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

[tikay]

Well, as we now know, sadly Rob won't be at bB3, & we'll be the poorer without him, as will the bar takings.

Rob alludes to blonde's failure to move to the next "commercial level", & yes, that was part of Dave's concern.

But it's been barely a week since the change, & I've done a mountain of adjustments to the way blonde works in that week, & unbelievably, the benefit is showing through already. Revenues on BPL have rocketed, we have broken (our very modest) records every day this week, by a very wide margin too, & thats much to do with the changes we have been able to make. The balance between crass commercialism & a Community is difficult, but so far, I think we have managed to keep it just about right so far.

And as Rob says, DtD has plans to work more with blonde in the future, & that's great for both parties, we are not a threat to each other, & both parties can succeed without treading on each others toes. Rob says that the blondes can support blonde by playing the CardRoom, & he's talked the talk already, & raked plenty on blonde. Top bloke that Rob.

[simonow]

Thats Good News TK

[gmoneyAK]

nice product placement on sky ones the match

by mr grec ;)o

well done

[robyong]

Just got back from Tenerife yesterday. Me and Nick had gone out there to sort some paperwork out on a property business venture that we had set up out there, like most of our "get rich quick" schemes it's gone a bit Pete Tong and we are looking to get out without too much damage!

The problem with spending your life looking for interesting projects is that its never ending, its addictive, no matter how painful each one is...............Nick has been moaning like hell over the last 24 months since we took on the apartment project in Nottingham and the roof blew off (we finally finished all 9 apartments last week and 7 people have moved in). Over the last 6 months he's been stressing about the DTD re-fit which starts in 2 weeks.........but we still spent the 4 hours on the return flight from Tenerife thinking up new property projects after DTD is complete.............its MAD. Why not just kick back and relax?

We now have some firm dates on the online card room and live club (don't laugh), dtdpoker online has an official launch date of 30th November, and the Dusk Till Dawn Club's opening date is 1st week in April. Basically, we are going to about 6 months later than I had originally planned when the project first began. However, its very important we hit these dates as every month that goes by costs £50,000 in wages and overheads! These delays have been very frustrating for all of us but I can't remember ever hitting a project completetion date on schedule, so why change the habit of a lifetime?

I guess my UK poker career is 95% over now, I can't play in Gala's, Grosvenors or even DTD.............how do I feel about that? Well part of me really is disappointed that the big companies and authorities always follow form and tread all over the "little man". I've had this all my life in various forms and am sick of it, there is a whole "old boys network" in the UK business community and one rule for certian people and a crap one for the rest of us.............but there is big part of me that is glad: being banned from UK casinos, it should mean I have more time to spend with my family and friends, instead of sitting in casinos watching my life go by.

Since 18 years old I've spent so much time in casinos gambling on blackjack and poker, so many sleepless nights, so many hours with my backside imprinted on an uncomfortable chair, chain smoking, eating unhealthy food, maybe its a blessing in disguise?

My new manager starts in my pub next week. Its a guy called Dave Alsop, I've known him for 20 years (yes - another mate I'm employing). I'm really pleased he has decided to join, I know he will do a great job and better still, I know he will really enjoy it. I remember when I was 14 years old, I played for Dave's table tennis team, and after the match the team wanted to get last orders but i was underage to get in the pub, so they left me in the car in car park (charming). I sneaked out and went into the pub and hid in the corner munching a packet of salt and vinegar crisps........this was the first time I had ever been in a public house.............who would have thought 20 years later that Dave would become the manager of THAT very pub, The Broxtowe Inn, and I would have BOUGHT it, how sick life is, the odds of that happening are even worse than runner runner gutshot!

We're all off to the CPC in St Kitts on November 24th. I have to go for the Cryptologic licencee meeting, but I've invited the whole DTD Crew to join me so we can do some "team bonding" blah blah (Yogi and Nightly aswell!). I missed St Kitts last year so am looking forward to the break and playing some poker. When I went to St Martiin 2 years ago there were some great cash games and the atmopshere was brilliant, I remember picking up a Cryptologic brochure and playing on the Betfair and William Hill branded tables........I never imagined 2 years later that there would be any DTD branded tables there........again, another example of how weird stuff happens.

