Randall “Randy” Holland was formerly a successful attorney from Tallahassee, Florida, where he was the director of finance for the state’s department of banking. Quite a change from his current status as the 1998 Best All Around Player at the Legends of Poker Tournament at the Bicycle Club Casino in Bell Gardens, California. He’s also 46 years old, $35,000 richer, and the owner of a new Mustang convertible. A former bachelor, Randy took a bride and two children on July 25. Quite a lot of action in anyone’s life — and it all happened in less than a month!
In interviewing Randy, he stated that — like so many poker players — he learned how to play at the kitchen table in small family games. While attending Florida State, he also played successfully in local fraternity games. Then in 1985 he attended a convention in Las Vegas. After a meeting one day, he played in one of the small $1-$4 limit games, and the hook was set.
Upon returning to Tallahassee, his Las Vegas experience whetted his appetite for more poker action. Eventually he started making weekend trips to Mississippi, where he began to hone his poker skills. In 1993, buoyed by his good fortune in Mississippi, he made a life-changing decision — to take up poker as a new career.
Being single (42 years old with no ties), and looking for a new challenge, Randy took a one-year sabbatical from his law practice to find out if he was equipped with the necessary skills to become a winning poker player.
Playing poker for a living sounds like a great life: no time clock, you’re your own boss, you can sleep as long as you want, you can eat when you’re hungry, you can party when the mood strikes, and you have no one to answer to … it’s utopia!
However, very few have the talent. Many try, but few are chosen. You need a bankroll, patience, emotional stability, tenacity, a killer instinct, and the ability to overcome bad beats. Plus you need poker knowledge, the ability to take small wins along with the big scores, and the composure to handle losses.
After successful plunges into the live action games in Mississippi, the next trial by fire for Holland was tournament poker. Foxwood’s annual tournament was the deciding factor on cementing his decision that poker was indeed his forte.
At Foxwoods he chopped up the prize money in the razz and no-limit hold’em tournaments. In 1996 he won a gold bracelet, plus $84,000, at the World Series. In 1997 Holland was the best all around player at the Commerce’s Heavenly Hold’em Summer Tournament. He has other wins too numerous to mention here.
When queried on how he prepared for his new lifestyle, Holland stated that he is an avid reader of poker books — absorbing the good points and discarding the bad. The first book that had an impact on his success was David Sklansky’s hold’em book. In the early 80s before there were 100 or more poker books, Sklansky had already published books on razz, seven-card stud, lowball, stud high-low split, and poker theory. These books were concise, easy to read, and highly informative.
Next came McEvoy’s book on tournament play. Then Doyle Brunson’s book Super/System, thought by many to be the poker bible.
When asked who he thought his toughest opponent was in tournament play, Holland replied, “There are so many good ones now, that everyone is tough.” But, he added, “T. J. Cloutier and Vince Burgio are formidable opponents.” Who is the toughest in live play? Without hesitation the answer was “Adib Harb.”
What is his favorite game? No-limit hold’em, a game that first glance looks easy where you just put your money in the pot and hope that your hand stands up or you make your draw. As any successful no-limit hold’em player can attest to, it just ain’t so! No-limit requires all of the poker skills — plus a weightlifter’s arm, the heart of a downhill skier, and most importantly the ability to know when to hold’em and know when to fold’em.
As of his tournament wins show, Holland is successful in all the games — boosting wins in stud, razz, limit and no-limit hold’em, seven-card stud, lowball, and Omaha high-low split.
His favorite hobby is traveling, and it really fits in with his new “job” with the proliferation of gambling in Europe, England, and the Scandinavian countries. Randy has lots of friends in Europe and belongs to the European Poker Tournament Association. Randy also likes to work out in the gym when he finds time. And as he said, “Body and mind must be in tune to develop proper discipline.”
What are his thoughts on making deals at the finals table? “A necessity based on the fact that most of the time the limits are so high that one hand may switch the lead, eliminate most of the skill factor, thus letting luck take over.
“Due to time constraints this is an unfortunate dilemma that can only be solved by freezing the limits or the blinds at a certain point in the tournament based on the number of chips in play.
“The drawback to this is if you are playing in a tournament the next day, you may be too burnt out to successfully participate. One solution would be two-day tournaments. This cuts down on the number of tournaments that can be held, unless you use the format of starting one day, playing down to the money, and finishing on the second day. Still a tough situation, but at least it’s a compromise.”
What about having someone sponsor his play? Randy says, “I back my own play, thus not having to answer to any backer plus I get to keep the whole pie when I win.”
Randy said his most satisfying win at Legends was when he beat Men Nguyen in the seven-card stud high-low split event. When they were heads up, Men told Randy that he had no chance, that he was going to take home the gold ring. Men ended up taking home the silver!
When asked about the Legends tournament, he had nothing but accolades for the staff, the dealers, the daily gifts, the final-table awards, and the over-all point format.
Randy is currently a host at Crystal Park in Compton, California, and at this point, has no thoughts about going back into law practice. His steady wins each year have given him the conviction that he is here to stay.
So readers, now you know the answer to our question, “Who is this guy named Holland?” We predict his name will be popping up quite a bit in the winner’s circle at future tournaments.
Randy Holland Scores Big at Legends of Poker
Randy Holland amassed 194 points, 20 more than runner-up Mel Judah, by winning two events: seven-card stud high-low which paid $15,000, and lowball with a cash-out of $13,000. He also placed fifth in the $500 no-limit hold’em event, seventh in the Omaha high-low split competition, and eighth in the $300 no-limit hold’em tournament.
In the beginning, it was all Judah, Judah, Judah. The one-time high-fashion London hair stylist roared off to a huge lead by winning the first event, 1/2 hold’em/1/2 stud “date nite,” and the second, limit hold’em, and then placing fourth in the third event, $500 no-limit hold’em. By the time he had added in another fourth in seven-stud split on August 13, he had accumulated 174.5 points to Holland’s 115. But then Randy started accelerating while Judah stayed stuck in neutral.
It came down to the final day of the $2,500 no-limit hold’em championship. After Judah got knocked out, only one who could catch Holland was Chris Ferguson, and then only by winning the event outright. But he ended up completely out of the money, and Randy held the keys to a beautiful new Mustang.
Winning the lowball event on August 20 enabled Holland to pass Judah in the points lead and keep him in the rear-view mirror. In that event, Judah was frustrated when he kept missing draws to wheels and sixes and busted out early. Randy himself had difficulties in the early stages, low on gas and all in a couple of times. But he refueled at the final table with a lot of good cards. He had a narrow squeak when he put all his chips in, took one card, and barely edged out Vince Burgio’s pat 9-8 with a 9-5.
His final opponent was the self-proclaimed “Crazy Irv” Warsaw, who went out in truly crazy fashion. Drawing two, Irv ends up with three sixes. What the hell, he figures. He bets out with his remaining chips and Randy calls him with a queen. After that, the Mustang was his to drive off to wherever he wanted on a honeymoon with his new wife Laurie and a pocketful of cash.
What a life. Congratulations Randy Holland and may you always drive your Mustang in the winning lane!
Poker Digest Magazine – Volume 1 Number 4