MACAU BEING ALLOWED TO POST

[The Gold Rush Card Club]

THIS MESSAGE WAS SENT TO THE MODS ON IRISH POKER BOARDS AND THEY SUGGESTED TO POST IT AND GET THE GENERAL OPINION ON THIS SUBJECT .....PS THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT THE NEW MANAGERS INTEGERITY AS I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND CONNIE TO BE A GOOD GUY
Hi Don,
Derek Baker here just a brief line about the above club being able to post.
First of all this post is coming from the personal perspective of a player, and in no other capacity. As it stands the above club were barred from posting on boards pending resolution of specific unanswered questions.
I truly hope these questions have been answered and that the information will be shared publicly.
Failing a coherant response from the above club I would like to ask why they are now allowed to avail of your sites facilities. As it stands this club is in the same location and the ownership has been retained. I understand the card room is under new supervision, however there have been a consistent stream of new managers without any resolution to the the still outstanding issues.
I would like to know have your policies with regard to clubs posting detailed responses to questions changed.
Claiming new supervisior integrity while mainitaing the same owners to us is like moving the deckchairs on the titanic.
I have no issues with anyone but I would still like to have the original questions posed and answered.

[Icarus152]

THIS MESSAGE WAS SENT TO THE MODS ON IRISH POKER BOARDS AND THEY SUGGESTED TO POST IT AND GET THE GENERAL OPINION ON THIS SUBJECT .....PS THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT THE NEW MANAGERS INTEGERITY AS I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND CONNIE TO BE A GOOD GUY
Hi Don,
Derek Baker here just a brief line about the above club being able to post.
First of all this post is coming from the personal perspective of a player, and in no other capacity. As it stands the above club were barred from posting on boards pending resolution of specific unanswered questions.
I truly hope these questions have been answered and that the information will be shared publicly.
Failing a coherant response from the above club I would like to ask why they are now allowed to avail of your sites facilities. As it stands this club is in the same location and the ownership has been retained. I understand the card room is under new supervision, however there have been a consistent stream of new managers without any resolution to the the still outstanding issues.
I would like to know have your policies with regard to clubs posting detailed responses to questions changed.
Claiming new supervisior integrity while mainitaing the same owners to us is like moving the deckchairs on the titanic.
I have no issues with anyone but I would still like to have the original questions posed and answered.

That seems like a reasonable request to me anyway. The ownership hasn't changed? Then they should still be held accountable for past transgressions before being represented here imho.

[Wesley Harms]

And who's don, are the admins here a kind if mafia now

[BrianN]

From a Cork player's perspective I want the Macau to be able to post on here. Connie had nothing to do with the issues that caused the Macau to be banned from posting on here. Without knowing the ins and outs of the deal this looks completely different to the other managerial changes that have happenned in the club over the last number of years. Connie seems to have gained complete control of the cardroom with pretty much zero input from the owners. As someone who primarily plays online now it would be great for me to use this site to check out what is going on in all three of Corks casinos for when I am looking for a live game. After all that is one of the main functions this site as an Irish poker forum should offer.

[NewApproach]

Inclined to agree tbh. Seems an easy get out for the owner if hiring a reputable operator is all that is required to wipe the slate clean on here regarding past transgressions. None of my business really but it was good to see the guys here holding those who use the site accountable when required.

[westlife]

From a Cork player's perspective I want the Macau to be able to post on here. Connie had nothing to do with the issues that caused the Macau to be banned from posting on here. Without knowing the ins and outs of the deal this looks completely different to the other managerial changes that have happenned in the club over the last number of years. Connie seems to have gained complete control of the cardroom with pretty much zero input from the owners. As someone who primarily plays online now it would be great for me to use this site to check out what is going on in all three of Corks casinos for when I am looking for a live game. After all that is one of the main functions this site as an Irish poker forum should offer.

If you don't know the "ins and outs" why would you think it is completely different to any other manager that was in the club?
The owners are the proprietors of the venue. The integrity of any manager has nothing to do, I assume, with the ban. The club were asked to reply to questions (which the Macau Club are more than in their right to tell everyone to go f... themselves if they don't believe that IPB is a source of great advertisement and lose if notallowed post!) ...and they refused to. I believe that one of the main conditions of posting, in what is an invaluable and FREE source of advertisement for any card room, is that if questions are asked about the running of the club, then proprietors/managers come online and respond.

If Connie took over the Bank Club then this would not be an issue.

Is it a situation that all you have to do, if banned off IPB, is put forward a person as "manager" and they are allowed freely post again? This would make a mockery of the banning system......

IPB is not the be all and end all of any business. How a business runs itself is their business. But if IPB has a simple charter that a representation of fair play and transparency is its basic requirement to post, then I don't see how the placing of a new manager has anything to do with the lifting of the ban. Same people are the benefactors of the club! Connies unquestionable integrity has NOTHING to do with this.If fact, the manager should have zero to do with the ban!

And if you want to know what the club are providing and feel that a ban is seriously hindering you ability to know what the club are providing, then, as an online player there is a simple solution.... Look on their website!

[PEACEBROTHER]

Anyone have a link to what happened ?

