blonde poker forum

Just managed to luck box 6 euros into an MC seat.

My dilemma is this:

I start a new job at a new company tomorrow morning. Do I go in and just say "hi, thanks for employing me, I need Friday off to do some binkage?" I can't get there til 7 if i work so do i turn up 5 hrs late? do i ask to leave early? or do i just sigh and sell my seat?

If i wasn't working/actually play I would have looked to sell 30% at face but as i don't have 300 posts that's another sigh. FML.

Any sensible suggestions would be much appreciated!

See how the land lies Monday and then suggest a half day Friday on Tues perhaps for a medical appointment. Wouldn't tell them it's to do some binkage. You'll get a rep if they know you play poker for wanting time off

If your going to take the Friday off then definitely don't say it's to play pokers :)

Are you allowed to sell the seat ? Why not ask to transfer it to the next one ? No idea what stakes you usually play but if you don't generally play 1k events it would be something to look forward to and saves having to try and get a holiday on your first day at work.

I once took a day off work my boss didn't want me to have for poker ( he certainly didn't k ow it was for poker). I really couldn't enjoy the tourney, couldn't concentrate, played bad! I know it super sucks but I'd cash out.

If you do play you have obv got to say prior engagement  

Sell the seat, it looks bad in your first week if you're asking for monday off. There are plenty more 1k's.

Can you say you already had it planned but forgot to mention it?

Also if you final you will be dead on monday too!

Cheers George. They have private medical care, so I can't use doctors or anything, which is a bit sheet.


Yea think I am allowed although haven't had it confirmed. Play anything upto £500 live. Rare that i dabble in anything higher tbh.



They asked me if i had anything coming up in the immediate future and i said no, so it would knock my credibility well down.

Cheers Cos and Guy, (although expected a different answer from Mr Johnson) seems pretty unanimous. Gonna sigh sell if i can.

Will see if there is anyone decent left wanting to sell a % for a sweat.

Must admit i expected more answers like.. Just don't turn up, take it down and be a baller.

Thanks for the input everyone. Will probs sleep better tonight now.

U mean Friday?

Yea true. All signs point to sell. Plus i have a dirty commute. Just hope dtd play ball. I'm sure it will be beneficial to them to have another seat to dangle.


Yea the Friday coming.

Yeah meant friday rupunzel

dont think you can sell seat

might be able to transfer to next one

i would try to transfer

Real life>poker. Speak to DTD, but I'd personally rather just let someone else play for me for a % than start being a dick with a new job if DTD cannot accommodate you.

yup, transfer to the next MC. there'll be one in xmas and yeh, itll be something to look forward to. dont get off on the wrong foot with the new job.

Tell the truth to your employer, ask if its ok.
 If they look like they think its a bad idea, just say, no worries you'll work, then sell the seat.

There is no harm in asking, just let them know the circumstances etc

good luck

never tell your employer you play poker - they dont understand

THIS plus 100 million

What difference does it make? At the end of the day yes they are quite entitled to say no to a day off in your first week as you don't accrue holidays until at least 3 month after you have been employed usually.

However the number of times I have been asked for time off so people can go out on the piss with their mates and the like I would not be able to count. How is asking for time off to play poker any worse? At the end of the day after you have been there a while you are entitled to ask for time off and don't have to give a reason.

However, in this case with only starting this week, it's definately better to ask and be honest about it. The medical appointment is risky as they can easily ask for an appointment card (I always do, as this excuse is too easy to use otherwise). Be honest and if they say no, you obviously respect that decision. I don't think asking for time off to play poker lables you as anything though.

I have booked Thursday and Friday off the week after next to play poker and this is certainly not the first time. I think everybody knows about it (including my boss) and this will not reflect negatively on me at all.

There's still a stigma attached to poker which certain employers do not understand

poker is a pretty mainstream hobby nowadays - i can't imagine the majority of employers having a problem with someone playing poker in their own time. 

I speak from experience. My current and previous employers both know I play poker. If I have come in looking tired/have time off I'm pretty sure that they think I'm just playing poker till all hours.

Sick read.

Absolutely do not ask for a day off to play poker....especially in the 1st week.

Travel for a funeral excuse ftw.  Explains the sudden timing and the need to travel.  Use someone that isnt so close to you that you should be really upset.....but close enough that you have to attend.

