I am on my way for my first trip to the Isle of Man for the upcoming UKIPT event.

I’m really looking forward to the trip. I don’t know a lot about the Isle of Man other than it’s kind of an online poker hub, and PokerStars is obviously headquartered there.

Along with Jake Cody I’ll be hosting a training seminar for the PokerStars staff while we’re there. Jake and I did one of those for a group in Monte Carlo last year, and we worked together really well, so that should be fun. And of course I’m also looking forward to playing in the event, too.

I’ve been to PokerStars’ London offices before and was very impressed. One thing I found out during that visit that I thought was kind of unique is the fact that everyone who works at PokerStars has to go through what is basically a kind of poker training. It’s pretty neat.

All of the employees routinely play tournaments with each other and take poker tests throughout the year. They even have different levels and achievements where they move up the ladder in terms of their knowledge and accomplishments. There are also staff tournaments in which they give away prizes, so there’s always a lot of poker playing happening.

It’s a great way to ensure everyone involved in the company understands poker, no matter what their specific job might be. So whenever you get in touch with someone at PokerStars — including customer service and everyone else — you know that they have poker knowledge and understand the game.

Another benefit of having everyone play poker is the way it builds camaraderie. You can see how poker helps with team building and creating a sense of community. Everyone gets to know each other better by playing with each other, and so communication is better as well.

It’ll be fun as well just to meet a lot of the people in the Isle of Man offices and talk with them about the company’s present and future plans. And to play some poker with them, too.

Chris Moneymaker is a member of Team PokerStars Pro

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