[ArmaniJeans]

Anyone have a link to what happened ?

http://www.irishpokerboards.com/forum/showthread.php?t=726

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055646087

edit : boards thread will hurt your eyes, truly lolCork stuff. Worth it for Yuletireds 'narkey as Sonia O'Sullivans blind date' description of Cork people.

[Denny Crane]

First reply is lee_arama, that's excellent.

[The Situation]

How does the club respond to this? Admittal or denial will be met with an equal shit storm. Ignoring it is probably as bad though.

[Icarus152]

How does the club respond to this? Admittal or denial will be met with an equal shit storm. Ignoring it is probably as bad though.

Wasn't it the 'ignoring it' that was part of the reason they got banned in the first place? As in the owner ignored repeated requests from the mods for clarification on certain issues.

[westlife]

How does the club respond to this? Admittal or denial will be met with an equal shit storm. Ignoring it is probably as bad though.

They don't... it's not a question to the club. It's a question of why the ban was lifted when no questions have been answered!

[Icarus152]

Mods, can I start a thread to have Westlife banned as well please?

[RasTa]

As it's Cork based, please ban them again please. No real reason why they have being allowed post here again

[BrianN]

If you don't know the "ins and outs" why would you think it is completely different to any other manager that was in the club?
The owners are the proprietors of the venue. The integrity of any manager has nothing to do, I assume, with the ban. The club were asked to reply to questions (which the Macau Club are more than in their right to tell everyone to go f... themselves if they don't believe that IPB is a source of great advertisement and lose if notallowed post!) ...and they refused to. I believe that one of the main conditions of posting, in what is an invaluable and FREE source of advertisement for any card room, is that if questions are asked about the running of the club, then proprietors/managers come online and respond.

If Connie took over the Bank Club then this would not be an issue.

Is it a situation that all you have to do, if banned off IPB, is put forward a person as "manager" and they are allowed freely post again? This would make a mockery of the banning system......

IPB is not the be all and end all of any business. How a business runs itself is their business. But if IPB has a simple charter that a representation of fair play and transparency is its basic requirement to post, then I don't see how the placing of a new manager has anything to do with the lifting of the ban. Same people are the benefactors of the club! Connies unquestionable integrity has NOTHING to do with this.If fact, the manager should have zero to do with the ban!

And if you want to know what the club are providing and feel that a ban is seriously hindering you ability to know what the club are providing, then, as an online player there is a simple solution.... Look on their website!

Well like I said in my post any previous manager worked pretty much along side ken in the day to day running of the cardroom. Most of these people were just a dealer who ended up getting promoted to the position of cardroom manager. Connie seems different in the fact that he is a long term reputable poker operator from a nearby area and to my knowledge the corkerys who the problem is with will have zero involvement in the running of the cardroom and are in fact moving elsewhere for a new venture. To my knowledge they are opening another casino so will they be allowed post here for the new club as it is no longer the Macau? Makes more sense to me to keep the ban with people who were banned and not the club as a whole.

I'm also very aware I can use their website to find out what's going on. I maintain my point however that as a player who has played in all 3 of the cork clubs having special games such as the recent 7k gtd advertised on a poker forum I browse on a daily basis would be beneficial to me. Obviously you may disagree with this though with such close ties to the OP (competitors) and you're entitled to that too. I'm just putting forward the opinion of a player with no ties to any of the clubs just as a player.

[connie147]

I'm just coming on here to re-iterate that I will have total control of the poker room. That means there will be 100% transparency in everything that happens in the poker room for the players to see. I am not going to be working beside "Ken" or indeed anyone else. (in fact, "ken has moved to Dublin to take up a full time appointment there).I will make whatever decisions necessary to turn the Maccau poker room into the number 1 choice for the Cork and surrounding poker players to play in, and that includes lifting any bans that were put on players for whatever reason. This is a new start for the club and can only be a good thing for the poker public.
I did run this by the admins of IPB before I put up my original thread and as I said previously, they were quite happy to allow me post. It can only be a good thing for poker players in general that a fresh start has been made.
When the running of CPT changed hands and was being run with 100% transparency, we were all happy to allow them post and support their games once we were happy it was transparent, which it was.

Looking forward to seeing ye all on my 1st nite next Tuesday, November 12th.

Connie

[DAMO72]

I can't wait to welcome Neil Kelly and Big Slick Events back once the precedent has been set .

[Plomais]

As any Cork player knows a "Guarantee"from the Macau Club has got to be taken with a large pinch of sodium chloride!
Forgive me but even if nelson mandela became leader of Fianna Fail I still wouldn't vote for them!

[westlife]

Well like I said in my post any previous manager worked pretty much along side ken in the day to day running of the cardroom. Most of these people were just a dealer who ended up getting promoted to the position of cardroom manager. Connie seems different in the fact that he is a long term reputable poker operator from a nearby area and to my knowledge the corkerys who the problem is with will have zero involvement in the running of the cardroom and are in fact moving elsewhere for a new venture. To my knowledge they are opening another casino so will they be allowed post here for the new club as it is no longer the Macau? Makes more sense to me to keep the ban with people who were banned and not the club as a whole.

I'm also very aware I can use their website to find out what's going on. I maintain my point however that as a player who has played in all 3 of the cork clubs having special games such as the recent 7k gtd advertised on a poker forum I browse on a daily basis would be beneficial to me. Obviously you may disagree with this though with such close ties to the OP (competitors) and you're entitled to that too. I'm just putting forward the opinion of a player with no ties to any of the clubs just as a player.