Sigh, up at 6.30 for the first time since November. I loved not being employed, getting up at 12 and grinding but all things come to an end. They knew I played pokes at my last job and in all honesty i thought they were sometimes weird with me. If i ever had a day off and and they knew i was playing poker but i didn't win they would think it was redic and give me a sort of rubdown. Plus on a day to day basis they speak to you as if you are a massive degen.. (which is pretty true tbh)

Defo agree with all the people that say don't let the new employer know. If i get the line "so has anything come up in your schedule since we last spoke?" then I will probably just go for a cousin's funeral or something.

Emailed DTD last night asking what options are available to me then i will make the decision from there.

Thanks for the input everyone. 

workamonts

Agree with not telling them about poker, it's very -ev.

my boss is cool about it George never moans when i take time off and encourages me to play as much as i can .....

WRONG..... How many employers will be thinking we need to fire the h.r. Manager selecting a degenerate gambler for this job and 100% Milligan don't see out his probationary period.

On the contrary, I think they DO understand.....

Sure, your employer will understand. They will understand you want time off in your first week to go gamble. Asking for time off for almost anything during your first week in a job will be interpreted as a lack of commitment. And quite frankly that would be a correct assumption for them to make.

Lol exactly this, no not ask for a day off so you can gamble in your first week of employment.

They understand when you work for Sky Poker  :)

They might 'understand' but that doesn't mean they won't think badly of it.

Yes - that was precisely my point.

It's not exactly something you want to put on your curriculum vitae (they still use them these days?) under "hobbies & recreation". 

Skimming from my phone ftl

I do find it funny how some employers view your activities outside of work.

I had a colleague who from Friday night till ealry Sunday morning shoved mountains of the finest columbian up his nose and was a wreck most mondays. Employer knew but just turned a blind eye. But good god, his views on casions were something else.

I just think if you do anything outside of football/rugby/cycling, keep it to yourself - you dont conform!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ True dat.


Anyone know a good recruitment consultant?

Joobs, ldo.

Surprised by the experiences of some people on this thread. Is poker not something that a lot of people play, OK maybe not to the level of the people who are going to be posting on here but a fair few people who I work with play poker in some way or another, even if it is just a game with mates or just online. Quite surprising that some employers see it this way. I must be very fortunate in this way I guess.

For the OP, either ask for the day off and be honest as to why or don't ask at all. Don't use a funeral as an excuse either, it's pretty easy to see through when somebody does that as well. You are risking your job if you use any kind of excuse and anybody see's you at DTD, there is a live update remember, which is likely to have your picture, and is the MC televised? It's just not worth it, your job should be more important to you than poker.

Reminded me about my last works appraisal, was going well untill they asked me.. "so then dean were do you see yourself in the next 2-3 years"  When i said that i'd hope to be playing poker full time, it didn't go down to well... lol

Why would you ever say that at an appraisal!?

Most people view poker as a casino based gambling game. And that's exactly what it is. Thinking that your new employer will be happy to accommodate your pursuit of gambling within your working hours is plain crazy. I am an employer of people and I have history in poker so I should understand more than most. What I understand is most people lose at poker whilst convincing themselves it's not really gambling. It is gambling and asking your new boss for time off to go gambling is a bad move period. In fact the reality is that even considering asking the question does in itself show a lack of commitment to your new endeavours. Actually revealing that lack of commitment so early in your employment would be pretty foolish. What you want to do outside of working hours is fine imo but maybe not in every employer's opinion so I wouldn't even mention it.

Mantis

Whilst i think you make some valid points I couldnt disagree with the bolded point more.

If he told you he was running a marathon, doing an iron man, or completing a project building an animal welfare shelter, you wouldnt question his commitment to the job. SO why question his commitment when he is merely taking holiday to undertake his past time?

and btw - holiday is outside of working hours

b/c people outside of poker don't understand mate.

Poker and gambling has a bad stigma.

Taking time off in week 1 (when you should be wanting to put in max time and effort) looks bad, esp when it's to play a tournament where the buy in is a few weeks wages.

yes but you cant question his commitment to his new job! Thats insulting imo

Why isnt the commitment of the marrathon runner questioned?

Mate, I would have the exact same opinion to any of those things. When a new employee starts within my business I want them to be flying out the traps from day 1 and putting their best endeavour into the job I employed them to do. If they came up to me asking for time off in their first week for anything other than an emergency I would frown upon it and would consider it showed a lack of commitment. That is genuinely how I would think. What the new guy wants time off to run a race? Nah mate I would insta say GTFO to that individual.

