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What's happening?

Online poker
May 14, 2012

Those who follow Dutch political developments regarding 'games of chance' will know that a lot has happened recently. At this moment, the collapse of the (when it comes to online gaming, pro-modernisation) government had led to a situation where things are unclear. For an extensive analysis of these (potential) problems, simply follow the PokerBond Twitter account and the BondsBlog that I mentioned in my previous entry. I am on top of both these accounts, meaning that if anything remotely interesting will happen, you can find it there.

Many (for Dutch poker players, interesting) tournaments are happening right now. The EPC in Valkenburg has just been concluded, with a superb result by the webmaster of my site - who finished seventh in a side event, and third in the Main. Congrats!

As most of you know, I don't play these tournaments anymore. In fact, other than an occasional cash game in Holland Casino Amsterdam I rarely play any poker at all! An exception will be tonight, when I plan to enter two turbo PLO SCOOP tourneys. I haven't played online in months, yet is is of course important to stay at least a bit close to the action. This so I won't drift too far from exactly what has always been my passion: playing poker.

Good news for the Dutch: we still seem to be a major force in international poker, as quite a few SCOOP events have already been won by Dutchies. Congrats to all of them!

A new blog
April 25, 2012

As most of you know, poker is not my only passion; writing is another. During my active years as a poker pro, I have always written lots of stuff on the side. My columns for Poker Digest & CardPlayer, my strategy books for D&B Publishing, and (once I started focusing on Holland) my daily columns for De Pers and my weekly columns for Pokercity.

It should be clear: I like writing! Once I chose to commit fully to the Dutch Poker Federation and decided to give up my weekly column, I knew I would soon start to miss it.

I did! But fortunately, I've got a new blog in return. A blog for the Dutch Poker Federation where important subjects regarding politics, games of chance, taxes etc. are being discussed. Most of the entries will be produced by yours truly, and from time to time also by board members Martijn & Teun. The blog will not contain any boring stuff or extensive files. Quite the contrary, more often than not it will be simple, light stories about what it is that we are actually doing in the Hague, Amsterdam, Eindhoven & Tilburg. (To name but four Dutch cities.)

A pity for many of you is the fact that (again) I will write in Dutch. But given that it is about Dutch issues, some of you may not want to read it anyway. :P

Also, we have updated our Twitter (follow us!) & Facebook (like us!) accounts. And finally, we have started up the PokerBondNL YouTube channel. Just one flic as we speak - but more to come. :P

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Wasn't me
April 10, 2012

It's nice to win poker tourneys. But it's strange if you receive both compliments & criticism for winning a tournament you have never even entered.

A week ago, a 'Rolf Slotboom' won a SCOOP tournament on pokerstars.fr. Someone playing with a pic of me as avatar. Apparently, he played quite well, but had been rude in the chat to his fellow players.

I have been fortunate to have won a SCOOP tournament once, beating Eric Lynch heads up in the $200+R medium SCOOP, some three years ago on the 'regular' PokerStars. I was proud as one can be, and have probably written dozens of columns about it. Eric will definitely remember me not saying a word in the chat, simply because I like to play, not chat. And badmouthing is definitely not part of my game - at least, not in online poker. ;)

For that reason, I don't like the presence of having someone pretending to be me - yet acting in a way that I can't condone.

And to those who liked to imply that maybe it was me after all: it wasn't. I haven't played online in months, not on any site. I don't even have an account on Pokerstars.fr, and I don't live (or know anyone) who lives in this player's residence, Meerssen.

Just to make things entirely clear. :)

Decision time nearing
March 22, 2012

Slowly but surely, things are starting to heat up in my home country. April 1, 2012 is the launch of the Authority on Games of Chance - the government institution that is supposed to focus on everything (online) poker-related. Of course, launched more than anything so that the proposed legislation regarding online gaming will happen as smoothly as possible. At this very moment, an important politician is visiting the Dutch state casino to check out developments/plans/potential dangers, and behind the scenes all politicians & policymakers are working hard to have their files/plans ready on time. This is of course where PokerBond comes in, as we try to help and assist those in charge, hoping that the interests of the poker players will not be neglected in this process.

