DC10-10 CREW ENTERED THE HOLDING PATTERN IN THE WRONG DIRECTION IN ZLA CLASS A.

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WE WERE FLYING A SLANT ALPHA ACFT AT FL290; GOING DIRECT TO THE PALMDALE VOR FROM THE NW; WITH A LNDG DEST OF ONT. THE EXPECTED WX WAS ABOVE 2000 FT AND 3 MI. ABOUT 30 MI FROM PMD; THE CTLR STATED THAT ONT RVR VISIBILITY WAS 6000 FT AND WAS ONLY ACCEPTING CAT III ACFT. I TOLD HIM WE WERE CAT II AND WOULD PROBABLY REQUEST HOLDING. I IMMEDIATELY ASKED MY SO TO CONTACT OUR COMPANY OPS; AS OUR ALTERNATE WAS LAS VEGAS WHICH WOULD LEAVE US VERY LITTLE HOLDING FUEL. ATC CAME BACK WITH HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS: 'HOLD NW OF PMD VOR ON J-65.' THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT AND WE DETERMINED THAT J-65 WAS THE 295 DEG RADIAL; IT WOULD BE A DIRECT ENTRY AND WE NEEDED TO SLOW DOWN TO HOLDING SPD. ABOUT 6 MI OUT; OUR FLT OPS WAS UP ON THE #2 RADIO INTERRUPTING OUR DISCUSSION AND I GAVE THE #1 RADIO TO THE FO WHILE I TALKED TO OUR OPS. MY ATTN WAS ON THE FLT RELEASE; CHANGING THE ALTERNATE AND COPYING THE CURRENT WX FOR LOS ANGELES WHEN I HEARD ATC GIVING US A HDG OF 240 DEGS FOR VECTORS TO AVOID A RESTR AREA AND FOR THE TURN BACK INTO HOLDING. AT THAT POINT; I SAW THE FO MADE AN INITIAL L TURN INTO HOLDING INSTEAD OF A R TURN; AS HE SHOULD HAVE MADE. WE THEN DISCUSSED THE NATURE OF THE MISTAKE AND THAT THE R HAND VERSUS L HAND HOLDING PATTERN SHOULD HAVE BEEN VERBALIZED; AS DIRECT ENTRY WAS OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT FOR EACH ONE OF US [EACH ONE'S PERSPECTIVE]. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. ONT CLRED TO CAT II WX AND WE FLEW THE APCH AND LANDED.