Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Another day done, & I'm incredibly tired for some reason. An early night beckons methinks. One of those every year does the world of good.

I've actually had a most pleasing day. The two new Sky Poker Presenters, Sarah Champion & Lisa Marie Long, both had a full 4 hours in the Studio with me today, just block-throughs & technical stuff, as part of their Training.

Then we spent a few hours on the Website, just tinkering with stuff, so they can do PTP's with some confidence. Both of them are playing "my" Deepstack tomorrow, so that's good.

As the saying goes, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

The SPT is coming along nicely - 28 seats had gone by yesterday - all via Online Sats - & tonight's Qualifier has 5 seats up for grabs, with, as I write, 7 players left. The player in 3rd plkace right now should be able to lock up his seat, it's "BEANEH" - aka, on blonde, TitaniumBean. He really should walk into a Seat now, Good luck him.

Quite a blonde benefit so far, with Jakally, Nutter5932 & Ding all safely in.

And Ding just qualified, moments ago, for a Seat in the DTD 20/20, well done her.

Oops......

beaneh 7th   

Quality bokkage that.

Wondered why it all went wrong so suddenly.


ta sir. 

You were cruising! You boys, you gotta sit tight in these things. Try again, I expect to see you in Mancy-Land. I may even let you play a Tighty SNG up there.

[titaniumbean]

meh I bet folded in my mind and bet cawled on da screen 

poor play by me having been sailing whole way through after outplaying a guy post flop, jammed kings into his aces pre.

[tikay]

I got a call from Vodafone, the usual 2 yearly spam call, "loyal customer, free upgrade, da de da" stuff. Told them to ring Maria, she sorts all that nonsense for me.

She rings me back later. The only benefit available is a phone upgrade, "want one?" says she. Of course I want one - it's new, & it's free, get me one, I say.

But then she goes all naggy - "you have not stopped moaning about the last one yet, you are too old to get used to another new phone". I could have slapped her, mainly because she is right.

So she goes back to Mr Voda, & & ends up negotiating the same Tariff as last time - unlimited texts & Internet, 600 free minutes of phone calls or somesuch (in other words, it's free), for £29 a month instead of £35 per month - PLUS a £150 rebate, immediately. In other words, no Monthly Charge for 6 months! And the £150 Credit Note arrived within 48 hours.

So I pay not a bean for 6 months. The pricing models on Moby Service Providers these days must be some sophisticated marketing model.

[titaniumbean]

I got a call from Vodafone, the usual 2 yearly spam call, "loyal customer, free upgrade, da de da" stuff. Told them to ring Maria, she sorts all that nonsense for me.

She rings me back later. The only benefit available is a phone upgrade, "want one?" says she. Of course I want one - it's new, & it's free, get me one, I say.

But then she goes all naggy - "you have not stopped moaning about the last one yet, you are too old to get used to another new phone". I could have slapped her, mainly because she is right.

So she goes back to Mr Voda, & & ends up negotiating the same Tariff as last time - unlimited texts & Internet, 600 free minutes of phone calls or somesuch (in other words, it's free), for £29 a month instead of £35 per month - PLUS a £150 rebate, immediately. In other words, no Monthly Charge for 6 months! And the £150 Credit Note arrived within 48 hours.

So I pay not a bean for 6 months. The pricing models on Moby Service Providers these days must be some sophisticated marketing model.

Every time they phone you just say you are leaving, they transfer you to the 'cancellation people' which is actually just 'customer retention' and you get stupidly good deals.

[tikay]

I got a call from Vodafone, the usual 2 yearly spam call, "loyal customer, free upgrade, da de da" stuff. Told them to ring Maria, she sorts all that nonsense for me.

She rings me back later. The only benefit available is a phone upgrade, "want one?" says she. Of course I want one - it's new, & it's free, get me one, I say.

But then she goes all naggy - "you have not stopped moaning about the last one yet, you are too old to get used to another new phone". I could have slapped her, mainly because she is right.

So she goes back to Mr Voda, & & ends up negotiating the same Tariff as last time - unlimited texts & Internet, 600 free minutes of phone calls or somesuch (in other words, it's free), for £29 a month instead of £35 per month - PLUS a £150 rebate, immediately. In other words, no Monthly Charge for 6 months! And the £150 Credit Note arrived within 48 hours.

So I pay not a bean for 6 months. The pricing models on Moby Service Providers these days must be some sophisticated marketing model.