And this is of paramount importance, because in some other countries in Europe, these interests were not always taken into account. With failure as a result! After all, in order for future legislation to be a success, all parties involved will need to get some benefits:

The state/tax department (because that's obviously one of their main motivations for legislation - getting a share of the money, or a 'piece of the pie' if you will)

The poker players (because without them, no one makes money)

The poker sites (because if taxes or application costs for licences are too high, they may prefer that the current 'illegal' situation will remain)

All this will be discussed into depth in this weekend's PokerBond Advisory Body meeting, and also in Dutch magazine "Poker Player Nederland". PokerBond & PPN editor-in-chief Anthon-Pieter Wink have reached an agreement on a regular, bi-monthly column. Or, better put: we have agreed on this first piece (already completed, soon to be released), and if both parties see sufficient benefits then the co-operation will continue.

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Spring time!
March 7, 2012

When spring time is nearing, I have this (possibly, a bit strange) tendency to start feeling more 'happy'. And I also tend to get more active!

More than anything, this is of course in my function as spokesperson for the Dutch Poker Federation. Assisting the board members Teun & Martijn when it comes to content and -to a lesser extent- design of the PokerBond website, things are currently being updated/redesigned. (It will take an additional two or three weeks to complete things, possibly even a bit longer than that.) In addition, I have started up some weekly live sessions of speech therapy, in order to improve my verbal abilities in the somewhat political environment that I have now become part of. And finally, the Advisory Body has decided to meet soon, in order to discuss all the latest developments in my home country. Being its chairman, it is imperative to get as much input from Dutch players as possible, knowing that many important financial & legal changes could be about to happen soon.

Lots of activities, that's for sure. But I haven't forgotten my own site either. Thinking the old "Pokerface" look may be starting to get a bit dated, my webmaster & I have chosen to update things a bit and make everything a bit more 'accessible'. Content is still the same, but some pics have been added, and there have been a few (minor) color changes. Hope you guys like it!

Last but not least, it pleases me to announce that I am still holding my own quite well at the poker tables. Having become a strictly recreational player rather than the 'robot' that I used to be, I went to the Holland Casino Amsterdam yesterday night, my former 'office'. Fortunately, I was still able to hold my own as I used to, nut peddling (and getting paid off) like not much had changed. Of course, this one day cannot exactly be called significant, but it is my intention (time permitting) to frequent the live poker tables in my home country a bit more regularly in upcoming months. Of course, this is more than anything to stay in touch with the most recent developments, and to talk/exchange thoughts with exactly those people whose interests we have in mind: the poker players.

Lots of work ahead
February 27, 2012

My life has gotten more serious! Not all that long ago, I was still busy hanging out with lots of people who lived by the "carpe diem" principle. Or with intelligent poker players who didn't want to adhere to what society asked them to, or just didn't care what was regarded appropriate.

In this environment, I was the critical analyst who could play poker whenever I wanted to, and who had the freedom to write or express whatever I chose to. A nice life, that's for sure, with nobody telling me what to do or say.

This has changed! I now fight for the common good, in an organization with sometimes strict rules & procedures, and talking to people in a rather formal environment. Different, that's for sure!

In upcoming weeks you can find the result of all these activities. For instance on the updated PokerBond site, that will be fully up to date within a week or so. (You can already check out the new design; updated texts will follow soon.) Everything fully integrated with Twitter and Facebook - that goes without saying.

All in all, one can expect lots of political developments this spring & summer. The PokerBond has taken an active role talking to people and analyzing the online poker situation in various countries - hoping that the end result of all these developments will be judged as positive.

All these efforts are team work - work that often takes place behind closed doors, and that requires effort, discipline and determination. Yes, fully in line with my increasingly 'serious' role. :)

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One more tourney after all
February 8, 2012

In recent weeks, the PokerBond has been quite busy lobbying and talking to important people. And for upcoming weeks, we have planned one or two additional meetings.

Also, I have been busy working on our new site - that we had planned for early February, but that will be slightly delayed. Don't expect anything overly fancy, but rather a solid & no-frills collection of information + updates.

