Poker Player - Randy Holland
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Randy Holland is considered by his peers to be among the top ten players in the world in both Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Hi-Lo Stud, yet Randy is surprisingly humble about his ability as a poker player and has admitted on many occasions that he does not have any particular skills such as a great memory or an exceptional ability to read his opponents. Instead, Randy credits his success to experience, discipline and a lot of luck. There is certainly no doubting his success in the poker world, his peers rank him the 6th best razz tournament player in the world, the 6th best Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo tournament player and the 2nd best Seven Card Stud tournament player.
Randy Holland's first calling in life was law, he is a former lawyer (attorney) turned professional poker player. He attended law school at Florida State University in Tallahassee and remained in Florida for the next twenty years. When he graduated from law school he went to work for the Florida Legislature. He then moved on to the attorney general's office but thanks to the contacts he had made while working at the Legislature, he got a job with the state controller in the department of banking and became the director of the division of finance. After being in that job for seven years he decided to take one year off. In explanation for his departure from the world of law, Randy has said it came about as a result of his desire to try something different in life. So he started playing poker when he turned 40 and although several law firms persisted and ask him to come and talk with them he refused all offers and decided to try playing poker full time instead. When he quit his job and decided to travel he was single and had no obligations to hold him back. Whatever his reasons, it certainly seems to have turned out to be a wise decision.
As there was no public poker in Florida, Randy started out playing very low limit home games and didn't actually play poker in a casino until he attended a convention in Las Vegas in 1984. While he was there he tried his luck at the poker tables and walked away $100 richer. Since that first experience Randy has had many good tournament finishes including many wins. His achievements include two World Series Of Poker bracelets thanks to his two WSOP titles: 1996 and 2000 Seven Card Stud HI-Lo. He won back to back titles at the Poker Classic in Los Angeles in 2002 and 2003 Limit Hold 'em. He is also the 2001 World Poker Open Stud hi-Lo Champion. In 2004 he finished with a 1st place at the Grand American Poker Classic in No Limit Hold 'em and at the Poker Derby in No Limit Hold 'em. He has had so much tournament success it is no wonder he considers himself to be more of tournament player than a cash game player.
Randy Holland considers himself to be a patient yet aggressive player and it is doubtful that there are many who would disagree with this. He has adapted his playing style by watching successful professionals and like many other professional poker players he is constantly trying to improve his game and learns from both his experience and by watching other top players. He claims to work hard at staying disciplined and does not try to make something out of nothing when the cards are not going to his favour.
Randy currently resides in California with his wife, Laurene whom he met on the poker circuit. She is a registered nurse and also a recreational player. It is his marriage, Randy claims, that gives his life balance as being accustomed to the poker world herself; Laurene understands that for her husband poker is a business. Outside of poker Randy's main interest is travelling and he is incredibly grateful for poker which has given him the opportunity to visit other places as more than just a tourist.
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