Wesley Clark Moves to Costa Rica for Online Poker

Wesley Clark tried relocating twice for online poker since Black Friday(to both Italy and UK) and, well, it didn’t go so great. FFW a year or so and a lot of frustration later and enter Poker Refugees to save the day! Wesley originally entered our Poker Refugees free poker relocation giveaway, but sadly did not win. Regardless, he contacted us separately for help. 

Within just weeks of signing up for the Poker Refugees relocation service, Wesley was able to relocate quickly, easily and successfully to Costa Rica. He was even able to start playing poker within hours of arrival! 

Before he made from the airport to his new home in Jaco Beach, Wes was fully set up with everything he needed to be successful and build a foundation for online poker for the next few months: transportation, shopping, office equipment, cell phone, internet & utilities, back up internet, Skrill & NETELLER, banking & depositing, set up on all sites, unlocking his PokerStars account, etc – we did it all for him the first day. Upon arriving to Jaco, he was also introduced to the poker community and went out to dinner with the local crew the first night. All of this set him up for a prosperous few months of grinding down in Costa Rica. His only regret is he “didn’t do it sooner”.

Watch the interview here on the Poker Refugees YouTube Channel:

Here are some quotes and highlights from the interview:  

Poker Refugees: When did you find out about Poker Refugees and at what point did you make the decision to use the relocation service? 

Wesley: I knew about you guys the whole time but thought I could do it on my own. Clearly it wasn’t that easy. 

The connections you have is truly something that’s difficult to find if you just try to do it by yourself. I tried twice and obviously it wasn’t working out so easily. (Wesley first tried to get set up in Italy then flew from California to London with his girlfriend where he was turned away at immigration. After a few expensive and frustrating experiences in Europe, he contacted Poker Refugees for help). 

W: I speak Spanish so I wanted to go there and go somewhere warm and next to the beach. Preferably somewhere I could live fairly cheaply to rebuild my bank roll and prioritize on poker. 

W: Just the internet alone was worth it. I had great internet already and ready to go. Everything else was good too. I was able to get a condo right next to the beach and within my budget (that was limited). I was able to focus on poker and not have to worry about paying a ton of expenses. 

I didn’t have to worry about any of that stuff [getting set up] – I could just focus on poker and what I wanted to do. 

W: That night…” [I arrived]. Logging in the first time – I shed a tear because it had been so long and just an overwhelming and great feeling to just log onto Pokerstars again. 

It was also great to be able to meet other players that I have so much in common with. 

W: Absolutely [you guys know] … it can be difficult to get that done by yourself and… 

W: Absolutely; my absolute biggest single regret that I feel the most is that I didn’t do it sooner with [Poker Refugees]. Time is important and really important and you can’t ever have enough hours in the day. It’s important to make the most of it while you have [the opportunity]. Poker Refugees really provides a service that lets poker players make the most of their time. I tried to do it on my own and maybe it’s a good option [for some people out there] but I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to do it on your own; it’s not worth the time and investment and it might not work out the way you plan. 

Also – Poker is a great job! I gained a lot of appreciation after Black Friday for being able to support myself with poker. It’s easy to forget but if you’re on the fence, just do it. The games are a little more difficult but you should be able to adjust. 

W: Not at all, and I’m sure I’ll come through you in the future so I don’t have to deal with the property search and getting internet and stuff like that. It’s not that expensive [to use Poker Refugees]. 

There are a couple non-PR clients who moved to Jaco and they tried to move into a place on their own and they had nothing but problems – with their property, with the landlord; it was just a nightmare situation and every time I would speak to them they were complaining. To not have to deal with that was fantastic. 

W: You tell me!? Internet, waves and sunshine and I’ll be a happy person!