In addition, I myself am more & more starting to get interested in national politics. This week, I have for the first time witnessed a local council meeting. (In Tilburg, where I have met & talked to some local politicians.) Part of successful politics is knowing laws, legislation + reading documents - and this is exactly what I have been doing in recent times. Also, I have read "Rien ne va plus", a book that is rather critical towards the Dutch monopoly on alleged 'games of chance' - more specifically, on the writer's former employer Holland Casino. My exact views on this book will follow at a later time.

Speaking of Holland Casino: despite having quit my active poker career, I have chosen to play one more live tourney - this time the closing tourney of the Light Town Poker Series in Eindhoven. It should be obvious that this is not in the first place because I miss the green felt so much (I do), but because as spokesperson of the Dutch Poker Federation it is imperative to stay close to the action & talk to players. So, those who want to share their views or ask questions: you can find me in HC Eindhoven this Sunday.

Back In The Ring!... At least, for a day
January 25, 2012

I've been back in the ring - at least, for a day. At the Dom Classics in Utrecht, I decided to attend & play one live tournament. Of course, this was mostly to 'be there', and to talk to players on behalf of the PokerBond - so I could ask them their views & wishes, and also inform them on our latest activities.

I opted to play the €500+50 opening event. And after my usual bad start, it was again one of those (for me, rather typical) plodding events. Shortstacked throughout the event, I survived two all-ins: one with AK vs an overplayed AQ from a likeable pro player, and another one with AA vs AK. It took quite a bit of time to actually eke into the money, but I managed to -barely- make it. In fact, I had high hopes to maybe fight my way into a top-3 finish. (Not all that farfetched, given that the money was rather shallow, and just one or two double-ups could catapult a shortie into a big stack.) But in the end, I had to settle for my trademark result: the mincash.

Good thing: it was highly enjoyable to be back! Now that I am a bit less serious at the table, maybe a bit more 'likeable' and definitely much less of a threat, I receive strictly positive feedback from fellow players. Just like my latest tournament (in Venlo, late November 2011) everyone was so nice & kind to me - plus, almost without exception highly interested to hear the goals of the PokerBond. Superb! Because that's exactly the positive reinforcement we need in our ongoing fight for the goals + interests of the Dutch poker community.

For all latest developments, follow our Twitter account or like us on Facebook.

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The New Year
January 14, 2012

The new year has been underway for quite some time - and I have yet to play my first hand of poker! Today, someone asked me: "Rolf, don't you miss it? You have been playing poker for so many years, and for 7 or 8 years even on an almost daily basis. Never feel like you should be going back?"

The truth is: no, I guess not. I am extremely focused to perform to the best of my abilities in my new role as spokesperson of the Dutch Poker Federation. (In Dutch: "PokerBond".) The past two or three weeks, I have hardly left my house, simply because I have been reading a bunch of files. After all, when I am in the Hague talking to politicians, lobbyists or policymakers, I want to be known as someone who knows not only the present, but who is also familiar with the past. Say, what has always been my strength in poker: seeing the long-term perspective in every conceivable aspect of the game. This so I can make better decisions than those who don't know how to put current developments into perspective.

I'm not there yet, far from it. I still have an awful lot to learn! But with the new books I have acquired (on legislation in general, and also on Dutch gaming tax) and all my newly acquired knowledge from recent months because of studying files and talking to important people, I hope I will be able to represent the interests of Dutch poker players to the maximum of my abilities. With all the important political decisions that will take place in upcoming months and all the faith that people/players have put in me, I guess working & focusing as hard as I'm doing right now, should be considered the only appropriate thing.

Same as in poker, I guess: it takes quite a bit of study, focus & discipline to become merely a break-even player. And again, the same as in poker: in my current role as representative for the PokerBond, breaking even is simply not enough.

I guess it will be an additional one or two more weeks of strictly studying + working for me. After that, the time has come to release our new & improved site. Then, we will schedule another meeting of the Advisory Body. And finally, it's time to put all our efforts into practice, once the real political decisions will start to take place in my home country.

Exciting months ahead, that's for sure! Even when for now, the actual (active) poker will continue to play just a small, and rather marginal part.

More happenings

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