When I was at The Broadway, I kept hearing rumours of various players that DTD are putting into events etc. I got a few emails from Barcelona when people noticed certain individuals wearing DTD gear. There is no DTD sponsorship deals going, we have not even launched our site yet! A few players are not happy that I have chosen not to ask them to represent DTD but the DTD Executives and the DTD Crew are working with me on DTD, not freerolling into tournaments.

DTD will not be sponsoring any players who cannot cover their costs outside of tournament prize winning, its just not part of our strategy. Everyone has a job to do, and its just more tax effective and better for PR, to remunerate people with "tournament buy-ins" rather that wages. I know there are some very good players looking for sponsorship deals but I don't believe that this form of marketing works effectively. We have some high profile names involved in DTD, and of course, when they play live comps, they will be wearing the DTD merchandise, but everyone is helping me with DTD behing the scenes and has responsibilites beyond playing poker.

I looked at the photos from the Blondebash, it looked like everyone had a great time. I wish I could have come along. nevermind, maybe we will have a Blondebash at Dusk Till Dawn one day, I'm sure the Gaming Board will allow me to play a £30 freezout (or maybe not!).

Cheers Rob

[Bainn]

We now have some firm dates on the online card room and live club (don't laugh), dtdpoker online has an official lauch date of 30th November, and the Dusk Till Dawn Club's opening date is 1st week in April.

I guess i will be celebrating my Birthday at DTD as it coincides with the launch.

Cheers for the update Rob.

[Wardonkey]

Hi Rob,

I gave Simon that quid I owe you....

[ariston]

Shit that you have been banned from all the casinos rob but as you say it will give you a % of your life back so it could be a blessing in disguise. I know you will meet your new deadline for your live club launch as womble is now involved with the refit and he is a different person in business to the mild mannered gent he is at the tables.
Good luck with everything anyway.
russ

[lazaroonie]

Rob,

Whats the latest with the websites. I ask because I tried to follow a link from an article in cardplayer magazine(online), which took me to a "parking" site. When I do a "whois" on dusktilldawn or dusktildawn, it gives me the owner of these sites as some hosting/cybersquatting company in the US.

[Harmony26]

Rob,

Whats the latest with the websites. I ask because I tried to follow a link from an article in cardplayer magazine(online), which took me to a "parking" site. When I do a "whois" on dusktilldawn or dusktildawn, it gives me the owner of these sites as some hosting/cybersquatting company in the US.

Not sure about those other websites, but the official website is: www.dtdpoker.com

Hope this helps 

[bigpete]

The URL of the website is indeed http://www.dtdpoker.com/ , but currently all that is there is a holding page, until our final website is fully developed and tested. 
Since Paul Jackson joined the Dusk Till Dawn team we have, in conjunction with him, specified a major overhaul in the website to our development team who are currently busy putting final touches to it.  Paul came up with lots of good ideas, but implementing them is taking a little longer than we first envisaged, but we have to get it right, period. The website will obviously be published before we launch our on-line card room, but as that has been unavoidably delayed it has given us the necessary time to implement Paul's changes.
The website content will then be added via a CMS and the whole thing will go through a full testing phase ready for it to be published on the World Wide Web.  Only when we are totally happy with it, will we point the above URL at the IP address of the site, thus publishing it to the wider audience
We will also have other URL’s pointing to the website, but the dtdpoker.com will be the main one to use.  As soon as the website is published, we will announce it and you can all have a look.

[robyong]

I am a smoker, but I don't agree with smoking at the poker tables, although I do it if its a allowed (yes - I am a hypocrite). There have been many debates on smoking in poker, but they are fast becoming irrelevant with the new anti-smoking laws coming into effect in July 2007. However, you can't ignore the fact that a large % of poker players do somke, I would guess as high as 40%, and they are the customers. Dusk Till Dawn will have a dedicated enclosed outside smoking  area which will be accessed through the main bar, there will also be some shelter in case it rains. To get planning permission for this has been an absolute nightmare (like most of things with this venture). We are going to actually have to pay extra on the lease to rent the extra space, but it looks like we are finally there with the legals. I think this will give us an advantage over other venues and avoid having loads of people standing at the club entrance chuffing away!

