what are the tax laws about internet poker?

Ther is no tax law here i think but newer move to Denmark they will robe your money 4 sure 50% in tax we haw to pay on all the winnigs outside EU

thats one of the reasons im leaving Denamrk and move to the philippines

im planning to move to the philippines in march too, may i ask what health insurrance u r going with?

I use a Danish company but you realy dont haw to worry couse even you r in a 3rd world country they still haw realy good hospitals like the luke in Makati use that one if you get sick it look like a 5 star hotel and its brand new


And btw its so cheap

im not really worried about the hospitals, i just dont know how much i need to spend on the insurrance and which company is considered good hehe. anyway i sent u a pm

Maybe sombody can help me with a house in cebu neer the city with own swimingpool for rent for like one week to 14 days in Febuary......?


Ps My PM is up now

Hi, I wanna go to the Philippines for about a month and continue playing online.

Do you know s.th. about the internet connection on the Islands like Boracay, Palawan, Cebu?

Im sure you will haw no problem at all.I been to Boracay and Cebu as long you stay in a 3 star up to 5 star hotel/resort

good trip buddy

I did some research on this when I arrived and it seems like many foreigner simply have a buffer of $10k since health insurance is relative expensive compared to the medical costs over here.

Also, check out http://www.philcare.com.ph/ which is suppose to be a cheap insurance for people living here and I think it covers 50% of the medical costs.

Living in Cebu forums have discussions regarding this. Good info.
http://www.livingincebuforums.com/ipb/index.php?act=idx

thanks i'll check that out

edit:
found this in the forum
" had Blue Cross health Insurance here for three or four years. For the first three years or so I paid about P28,000 per year and had one small claim that was paid after a bit of a struggle.

Then I had a big claim of about P200,000. The claim was paid fairly quickly and easily - that's the good news. The bad news was they raised by annual premium from P28,000 to over P144,000.

When I asked for an explanation they told me "we have to get our money back." I understand that's the case, but over a large number of policy holders - not each person. No, they said from each person".

can any one confirm smth similar? and if thats true wouldnt it be pretty much bs to take that insurance Oo

Hi

Me and 5 other poker players want to rent a mansion in Cebu for one year. Where is the best place to search? I heard that searching on the internet might lead to scams or prices that are way overpriced. Somewhere in this thread I read about hiring an agent for when we arrive in the country. Where can we find one? Is it a good idea to stay in a hotel first for a few days and go hunting for a mansion ourselved to try to bargain? Also, will there be mansions left because we plan to go when its peak season (mid january).

I have read this thread till page 45, but couldnt wait to post this reply cause we have to take actions/decision soon , so sorry if these questions are already replied somewhere.

Thanks in advance and see some of you guys soon !

I don't know Cebu very well but when renting for 1 year you definitely need to check it out in person and the place have a "trustworthy" landlord. You shouldn't "pre-rent" it online. For short-term you can though.
I suggest you check out www.sulit.com.ph which has private ads, and search for Cebu - if nothing else it will give you an idea of the prices depending on location.

Though I'm clueless about condos/etc in Cebu, you are probably looking at 130k+ a month for a good sized place depending on the standard.

It is for sure a good idea to hunt on your own, make some acquaintances online. Or have your leader go on a 1week solitary trip to check everything out.

It's cheap to have a place to stay initially anyway, I was renting in a pension house there with even wifi for p900/night in a good location.
For 1 year I think it's definitely worth to make sure you find a proper place is what I'm saying

I used their condos for 4 months (3 different).
At first my electric bill was X. (similar to my first apartment in Makati)
Next month, 1.2X
3rd month, 1.3X
4th 2X

At first I thought that well, it's true I did use the AC more because I was staying at home a lot. However in retrospect, NO WAY it could be that much more.
On top of that, they "miscalculated" the final bill with another p2K, which I found out when skimming it (they use pocket calculators to add 1000+500 in this country, it's pretty scary :s).
I was in a rush when moving out so I didn't get to double-check everything.

If you use pearls, who fwiw give above average service, just make sure to request looking at the electric/water/gas meter YOURSELF and look at all the math, both initially and finally. Don't trust them to be correct. If they say "something was wrong with the reading" then don't believe them.

I've made a ton of mistakes in this country, but honestly it's worth the price I've paid

Edit: Oh by the way, my new place elec.bill 0.25X (I know the owner), something fishyfiiiish!!

Ok

Have you been to Cebu before?

Are you looking for a 6bed mansion or are people willing to share?

This is my personal opinion when it comes to renting a house in the Philippines.

1) Never rent online

2) Never rent unless you are familiar with the area

3) Research what local ex-pats are paying for similar houses

4) Never rent unless you have actually seen the house.


I'm guessing you haven't actually been to Cebu. But what I can tell you is that there are probably another 10 or more destinations where you could go which would be a helluva lot cheaper and offer exactly the same experience.


