all five feet zero inches of him, with the hair-trigger anger and never lacking words, was truly stunned and humiliated into silence. His eyes became squinted and his face was stuck in a wince of pain, his whole head turning as red as a stubborn, two-week old pimple that just wouldn't pop. He rocked back and forth as if recovering from a physical punch, not knowing what to do as a second, smaller wave of laughter began because it was just that funny, and now the story was being instantly re-told.
The few that were present and could actually feel sympathy quickly stifled their laughter, feeling the guilt of knowing the guy just got hit in his most sensitive area in front of a very large audience, and was truly wounded. They were hoping Freddy would finally say something, anything, to show that he wasn't completely crushed inside, that he wasn't as hurt as he seemed. Instead, Freddy walked away silently, his decades of “bluster armor” built protecting his sensitivity about his height laid on the ground, smashed.
Souls are crushed all the time in poker rooms. You think you've seen it all, and you just grow immune. But this one stood out, as almost a warning. You just don't want to get into a verbal war with Haralabob.
There is an addendum to this story.
A year or so later, and strictly by chance, Freddy and Haralabos found themselves at the same table during a big tournament. Neither man had forgotten their previous encounter (how could they?). By this time, poker was being covered in real-time by a fleet of new poker reporters and journalists, and, by all accounts, Haralabos was riding Freddy hard that day, with verbal put-downs and jokes at Freddy's expense non-stop. Freddy tried to play it cool, knowing he was no verbal match for HBob.
Until this happened. There was a Random Guy sitting directly on Freddy's left hand side who was new, didn't know anyone at the table (or their past history with each other) and who politely told Freddy this (recreation):
Random Guy (to Freddy): Hey man. You need to protect your cards better. I can see your hole cards flash sometimes when you look. I saw you had paint last hand. You need to learn to peek without flashing.
Freddy: Buddy, do you know who I am? I'm playing this game since before you were born! I win more money this year than you will have in your whole life! They ask me to write new poker book, that is kind of player I am! Buddy, I'm writing now, next time I see you I bring you a signed copy of my poker book!
Haralabos: Next time you should bring a phone book instead so you can sit on it and see your cards better.
Well, Freddy was playing it cool with HBob until then, but that last comment instantly set him off. Again, by the written accounts of the poker reporters live blogging the event, Freddy shot straight up out of his chair (though you probably couldn't tell...) and challenged HBob to a fist fight, screaming expletives at him and demanding a duel. Haralabob just sat in his chair laughing, saying he didn't want to go outside and fight Freddy because he didn't want to get arrested for child abuse.
Famous poker player Daniel Negreanu witnessed this incident live, and blogged about it at the time. I remember that he thought that Freddy would be a decent favorite in a fight between Freddy and Haralabos. But I have my doubts about that. Negreanu disliked Haralobob personally, like many poker players who ever faced him at that time, because HBob could be so vicious. So he was biased in his fight assessment, IMHO.
HBob was not a figher at all - more of a jester than a knight – but I thought he could always just stiff-arm Freddy by the forehead and then Freddy would be left with that cartoon 'swinging of the arms trying to reach him' thing while HBob could just jab him with his other arm. I would have made Haralabos the -200 favorite.
Story #2
This happened in the early 2000's, during Season 3 of the World Poker Tour, just a year or so after Story #1.
Haralabos had played in one of the WPT's big televised tournaments and made the Final Table. Not only that, but he ultimately came in Second Place, meaning he was going to get a LOT of TV time, which, again, most players thought was worth more than the actual prize money. Poker by now was white hot in America and was bringing so many people instant overnight fame. Players were resorting to obnoxious table antics and hyper displays of “personality” just to get a few seconds of screen time. Everyone was trying to create a “brand”.
Not to belabor the point, but before television made poker cool and respectable, it was filled with 95% scumbags and degenerates with almost no white-collar, working professionals. But TV poker didn't want to portray that sordid image. In the very early days, the WPT actually had a “dress code” for appearing on the televised Final Table, where a sports jacket and collared shirts were required and would be provided for you if you didn't own them yourself (in other words, for everyone).
Even the long time “Old School” gamblers were cleaned up and presented as daring adventurers instead of leather-assed angle-shooters they (we) really were. Known broke degenerates like T.J. Cloutier was turned into worshiped, heroic figures instantly, romanticized by television producers as sharp equity traders who practiced at the table instead of on Wall Street. The reality was that guys like Cloutier were hanging around poker rooms mostly to shamelessly beg recent winners for a buy-in, or even just a meal.
Under this ethos of “cleaning up poker players' images”, players were allowed to manufacture any kind of image they wanted if they were going to be on the WPT TV show. Producers for the WPT would ask each finalist for a biography, but did absolutely no fact or background checking at all intentionally, mostly out of fear of what they might find if they actually did do so. So with all that in mind, here is the official bio for Haralabos that appeared on the WPT website before his televised event, almost certainly written by HBob himself:
"Haralabos Voulgaris is a 29-year-old professional sports bettor from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. This poker tyro brings a lot more to his first WPT final table than meets the eye. He is a playwright, holds a degree in philosophy, and his goals reach far beyond the green felt. His plans for the next 5 years include learning to play the piano, to have one of his plays performed on Broadway, and to win a WPT title."
I'm not sure how much of this was an inside joke, how much was just the pressure to appear white-collar in order to attract advertisers (remember, poker players were all thinking about future endorsement deals at this time), and how much of this was HBob's ego run amuck.