So, as a player with no ties to any club, you believe that a club has a right to behave in whatever manner towards customers and that the mods should allow a club post whose indiscretions have become legendary (for all the wrong reasons) in Irish Poker? My understanding is that the mods, acting of behalf of poker players throughout Ireland, set the levels of acceptability from clubs and act as they see fit!


Do you Believe the club has been hard done by and victimised unfairly?
Do you believe that the CLUB have no moral obligation to answer questions?

Tell me this (in this fictitious scenario ......
A business receives negative publicity on social media sites from customers with negative comments about their work, treatment of staff, treatment of customers and ambiguity about the Christmas club money and then refuse to answer the public's questions. Then, all social media sites refuse all advertising for the business as they don't want to be associated (or help promote) with the business. This refusal to answer questions goes on for several years and then, you believe, that if a new manager/figurehead is put in place and the said company should be allowed to advertise again...............
because they are people that should be taken at face value!!

Also, if Connie leaves next week, should the ban be put back in place?
The ban is on the club and the people who benefit from it.........it's proprietors

Fool me once.............

[Plomais]

Also what is the Macua policy on previously banned players?
Is there an amnesty for all the players who Ken banned?
This is clearly a reaction by the owners to stymy the flow of players going to the goldrush?
Should we even be discussing this?

[westlife]

Also what is the Macua policy on previously banned players?
Is there an amnesty for all the players who Ken banned?
This is clearly a reaction by the owners to stymy the flow of players going to the goldrush?
Should we even be discussing this?

No questions need to be put to the Macau as they have already shown their opinion of IPB and it's users with refusal to answer valid questions.
This is a question of what justification is there in the lifting of the ban.

[connie147]

Also what is the Macua policy on previously banned players?
Is there an amnesty for all the players who Ken banned?
This is clearly a reaction by the owners to stymy the flow of players going to the goldrush?
Should we even be discussing this?

If you look above in my previous post, you will see where I stated that as the poker room was now my responsibility, all players who were banned would start off with a new slate from November 12th.

[connie147]

I can't wait to welcome Neil Kelly and Big Slick Events back once the precedent has been set .

Hi Damo,
You'd be waiting seeing as BigSlick have broken up and don't exist anymore!!
You playing much in Canada? I'm supposed to be going there for a wedding next year and wondering if poker is played there in Casinos? Mpntreal in the destination.

[DAMO72]

Hi Damo,
You'd be waiting seeing as BigSlick have broken up and don't exist anymore!!
You playing much in Canada? I'm supposed to be going there for a wedding next year and wondering if poker is played there in Casinos? Mpntreal in the destination.

Aye but sure Neil still exists and Crystal casino ( i think ) . It will be good to have him back on all the same for a bit of craic .

Plenty of poker here but i dont really bother with it any more . All the poker here is played in big casino's on indian reservations . There is plenty of action and soft as fuck on the cash tables . Not too many tournaments about here , not sure what montreal is like though but you will definately find a game .

Good luck with the new venture whatever happens .

[connie147]

Aye but sure Neil still exists and Crystal casino ( i think ) . It will be good to have him back on all the same for a bit of craic .

Plenty of poker here but i dont really bother with it any more . All the poker here is played in big casino's on indian reservations . There is plenty of action and soft as fuck on the cash tables . Not too many tournaments about here , not sure what montreal is like though but you will definately find a game .

Good luck with the new venture whatever happens .

Thanks for the good wishes Damo. And yeah, Crystal Casino is closed down as well!

[Lplate]

and that includes lifting any bans that were put on players for whatever reason. This is a new start for the club


Connie

Also what is the Macua policy on previously banned players?
Is there an amnesty for all the players who Ken banned?
This is clearly a reaction by the owners to stymy the flow of players going to the goldrush?
Should we even be discussing this?

Before I post, a couple of qualifiers. Most people here know that Connie and myself are close friends. I had my own problems with Ken but thankfully sorted them out some time ago. I know both Derek and Phil and have no problems with either whatsoever and never have had.

Firstly to Plomais, the quote from Connie above answers your question.

Connie has stated here and has told me that he will be in sole control of the poker room. There will be no advice or input from anyone else at any time. IMO this can only be good for poker in Cork. I also know that he carries no baggage into the role and from knowing him for many years, I'm sure that he will take a conciliatory attitude with him regarding everyone and will have the players interests at the top of his mind at all times.

To me that means that this is as good as a new venture. Therefore not allowing him to post here because of alleged indiscretions by previous management would be unfair.

I've always thought and said that the Macau is the most comfortable place to play poker in the country and with Connie in charge the welcome will be guaranteed.

Just my 2c.

[FeetMagic]

Don't know why it's even up for discussion. Obviously it's a bit annoying for Connie but if the owners are still there and have never attempted to resolve the numerous issues that came out then Connie should have to do without IPB in his new role.

[ianmc38]

Totally agree. I'm a big fan of Connies, but the owners should still be held accountable for previous shady behaviour.

[mdoug]

fwiw I still have not got my €330 back

[DAMO72]

fwiw I still have not got my €330 back

Whats that about ??