Every time they phone you just say you are leaving, they transfer you to the 'cancellation people' which is actually just 'customer retention' and you get stupidly good deals.

Probably, I leave all that stuff to Maria. She nags them into submission, I think.

[Bongo]

So she goes back to Mr Voda, & & ends up negotiating the same Tariff as last time - unlimited texts & Internet, 600 free minutes of phone calls or somesuch (in other words, it's free), for £29 a month instead of £35 per month - PLUS a £150 rebate, immediately. In other words, no Monthly Charge for 6 months! And the £150 Credit Note arrived within 48 hours.

So I pay not a bean for 6 months. The pricing models on Moby Service Providers these days must be some sophisticated marketing model.

It's because a lot of the monthly fee is actually paying for the free phone they give you.

[tikay]

Talking of Vodafone......

Hard to imagine this now, but nobody had a Moby 25 or 30 years ago.

I was in business at the time, & a guy I did a lot of business with was a bit cute. We scratched each others backs a lot, & it worked well, for both of us. Nio funny business, or brown envelopes, sod that, but it's surprising how well networking works if your name & reputation is good. And my socks were always pulled up right over my knees.

He started a "Mobile Phone Servive Provider" Business, & wanted me to spread the word, utilise my contacts to help him get Service Agreements. The SA's were long-term, so the acquisition value of a contract, particularly a multi-user Corporate Deal, were massive in those days.

He offered me 10% of the new-born company for free gratis, but I turned it down. Partly because I wanted to keep my hands clean, & partly because I was not overly keen on one of the other founding Sharerholders - his brother-in-law. One has to have principles in life, & I did not wanna be associated with the B-I-L.

He was a right chancer too, well dodgy. Lived in Sheffield. He murdered his first wife, & got away with it for 9 years before it came out on top, & he ended up getting 11 years, reduced to 8 on appeal, of which he served about 5 I think. (Was a bit of a shock to his 2nd wife when she found out, I tell you). He was only on board because of his then wife (my man's sister), who was a superb but hard-nosed businesswoman.

So I said "no thank you".

I still helped him though, my man was a good guy, a bit wide, but whatever he did, he did properly. I oiled the wheels to get him a lot of Contracts with my own contacts, & his first big deal was for the B & K Group, (for whom I worked) a Contract he held for over 15 years, & ended up being worth over a million quid pa. But conflict of interest would have stymied that for me had I accepted the 10% Shareholding.

I also got him into Phones4U, as I knew the MD, John Cauldwell, extremely well. My Company fitted out (Shop-Fitted) all their High Street Stores, & we were bloody brilliant, so John accepted my advice frequently. (John Caudwell eventually sold Phones4U for £1.5 billion, & became a bit of a philanthropist, lived in a grand Manor House in Staffordshire). So that was another tidy Deal my man got because of me. I'm not chirping here, btw, just telling it as it is.

Anyway, the bottom line is that eventually the Service Provider my man had started up, & offered me a 10% stake in, for free, which I rejected, was sold to Vodafone. For £19,000,000. That's 19 million quid.

I'm quite good at maths, but I don't know, or wanna know, what 10% of 19 mill is.  Please.

[Royal Flush]

I grimmed Flushy for £50 on Saturday. Astonishingly, he won, for the first time ever, a L-L against me. But I forgot to pay him.

Suddenly, I feel better.

First ever!! I think i am 23-2 up!

[tikay]

I grimmed Flushy for £50 on Saturday. Astonishingly, he won, for the first time ever, a L-L against me. But I forgot to pay him.

Suddenly, I feel better.

First ever!! I think i am 23-2 up!

You've not played 23 Live Tourneys in your whole life!

And I'm quite sure you have NEVER outlasted me before. Maybe Helsinki in 2004 or '05, but thats it. Give or take a few. Ish.

[Dingdell]

I grimmed Flushy for £50 on Saturday. Astonishingly, he won, for the first time ever, a L-L against me. But I forgot to pay him.

Suddenly, I feel better.

First ever!! I think i am 23-2 up!

You've not played 23 Live Tourneys in your whole life!

And I'm quite sure you have NEVER outlasted me before. Maybe Helsinki in 2004 or '05, but thats it. Give or take a few. Ish.

GUKPT last year with the drugs man - Flushy outlasted you. Everyone outlasted you if I remember correctly!

[tikay]

I grimmed Flushy for £50 on Saturday. Astonishingly, he won, for the first time ever, a L-L against me. But I forgot to pay him.

Suddenly, I feel better.