BUT COME ON! “Playwright”? Has Haralabos ever gone to a play yet, even in 2018? But that wasn't enough; he wanted to have one of his many, many written plays performed on Broadway very soon, because that's how dedicated he was to this art form! Just remember, this is the guy who widely known throughout the poker world for using his mastery of language to mercilessly torture midgets and other unfortunates at the poker table. Not exactly Tennessee Williams. Add in the piano lessons and the PhD in philosophy (philosophy!), and the fact that the WPT didn't bat an eye in putting this up as his bio, and the unintentional comedy is off the charts.
Haralabos claimed to friends at the time that it was mostly a joke, but as we will now see, he seemed to really care about this false image.
As you probably well know, there is a gap between when the WPT Final Table was played, and when the show based off of it is actually aired. By the time Haralabos' episode was about to air, he was staying as a guest in the house of a former poker pro named Paul Phillips, who only the most dedicated and old players will remember. (Paul Phillips won 2 WPT titles in the very early seasons, took the prize money, and pretty much disappeared from poker, going on to live a “normal” life. One of the few gambling success stories, IMHO).
Well, Paul was a practical joker himself, and he had found a way to hack his DVR and change the description of recorded programs, including Bob's WPT episode. Knowing that Haralabos was coming back soon to watch it, Paul changed the description on the DVR to fuck with him. The original show description was something like this:
“Six new players vie for the title of Champion of the LA Poker Classic Tournament. Players include movie star John Smith, astronaut Mark Hunt, playwright Haralabos Volgaris, undercover international spy Chris Jenkins, the crown prince of Wakanda Jerome Jones, and the inventor of the Internet Joe “Man Tits” Mande.“
Obviously the other names and titles were made up by me, but you get the picture. Anyway, Paul made one small adjustment, knowing Haralabos would see it:
“Six new players vie for the title of Champion of the LA Poker Classic Tournament. Players include movie star John Smith, astronaut Mark Hunt, uptight playwright Haralabos Volgaris, undercover international spy Chris Jenkins, the crown prince of Wakanda Jerome Jones, and the inventor of the Internet Joe “Man Tits” Mande.“
Paul then waited for Haralabos to return so they could watch the episode together, leaving up the modified description of “uptight playwright” on the TV and making sure HBob was in the room alone for a few minutes before starting the show, so he had no choice but to stare at the phony description.
Bob noticed it immediately. According to Paul, HBob started to get really worried, thinking that the show was going to portray him in a terrible light and edit him to look dumb and foolish, just because of that one word “uptight” in the description. Before even starting the show, HBob was already making excuses, telling Paul that he forgot they kept his microphone on at all times, and he said some critical things about the WPT's production crew, and now they were getting their revenge by calling him uptight. He kept bringing up ways he might have acted uptight during the Final Table and was pre-rationalizing them for Paul, who was enjoying it all.
This went on for the first 15 minutes or so of the show, with Haralabos worrying and moaning non-stop about being called “uptight” and wondering how they were going to edit him to look that way, until Paul finally let him off the hook. According to Paul, Haralabos didn't believe it was a practical joke and kept worrying and griping longer, until he saw for himself that it was just a standard WPT show with no unfair editing involved.
I'm not going to put too much on Haralabos for being so worried about his portrayal. Players really did believe that a good edit was the difference between a lucrative endorsement deal with Budweiser or Nike and getting nothing. The sky seemed to be the limit. BUT... the notion that Bob was just playing an inside joke and didn't really care about being known as a “playwright, piano player, and philosopher” didn't quite match up with his defensive and concerned attitude that day.
Sources:
Source for Story #1: This is a very famous poker story that was talked about amoung players live and on 2+2 (the dominant, high-traffic poker forum back then and perhaps now) a lot when it happened. You can find snippets and references on twoplustwo.com. I'm sure other long time and knowledgeable players will verify hearing a version of this story before.
An account of it was given by Haralabos himself on the podcast “Big Poker Sundays” which he used to co-host with Scott Huff, but has long since disappeared. It was a part of Poker Road Radio, which was run by Barry Greenstein's asshole son before closing. As this story is now close to 15 years old and poker media is on life support, many previous accounts from blogs and recording are now gone, and thus a lot of it had to be reconstructed from memory. Part of the reason I'm re-telling it is because it was gradually being lost in time, and that is a motive to re-tell it now, for a new generation.
Source for Story #2: I got the exact WPT description of Bob's bio from the 2+2 Archive (http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=5504109&page=0&fpart=all&vc=1). The story of the altered DVR description and Paul Phillips came from the memory of Paul's old blog on LiveJournal (“extempore”), which has long been deleted, and from my own correspondence with Paul Phillips at the time (we were pretty good “online friends” before the invention of Social Media. Anyone remember r.g.p. on Usenet?). Again, unfortunately memory had to play a large role.
I by no means want to pretend Haralabos and I were close. I knew about him and tracked him more than most poker players due to my sports betting background, but Bob was just one of a hundred different and strange characters in the gambling world that you'd recognize daily, none of whom you'd want to spend a lot of time with. We had some mutual friends, that's about it.
Both stories were written under the Geneva Convention rules, which explicitly states that all gambling stories worldwide may contain up to 15% of exaggerations in order to make the story more entertaining or dramatic and still be called “truthful”. Like all good gambling stories should be told. But the core elements are as faithful a retelling as I could make it, including the WPT description, and the key dialogue by Bob that was quoted the most at that time. It's the dates and locations I'm least sure about.

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