Poker Articles

So, the folks at PocketFives have asked me to start writing some articles here, about (as Dan Cypra put it to me) “Anything to do with online poker.” As many of you are aware, I’m the cardroom manager for Cake Poker, and I’m starting my seventh year in the online poker business, so I guess this isn’t my first rodeo. Also, I have a different perspective than most of you, since you’re out there playing an hour or two a week (or 8-10 hours a day). I’m working full time trying to provide Cake customers with the best online poker experience possible.

So we’re looking at the same business from two different sides. I used to play a lot of poker, and still play whenever I can, so I have at least an idea of what it’s like on your side of the fence. But you probably don’t have much of an idea of what it’s like on mine, so I’ll try to give you a little glimpse.

I thought the first article I wrote should be at least a little instructive (and make the editors here think that I’ll actually be writing useful things on a regular basis, whether that’s true or not). I thought, “What would be really useful to people who are playing online poker?”


The answer seemed self-evident: hints on how to get more from online sites’ customer support.


I’ve read more emails to customer support than I really want to think about, and I know what works and what doesn’t; pay close attention. Here are Lee’s Rules for how to maximize your chances of getting what you want when you write an email to support@cakepoker.com (or any other online site).

1.  Be professional and courteous. I make this rule #1, but (like location is to real estate) it should probably be rules #1, #2, and #3. I realize that you may be upset and/or the slightest bit inebriated, but either get over that or wait until neither condition holds. Look, customer support people rarely get an email that says, “You guys are doing a stellar job!” So don’t make their lives miserable with invective-filled rants. Not only does it not impress or scare them (they’ve seen worse since lunch), but it does absolutely nothing to encourage them to help you.

Furthermore, this is good practice for the Real World. As every grandmother used to say, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

2.  Continuing on the theme of Rule #1, do not ever threaten. I would think this goes without saying, but I’ve seen far too many emails that included threats, including those of physical violence. My policy at every online company I’ve worked at is this: “If you threaten anybody on this company’s staff, your account is closed. Right now. Permanently.” Like I said, this should be obvious, but apparently it’s not to some people. I don’t care if you do $30K/month in MGR. You start talking physical violence against me or my colleagues, you’re out the door.

3.  Write clearly, articulately. Use your capitalization, punctuation, and all those little details that separate good writing from IM, l33t, or phone-text-speak.

Wrong: “i was in 5.5 sng & got disc i want my 5.5 back”

Right: “Dear Support: I was playing in a $5.50 SNG and I got disconnected. I don’t think it was my Internet connection; I’m pretty sure it was your server. Could you please refund the $5.50?  Thanks, SusieAces456”

And, at the risk of sounding like a parent, this is a good skill to develop anyway. A well-written business letter is one of the most powerful tools you have in dealing with companies in the real world. This is partially because so few people are capable of writing them. I have gotten literally thousands of dollars worth of goods and services from companies simply by writing intelligent professional letters to them regarding issues that I’ve had. Being able to clearly and articulately state your case in a properly constructed and formatted business letter puts you, well, about where Jennifer Harman and Erik Seidel sit compared to “all poker players.” Yes, that far ahead.

4.  Provide as much information as you can about any problem or issue that you’re having. In the above example, you got disconnected from a sit-and-go. Well, there was probably more than one sit-and-go played on that site that day. Provide them with the time, date, and tournament number of the SNG.

Also, most sites have software that links your registered email address into their player database. So if you write from the email address you have registered with a site, they automatically know it’s “you,” and they have a lot of information to start with. More importantly, if you write from a different email address, the site can’t (or shouldn’t) do business with you for basic security reasons. Don’t expect an online poker site to treat susie456@aol.com as being the same person as susie456@hotmail.com. Honestly, you shouldn’t trust a site that does.

5.  If you want something, ask for it. That’s one of the first rules of writing a good business letter: don’t complain about something without asking for a specific remedy. Tell them exactly what you want, and why that’s a reasonable compensation.

6.  When you ask for that remedy or compensation, be reasonable. Ask yourself what you would expect out in the Real World in terms of compensation. Or what you would be willing to give if you were sitting on my side of the business. That is, ask yourself what the actual harm to you was, or maybe some reasonable value of the hassle and inconvenience you experienced. Ask for that.

Here’s a hint: if the cost to you of our mistake was $50, and you ask for $60, there’s a fair chance we’ll give you $50. Heck, we might give you $60 on a good day. But if you ask for $500, there’s a fair chance we’re going to give you nothing. Why? Well, you sort of insulted our intelligence by implying that you thought we’d give you $500 for a $50 mistake. But also, people tend to be more reasonable (and gracious) if you’re reasonable and gracious with them. If people feel that they’re being swindled, they tend to become less cooperative.

7.  If you find a reason to write support at your online poker site, just to tell them what a great job they’re doing, or how much you like their site, please write that email. First, you’ll be making the day of some support person and your karma will bloom. But you’ll also be doing yourself some good in the short term. Every poker site I’m aware of archives all the emails from its players. When somebody reviews your account, they can see all the emails you’ve written. Suppose they’re reviewing your request for a $10 refund of a broken SNG, and they come across an email that simply says, “You guys rock the house!  Have a great day!” Well, that certainly won’t hurt your chances for a refund at all.

I can’t promise that following these rules will get you everything you want from Cake Poker, or any other online poker site. But in the immortal words of Michael Jagger, “But you just might find, sometimes, you get what you need.”

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Lee Jones is the cardroom manager of Cake Poker and has been in the online poker business for over six years. He is also the author of Winning Low Limit Hold’em, which is in its 15th year of publication.