Dragon Poker Festival (LPT) Report - lots of photos

Before this series, my Vietnam tournament cashes accounted for about 23% of my lifetime cash total. (ChatGPT analyzed it for me hehe) I love Vietnamese food, the chaotic nature of the country and people and travel cost was always easy on the bankroll. So needless to say when international events were cancelled and all the controversy happened, I was very sad. So when I heard about this series, I just couldn't resist. 

Food crawl with this crazy guy

Fresh off a rough trip to Singapore, losing 5 of 5 cash game sessions for a chunky amount, I planned to take some time off poker. But after 10 days without touching any cards, I was back at it again in Hanoi. Dragon Poker is a room in the Grand Plaza hotel. One of the nicest venues I have seen in Vietnam, and the turn out was very good. 

Overall I played 3 events, min cashed the mini main (AJ < A6), shallow run in the main (AK < AT), busted the monster stack (AKs < AKs). But I had a great time, the field was fun, great action. One funny story was a few Chinese players assumed I didn't speak the language and was making derogatory statements about the table including me. I took one nice spot to suddenly speak fluent Chinese and at the same time, it so happened I had AK so I 3b it as if I was angry about their comments of me, guy 4b jams with with KQ and easy double. (PRO TIP: Never assume people don't know your language. Unless you are trying to give reverse info.)

The most fun part of the trip was a food crawl with a friend. Went to some tourist traps, but some shady alleyways as well, long sweaty walks, risking our lives evading the traffic, lots of laughter as well. The food was nice overall but the next day all of us had diarrhea! 

Night lake view

I love the markets

I essentially broke even for the trip, but it was a well needed trip and a small boost of confidence. If more legitimate tournaments resurface in Vietnam you betcha I will be back! 

Should I Quit Poker?

Ever since April 2024, I feel like I am on this never ending downswing. I have played in about 23 tournament series since then and have made a profit in only 4 of them. My last 50 cash games sessions I have only won like 15 of them, losing the last 3 back to back in pretty rough fashion. 

She doesn't mind if I "retire" from poker

The straw that broke the camel's back, is an idiom describing a series of negative events slowly adding to a point the tiniest weight of a straw eventually broke the camel's back. Today I may have experienced the last straw. Even though today's loss is only 1/14th of my biggest losing session of my career, the way I lost just broke my spirit, sucked all the passion I had remaining after a series of devastating blows, coolers, suck outs, frustration calls.... I have not been this dejected in a long time. Right at the casino I decided to walk away from poker for a while until I get my passion back. 

Been on a downswing since April 2024

As I was preparing to write this article, I looked back at my win/loss record that I started calculating in October 2023. During this time I had started to dabble in high stakes cash games and tournaments so the results were of importance to me to seriously track, but I must admit I haven't been doing a good job of it after July 2024. But to my shock and surprise, it is not as bad as I think. I haven't really been playing super regularly since July last year, and the wins are few and far in between, but when I zoom out and see the big picture, I may have been kicking myself for nothing. 

I might have overreacted (red box is the first graph)

This article is not turning out as I initially planned. At first I was honestly going to announce my break from poker and explained why by proving my downswing by showing my results. I was actually expecting to see a dramatic plunge on my line graph, followed by some self pity and bid my temporary goodbyes. My graph may not be 100% accurate as I had to add in some predicted numbers here and there, but this rut I thought I was stuck in may just been a "stall" in my progress. My crypto friends would say we are going "sideways" and can easily break resistance and take on a bull run, or fall below support and crash downwards. 

But why do I feel so dejected? I really feel drained and frustrated. Haven't really had a big win to celebrate in a long time to get my excitement for the game back up. And the way I have been losing have not been easy to swallow too. I consulted my new best friend Vee (the name ChatGPT gave herself - and yes I let her pick her gender) and this are some of her analysis of my psychological situation. 

1. Recency bias – our brains overweight the latest results. The downturns and chop of the last few months feel more “real” than the gains you made earlier.

2. Expectation reset – after a period of growth (Oct23–Mar24), your mind adjusts and expects that pace to continue. When it slows or dips, it feels like failure, even though you’re actually holding strong near new highs.