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[6starpool]

http://www.irishpokerboards.com/foru...read.php?t=726

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055646087

edit : boards thread will hurt your eyes, truly lolCork stuff. Worth it for Yuletireds 'narkey as Sonia O'Sullivans blind date' description of Cork people.

OK, I've deleted some stuff asking about what happened and speculating, etc. The original threads above are really all that anyone needs to know about the history of this, and for the sake of the thread it's be much better if there were no more posts essentially summarising it as this post linked here does that for us:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=61585829&postcount=84

From a site point of view we are also discussing this among ourselves as well. What I can say though is this.

- When Connie came to us with this initially we were initially a bit sceptical, but decided that with Connie running the show down there it would be all above board.
- We were told that the previous card room manager was no longer involved with the club, but none of us knew that that family owned the club.
- Of the previous issues, the one that caused the most scandal (the one where a gaming jackpot may or may not have been won in unusual circumstances) was one that essentially was outside our jurisdiction as while a highly unlikely set of events it is essentially just one word against another. The main issue was the league prizepool and this was the main crux of our positions on IPB a few years back when this first came up after the move.

http://www.irishpokerboards.com/forum/showpost.php?p=21693&postcount=5

- Over the last few years there have been attempts made by people at the Macau to come back posting, and we always directed them back to the questions in Ste's post above, but they never provided a response of any kind if I recall correctly.
- We are still discussing this among ourselves, and one thing to consider is what happens if/when Connie leaves the poker room at the Macau? If he is there 3 months or 3 years and then leaves, does that change things? Should it be allowed at all?

I asked the guys who PM'd me about this to start a thread so that the discussion could be had in public in a full and frank manner. As far as I can see there were 3 large bones of contention over the years with the Macau:

1. Banned players - Connie has said that all previously barred players are welcome back on a clean slate from Nov 12th.
2. Bad Beat Jackpot issue - This was the big one for us. I am not sure how this one could be resolved at this point. Even if Connie could get a response from the previous management on this one, what would be a satisfactory answer? An admission of wrongdoing? I can't see an outright admission of wrongdoing (and I am not trying to suggest there was any as I do not know for sure of course) happening for several reasons. A denial of anything untoward would be met with some derision as well. Even if as a goodwill gesture to sort this out the amount of money that was allegedly missing was put in in a freeroll for players that wouldn't work as a lot of those players may not play any more, plus there may not be a record of who did play. I can't see this happening either. There were definitely open questions to answer about this as there were hard figures posted in the boards thread that did not add up.
3. The gaming jackpot (not poker related) that was won in a manner that looked unusual and unlikely. We had previously decided (as per Ste's linked post above) that this was not really something that we can derive the truth from. An unlikely event, no matter how suspicious is still possible, so unless there is proof either way this was one we decided was not necessary to answer for posting privileges.

Obviously people will still decide for themselves to attend the club in question or not, and whether Connie in charge of the poker room makes any difference or not. Sorry about some repetition in the above, but it was just essentially a stream of consciousness at times and is just my thoughts on the matter. Lloyd, Kev or Danny may well disagree with me, but as I said we are discussing amongst ourselves as well. I wanted to have some admin input on thread, partially to steer it away from too much discussion of what did or did not happen, and also to say that posts are being read and absorbed.

[kakak1]

I think it is important to know exactly what Connie's position is in relation to the club.

• Did Connie have to pay a fee to get control of the poker room.
  
• Is Connie employed by the Macau to run the Poker Room.
  
• Is Connie being remunerated by the Macau to run the poker room.
  
• Is Connie paying a monthly/annual rent/lease to run the poker room.
  
• Who derives any profits/losses from the poker room.
  
• Do the original owners still own the Macau Sporting Club.
  
• If for example a Tournament is guaranteed who pays should there be a shortfall.

Personally I think if Connie has a financial investment in this project he should be allowed post on IPF as I would deem it to be a "new venture".

If Connie is employed by the Macau I don't think he should be.

[PokerPiper]

I think it is important to know exactly what Connie's position is in relation to the club.

• Did Connie have to pay a fee to get control of the poker room.
  
• Is Connie employed by the Macau to run the Poker Room.
  
• Is Connie being remunerated by the Macau to run the poker room.
  
• Is Connie paying a monthly/annual rent/lease to run the poker room.
  
• Who derives any profits/losses from the poker room.
  
• Do the original owners still own the Macau Sporting Club.
  
• If for example a Tournament is guaranteed who pays should there be a shortfall.

Personally I think if Connie has a financial investment in this project he should be allowed post on IPF as I would deem it to be a "new venture".

If Connie is employed by the Macau I don't think he should be.

Personally, if I was taking on the role and investing money in the project, the first thing I would do is change the name and make it clear its a fresh start. New ownership is one thing, New management is another. I hope this gets sorted as Connie has a lot of support and has done his fair share for poker in Ireland over the years.

[BrianN]

So, as a player with no ties to any club, you believe that a club has a right to behave in whatever manner towards customers and that the mods should allow a club post whose indiscretions have become legendary (for all the wrong reasons) in Irish Poker? My understanding is that the mods, acting of behalf of poker players throughout Ireland, set the levels of acceptability from clubs and act as they see fit!


