Grade the January Magazine

[Dynasty]

This month's issue of the Two Plus Two Internet Magazine is heavy on stories. "Luck Box" becomes the first fictional article I've published since becoming editor. It's accompanied by some old school stories by David Sklansky and several pieces of poker journalism.

I was glad to see Crazy Pineapple get its first article in the Magazine. Byron Jacobs resumes his heads-up series and Frank Jerome continues to write prodigously.

Strategy -4
Heads Up Limit Hold 'em: Ideas for Playing the Big Blind by Byron Jacobs
Crazy Pineapple High: Maximizing Value with Correct Discard Decisions by Robert Gasper
Omaha 8 or Better Flop Probabilities and Possibilities Part 1 by Frank Jerome
Omaha 8 or Better Flop Probabilities and Possibilities Part 2 by Frank Jerome

Psychology -1
Playing the Downswings by Cameron Harris

Poker Journalism- 3
Poker, Politics and the Future by "Berge20"
Brian Townsend (aba20) Plays on High Stakes Poker's Third Season by Allan Mendoza
Can Many Small Differences in Cardroom Management Make a Big Difference? by Bryan Clark

Fiction, Stories- 2
Luck Box by Bo Wilson
Classic Article: A Few Stories by David Sklansky

Non-poker- 2
Hedging in Sports Betting Part 2 by King Yao
"Game Theory" Solution by David Sklansky

For me, the fictional "Luck Box" is the standout article of the month. I'm generally skeptical of poker fiction. But, publishing this story was an easy call.

The strategy content is lighter than I would like but offers a fair diversity. With a 2+2er playing on High Stakes Poker and the legislation issue being discussed, the Magazine got crowded quickly.

With the strategy articles being reliably solid, I think the weight of the Magazine's stength (and grade) falls on the stories/journalism this month.

My Grade: B+

[2461Badugi]

Please don't ever become a fiction editor. You're horrible at it. Trust me, I used to be one.

++ King Yao on hedging. Writing clearly enough to make someone who doesn't care understand the subject is a big skill.
+ Berge20's political situation recap.
+ Crazy Pineapple. Decent article, but it seems pretty much covered by common sense.
+ Sklansky on game theory. Basic as all hell, but something a lot of people here seem to lack, so he gets a plus for it.
| Byron Jacobs' HU in the BB. I felt this was somewhat weak in that both of his strategies against an aggressive player featured no variation in playing any specific hand.
| Frank Jerome's Omaha/8 articles. Meh. This methodology seems useless.
| Bryan Clark on cardroom management. Half of a good article, but didn't seem to go anywhere. Tying it up with a conclusion would have been useful. Also, if the editor is going to have his articles published, he should find somebody else to proofread them. As in this case, when it's just one person, obvious typos get missed.
- Aba on HSP. Never a good sign when the subject constructs sentences better than the interviewer does.
- "Playing the Downswings." Just like every other article on running bad, ever.
- Sklansky stories. #6 was mildly amusing. The rest were just dumb.
-- Mason continuing to ignore real UIGEA issues in favor of bashing the PPA.
-- Making horrible fiction the lead article.
---- "Luck Box"

This issue was doomed from the moment it led with Bullwer-Lytton-quality fiction. I'm sad that F is the lowest grade available.

[Sniper]

[ QUOTE ]
-- Mason continuing to ignore real UIGEA issues in favor of bashing the PPA.

[/ QUOTE ]

Badugi, I looked and couldn't find YOUR statement anywhere?

What would you like to see Mason do?

[adsman]

I'm sorry to say this, but I thought "luck Box" was drivel. Good fiction lets the reader come to their own conclusions. It doesn't ram obvious themes down the readers throat.

I think that there are some good writers amongst the 2+2 community, including many aspiring fiction writers. What about a fiction writing competition for the mag? Who can come up with the best short fiction story with the title, 'Luck Box'?

[deacsoft]

[ QUOTE ]
What about a fiction writing competition for the mag?

[/ QUOTE ]

I like the idea of some kind of competition with the mag. Something like that could possibly help to get more people interested and more quality articles submitted. However, it also would bring about some other issues that would need to be addressed before it could even get going.

Issue 1) What would the prize be for the contest? You'd think it would have to be something more than is already being offered. But authors are already being compensated well for their time and efforts. And would something "extra" being offered for a contest take authors away from possibly submitting articles on other topics?

Issue 2) Can Dynasty handle the amount of submissions if it turns out to be a hit? As far as I know he's running a one man show for the magazine. The time spent reading 50 articles for one spot in the magazine might be better spent reading 50 articles for 50 spots in the magazine.

There are other issues as well but they are of less concern.

[BradleyT]

I proofread this reply for 10 seconds - maybe that will prevent me from getting in an auto accident later today by offsetting the rest of my life by 10 seconds - how lucky!

[1p0kerboy]

[ QUOTE ]
What would you like to see Mason do?


[/ QUOTE ]

Well, if he's not going to do anything in favor of those of us against the legislation at least don't do anything AGAINST us such as driving players away from what could be our only hope.

[Sniper]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What would you like to see Mason do?


[/ QUOTE ]

Well, if he's not going to do anything in favor of those of us against the legislation at least don't do anything AGAINST us such as driving players away from what could be our only hope.

[/ QUOTE ]

I suggest you read the relevant threads in the Legislation forum...