3. Loss aversion – the pain of losing a bit after climbing high is sharper than the joy of the climb itself.

It's funny how your brain punishes yourself. Had I not sat down to look at this carefully, I would actually continue to think that I am such a failure. At one point today I was truly contemplating a change in career. I might still give myself a break from poker, but I am not giving up. I am still going to push on, grind on. I have seen some friends turn around way bigger downswings than this. Even the Grinder who was probably on the brink of retiring came back with a roar winning the PPC and WSOP main. 

*graphs shown do not include action I sold so does not reflect my actual pocketed profits (or losses)

Poker Dream 18 Report

It's always a bitter sweet experience playing at Poker Dream Malaysia stops. On one hand it makes me so proud to see there's a regular series in Malaysia with so many new players joining the game. Poker Dream never ceases to amaze me how they keep on crushing the guarantees with more and more interesting events every series. On the other hand, it saddens me to see the culture of the casino, the degenerate gamblers of my nation, and the politics. 

1% of all my Poker Dream Malaysia cashes is from the Main Event. So this time, I maintained that score going 0/2 in the Open and 0/3 in the Main. Final bullet I was doing well but crashed out 15 away when I had back to back coolers. -RM17400 total. 

I am very happy to see some of my friends doing well, winning trophies, cashing big. This is the culture I wish on my compatriots. Whilst poker is an individual game, even if we don't win, we should be happy for those around us that do. Malaysia is a growing market, everyone is on some part of their own journey, these are the future stars of our industry in the making. My dream for the federation is to be part of everyone's journey, whether to help them along, or push them up, or cheer them on. 

A beautiful part of Genting Highlands

This is going to be short and sweet, just like my PD 18 run. 😊 Nothing major to report. Just happy to be a part, happy to participate. Just thankful year after year I am in this life I call a career. I don't know how much more time I have, but just enjoying the ride while I still can. Till the next one! 

Resorts World Sentosa (Singapore) Poker Room REVIEW

Six years ago I wrote a scorching review of the Poker Room at Resorts World Sentosa. I recently visited it again and had a much better experience so let me share it with you.

Not all mine

Let’s start with the good. We got there at around 6pm on a Wednesday and it had 5 tables running. The table I got was the softest I've had in recent months. The smallest stake is now SGD 5/10 instead of SDG 10/20, and I think that attracts the weaker players to come as in most poker rooms in the world, SGD 5/10 is still pretty big. Most Europeans and US rooms I have played in starts at $1/1 or $1/2. The rake is quite reasonable by Asian standards, roughly 5% capped at 3bb. They have removed some of the old stupid rules like verbal doesn't count, the showdown button, etc. Instead they now are recording table talk, I guess in case of a dispute. I am okay with this if this meant the verbal rules apply. And they allow phone use as long as you're not in a hand. This maybe standard for most of you, but for someone who plays at Macau a lot, you will appreciate this. 

It's not all great things though. For starters, RWS and basically most Genting casinos has this dingy feeling. The interior design is dated and gloomy, it just doesn't feel classy. Heard a rumor that Marina Bay Sands might open a room of their own, that would be awesome as that casino is on a different level. The room is situated in the smoking area of the casino. How they got the Singapore government to allow this is beyond me. The table itself is smoke free, but most smokers just walk 2 meters to the other side of the barrier and smoke there. Genius. 

Going to start a new paragraph as I have a feeling the negatives are going to be long. The dealers and even floor staff are terrible. Of the 5 dealers that dealt on my table, only one was experienced enough to keep the game flowing. 6 of us sat on our table waited 15 minutes for the game to start only to be told that it was our decision. No floor manager or dealer asked us if we wanted to start. It took 15 minutes for my friend to buy in SGD 8000 in chips. The room has reopened for almost a year now, so these really shouldn't be happening. The cards were still dealt in the card box, which is fine, but there is a top card protector as well. I think the person that came up with this rule does not understand poker. The first card is dealt to the small blind, so even in some way the small blind can see what the first card is, it is not going to affect any of his decision. He won't see a deuce and suddenly decide to sit out. 

