Posts Tagged ‘poker travel’

Sorry I haven’t posted much this week, it’s been busy with moving from Canmore to Vancouver and sorting out logistics for the WSOP Europe. The good news is that I got to spend the night at the mansion occupied by fellow PokerStars Team Online member Kevin “Wizard of Ahhs” Thurman (pics forthcoming, this place is off the hook) and the people we’re renting from in Vancouver seem really friendly and accommodating.

Wiring money to the casino in Cannes was almost comically complicated and slow. The casino’s website listed an address to e-mail for more info, but I never got a response from them. I asked Jack Effel on Twitter and he gave me a different e-mail address which also went unanswered. Finally I found a third e-mail address buried in a 2+2 thread, and that person responded in broken English with some vague instructions that seemed to suggest I needed to e-mail a fourth person. I responded asking for clarification, concluding with “do I need to do X or do I need to do Y?” He wrote back a one-word answer: “Exactly”. I finally got the info I needed and submitted the wire transfer, but I haven’t gotten confirmation that it’s been received yet, so fingers crossed!  Read the complete post...

I’ve always been impressed with the customer service at Poker Stars: the seed with which they respond to issues, the frequency with which they solicit and act upon player input from sites like 2+2, and their general willingness and creativity in addressing customer concerns. I don’t think their support has ever failed to address a request or issue I’ve brought to their attention, usuall within 24 hours and often with a sense of humor as well!

It’s been the same way on the road. Every year that I’ve played the WSOP, it’s been as a Stars qualifier, and I’ve also been among their players at EPT Barcelona and now the PCA. They’ve always had a great events team that’s friendly, flexible, and eager to go above and beyond to ensure that everyone has a great experience.

My flight for Nassau left early Monday morning, and on Saturday afternoon it occurred to me that I still needed to get cash from the bank. Well, I was spoiled in Boston by living just down the street from a flagship Bank of America branch that kept long hours. There were no branches open Saturday afternoon or anytime Sunday anywhere near me. Then I learned that Poker Stars would have a “bank” at the Atlantis where players could withdraw and deposit funds from their accunt. I withdrew some money last night, and it was a quick and easy process.  Read the complete post...

I’ve got myself a nice little room at the Atlantis Resort and Casino. I’m only on the third floor, so the view sucks, but I’ve got a little patio that’s large enough for a table and chairs, whichis kinda cool. The higher rooms just have a very tiny balcony.

I stupidly managed to bring my laptop but forget the power cord, so I’m stuck making this crappy tiny post from the barely functioning WebTB-ish thing they have in the room.

But yeah, I’m here, just got back from a very nice Poker Stars reception where I ran into Shaundeeb, who introduced to a bunch of young internet players I previously knew only by screenname: Adam Junglen, MrBigQueso, FatalError, etc.

I’ll be playing Day 2B (Wednesday), and I’ll do my best to keep you posted. Hopefully I can get this laptop situation straightened out. Technically they have computers here I can use, but like everything here, they are gallingly expensive (the “nominal fee” for the fitness center is $15/day, which is also what I’m paying for this shitty internet.