Guest Blogger

It's time to say goodbye. My time at Wise Hand Poker has come to a close and this will be my last blog for the site. I'm about to take some big steps forward in my life, my writing, and my career. But, I feel it's important to take a moment to reflect on the footprints that have taken me to this present point in time.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my tales from the road. I tried to reveal a lot of myself to you readers in each and every one of my blogs. I learned a lot about myself in the process, and hopefully you learned a little something about yourselves as well.

I will be moving on to another poker media company. A big challenge lies before me, and I know I can draw confidence from the experience and lessons I learned while writing for Wise Hand Poker. It was a tough decision to leave, but hopefully my departure will open some doors for the talented pool of writers that call Wise Hand home.

Just a year ago I had your typical "office" job. I was a human resources assistant at the San Francisco Chronicle that wanted to write, wanted to see the world. An internship last summer at the World Series of Poker got my foot into the door of the poker industry. It was an amazing summer, but after it finished I was left wondering, "What now?"

I got a phone call one afternoon a few weeks later. Gary Wise wanted 52 tips on Texas Hold'em the next day. I got to work with the fervor of a young writer that knew opportunity was knocking. A month after that I was still writing poker strategy articles for Wise Hand when Gary called again. This time he wanted me to join the World Poker Tour coverage team for the Festa al Lago at the Bellagio. That is when my wild ride really began, and I have never looked back. It's been a lot of fun.

I will still play my part in this strange world of poker, covering a writer's dream lineup of characters and personalities. I will never forget my time at Wise Hand Poker, and I thank Gary as well as everyone else here for the opportunities and encouragement they have provided. I also thank you for coming along on this journey through words. They may have become a little tangled at times, while I searched for my voice, but I feel I'm starting to discover its song.

"It is a poor man who dies with his music still inside him." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for letting me sing.

Sincerely,

Ryan "Force" Lucchesi