About Me – Joss Wood, Commercial Editor
Hello! I’m Joss, and I do love games! I was a member of the Duplicate Bridge team at Brimingham University and 25 years later became a professional online poker player. I like to say I built my own house, but really credit goes to winning an $11 rebuy tournament on PokerStars which provided the money to get me started.
Talking of starts, my gambling life started early, with one of my first memories being the smell of the betting shop my Dad owned in the 70s. Beach holidays meant trips to the arcade where one-armed bandits provided an early intro to what has transformed into the amazing experience now available with online slots.
A complex journey from service as an Army officer and financial services entrepreneur took me into writing about poker and casino games. I have written for the top iGaming sites online including being the Chief Editor at PokerNews and helping to found PokerIndustryPro.
On the way, I became an expert in online gambling regulation and drafted the gambling regulations for a small country! I’ve been quoted by politicians, responsible gambling academics, and top iGaming lawyers. My work has been kept in the US congressional record and in various state legislative records as the US has regulated online gambling. I have contributed to multiple consultations on online gambling regulation and developed a sideline in advising investment funds on their iGaming investments. Now I focus my time on the Canadian and US markets for iGaming as we grow Casinos.com to be the go to location for everything “casino.”
I live in Peru with my wife and our two children, who haven’t yet fled the nest. I also maintain our home in Montreal, Quebec, where my father lived for the last 35 years of his life.
My Role at Casinos.com
At Casinos.com, I get to use every ounce of experience I’ve gained in my life to deliver high-quality content to people like me. People who enjoy online gambling but want to do it safely and legally.
As a Commercial Editor I do my best to steer readers towards the sites that are best for them and to keep them away from the bad places that can trap the unwary. I genuinely care about you because I remember when I was you. When I started, I was stumbling through the fragmented world of online gaming without a guide, now I get to be the guide I didn’t have.
Experience
- Commercial Editor // Jul 2021 - Present
- Freelance Writer // Dec 2017 - Jul 2021
- Head of Content // Jun 2017 - Dec 2017
- Writer // Mar 2012 - Apr 2016
- Content Manager // Sep 2011 - Mar 2016
- Professional Poker Player // May 2006 - Apr 2013
Education
- Bachelor's Degree in English and Classics from Birmingham University.
- PGCE – from Manchester University.
Significant Achievements
Awarded the Queen’s Commission after completing training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Expertise
I have a knack for language, a love of language, and a joy of using language! Chris Grove said that my writing showed a “unique perception and extraordinary insight;” Barry Carter said that I was his favorite poker writer, and the PokerNews team selected me as the best poker writer in the world! What I do differently:
Responsible gambling: Everything I edit and write passes through a lens of responsible gaming. My brother died from alcoholism. Addiction is something I am intimately familiar with, and my first instinct is to make sure gamblers are protected.
Enthusiasm: Ever get the feeling that the managers of gambling companies despise their customers? The fools who fund their big salaries? I look for the exceptions and back them to the hilt. If you don’t love gambling, you shouldn’t be a leader in this industry – I love gambling!
Responsibility: If my name is on the page, I make damn sure the information is correct. If I make mistakes, I will correct them as my top priority. You can always get me on X.com on my personal account if you want me to fix a mistake.
Insight: What makes one site different to another isn’t aways obvious. Long years of experience give me the foundation for seeing clearly what is the reality behind the façade. And I know that we all want something a little different, so what is important to me isn’t necessarily what is important to you – I know that and seek to give you what you want, not just what I want to give you!
Movies and TV Shows I Enjoy
Any pretense at dignity I may have goes out of the window when I hit the hysterical giggling stage. This happens whenever Colm appears in Derry Girls, when Ross is in the tanning salon in Friends, and when the Queen does her skit with Paddington Bear and starts tapping out the opening bars to Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” I make a noise, sort of like a reverse hiccup where air deserts my lungs, and my wife starts to fear an imminent heart attack. Not pretty.
In other words, I like “nice” TV shows and nice family movies. Major exceptions include the Walking Dead franchise and big blockbuster adventure films like the Bond movies, Jaws, and the Jason Bourne film series.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose, and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss.
Though out of fashion, Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” remains a valuable guide to life. The gambling reference works for me! Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
When I’m Not Here, Where Am I?
Family Guy
I’m at the mid-life point, and my children are almost all grown up. I’m trying to make the most of my time with them while they are still at home. My oldest is in New York with a wife and two children of his own – yes, I’m now a grandfather! So, I know that when they are gone, they are gone. I always cook a family Sunday lunch, one time when we can all be together.
Opera
Once upon a time I had a Belgian girlfriend who was an opera singer! One day she sang an aria from Don Giovanni while we were walking in the highlands in Scotland. She filled the valley with the most beautiful sound and I’ve never lost the love for this magical music. I now get to mix a bit of Mozart in with Meatloaf when I relax.
Online Casino and Poker
I know I can’t beat the stakes I used to play at cash game poker anymore, but tournament strategy hasn’t changed, so now and then I fire up a multi-table tournament and spend a few hours trying to recover past glories. Not so long ago I managed a get a screenshot of me as chip leader in a $33 LHE and $109 PLO tournament simultaneously – the old man has still got it!
I tend to play online slots only for work these days, so when I want to relax, I find that some live dealer blackjack hits the spot. My brain still has to work, but I play for small stakes, and the hourly cost of my online fun remains low enough not to disturb my budget. Three-figure wins are now sufficiently exciting for me.
My Top Casino Game Picks
Poker
I play whatever tournament is starting when I log on – PLO, LHE, NLHE, any format with $20 to $100 buy-in. I like to start at the end of late registration so basically double up early or bust. I'm not as wild as I used to be on the bubble, but if I get to the final two tables I am brutally aggressive.
Live Dealer Blackjack
I know the dealer can't see me, but somehow, it helps to concentrate my mind on playing properly! Live dealer blackjack is not a game to play while drinking, but the decision making is automatic for most hands so the action is fast and you know immediately whether you are a winner or not.
Aviator – Spribe
Totally non-standard game, but it's a real competition against yourself every time. Aviator took me a while to work out, but then I kept choosing it. Standard slots are still fun, but I limit myself to $1 spins – although I play as many lines as I can on each game.
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