Re: Hilarious Bad Beat Story on Wil Wheaton's Website

[Jeff Porten]

Dave L wrote:

> This begs the greater question...What brings one to visit Wil Wheaton's
> website?

Actually, turns out the guy is pretty cool. He started the site
because he didn't want to permanently be Wesley, and turns out he's a
rather intelligent geek-type. I was referred to the site several
times on programming mailing lists -- he's got some good things to say
about lots of things near-and-dear to the geek heart. Including, of
course, Star Trek, but that's not the focus of the site.

[Debbie in Ohio]

Jeff Porten <rgp@plenarcast.com> wrote in message
news:bkuh1v$sn1$1@bob.news.rcn.net...
> Dave L wrote:
>
> > This begs the greater question...What brings one to visit Wil Wheaton's
> > website?
>
> Actually, turns out the guy is pretty cool. He started the site
> because he didn't want to permanently be Wesley, and turns out he's a
> rather intelligent geek-type. I was referred to the site several
> times on programming mailing lists -- he's got some good things to say
> about lots of things near-and-dear to the geek heart. Including, of
> course, Star Trek, but that's not the focus of the site.
>

Here, here! I like Star Trek, but to be honest, until I came upon his
website, I really wasn't a fan of Wil Wheaton.

He started the website about 2 years ago, and he's a very smart and cool
person.

He's very into Politics, and on this day, I went to his website, because he
tends to comment on Political things, and I had heard on the news, that
California signed into law, a Bill that forbids unwanted Spamming of anyone
who lives in that state.

He didn't have anything up on that, but did have the Poker story.

What I found to be so funny, wasn't so much the story itself, but rather,
how a game taught to his kid (or in this case, step kid), in effect, came
back to bite him in the butt.

There's an old saying among us parents that goes:

For the first two years of a kids life, you teach a child how to Walk and
Talk.

After that, you spend the REST of their (and your) life, telling them to
shut up, and sit down.

;o)

Now, how many of you have taught Poker to your Kids, only to have them come
back later on, and clean you out, simply because you taught them the game in
the first place (because now, they can play better than YOU can)?

Debbie

[Jim Alder]

"Debbie in Ohio" <nospam_cincygirl@pobox.com> wrote in
news:eKCcb.152627$0v4.11372088@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net

> Now, how many of you have taught Poker to your Kids, only to
> have them come back later on, and clean you out, simply
> because you taught them the game in the first place (because
> now, they can play better than YOU can)?

Don't have any kids myself, which is why I can still afford to
play poker :^D. But I wonder how old this kid Ryan is, and if they
were playing with real money? A $75 check-raise after the flop
from your kid is pretty stiff. I would hope he's teaching the kid
the value of money and not the Hollywood value of money!

[Adam Trace Spragg]

Wil Wheaton bashing is so last millenium...

I think some of you clearly missed the point of the story. It wasn't
intended to be "hilarious" or a textbook example of how to play poker.
Lift your heads from the cards every so often, and you'll find there ARE
other things in life.

Anyhoo... back to your regularly scheduled bitterness.

Adam

[Debbie in Ohio]

Adam Trace Spragg <spragg@pc9.cs.ucdavis.edu> wrote in message
news:bl1qbu$5oc$1@woodrow.ucdavis.edu...
> Wil Wheaton bashing is so last millenium...
>
> I think some of you clearly missed the point of the story. It wasn't
> intended to be "hilarious" or a textbook example of how to play poker.
> Lift your heads from the cards every so often, and you'll find there ARE
> other things in life.
>
> Anyhoo... back to your regularly scheduled bitterness.
>
> Adam

Adam,

As the person who posted the original message, and someone who has a great
respect and admiration for Wil Wheaton, my original message was never
intended as a Wil Wheaton Bash.

It was perhaps a poor choice of wording on my part, but perhaps I rather
should of used the word, Ironic, touching, or even just humorous, instead of
the word Hilarious. The Written word, has never been a strong point of
mine, as IMO, since it's not face to face, the very medium often lends
itself, to misunderstandings, sometimes even big ones.

The story was (also) humorous, and I really was laughing quite hard when I
read it, but more from the point of view of that as a Parent myself, I have
been there myself.

I think Wil's Story is wonderful, and when I first read it, I remembered
back to the times, when I and my brother, would play games against our Mom,
and how great it felt, when we beat her.

Of course the specialness and closeness was really what was great, because
even if my brother and/or myself, were on the outs with her, it was the one
time we could forget that, and just have fun with her, be it with checkers,
chess, the card games of go fish, war, or crazy 8's.

As to the Poker itself, I've only started playing 4 months ago myself, and
I've remembered the times of late, where I've done (or tried to do) the suck
out, with a great starting hand, or even seen someone else who has years
more experience than I do the same, only to get beaten on the river, by a
much lesser starting hand. So, as newbie to Poker (thanks to the recent
shows on the Travel Channel where you can see the players hole cards, and
play along) the story also appealed to me in that sense.

I only wish that Poker was legal here in Ohio in the sense that it is in
California, where Wil lives.

All we have here, is Charity Poker, which with only a few exceptions (see my
other posts in this newsgroup), really sucks.

I also have a son, who is now 23, and I remember the special times when he
was a teen (when the typical motto refrain of teenage hood seems to be ... I
can't publicly acknowledge that "I actually like my parent" ... "or gee ...
you mean my parent ACTUALLY has a brain, and MIGHT be right?" Kind of
attitude), when we would also bond over playing a game of some kind. I also
remember that special type of glee, when he would 'best' me in a game ... a
game that most times, that I had taught him in the first place.

So I never in my wildest dreams, wanting to share this wonderful story with
the world via rec.poker.gambling newsgroup, about a Man I (also) respect ...
did I ever imagine (puts on flame suit ... just in case), the idiots who
just wouldn't get it, when I proudly posted about it here, thinking that
others would understand it for what it was (a touching story, involving
poker), as well as finding the humor in it (of a game where when you teach
it to your kids, your kids then beat you with it).

However, I now wish I'd never posted it, simply because of SOME of the jerks
here who just didn't get the real story, nor the humor in it either, not to
mention I'm Guessing, those in that group of jerks, who (then) wrote to Wil
bashing him for it as well.

'Nuff said .... except ...

JMHO, FWIW ...

Debbie in Ohio