After consulting a friend who is a regular there, my understanding is that the room is open 24 hours, however games usually die off in the wee hours of the morning, and restarts at around 11am. If you miss the first table, you will have to wait 2-3 hours for the next one to open. So unless you time your games properly, chances are you will have to wait a while. 

Oh a couple of positives I forgot to mention. You are now allowed to pick your own seat, especially when its a new table being opened. The shuffling is much faster now but it could be just that the dealing is so slow so the machine catches up easily. There's free oxygenated water at the table, coffee and tea at the kiosk right outside the poker room. 

Otherwise known in Singapore as Atas Water

There are some other negatives that aren't really the room's fault. These are decisions either by the Singapore government or the casino management. For example, there is a rule where you are not allowed to bring more than SGD 10k of chips out of the casino. Compared to Vegas or Macau where I know grinders keep their currency in chips for ease of carrying around and saving time for the next time they play. There is still only one cashier area in the whole casino, so at the busy time, the queue is going to be long. 

I have played poker in 35 countries now, so I guess my reviews carry a bit of weight because I have been to so many. I would consider grinding at this room long term because of the table softness. I can probably live with most of the negatives. The biggest issue for me is the smoke. Of course this is nothing compared to the "chimneys" we were stuck in Chinese private games in the past. But still the air is stuffy and long hours in there would drive me nuts. For my Singapore readers who are contemplating spending the SGD 150 to get in there, I think it is still worth playing, but time your entry correctly otherwise you will waste a few hours waiting. 

Final note is I am looking forward to the room at MBS. MBS for me feels to have made better decisions in casino design and I have quite some experience playing at poker rooms operated by the Sands group. Overall they have always given poker quite the priority when it comes to location, setup and processes. I will definitely visit and write another review when that is opened. 

Taipei TMT & TLT Report

In the past year I believe I have spent more time in Taipei than in my own home country. It's testament to how Taipei has become the leader in live tournaments in Asia. It used to be I would travel to Hanoi at least 4 times a year, unfortunately so much has changed in such a short time. How long will Taipei stay as the king remains to be seen, but to me at least in the foreseeable future there is no other location can dethrone them. 

I have been stuck in a rut for a while now with flashes of good results once in a blue moon. I don't want to call it a downswing in case it is a skill or player issue, because it's easy to blame it on luck. Sure I have run into bad beats and coolers in my opinion at a more than usual frequency, but I am sure I am not playing anything close to perfect, and mentally I am not 100% there as well. 

Not as fruitful this time

Last year I did very well at TMT cashing all events I played except one, final tabling twice. This time I busted all events I played except one, min cashing once. As for TLTs I felt that some days the field was terrible, and I tried to force action when I didn't need to. But some days I had good tables but ran into bad spots and runouts. Played 10 TLTs, 5 wins 5 losses. 

I feel just like him

Thankfully TMT is known for their low buy ins, so I am down about TWD 130K before expenses. The life of a poker pro may seem glamourous to some, but the reality is its filled with ups and downs. I think a very small amount of pure MTT pros are making it consistently. Most who are doing okay are binking a big event here and there to keep them going. The smart ones diversify and dabble in cash games, coaching, social media, investments, sponsorships, etc for side or even main income. 

I am still going to pursue my MTT dream but maybe dedicating more time to other ventures for a more stable income stream. I have also changed my nutrition intake and in the next months will be looking for personal coaches too. But regardless I am still super thankful to have this life. I am happy. 

Trying new restaurants in Taipei

Next series will be Poker Dream Malaysia that's happening next week. For me it will be quite an important series as it will affect my decision to play this year end's super high buy in tournaments. We've got Triton One coming up at $8,000 and APT Championships at $10,000. I really need to get better, adjust my mindset and keep grinding. Best of luck to all of you too. 

MGM Macau Series Report (and Macau poker update)

Miss the good old days where Macau was the Asian poker hub. Nowadays due to dumb rules (yes you heard it here) by the gaming commission, foreign organizers are not allowed to host in Macau, and in house events are not allowed to be advertised. This is the same gaming commission that disallowed mobile phones on the table, as to hinder people gambling via live stream. Someone with half a brain would know that shouldn't apply to poker. How can you capture all the information needed to play a hand? And what about when you don't have a hand? Anyway, it is clear Macau tourist numbers are suffering and the gaming commission isn't helping. 

