St. Maarten and the International Poker Federation (IPF)

Running tournaments has become a particular joy to me. In the early part of 2002, I started complaining about the way tournaments were run. I complained about things like starting times, structures, rules, penalties, and so on.

After complaining to a tournament director one day, he said, "You know, Warren, if you don't like the way I run tournaments, why don't you run them yourself?" I wasn't sure how I was going to do that, but at that moment, I resigned to do it.

Luckily, in February 2003, my buddy Jim Miller at Hustler Casino asked me to come to their casino and help develop a team that could run a major tournament in a few months. I went to work there, and in July of 2003, we hosted the Grand Slam of Poker. Since then, I've worked at various venues and have been a consultant to a few others.

This past summer, I was approached by the Flying Dutchman, Marcel Luske, and his partner Thomas Kremser. Thomas is a tournament director in Europe, and we struck a deal whereby I would be the American counterpart to Thomas as a co-director of the International Poker Federation (IPF).

The purpose of the IPF, as it was explained to me, is that as poker grows internationally, there is a need for a format by which players from around the globe can feel as though they are represented in a way that is fair and in which their particular interests are taken into consideration. An example would be that even though a tournament has an English-only rule, it would at least have someone on hand to whom players who speak no English at all could explain their side of the story in a language that would be understood. Thomas, being well-versed in many languages, was available during these moments, and he also took great care to explain to the rest of the table what was being said to him, so that all participants were informed. Furthermore, the IPF is adopting rules similar to those of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA), so that rulings will become uniform across the world of poker. All in all, everything good for the game was going to be addressed from both sides of the world. I believed this to be important, so I signed on.

The IPF, in its desire to achieve excellence, asked Meg Patrick to put together approximately 30 of the best dealers from around the world to deal an IPF event in St. Maarten. They dealt, ran chips, and even put on shows. And at the end of their shifts, there was free-flowing champagne at the bar. I guess that's what can happen when you're dealing in paradise.

Everything at St. Maarten couldn't have been made any easier than it was. If you prepaid to enter the five smallest events (a total of $850), your room at a luxury resort was free for two weeks.

The island is owned by the French and Dutch. The Maho Beach Resort was located right on the beach and in a beautiful town on the Dutch side of the island, right next to the airport. How close? Well, the bellhops were wearing protective earplugs and waving orange-colored wands. Seriously, while sitting on the beach, the planes flew in almost directly overhead.

Interestingly enough, I thought this would disrupt my daytime sleep, as I spent most of every night at the tournaments, but I never heard a thing with the glass door closed.

Speaking of sleep, how's this for a daily schedule? I got up late in the morning and went out to the turquoise ocean and white sand beach for a few hours … then, I went to lunch … then, I traveled to Marigot on the French side or Phillipsburg on the Dutch side for some great shopping … and then I returned to the resort to shower and go to the casino for the tournaments and live play. And they paid me for this!

We stopped for dinner every night between 8 and 9 – and the restaurants were great. There was an Italian restaurant where I ate six of the 15 nights I was there, and the gourmet restaurant at the Maho Beach Resort was spectacular. I was working, but others told me the nightlife was plentiful, as well.

The Casino Royale, where the cardroom is located, is the biggest on the island; it could hold 40 tables with room to spare. Our host Mirio Branzanti was gracious and warm, and he presented a wonderful atmosphere, along with spirits from the bar and late-night food.

I believe St. Maarten will become a premier poker destination (we are scheduled to return in November 2004, and I can't wait).

Look for future IPF events, and mark next November for St. Maarten.