IF the marathon runner said he had no future plans and then pitched up in week 1 and asked for Friday off to run a marathon then I'd question his commitment.

@ Mantis - ok fair enough then!

As an aside - do you believe that you will get the best from your employee taking that line?

what if that wasnt the case - it hadnt been discussed at interview - and he bowled up on monday asking for friday off?

I'd still feel pretty negative about it - surely it could have been mentioned before? It's surely not hard to mention it at some point before the first day of work... just pick up the phone or something.

Just work from home lol.

Btw don't think you have option to transfer or sell the first seat you win

tbf - if that is the case i think you would only ante down to about 20k

Agree with mantis on this one

Can't write the words myself, so quoting George's post. :P

this! wtf?!

In short yes. The justification for why I say yes would take a lot of writing about and comes from many years of building and managing teams. The new employee needs a clear understanding of my expectations from day 1 and boundaries need enforcing from the outset, not just for the benefit of the new guy but for the continued benefit of the whole team. Sure, I will support employees in their personal endeavours but only after they have shown me they are worthy of this support. That support will come after proving their worth to my business. If a new employee rocks up on day one and expects that support straight away without actually investing any time into the business for me then they wont get it. If that means their performance suffers they can GTFO and I will hire somebody else.

Good question, think i was being honest and slightly deluded at the same time..

You neednt explain - I am aware of your thoughts and management type.

I think in part, these discussions very much depend upon the field that you work in too.

make up some bullshit.....its always a need to know thing with most things involving work.

Yeah depends on what the job is

Day 1 done and dusted.

I refrained from asking for the day off as the implications were quite clear. They were saying that last year they had 1/2 day on xmas eve as if that was a massive godsend... that sealed the deal for me.

Its defo not the right environment to mention poker tbh. Office is 90% middle aged women + a late 30s guy so it was just massive -ev. Even when i was being shown the coffee shops and bakeries around the local town I refrained from saying oooooh look a bookies...

I 100% agree with everyone who said that most employers just don't get it, because they don't.

On the other side, the girl at DTD has been ace trying to help me out. first she said there wouldn't be a problem cashing it in, but when she went to get the money put into my account it was obviously a no go from above...their solution was give the seat to a friend to play. That's not really an option at the moment. As a last resort i asked if i could get it transferred to the next one but haven't heard anything yet.

They said the sats are run in order to give people of all stakes the chance to play higher events, but in reality it is full of people who already have a seat and are just looking to cash it in. A few of the players left in already had a seat and one guy binked his second. It clearly states if you win a second seat you can cash it in, so i don't see why it would be so much hassle to cash in your first??

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

Simply because they have a guarantee to meet mate

sell your seat to someone on here who plans to go up and buy in anyway. if you xfer it to someone like mitch he'll pay you for it.

ill take it mate - but please use me as a second choice

I am wanting to late reg and dont want to be blinding away particularly - but if you cant sell - then ill will have it

whollyflush was looking to buy in via another thread

Why not transfer it to the next one?  You can book the holidays for then without having to tell them its for poker and you'll have something to look forward to and be able to play it.

Cheers mate, have sent him a PM.


In the email I asked about this, but they haven't said it is an option. The only thing they said i could do was transfer it to another player. That is what I am looking to do now.

Just give your boss a free 5% freeroll and do some bi winning.

After a lil email, I have come home to find that DTD have come up Simon Trumps and credited the money to my account.  wiiii. Now I have a boss who doesn't think I am an absolute degen and some pizza money in the pocket.

Thanks for all the advice people, I pretty much would have just donked off at work and asked for the day off if i hadn't posted on here.

GL all blondes who are able to play it.

Pizza money ? Guess you order from Domino's.

Sure do/Sure have. No two for tuesdays just for me though... on a diet obv.

Just think what could have been if you had binked.......

Or saved?

Sorry i didn't get chance to reply, was out the best part of yesterday. Nice that you got your seat sold.

You've done the right thing - all important points have been covered by everyone else, but as they say, it wouldn't have looked good for you to ask for time off in your first week, whatever the reason. And I agree with others, if your boss doesn't play poker, then asking for time off to go gambling was definitely a massive no-no.

Nice one on managing to cash the seat in, now you can either save the dough and buy in for the next one, use it on DTD to play loads of sats for the next one and the 300s etc, or just buy loads of pizza. Result all round!

nice one

Knowing the OP, very much this ^^^^^^^^^