DTD's online room, DTDPOKER, is due to launch in September and I have asked Chubbs to recruit 12-15 DTD Account Managers accross Europe, who will also be exclusively DTD sponsored players and join the DTD Crew. They will receive a 12 month sponsorship contract and bonuses for making final tables or winning events. Clearly one of their main roles will be to promote the site and market DTD accross Europe, which in our target audience for the club and online. We have drawn up a shortlist of potential players so we'll have to see whether we get any interest from them. Hopefully this will mean that our alliances with people like Blondepoker will continue, as we are not competing directly against eachother etc.
Due to me and Chubbs getting knocked out so early in most EPT's and major comps, we have managed to build up some very good contacts whilst proping up the bar, and hope to sign up some really good players as DTD Account Managers over the coming months. The deal each person will get will depends on their rake generation, profile and track record in major tournaments, basically, it will be negotiable.
The opening date for the Dusk Till Dawn Club in still targeted at December, subject to licences and the re-fit meeting schedules. We hope to get in and start ripping the place out on August 1st, and we are told that 16-20 weeks in the time frame for a full refurbishment, this conicides with Nick's apartment project finishing so that he can focus on that. Our regular Monday DTD meetings are gaining momentum and I can see a small piece of light and the end of the tunnel. A few people have asked me whether I would still have embarked on this project if I had had really known what the costs and hassle would be, I can't really answer that question until the Club opens, as that might change my current view!
I had an email from the "Flying Dutchman", Marcel Luske, asking me what the club opening date is. Not sure whether I have told people yet, but Marcel will be the guest of honour at the opening the Club, sort of "cutting the ribbon" type of thing. I asked Marcel to do this because I wanted the club to have a "european feel", and he's someone that is so well respected in Europe. His only condition is that I let him and his band sing their new poker song, called "Poker Poker", at the opening.........I had a full rendition at 2am in the morning in the Barcelona Casino and it is sort of catchy (not sure whether is will make no 1 though!) If Marcel cannot make it for any reason I have Colchester Kev secured as backup although his appearance fee will obviously be higher.
There a number of organisations who have approached my to hold high profile tournaments at DTD, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out who they are. I'd rather sort this type of thing out nearer the opening date so they can assess the suitability of our premises and things are a bit more "real". Also, how can we make committments like this when we haven't even ran a £30 freezout at the club yet! Aces wil be dealing with this sort of stuff when he joins later on in the year.
We've also had lots of requests from various people in the press to do articles on DTD, I've said we do nothing till we get the Certifiate of Consent from the Gaming Board, even though I think its a cert, there could be serious egg on our faces if we don't pull this thing off. I realise that a lot of people are excited about this venture, but it does get a bit much when everyone is on my case all the time for this and that, I'm doing the very best I can to do things as quick as I can but sometimes when you rush things, you make mistakes. Even my employees at sf group are giving me grief about when DTD is opening! sf group is poker mad now!
My diary is not a PR thing for DTD, its just how I feel, I never know what I am going to write, so I can look back on it afterwards. Hopefully I will think, "what was all the fuss about, it was a piece of cake". Its hard not to feel a bit fed up at the moment, ploughing all this money in, being asked the same questions over and over again, answering 100's of emails every day on the same subjects, (I try to get back to everybody), trying to avoid all the opportunists trying to get something for nothing, being at the beck and call of the various government bodies..............but hey.........its a job, if not very well paid!
On the positive side my horse won again on Sunday at Stratford, thats £45k in last 3 weeks. Action Jack and Mark Goodwin came round to my house on Sunday night and we watched the race a few times. Then they took my car down to London for a photo shoot with InsideEdge. I got a call every 5 mins as they kept stalling it, but the final straw was when Action Jack called cause he wanted to know how to use the stereo player..........what a "plodder" he is (you must read his article on "plodding" by the way, hopefully he will publish it on Blondepoker following his creation of the PLODDERS UNION in support of the best hand pre-flop always winning).
