You Can Take The Man Out of Scotland...

Well, it's official. I'm leaving Edinburgh in a few weeks.

I've been working for PokerStars for a year and a half now. I started off in support as a Poker Specialist, dealing with players' queries and handling reports of potential collusion. After about a year, I took on additional responsibilities in game security, joining the bot-hunting team and working on our prohibited programs policy. Last week, I was promoted to Poker Room Analyst, which is a position involving half poker room management and half game security. The upside? The money and benefits are amazing, and I'll be working in a challenging new role alongside some of the best people in the industry. The downside? The job is at our head office in the Isle of Man.

I visited the island a couple of weeks ago, for an interview, to see the office, and to look around the island and get a feel for the place. Apart from the extraordinarily racist taxi drivers, it seems like a nice place. I stayed in a hotel in Douglas which looked out over the bay and the promenade, which was seething with motorbikes there for the Grand Prix. The whole place was rather quaint - it reminded me of old English seaside towns like Eastbourne and Weymouth. But Douglas is changing quickly, and it's going to be an exciting place to live in the next few years. The hotels on the seafront are gradually making way for luxury apartments. People are moving to the island to work in the gaming and financial industries (the island is also home to Microgaming and NETeller), and the towns are becoming more ethnically diverse. There's some resentment from locals who have lived on Mann for decades, but change is inevitable and it's often better to go with the flow than to fight it.

It's going to be a busy few weeks, but I can't help but reflect about my time in Edinburgh at every possible opportunity. What will I miss and what won't I?

Well, first of all, here's some things I won't miss:

• Casual Racism: Scotland will be a much nicer place when people stop referring to corner shops as 'paki shops' and Chinese takeaways as 'chinkies'. Scotland is much less ethnically diverse than England and is way behind when it comes to educating it's population about racial issues.

• Sporting Jealousy: Many Scottish people complain about the bias shown by the media towards English teams, and complain of arrogance from English supporters. But the media isn't biased. Just 10% of British TV viewers are Scottish - and TV is all about ratings. For example, if you had a choice whether to broadcast the Scotland game or the England game, but you knew that 90% of your viewers wanted to watch England - what would you broadcast? And where would you target the majority of your news coverage?
  
  There's no reason for Scottish fans to necessarily support England, but actively rooting for the opposing team (which is very common) is just immature.

• Unrequited Love: In third year of university I met a wonderful woman, who was kind, thoughtful, caring (and fucking hot) and through plain idiocy and egotism I let her get away. Ever since the thought that she is nearby has haunted me, and I don't think I've ever really got over her. Perhaps moving away will help bring closure.

• Neds: In Isle of Man, Neds / Chavs / Townies / Scoundrels / Scallywags / Hoodies / 'Intimidating Youths' just don't exist. Or at least, I didn't see a single one while I was there.

What will I miss?

• The View: In Edinburgh, you can look out of your window and see a castle, a mountain, and one of the city's twenty-odd Starbucks, all without turning your head. It's a truly beautiful city.

• The Accent: A mild Scottish accent is one of the greatest accents in the world. It can make an average woman stunningly attractive, and a typical man ten times more suave. Look what it did for Sean Connery.

• Things to Do: Edinburgh, being the capital, has something for everyone. Whether you want to go to an upmarket restaurant or get absolutely wasted in a nightclub full of morons, you'll find somewhere to your liking in Edinburgh. I'm not sure Mann is the same, although we will see!

• Friends: Most of my mates live here. Who am I going to play poker with in the Isle of Man? Who is going to answer the sports questions in pub quizzes? I'm at a loss.

At the moment, I'm sort of stuck in a rut with life. I feel like I've really succeeded career-wise in the past year, but right now most days are the same - I work, eat, and sleep. I don't get many opportunities to meet interesting new people or even play much poker. I'm hoping that moving to Isle of Man will give me a kick up the arse, and give me the motivation I need to work out a few of the kinks in the way I live my life. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and facing new challenges.

Bring it on!