First ever!! I think i am 23-2 up!

You've not played 23 Live Tourneys in your whole life!

And I'm quite sure you have NEVER outlasted me before. Maybe Helsinki in 2004 or '05, but thats it. Give or take a few. Ish.

GUKPT last year with the drugs man - Flushy outlasted you. Everyone outlasted you if I remember correctly!

Not everyone.

[tikay]

I grimmed Flushy for £50 on Saturday. Astonishingly, he won, for the first time ever, a L-L against me. But I forgot to pay him.

Suddenly, I feel better.

First ever!! I think i am 23-2 up!

You've not played 23 Live Tourneys in your whole life!

And I'm quite sure you have NEVER outlasted me before. Maybe Helsinki in 2004 or '05, but thats it. Give or take a few. Ish.

GUKPT last year with the drugs man - Flushy outlasted you. Everyone outlasted you if I remember correctly!

Selective memory ftw.

It's just not possible. He might get the odd freak result, but he can't live with me in L-L's.

[boldie]

I got a call from Vodafone, the usual 2 yearly spam call, "loyal customer, free upgrade, da de da" stuff. Told them to ring Maria, she sorts all that nonsense for me.

She rings me back later. The only benefit available is a phone upgrade, "want one?" says she. Of course I want one - it's new, & it's free, get me one, I say.

But then she goes all naggy - "you have not stopped moaning about the last one yet, you are too old to get used to another new phone". I could have slapped her, mainly because she is right.

So she goes back to Mr Voda, & & ends up negotiating the same Tariff as last time - unlimited texts & Internet, 600 free minutes of phone calls or somesuch (in other words, it's free), for £29 a month instead of £35 per month - PLUS a £150 rebate, immediately. In other words, no Monthly Charge for 6 months! And the £150 Credit Note arrived within 48 hours.

So I pay not a bean for 6 months. The pricing models on Moby Service Providers these days must be some sophisticated marketing model.

This is why they hardly make a penny in real money these days.

[AlexMartin]

Talking of Vodafone......

Hard to imagine this now, but nobody had a Moby 25 or 30 years ago.

I was in business at the time, & a guy I did a lot of business with was a bit cute. We scratched each others backs a lot, & it worked well, for both of us. Nio funny business, or brown envelopes, sod that, but it's surprising how well networking works if your name & reputation is good. And my socks were always pulled up right over my knees.

He started a "Mobile Phone Servive Provider" Business, & wanted me to spread the word, utilise my contacts to help him get Service Agreements. The SA's were long-term, so the acquisition value of a contract, particularly a multi-user Corporate Deal, were massive in those days.

He offered me 10% of the new-born company for free gratis, but I turned it down. Partly because I wanted to keep my hands clean, & partly because I was not overly keen on one of the other founding Sharerholders - his brother-in-law. One has to have principles in life, & I did not wanna be associated with the B-I-L.

He was a right chancer too, well dodgy. Lived in Sheffield. He murdered his first wife, & got away with it for 9 years before it came out on top, & he ended up getting 11 years, reduced to 8 on appeal, of which he served about 5 I think. (Was a bit of a shock to his 2nd wife when she found out, I tell you). He was only on board because of his then wife (my man's sister), who was a superb but hard-nosed businesswoman.

So I said "no thank you".

I still helped him though, my man was a good guy, a bit wide, but whatever he did, he did properly. I oiled the wheels to get him a lot of Contracts with my own contacts, & his first big deal was for the B & K Group, (for whom I worked) a Contract he held for over 15 years, & ended up being worth over a million quid pa. But conflict of interest would have stymied that for me had I accepted the 10% Shareholding.

I also got him into Phones4U, as I knew the MD, John Cauldwell, extremely well. My Company fitted out (Shop-Fitted) all their High Street Stores, & we were bloody brilliant, so John accepted my advice frequently. (John Caudwell eventually sold Phones4U for £1.5 billion, & became a bit of a philanthropist, lived in a grand Manor House in Staffordshire). So that was another tidy Deal my man got because of me. I'm not chirping here, btw, just telling it as it is.

Anyway, the bottom line is that eventually the Service Provider my man had started up, & offered me a 10% stake in, for free, which I rejected, was sold to Vodafone. For £19,000,000. That's 19 million quid.

I'm quite good at maths, but I don't know, or wanna know, what 10% of 19 mill is.  Please.

errrr......

[Ironside]

read it properly alex

the 1st bold was done by the 2nd bold's brother in law