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I began to find that whenever I carried my mother’s lucky arm to the online poker table with me, I would win hand after poker hand after poker online hand. I could get dealt 4 9 offsuit and still find a way to raise my way into taking down AA over and over again, as long as I had my mother’s lucky arm in my lap. The arm was wrinkled as dry raisins and smelled like mice, which would often clear a table of its less insistent players in a matter of minutes, and would certainly bring stares for hours, but in the long run, when you’re winning you’re winning. I carried the arm around like it was my long gray baby. Of course, without the arm, my mother had trouble getting along. She couldn’t do much with just arm laying around the house: couldn’t bathe herself, or eat steak, or jump rope. She’d paid a lot of money for that arm, she’d shout after me as I snatched it off the bedside table while running past on my way to the casino. Who am I just to go on taking my old lady’s arm? She never did complain when I came home past 4 am with more money than I could hold in all the pockets of all the pants I’d ever owned. I had enough to buy her 1,000 arms. But she didn’t want another arm. She wanted that one, she’d shout at me, over the pile and piles of replacement I brought to her in want to try to switch the arm out so I wouldn’t have to steal so often. She wanted that one, the arm I’d carved for her in woodshop the year after she lost the real arm to the goat. In a hand of poker, after all: pocket deuces under pocket tres. She loved that arm like she loved me. So we shared.

Annette Obrestad has been making true waves among the online poker community for the last year or two, most notably for her strange mannerisms in player (such as covering her hole cards for an poker online tournament and only playing position). Her successes, including a bracelet win at the World Series of Poker Europe, have far proven that she is no fluke in the industry, and that her seemingly unorthodox procedures are all part of a well honed mechanism that has brought her to the forefront of poker innovation. Her televised appearance on the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe made for interesting viewing in that her much talked about procedures finally came to light some in a live setting. Though she was quite gifted in the array of cards that she kept catchingI seem to remember her flopping several sets and full houses in the house long episode I saw her inher otherwise erratic and veiled manner of raising with a wide range of hands made it difficult for her poker opponents to give her credit when those big hands were made. This is perhaps the crux of an erratic, super aggressive style: the chips you lose in getting caught bluffing when your opponents actually has a hand are evened out by the chips picked up when people call you down with little, expecting to find you bluffing once again.

I recently played a very interesting hand during a session of online poker playing Texas hold em. I was in late position, holding a J-8 offsuit, one guy raised before the flop and I called. Now, before you go accusing me of being dumb, this was a free money casino games and I was playing looser than if we were for real money. I just had a feeling and I wanted to see a flop. Anyways, the flop came out J-7-3, and there was a flush draw on the board (I was not drawing to it). So, just for the hell of it I led out with a bet, and my opponent called. The turn came, bringing a 5. dtill four to the flush. I made an even larger bet, and he called again.

Hmm, I was thinking at this point, this is interesting. The river came up and it was a low card, I can’t remember which one. It also did not bring out a flush card. So, I had the top pokerpair, albeit with a okay kicker, and there was no possible flush on the board. So, I bet again and this guy called me. I won the pot.

Now, this particular online poker site does not show you the opponents losing hand if there’s a show down on the river. But what could this guy have had? He wasn’t on a flush draw, or else he wouldn’t have called the river bet. Could he have also had a pair, that was worse than mine? If so, could he really think his hand was good? I don’t know, and the mystery of some peculiar plays in poker will never be solved.

I have mentioned before my love of sit n go style tournaments. They are really fun, and if you don’t have an entire afternoon to devote to an online poker tournament, they can be a good way to brush up on your tournament skills while hopefully winning some money in the process. One of my favorite type of sit n go tournaments is the “turbo” style. Now the name may differ from online poker room to online poker room (though most are called turbo) but the basic idea is that it’s a sit n go, but the blinds go up at very rapid speeds. It’s a very good style of play to practice playing aggressively and making quick decisions. In a turbo style of sit n go, you can’t sit there and fold 20 hands in a row waiting for kinds or aces. The sheer fact that you will be blinded to death very quickly forces you to make decisions, quickly, and it serves for good practice.

Now of course in a regular tournament you have to pace yourself as they last for many hours (if you’re lucky enough to last long) but you also have to amass chips, and you have to strike when the time is right. I all too often see people basically sit there during tournaments and watch their stack dwindle away, before finally having to make a move out of desperation. Turbo style sit n go’s are good because they force you to make decisions and not sit back and watch, which can help you greatly during the big money tournaments.

If you’re fresh out of fun Halloween party ideas, don’t worry. Kids’ parties for Halloween can be a blast and full of fun and cheer and they can be easily created. For fun Halloween parties at home or school, try a scarecrow theme party.

Use bales of hay or beautiful fall autumn leaves to bring your theme to life. Go ahead and go wild with the fall fun and leaves and scatter them all over the house or the yard! If you have hardwood floors, scatter them on the floors too. Use pumpkins to make your own pumpkin patch in the front yard or the backyard. Make funny signs that say things like “scarecrow crossing” and make or buy your own scarecrow to stand next to it.

Find some crates for your yard to place pumpkins on and cover them with burlap or rustic fabric. Remember to keep fall colors and the colors of the leaves and look in mind when you’re decorating.

For some great craft ideas, take unfinished Halloween-themed crafts from the craft store and buy paint for the kids. Paint mini pumpkins them and take home as their own unique souvenirs. Or, you can also put mini pumpkins on tables.