For people questioning the internet in the provinces here. Had a Spanish guy down here who managed to final table the stars Super Tuesday off hotel wifi.

Hi guys,

Thanks already for the fast responses.

We are indeed searching for a 6 bedroom mansion. We dont really care about the price because everything is cheap anyways but ofc we dont want to overpay. We know some filipinos and one of them can get us into contact with a reputable travel agent.

So our plan will probably be take a plane to there (make sure we got a tourist visa, other visa are too complicated probably?) and then stay in a hotel for a couple of days and search for a mansion with the agent.

Which other places do you recommend then?

I know some people who have been to Cebu, Mactan island and they told me it is probably the best place in PI.
What we are looking for:
- Not too crowdy/dirty city
- Still good nightlife
- Safety
- Nice mansion near the beach with sports facilities etc nearby

I would like to poke a hole in this rather assumed myth.
Yes, some things here are damn cheap like:
- Taxi
- Local filipino food (you get what you pay for imo)
- Local beer and spirits. (San Mig for P50 from a bar etc)
- Labour (maid, cleaning, drivers, massage, sex)

Some things are not cheap like:
- Good internet (3k a month for decent)
- Imported food (imported broccoli for P250 a piece)
- Imported beer and spirits (bottle of Absolute Vodka for 1k at the store)
- Electricity, expect 10-15k+ a month for a mansion /w aircon.

So it really depends on your lifestyle I'd say, remember it's an island and many things are imported hence the extra cost.
It can be quite cheap or quite expensive to live here, it's up to you.

This. For me:

Rent (even factoring in electricity and internet): cheaper.

Food: generally cheaper. Most of the food I eat on a regular basis (chicken, pork, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruits, bottled water) are cheaper. More expensive when I buy steak since I get the imported stuff. Going out to eat- it's reasonably easy to find a decent meal for $4-5 here, can't say the same about NY. Also very easy to spend $100-150 on dinner back home whereas it's practically impossible here.

Transportation (taxis): a lot cheaper.

Going out (drinking, movies, etc.): a lot cheaper. Again, very easy back home to go out and spend $100 on drinks, not so much here unless you get a table at a club. I don't go to concerts or shows but I believe they are also cheaper.

Electronics (computers, TVs, video games, etc.): more expensive. However I get around this by getting most of my stuff from the US (through balikbayan boxes or friends visiting).

Most of my smaller expenses are also cheaper (phone plan, laundry, massages, etc.).

Electricty is the most absurb thing ever here.

What's the drug scene like? In Cambodia you could buy pretty much anything off the tuk tuk drivers by the lake. Is it the same sort of deal in manila?

Whats the best provider for mobile internet in the Philippines?

Wi-tribe got 4G so get that if your home is covered by it. My friend got it at Greenbelt, Makati and it rocks.
Otherwise it's very location based for 3G. I'd say try them all. They cost around p1500 each including some air-time.

Don't know if this has already been posted but I thought I give more input on the poker scene in Manila.

I played at the Metro Club and even though the place looks a bit run-down, the atmosphere is very enjoyable. It's managed very well (better than Macau imo) and there's action 24/7 at the 25/50P tables, sometimes even at the 50/100. Generally, games are of course beatable but doesn't seem to be a poker haven. At least there appear to be hardly any nits which was the standard in Macau when I was there.

Also, if you can find an opponent, HU 100/200 is open at request. Instead of rake, P200 are charged every 30 minutes.

I just arrived here in Manila but I judging on my first impressions, it's a great place to stay for a while. The big plus is (that might just be me though) that there are hardly any tourists which BKK is full of.

Guess I'll def stay here some time, so if some other 2p2ers are around, would be great to get in touch.

Cheers!

Need sunflower seeds desperately - either David or whatever.

Where can I buy em here or what's a service that I can order them online and have them ship here?

I'm heading out there for a few days for the first time. Do you have any comments for the Hyatt or Resort Worlds Casino? I'd be curious to know how they all compare although I'm sure I'll go to all of them while I'm there.

I don't know the Resort Worlds Casino but I played at Hyatt once. There were only two tables running, one 25/50 and one 50/100. There's nothing particularly wrong with the Hyatt the way it is managed or in terms of juiciness etc but it was less enjoyable than the Metro Club. Majority of the players were foreigners (mainly Korean douchebags) and a bit stuck up.

At MC, players make jokes all the time and are very accommodating (plus the girls that work there are the hottest I've seen so far in Manila. Mentionable is also that once I've played there, it was 830am in the morning (all-nighter of course) and at the neighbouring table were 6 very attractive girls. One was the dealer and the other 5 were players. Tell me were you have ever seen anything like that.)

In sum, I def suggest to rather play at MC than anywhere else. That's also the general consensus among the locals I've talked to. Of course I might be biased based on my own experience so far. Just check it out yourself.Cheers