Do you Believe the club has been hard done by and victimised unfairly?
Do you believe that the CLUB have no moral obligation to answer questions?

Tell me this (in this fictitious scenario ......
A business receives negative publicity on social media sites from customers with negative comments about their work, treatment of staff, treatment of customers and ambiguity about the Christmas club money and then refuse to answer the public's questions. Then, all social media sites refuse all advertising for the business as they don't want to be associated (or help promote) with the business. This refusal to answer questions goes on for several years and then, you believe, that if a new manager/figurehead is put in place and the said company should be allowed to advertise again...............
because they are people that should be taken at face value!!

Also, if Connie leaves next week, should the ban be put back in place?
The ban is on the club and the people who benefit from it.........it's proprietors

Fool me once.............

I clearly said that the people who are responsible for the previous behaviour should still be banned until they answer the questions. Connie is now assuming control of this club while the people responsible are focusing on a new venture elsewhere, I dont believe Connie should have to answer these questions as he probably doesn't know the answers himself. The general consensus around the club is that this is a new regime under Connie and everything will be run above board so I for one am happy if he is allowed advertise his games on here.

The simple facts here are the main people that suffer due to the Macau not being able to advertise here are the people of Cork and surrounding areas that are open to playing in all clubs. If people want to maintain a stance of boycotting the club or whatever for previous mistakes then thats fine but I don't see how having a few games advertised on here is going to put them out very much. I don't think anyone actually really cared / had a big objection to Connie being allowed post on here besides those in business competition with him.

[Sirtoyou]

I think while Connie is investing his good name and livelihood in the poker room he should be given posting rights. A reevaluation can be made down the line if required.

[Wesley Harms]

I think while Connie is investing his good name and livelihood in the poker room he should be given posting rights. A reevaluation can be made down the line if required.

But if Connie is making money for the people with which the issue is then it sets a bad precedent, ie fuck up stuff, hire nice reputable guy, fuck ups forgotten about. Sense it does not make

[FeetMagic]

The bottom line is that the owners of the Macau would benefit more out of having posting rights than Connie would. And they do not deserve to have those posting rights based on their actions or lack thereof.

[westlife]

I clearly said that the people who are responsible for the previous behaviour should still be banned until they answer the questions. Connie is now assuming control of this club while the people responsible are focusing on a new venture elsewhere, I dont believe Connie should have to answer these questions as he probably doesn't know the answers himself. The general consensus around the club is that this is a new regime under Connie and everything will be run above board so I for one am happy if he is allowed advertise his games on here.

The simple facts here are the main people that suffer due to the Macau not being able to advertise here are the people of Cork and surrounding areas that are open to playing in all clubs. If people want to maintain a stance of boycotting the club or whatever for previous mistakes then thats fine but I don't see how having a few games advertised on here is going to put them out very much. I don't think anyone actually really cared / had a big objection to Connie being allowed post on here besides those in business competition with him.

1-The people responsible for the previous behaviour are still the owners of the club!

2-The proprietors, not the manager, are the main financial benefactors of any business. If you don't understand the difference then there is little point in debating with you.

3- There are very few people involved in the poker world who do not know the questions posed to the Macau. If Connie takes on the role of managing this business then I am sure he was/is well aware of the Macaus status here on IPB. If he is not then all he has to do is ask his employers.

4- As far as I am aware Howard Finkle-Poker Piper-Kakak1-Damo-ianmc38-plomais, and several others who are questioning this decision, are not in competition with the Macau........

[BrianN]

1-The people responsible for the previous behaviour are still the owners of the club!

2-The proprietors, not the manager, are the main financial benefactors of any business. If you don't understand the difference then there is little point in debating with you.

3- There are very few people involved in the poker world who do not know the questions posed to the Macau. If Connie takes on the role of managing this business then I am sure he was/is well aware of the Macaus status here on IPB. If he is not then all he has to do is ask his employers.

4- As far as I am aware Howard Finkle-Poker Piper-Kakak1-Damo-ianmc38-plomais, and several others who are questioning this decision, are not in competition with the Macau........

Yeah we get it I'm not the smartest person in the world and I struggle to use the internet.

If Connie is renting the cardroom essentially and paying a constant monthly rate or whatever (which is the impression I got) rather than being an employee of the club, then in my mind ( which is clearly not as smart as yours ) I would imagine things such as guarantees not being hit etc would hurt Connie more so than the person renting out the room. Maybe I'm completely wrong and I've no problem admitting if I am.

On point 3. Yes I know Connie knows what the questions are but what I meant was he wouldn't know the answers to them giving he had zero involvement with it.

Point 4. Did these people object when Connie posted the initial thread? Do they actually care if one or 2 posts are made a week advertising a few poker games to the poker community? Fair enough if people have this big objection but the mods say that they received 2 pms about it. One from the rival clubs owner and one from his brother. Ironically the people involved in the rival club were probably the Macau's biggest regs and supporters after all of the dodgy dealings in the past and if it wasn't for a fallout on a different matter this dispute wouldnt even be happening.

[kakak1]

4- As far as I am aware Howard Finkle-Poker Piper-Kakak1-Damo-ianmc38-plomais, and several others who are questioning this decision, are not in competition with the Macau........

