"Dusk till Dawn" Poker Club In Nottingham Diary (by Rob Yong)

[AlrightJack]

Replies to Posts
In fact, maybe foolishly, I still take the whole dtd V Casino legal battle very personally, even though we won the case in the end. For example, Grovsvenor have now offered to lift my ban from their casinos, but after a few seconds thought, I know I am never stepping foot in one of their casinos again, even if there was a nuclear war in Luton and the Grovesnor Luton Casino was the only place safe to shelter.  Even though they were not one of the 3 official dtd objectors - I know that they would have been if they had a casino in Nottingham by their actions in banning me from their venues.

I did my bit to help with your Grosvenor bar being lifted. If you weren't genuine, you shouldn't have asked me in the first place.

[robyong]

Opening Week

We are still recruiting the dealers and sorting so much crap out, everyone is flat out 100%.

We want to make sure we get things right when we open, so the first weekend is going to more like a "soft launch". There are so many things that could go wrong if we took on a big field, so the smaller the better to "iron out the inevitable teething problems"

Of course, we intend to move from 4 days to 7 days over the first 12 months period of trading and eventually open for full gaming hours 2pm - 6am ......so there will be plenty of chances to play at dtd for everyone, we just need to get things right at the beginning, I am happy to take a cautious approach.

The comps for the first week are invite only + online qualifiers, we are restricting the tournament fields to prevent any people turning up and being dissapointed. Simon Trumper will answer any questions you have on the opening week, just email him on strumper@dtdpoker.com . He is the point of contact for all these issues, please use him - not the forums, thats what I am paying him for! He can tell you anything you need to know about live poker in the club and loves being in contact with poker players, so don't be shy.

We will also have our deciated live poker club web site online very soon, where you will be able to get up to date information on what is happening at the live club, this will be a totally separate site from the online web site. You will of course be able to access it from www.dtdpoker.com


If you are not in the comps - you can still come down and have a look at the place and have a few drinks, play a few cash games and chill out in a poker only environment- I'll be there at the bar! Everyone is welcome, there are no restrictions.

Please make sure you JOIN ONLINE before you come and BRING PASSPORT or DRIVING LICENCE (Gambling Commission have been very strict on this so you will not be allowed in if you don't bring this ID on your first visit, no matter how well you know me, my hands will be tied)

This is the link to join the club if you have not done already http://www.dtdpoker.com/live/Ojoin.php

Cheers Rob

 

[TheChipPrince]

I am 99% sure I have joined the club online, but is there a way of checking?

[The_duke]

Try again with the same info -- it will probably reject as duplicate

[robyong]

Try again with the same info -- it will probably reject as duplicate

You should have received a confirmation email. As I said, just email Simon Trumper will any questions on poker in the club, he will be more than happy to help, rather than posting on the forums, email you individual questions and you will get a response much faster!

Cheers Rob

[divaflava]

We want to make sure we get things right when we open, so the first weekend is going to more like a "soft launch". There are so many things that could go wrong if we took on a big field, so the smaller the better to "iron out the inevitable teething problems"

Of course, we intend to move from 4 days to 7 days over the first 12 months period of trading and eventually open for full gaming hours 2pm - 6am ......so there will be plenty of chances to play at dtd for everyone, we just need to get things right at the beginning, I am happy to take a cautious approach.

The comps for the first week are invite only + online qualifiers, we are restricting the tournament fields to prevent any people turning up and being dissapointed.

If you are not in the comps - you can still come down and have a look at the place and have a few drinks, play a few cash games and chill out in a poker only environment- I'll be there at the bar! Everyone is welcome, there are no restrictions.


Cheers Rob

 
[/quote]


Sorry, are you telling me that after waiting a long time for the club to open (ok, it probably seemed longer to you ) - and having registered my interest that long, long time ago - I'm welcome to "look but don't touch" at opening weekend? Surely you aren't serious. Will there not be side games available or have I totally got the wrong end of the stick?

Regards,
D.


 

[Jonboy]

Opening Week

If you are not in the comps - you can still come down and have a look at the place and have a few drinks, play a few cash games and chill out in a poker only environment- I'll be there at the bar! Everyone is welcome, there are no restrictions.



Cheers Rob

 

I thought that was reasonably clear 

[blonde17]

 

Sorry Rob, but you`re wrong with the DC decision , he would have been more use to you than you could ever realise.... and not just as your sponsored pro...Good luck with the club all the same.

[robyong]

Replies to Posts
In fact, maybe foolishly, I still take the whole dtd V Casino legal battle very personally, even though we won the case in the end. For example, Grovsvenor have now offered to lift my ban from their casinos, but after a few seconds thought, I know I am never stepping foot in one of their casinos again, even if there was a nuclear war in Luton and the Grovesnor Luton Casino was the only place safe to shelter.  Even though they were not one of the 3 official dtd objectors - I know that they would have been if they had a casino in Nottingham by their actions in banning me from their venues.

I did my bit to help with your Grosvenor bar being lifted. If you weren't genuine, you shouldn't have asked me in the first place.

Hi Jonathan, thanks for doing that on my behalf

Opening Week

If you are not in the comps - you can still come down and have a look at the place and have a few drinks, play a few cash games and chill out in a poker only environment- I'll be there at the bar! Everyone is welcome, there are no restrictions.



Cheers Rob

 

I thought that was reasonably clear 

So did I, like I said, please email Simon Trumper strumper@dtdpoker.com with any queries, comments, questions about the club, you'll get a much quicker response that posting on a forum.

Sorry Rob, but you`re wrong with the DC decision , he would have been more use to you than you could ever realise.... and not just as your sponsored pro...Good luck with the club all the same.

Thanks Pete, I also hope that I get some luck with the club and look forward to buying you a drink there to say thanks for the TV advice you gave us last year.