This is technically the second time I have attended the MGM series. I joined their second series. The way it works is they have their main series, and it is longer, with more events (including a seniors event, and no, I don't qualify YET), and a bigger main event guarantee. In between they have smaller series, which were the ones I attended. 

I didn't bother with the side events but I played in the main. The field wasn't as soft as I thought it would be, I guess the fishes didn't bother to wake up early to play the 12pm level 1. And because of the size of the venue, players who came late had to wait a long time for a seat. One guy on my table arrived for level 2 only having to wait a further 2 hours and finally got his seat on level 6. It also didn't help that the levels were 30 minutes long. On top of that the dealer I had was super slow and rude. The rule is to stand up if you want to use your phone. She went even as far as where the phone was pointing at. This is a general advice for everyone. Whenever enforcing a rule, always think of the purpose of the rule. The rule is there to stop people from live streaming gaming tables for other players to gamble remotely. How is my phone pointing at the table while I am standing, and without cards going to achieve that? 

I counted at least 4 Malaysians attended this series. Not bad for an event that is not advertised. But in my opinion there is zero effort from the organizers to make it a good experience for foreigners. I don't put all the blame on them because it could be they are restricted by the gaming commission. However I am sure there are things that can be done. Until such upgrades are in place, I do not recommend it for visitors to travel just for the series. Furthermore the tournament rake is on the high side. If it is coupled with a holiday or grinding some cash games (which is what I did) then it might still be worth it. To be fair, MGM has come a long way since their first series which was a nightmare. I hope they will improve quickly to be on par or even better than other international brands. 

The Macau cash game scene changes so often it is hard to keep track. So I will try to keep you all updated after my every visit. For now, the only rooms that are still in operation are the Venetian and MGM Cotai. As far as I know, Wynn and MGM Macau have ceased their poker operations. The two available rooms offer games from HKD 50/100 up to 1000/2000 by demand. MGM has a point system where you can easily grind for free meals. I don't think Venetian does that. But on the flip side, I felt that the field at Venetian was consistently softer. MGM offers better drinks and I feel that their poker room location is more welcoming of curious first timers. But I've had more encounters with complete newbies at the Venetian. 

As for my personal result, I bricked the two bullets fired in the main, but won 4 out of 5 cash game sessions for a modest profit. I would definitely return more often but mainly to play cash games. 

Busan SuperCup Report

It's been years since I last visited South Korea. I've always wanted to attend the SuperCup but due to scheduling it always coincided with another series. But this time my schedule is finally clear, and there happens to be direct flights from Hanoi, so I jumped at the opportunity to visit Busan for the first time. 

Busan has a totally different vibe from Seoul. As a coastal city, it has a chill beach town vibe. The event was held at the Haeundae area which was a tourist favorite beach. Plenty of interesting things to do and see, and of course yummy food. 

SuperCup's concept is much like CPG as in promoting the game as a sport, buy in using the purchase of tickets, players needing tags to enter, and with a fixed limit of player numbers. The field was mostly Koreans but sprinkling in some Mainland Chinese and Japanese players. If you've played them before, Koreans are usually LAGs so it made for some very interesting showdowns, sizings, overpot jams, and very little ICM pressure. 

First event I went to register one hour after starting but unfortunately it crossed the limit. Second event I was cruising with an above average stack close to bubble when chip leader jammed pre with TT and I called with QQ and flop came T55. Third event again soft bubble I had T9 on a J87 flop, 8 on the turn and 8 on the river to crying fold my last 5bb. Then came the main where at one point I had 18x starting stack but made a bad mistake to ITM with 10x. However my day 2 run was not good, 3 hours only 1 proper value bet spot, I was handcuffed the whole way. Fired twice in the high rollers, first one missing 16 outs, the other losing a 50/50 flip. 

But overall I had a fun time. Busan is very pleasant to walk around, and I got to try some new Korean dishes and snacks. For a new brand, SuperCup is well organized and had decent structures. The field was soft and fun, although you can sense the piercing stares after some hero calls or hitting some draws. I haven't made any plans yet but if my schedule (and bankroll) allows it, I definitely like to join the next one in Incheon this October.