Yeah we get it I'm not the smartest person in the world and I struggle to use the internet.

If Connie is renting the cardroom essentially and paying a constant monthly rate or whatever (which is the impression I got) rather than being an employee of the club, then in my mind ( which is clearly not as smart as yours ) I would imagine things such as guarantees not being hit etc would hurt Connie more so than the person renting out the room. Maybe I'm completely wrong and I've no problem admitting if I am.

On point 3. Yes I know Connie knows what the questions are but what I meant was he wouldn't know the answers to them giving he had zero involvement with it.

Point 4. Did these people object when Connie posted the initial thread? Do they actually care if one or 2 posts are made a week advertising a few poker games to the poker community? Fair enough if people have this big objection but the mods say that they received 2 pms about it. One from the rival clubs owner and one from his brother. Ironically the people involved in the rival club were probably the Macau's biggest regs and supporters after all of the dodgy dealings in the past and if it wasn't for a fallout on a different matter this dispute wouldnt even be happening.

I wouldn't say Phil I'm questioning the decision, I am commenting, bit of a difference.

Brian lets not raise any other shite not connected to this post.

As I said above it depends on Connie's status in the Macau.

If Connie is paying a rent & suffering any losses in the Poker Room I think by all means he should be allowed post here.

If on the other hand he is running it for the owners (who have not changed since the original problems) or sharing profits then that to me is a different matter.

[Flushdraw]

My 2 cents.

btw, I don't know Derek but i've a lot of time for Phil and can understand why they'd be pissed off about this, so i'm not choosing sides. I'm just posting my opinion and not intending to get into a long discussion about it.

Irish Poker Boards is the home of Irish Poker and we should be doing everything to encourage people to promote their events on here. There's always going to be competition and people's noses will be put out of joint once a neighbour club opens up, changes management, or in this case, wants to use the most popular poker forum in Ireland to promote their games.

When the poker forum broke away from boards, the admins that set up IPB were all poker players and they have their heads screwed on. Their intentions are to help promote Irish poker, provide a platform to players to discuss poker and provide a platform for promoters to advertise games.

The Macau got banned while on boards, and it carried forward to IPB because questions were not answered etc. Still these questions remain answered and looks like the powers to be aren't willing to answer them. It's been 4 years and they've not posted since. Connie has obviously thought long and hard about making the move to take over the Poker room in the Macau. He's aware of the problems that once were, but he has no control over them and can't do anything to turn back time. What he can do, is make sure everything that happens from here on in is transparent, and i think we can all be 100% sure about that. Connie has built up a great name in poker and is widely regarded as one of the best there is. He's been a long time member of this community and he's helped a lot of people on here with games/accommodations/freerolls/prizes/satellites and any other request that was made to him about his own games and others.

I don't think Connie should come on here and declare exactly what the ins and outs of his contract/deal with Macau is. That's quite a personal thing, but if Connie says he has full control of the poker room and is putting his good name on the line, i'd be quite happy to take it at face value and be happy to see Connie advertising his new club on here. It can only be good for Irish poker overall.

I don't think think it's setting a precedent either. Each situation is taken on it's own merit and the fact that it's Connie should be taken into account. I'm not sure how i'd feel if a nobody took over, but that's here nor there because that's not the situation that's happening. I'm a bit sketchy on details so i may be wrong, but if anything the precedent was set with CPT who changed ownership to people who were already connected with the club beforehand. IPB admin looked at the situation and were happy to allow them to start posting again, and that seems to have been a good decision.

I'd be delighted if Connie made a success of the Macau club, and whether IPB choose to allow him to post here or not, I wish him every success.

[westlife]

Yeah we get it I'm not the smartest person in the world and I struggle to use the internet.

If Connie is renting the cardroom essentially and paying a constant monthly rate or whatever (which is the impression I got) rather than being an employee of the club, then in my mind ( which is clearly not as smart as yours ) I would imagine things such as guarantees not being hit etc would hurt Connie more so than the person renting out the room. Maybe I'm completely wrong and I've no problem admitting if I am.

On point 3. Yes I know Connie knows what the questions are but what I meant was he wouldn't know the answers to them giving he had zero involvement with it.

Point 4. Did these people object when Connie posted the initial thread? Do they actually care if one or 2 posts are made a week advertising a few poker games to the poker community? Fair enough if people have this big objection but the mods say that they received 2 pms about it. One from the rival clubs owner and one from his brother. Ironically the people involved in the rival club were probably the Macau's biggest regs and supporters after all of the dodgy dealings in the past and if it wasn't for a fallout on a different matter this dispute wouldnt even be happening.

Nobody, apart from you, is putting in to question Connies right to do anything. If he wants to jump into bed with a club with such a turbulent history, then that's his business. This is 100% about a ban on a club and the reasoning behind the lifting.

You seem to be doing a lot of guess work when it comes to Connies business relationship with the club! If Connie is "renting" the place and he leaves in 4 weeks, should the ban be reinstated? If this was the case and another "manager/renter" was put in place, would it be fair on the NEW manager/renter, who, might be like Connie, a decent guy?
The ban is on the owners and the club, not the card room manager. Simples

[corkie123]

I wouldn't say Phil I'm questioning the decision, I am commenting, bit of a difference.