Cheers Rob

[robyong]

MY FIRST DIARY POST....

My WSOP diary was seemed to be enjoyed by a few people so I am going to keep a diary on Blonde (updated each day) in the same format as the WSOP one. I said I would do this once we had secured the poker premises.

AS WELL as this diary, up until the opening date of the club, I will be asking people to help with for ideas so that we create a Club for the SERIOUS POKER PLAYER, but I will do this on SEPARATE threads (eg. Club Rules & Etiquette - what should they be?).This way I can print out everyones ideas by subject and analyse them in an organised format. I'll probably post a subject every few weeks so I can collate the largest sample of feedback possible.

This diary will also allow me get rid of some of the stress and may make interesting reading for keen poker playersr. I anticipate all sorts of problems as well as the local casinos trying to prevent this club getting a gaming licence. I''ll give you an honest account of everything that happens each day.

Cheers Rob

AND MY LAST DIARY POST.........

Well, its been a very long journey. My first post of made « on: November 25, 2005, 07:35:05 pm », 2 years and 5 days ago. What an understatement this was.......

"I anticipate all sorts of problems as well as the local casinos trying to prevent this club getting a gaming licence. I''ll give you an honest account of everything that happens each day."

This diary has brought me in touch with so many people that I would otherwise never have communicated with, but the time has come to write the last page, and close the book. Over the next few years I think I will probabaly meet nearly everyone that has posted here - at dusk till dawn.

I've saved all of the diary content, I'm sure I'll want to read it for years to come. There have been so many ups and downs, emotions, pressure and heartache. Looking back it was crazy thing to do, I had not even worked for 3 years when I decided to begin the dtd project - I guess I just needed a challenge, something that would test me to the limits, something that was against the odds, something that would awaken me from the dull routine of gambling, hotels, drinking, smoking 40 fags a day, that I had fallen into at that time.

There is such a fine line between success and failure, if we did not get the licence, I knew very well the "I told you so army" would come out of the woodwork, I also know that the many of the same people are now members of the "I knew Rob would do it gang". I wanted to put myself up to me knocked down and prove something to myself personally. Very few people know how tough this has really been, the angles that needed to be dealt with, the land mines that needed to be avoided, and how many times we came close to throwing the towel in.

When you are an enterprenner you put your credibility on the line, but more importantly you can also put peoples livelyhoods at risk, I always knew that this was a risky project, I refused to use other investors money and made what appeared to be some strange decisions, executed many bluffs and sometimes refused to fold when I knew I was definatley behind. These moves were wholly necessary to open the largest poker venue in the UK with a full casino licence, standard business practices needed to be thrown out of the window and a "hammer did needed to be used to crack this egg".

What now? Well, I feel very proud of all the people within dtd and all the people that genuinely supported dtd. I also feel proud of myself and am very happy. Whatever happens with dtd going forward will be very interesting, of course, but it cannot compare to the adrenalin rush of the roller coaster of the last 2 years. I mean, I totally agree with the Gala Barrister when he said ,"Mr Yong, how can you build a poker club without a licence?".

Back to "What now?" For me, I want to enjoy life more, this means keeping a much lower profile and getting some balance back. Investing in my home town of Nottingham will continue, creating jobs and my charity work will always be very important to me. I'm so lucky that my friends and family live so close, and of course, I'll be frequenting dusk till dawn regularly. I would like to play 4-5 poker major tournmaments per year, but I do not have the hunger to do too much travelling.

Anyway, I would like to say thank you so much for all your support and help over the past 2 years, I hope in some small way that you have enjoyed this diary but all good things must and should come an end.

Cheers and thank you for reading my ramblings,

Goodbye and Good Luck, Rob

[KarmaDope]

There's not much to say apart from thank you for posting the diary here on blonde, thank you for answering any questions you may have had on here etc. Good luck with DTD, I'll certainly play up there as much as I can.

[Bainn]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, hopes, fears and struggles with us Rob. We have been engrossed in your and DTD's story.

We can only wish you all the absolute best for you, your family, DTD and all your future ventures.

Bainn & Harmony.

[Woody502]

Thanks for the thread mate its been great reading.

Should leave you more time to spend on getting Eastwood promoted (go the Badgers).

[Jon MW]

 

[AlrightJack]

Replies to Posts
In fact, maybe foolishly, I still take the whole dtd V Casino legal battle very personally, even though we won the case in the end. For example, Grovsvenor have now offered to lift my ban from their casinos, but after a few seconds thought, I know I am never stepping foot in one of their casinos again, even if there was a nuclear war in Luton and the Grovesnor Luton Casino was the only place safe to shelter.  Even though they were not one of the 3 official dtd objectors - I know that they would have been if they had a casino in Nottingham by their actions in banning me from their venues.

I did my bit to help with your Grosvenor bar being lifted. If you weren't genuine, you shouldn't have asked me in the first place.

Hi Jonathan, thanks for doing that on my behalf

Opening Week

If you are not in the comps - you can still come down and have a look at the place and have a few drinks, play a few cash games and chill out in a poker only environment- I'll be there at the bar! Everyone is welcome, there are no restrictions.



Cheers Rob

 

I thought that was reasonably clear 

So did I, like I said, please email Simon Trumper strumper@dtdpoker.com with any queries, comments, questions about the club, you'll get a much quicker response that posting on a forum.

Sorry Rob, but you`re wrong with the DC decision , he would have been more use to you than you could ever realise.... and not just as your sponsored pro...Good luck with the club all the same.

Thanks Pete, I also hope that I get some luck with the club and look forward to buying you a drink there to say thanks for the TV advice you gave us last year.

Cheers Rob

Good luck with your new career in politics.