I haven’t written a blog post for a while now. The last, from memory, was summer 2008. So let’s have a quick catch-up shall we?
I left PokerNews back in early-mid 08 to accept the job of Editor in Chief on The Poker Channel’s website. After being “tapped up” for this position I was assured the job would be very secure and gladly accepted, what was, an advancement in my career despite a pay cut and three-times per week commutes to the delightful Hammersmith, London.
I’ve been shafted a few times before in poker but mostly whilst playing! So I was a little shocked to get the dry-bumming treatment from what used to be an excellent and professional company. I was bled dry for information, contacts and additional work which did not fall into the job description of an “Editor in Chief”. Despite that I pressed on and was, in general, enjoying the job.
Following the launch of the new website (involving three consecutive 14 hr days) all seemed well as new advertising (my job?) and traffic deals (yep, you guessed it) were arranged. All the time expansion plans for foreign language sites were planned and, indeed, launched (*nods*). However, apparently all wasn’t well at TPC towers and shortly into the New Year I was made redundant. The reason for the redundancy? “Position no longer required” reads some paperwork. “Position untenable” came another response. Strange responses, you might think, given the re-assurances of security given to me only 6 months previously and after the new website had only been live for a little over 3 months. Strange to be made redundant, you might think, when the website is newly live, CMS fully activated, advertising and traffic deals arranged, etc.
Now poker, despite it’s global pull, is incredibly incestuous. Everybody knows everybody else. Six degrees of seperation is more like three degrees in the poker industry. So information is often filtered down to me from unlikely sources! It would be wrong to go into details about the business practices of former employers and probably illegal. Needless to say, I’m not the only one who owns a The Poker Channel / PokerHeaven stamped P45.
PokerNews, on the other hand, are a first class organisation. I owe Tony G. a great deal and would have no hesitation in recommending anybody to work for them.