Brian lets not raise any other shite not connected to this post.
but it is all connected
As I said above it depends on Connie's status in the Macau.

If Connie is paying a rent & suffering any losses in the Poker Room I think by all means he should be allowed post here.

If on the other hand he is running it for the owners (who have not changed since the original problems) or sharing profits then that to me is a different matter.

kakaki of course its connected when another business feels it going to suffer it will fight to keep what it got and this tread is all about that and dont kid yourself

[connie147]

I think it is important to know exactly what Connie's position is in relation to the club.

• Did Connie have to pay a fee to get control of the poker room.
  
• Is Connie employed by the Macau to run the Poker Room.
  
• Is Connie being remunerated by the Macau to run the poker room.
  
• Is Connie paying a monthly/annual rent/lease to run the poker room.
  
• Who derives any profits/losses from the poker room.
  
• Do the original owners still own the Macau Sporting Club.
  
• If for example a Tournament is guaranteed who pays should there be a shortfall.

Personally I think if Connie has a financial investment in this project he should be allowed post on IPF as I would deem it to be a "new venture".

If Connie is employed by the Macau I don't think he should be.

Hi Dave,
Im not going to go into too much detail, but I will give a general run-down so that players can make their own decisions on this. I have a "licence to operate agreement" with the Macau Sporting club to operate the poker room only. What terms I negotiated with them are private and confidential, but suffice to say that is I who will benefit from the poker room earnings and I believe I can make a successful venture out of it. I am not employed by the macau sporting club.
Yes, the Macau sporting club is still owned by the Corkery family. they will still have total control of their casino at the macau, as I will have full control of the poker room, including being financial controller of it.I have a financial interest in this, and any missing of a guarantee will fall on my head. I did consider renaming it "Cue Club @ The Macau", but having done a lot of research into this before I made the decision, the Macau is very well known amongst the Cork poker public and their poker scene is healthy, so I see no real need to change the name.

1-The people responsible for the previous behaviour are still the owners of the club!

2-The proprietors, not the manager, are the main financial benefactors of any business. If you don't understand the difference then there is little point in debating with you.

3- There are very few people involved in the poker world who do not know the questions posed to the Macau. If Connie takes on the role of managing this business then I am sure he was/is well aware of the Macaus status here on IPB. If he is not then all he has to do is ask his employers.

4- As far as I am aware Howard Finkle-Poker Piper-Kakak1-Damo-ianmc38-plomais, and several others who are questioning this decision, are not in competition with the Macau........

Just on Point 3 above Phil, its not an "if"...... I am taking on this venture.
If I was to ask "my employers" anything, I'd have to go back to the days when I worked In the pretty Polly factory in Killarney (about 25 years ago), as that was the last time |I had an employer, and I don't envisage ever again having one!

I wouldn't say Phil I'm questioning the decision, I am commenting, bit of a difference.

Brian lets not raise any other shite not connected to this post.

As I said above it depends on Connie's status in the Macau.

If Connie is paying a rent & suffering any losses in the Poker Room I think by all means he should be allowed post here.

If on the other hand he is running it for the owners (who have not changed since the original problems) or sharing profits then that to me is a different matter.

Think I answered that above Dave.

Id just like to add that I will now allow the poker public and admins to discuss this issue, and let the admins come to their own conclusion. I will abide with whatever they decide is in the best interest of both the players and the site. Im currently on a golf holiday in bellamadina, logged in last night to post an answer to the thread and logged on again now to post on it again. Im not home until Thursday so I 'm not sure if I'll be posting again before then.
I cant answer historically, I can only guarantee the service I'll be providing from here on. I have always said the Maccau poker club has the capabilities of being a hugely successful poker club, and I have a vision that would bring some national and international events there, which would benefit a lot more in the Cork area than the Macau .


Connie

[westlife]

kakaki of course its connected when another business feels it going to suffer it will fight to keep what it got and this tread is all about that and dont kid yourself

I don't believe that this thread is about another business. Derek, my brother, owns the gold rush and I believe that if a club is run in a fair and respectful way to it's customers, then it deserves any success it has. If Connie runs the Macau near the same level then it will be fine. I also believe that a club that has continually victimised staff, barred customers for little or no reason, banned a guy from playing on the cash league final after gladly taking his money for the previous 4 months because he was a contractor for another club, should not be rewarded with free advertisement from Ipb. And as Dom put it, we wont even talk about the alleged rolling jackpot incident !!!

[kakak1]

I expected nothing less from Connie and as far as I can see he should be allowed post on here as he appears to be totally taking over the "Poker Room" as a private venture.

Connie I wish you the very best of luck with this and no doubt we will be down in the not too distant future as we will be down to Derek's Gold Rush Club as well.

[kakak1]

kakaki of course its connected when another business feels it going to suffer it will fight to keep what it got and this tread is all about that and dont kid yourself

thats not what I was saying if you read my post again.

[tipptop29]

as a long time member of this forum if a quite one
im delighted to have the macau posting here again
please mods let it continue

[DAMO72]

I am delighted for Connie and his new venture and i hope it works out the best for him .
But as far as advertising goes i don't think it should be allowed . A ban is a ban and should stay that way until the questions that were asked are answered by the owners of the Macau (Not Connie).

