Ooka Luka: Norman Chad Turns a Bad Beat Into Something Upbeat
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Norman Chad was dealt a tough hand this year
He can often be found at his local casino, playing in a variety of mixed games, but due to quarantine and the current state of things, he's been locked out of the games that brought a smile to his face. Chad’s wife, Toni, is visiting family on the East Coast and staying there until it’s safe to return. Finally, Chad’s long-time canine best friend, Daisy, passed away this past April.
All of this created the perfect storm that resulted in Norman Chad needing some sort of inspiration.
“As for many others, this summer has been unceasingly challenging: Loss of work, loss of income, loss of movement, loss of creative outlet," Chad told PokerNews. "In addition, my wife Toni and I have been on opposite coasts for the entire pandemic, and when our beloved family dog Daisy unexpectedly passed in April, my overall sense of loss felt apocalyptic; she was my sole companion in L.A. with Toni 2,500 miles away. I was emotionally devastated."
“I suffer from severe depression, and after a couple of challenging months in lockdown, doing the Ooka Luka on-camera daily just made me feel better," he continued. "I thought it would help combat the increasingly toxic and hateful nature of Twitter, because it's just fun with the intent of making people smile and getting people to get along better. The Ooka Luka felt like a mental-health lifeline for me.”
More Positivity
The last few weeks have brought positive changes to Chad's life. First, there is a new dog in his life now. Second, Chad was able to cash in two WSOP Online Bracelet events in July taking a min-cash in Event #6: $600 PLO8 6-Handed and 13th place for $4,638 in Event 28: $1,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 6-Max. Despite these uplifting moments, Chad is still inspired to continue sharing Ooka Luka and bring something positive to the poker community. For those who do not understand why Chad is creating these daily Ooka Luka videos, he understands your curiosity.
“I cannot sing and I cannot dance, yet I thought that just the novel nature of the Ooka Luka would carry the day for me when I first started the daily videos. I was wrong. I had failed to consider that most of my Twitter followers knew me from my TV poker commentating in which I generally bring comedy — and they were waiting for the punchline. In reality here, the punch line was positivity."
He continued: "I wanted to exude positivity. I wanted to bring a common-sense mentality to the world around us. However, I came to realize that many of my long-time followers expected humor, so I have adjusted the presentation to balance between a positive message and a touch of frivolity. Heck, I had to look up 'frivolity' in the dictionary to make sure I could do it.”
The Ooka Luka Challenge
Next for Chad is the Ooka Luka Challenge. Starting this Monday, August 10th, and running through Tuesday, August 18th, he wants you to film your own Ooka Luka. How to enter this contest is up to you. You can recreate one of Chad’s 90+ entries, show us your best Ooka Luka in your own setting, be creative and add something new to Ooka Luka.
Submit your video on Twitter or Instagram using “#ookaluka” in the description or post and tag Norman Chad (@NormanChad on Twitter or @therealnormanchad on Instagram) to be entered to win. Chad will repost his favorites on his own social media accounts and through the PokerNews social accounts as well.
The top three videos will be announced on Wednesday, August 19th during the WSOP GGPoker Live Stream on the PokerNews Twitch Channel - twitch.tv/pokernews.
What Can You Win?
The third-place will take home an e-book of their choice from D&B Poker Publishing. Second place will receive an e-book plus one month of service from LearnProPoker Training Site. Finally, the first-place winner will receive an e-book, a month of service from LearnProPoker, plus something special from Norman Chad himself.
He will either shout out your home game and talk trash to the regs who play it or record your outgoing voicemail message. If you live within 75 miles of the Los Angeles area, he is also willing to come to your house and wash your car. If you’re lucky, Chad may even clean the hubcaps with a toothbrush.
How to Do the Ooka Looka
Contest begins Monday, August 10th at 12:00 a.m. ET and closes Tuesday, August 18th at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Contest Terms & Conditions
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