Yogi has now relocated to Nottingham and is living in one of the apartments that Nick has just finished, it looks like Aces Trumper will also be having one of those when he moves to Notts in December. Orginally Chuubs was planning on moving aswell, but I don't think its necessary in his role and he has his familiy to take into consideration as well, his Mum and Dad live with him and his kids are settled at school. Its a measure of the committment that people have to DTD that they are willing to up sticks and move for the venture. Nick has almost finished the office space above my pub, there is loads of room, so we have a base to work from for DTD.

Nick's is away in Egypt on a diving holdaiy for 7 days, he's back in the UK next Monday but back at work on Tuesday, setting up the portacabins outside the club.  Scotty, Nick's assistant in Matrix is moving over to the DTD project aswell. All 3 of us were in the same class at primary school, funny how thing turn out, who would have guessed we would be doing this 29 years later! I do go against traditional business principles that say you should not employ your "friends and mix business with personal life etc" It works for me, we work together as a team most of the time, and if the XXXX hits the fan, and theres an argumentment, its forgot about (most of the time!). My recruitment business is run by one of my best friends, Tony Minnis, and that works fine for us.

I've had a personal development this week, I have decided to move house, but only 2 miles from my current home, in Strelley in Nottingham. A place has come up for sale that also has a bungalow as well as the main house, its perfect for my disabled sister, Tishie, as she is in a wheelchair. I have had the offer accepted so its all gong ahead, I've lived in my current house for 13 years, so it will be really sad to leave, but I have to think of the future for my familly and although our current living accomoadtion is good, this place ticks all the boxes and is the best long term solution for my family. I won't move in until next April though, as there will some adaptations to do for my sister. Don't worry........it is more than suitable for a Yongsta Home Game!

Busy week next week, loads of DTD stuff to do, lots of people coming to see me about various things. I know we have email and MSN nowadays, but I still like the old fashioned way of doing business, face to face. You can't beat the personal touch in my opinion, cyberspace is a great way to do things quicker, but should not be relied on in my view. Being in business is a minefield, unfortunatley most people want something from you, rather than wanting to genuinely help you, and you have to make sure you sort the "gems" from the "hangers-on". I used to get quite depressed a few years ago when everyone seemed to have their own "angle", but I have learnt to use my own "angles" to get what is best for my employees and collegues, and spot these "opportunists". You can read all the books about being a good businessman in the world, but gut feel is still the best, okay, sometimes you do make mistakes, and I make loads of them, but at least you only have one person to blame, yourself.

With DTD I think I have recruited a lot of good people who genuinely want to help, but I am also realistic, I expect the team to have lost a few people and also recruited a few others, over the next 12 months. I have no qualms in exiting people who are not up to the job, and normally we still remain friends afterwards. Another factor why changes in personnel are necessary is that businesses evolve, and you need different skill sets and qualities when this happens. The best scenario is that the people also evolve with the business, but often this does not happen, so you have to part company. DTD is no small venture, the club and the poker site make up a reasonably sized business, with high running costs and significant financial risk, this is not a "play business" (I would define my pub as a "play business") and I have a responsibility to make sure it operates efficiently and is a success. That's what I am focussed on now, the business side, making sure we can at least get to breakeven, the running costs are frightening for a start-up, but that gives me a kick and a challenge.

I'm planning on going to the EPT in Dublin for a short break with Chubbs and Kev O'Connor, I'm really missing playing tournamant poker, even though I normally don't last that long! I'll also do Amsterdam and St Kitts, so that 3 small treats for me in 2006. I guess I'll address the Grosvenor issue before DTD opens, although they have chosen to ban me from their casinos, I'm still committed to working around their festivals for the overall benefit of both parties and most importantly, the players.

Cheers Rob

 

[The_nun]

Another enjoyable update Rob.. thanks. Also, I know what you mean about moving, we have sold our family home of 14 yrs, for different reasons than yours, it is a strange feeling. Good Luck..xx

[Simon Galloway2]

Don't worry........it is more than suitable for a Yongsta Home Game!

Wouldn't you rather just have a salon prive at DTD??

[ifm]

I love reading this stuff. soooooo jealous!

[dik9]

Just an idea Rob, and you would have to run it past compliance, but as this is a unique situation, would it not be possible for you to play for the house. I.E. A bounty on your head, but if you money, the money goes towards staff bonuses for example. Offering a bounty in the comp and allowing you to play. Would not be allowed in a casino, but hey, you are setting precidents here Worth a try.