Somebody mentioned that when CPT had changed hands they were allowed post again . This is true but correct me if i am wrong , Liam and Fionn had been running CPT for a considerable amount of time and built up a good name again before they approached IPB about posting here again .

Perhaps the same method would be a solution to the problem at hand .

[corkie123]

I don't believe that this thread is about another business. Derek, my brother, owns the gold rush and I believe that if a club is run in a fair and respectful way to it's customers, then it deserves any success it has. If Connie runs the Macau near the same level then it will be fine. I also believe that a club that has continually victimised staff, barred customers for little or no reason, banned a guy from playing on the cash league final after gladly taking his money for the previous 4 months because he was a contractor for another club, should not be rewarded with free advertisement from Ipb. And as Dom put it, we wont even talk about the alleged rolling jackpot incident !!!

and if your brother did not own the goldrush you or your brother would not be bothered about this .
when all this broke years ago you posted once out of 113 post on that thread you were so worried plus it did not stop derek from playing there for years after did it now .

now in fairness i can understand why he is so concerned about connie taking over the macau which is why this thread all started to try to make things hard for connie here

i myself hope they both can get on together as it can only lead to bigger stuff in cork for the poker players and as connie said all those who have been barred are welcome back so kiss and make up people

[eagle eye]

Well its clear from what I've read here that Connie has some kind of lease arrangement and I think its only fair to allow one of the most popular and well respected figures in Irish poker to be allowed to advertise what is going on in the Macau for as long as he is there.

[The Gold Rush Card Club]

sean
at what stage did i say i was concerned about anybody becoming manager of the macau.I have built up a very successful card room from scratch and will continue to try improve my business.As stated i have no problem with connie but was looking for clarification from the mods why the Macau was now allowed post when it is under the same ownership.
ps i would fully expect my brother to be on my side as he sees how hard we work down here to make our club inviting to all players.
Unlike yourself i was not playing in the macau when the jackpot and league money were an issue but you decided it did not matter ( which you are fully entitled to )
I do understand your willingness to feel you must respond on there behalf but please dont simoise that my question to the mods is corcern for my business as i would not have opened in cork where 2 clubs already existed if i did not believe in the feasbility of it.

[westlife]

and if your brother did not own the goldrush you or your brother would not be bothered about this .
when all this broke years ago you posted once out of 113 post on that thread you were so worried plus it did not stop derek from playing there for years after did it now .

now in fairness i can understand why he is so concerned about connie taking over the macau which is why this thread all started to try to make things hard for connie here

i myself hope they both can get on together as it can only lead to bigger stuff in cork for the poker players and as connie said all those who have been barred are welcome back so kiss and make up people

and what did I post? Did I support their (the Macau's) actions?
I did't need to multi post. When all this broke years ago the mods took the correct decision and asked the right questions, which they received no answer to. They (the mods) did the right thing by banning them!

And of course I am going to support his club, he is my brother, but I don't do it blinkered. He runs a poker club for poker people, and has a decent way of treating people.....Has never been involved in anything that borders on close to the Macau's infamous actions.
Whats your excuse in (your continued) supporting of the Macau?

[SatNav]

[Zod]

When is the macau not the macau?

simple. From the 12th the poker room is Connie's.

It is Connie who willl benefit from the success, and it is Connie who will suffer if it fails.

What happened previous still hangs in the air like a bad smell but it is on Connies head if the actions of the previous managers and owner of the Macau affect the business, as he is the one taking the risk.

I've only had very limited dealing with Connie, but he has the Poker community at heart and has long been at the forefront of promoting poker in Ireland in general and Munster in particular.


This is Connie's venture. I think it is right that Connie is allowed to promote his events, for his potential benefit if it works, and his potential loss if it doesn't.

[8611]

There is another way of looking at it which is that the Macau's failure to answer these questions over a number of years stinks to high heaven and is answer enough in itself and everyone in the poker community should be made aware of that

There is no such smell from Connie as far as I am aware

So I would be happy to let Connie post on behalf of the Macau for as long as Connie is going to be responsible for delivering the service for poker players there and for as long as the administrators of this forum are satisfied that poker players going there have nothing to fear

And people who have a vested interest in the Macau not being allowed post should not be here advocating that they should not be allowed post and should not be listened to imo

[dinjo99]

Quite recently, a respected member of our community(L.S) took over the running of a poker room in Dublin that was banned from using our site. After discussion with the mods the ban (correctly IMO ) was lifted. That poker room has been posting here since. As far as I know, there were no objections from any members.

Would those that are objecting now explain how this situation is different???

[eagle eye]

And people who have a vested interest in the Macau not being allowed post should not be here advocating that they should not be allowed post and should not be listened to imo

Fully agree with this but its a matter of they should not post rather than not be allowed.

[Nero Ceasar]

I don't know Connie other then to see him so obviously
I have no issue what so ever with him. To me its fairly simple
If connie is paying a rent to the corkerys then they would be benefitting from connie posting here also the fact they still have the casino floor they will also benefIt from the cross over between the two. So once the corkerys are gaining financially then surely the ban should stand? I haven't been in there since the league money went missing and the thought that any rake I may pay may find its way into corkerys pocket means it will probably be a while yet before I make my reappearance