Players Series Taipei 2025 Report

People often ask me which city is my favorite poker destination. With Vietnam in limbo at the moment, I have to say Taipei is one of the more balanced cities I like. For me the poker scene is important, but Taipei is also safe, affordable, with friendly locals and good food. I have some memorable trips especially earlier in my career. 

I love nature

Started the series well, ITM the first event. Then build a healthy stack into the SHR day 2 when things start to unravel. I have a saying: 

"If you're supposed to be in, and he's supposed to be in, it's a COOLER, if you're not supposed to be in, and he's supposed to be in, it's a BAD PLAY, if you're supposed to be in, and he's not supposed to be in, it's a BAD BEAT"

A good example is my friend Peter Sim at the recent Triton $50k event had 53o jammed into his KK, or Darren Teoh 5 bet all in his QQ for 50 bigs and got called by 95s. I had 3 of these this series. Sb limped 2bb and called my 4b rejam with for his remaining 22bbs pre with 43s. I open jam AJs 15.5bb UTG, mp ships 22bb with K9cc with 5 players yet to act. J8o called my 4b jam for 21bb. Funnily I did not have any other spots like this where I won. It would be okay to say get 8 of these and lost 3 but alas no, 0 for 3 was my score. (hopefully I will win the next 5) 

I wonder what was going through his mind

Anyway I don't want to cry about bad beats on my blog. Just want to illustrate how I proceeded to brick the rest of the series. Do you know that burning sensation you have in your heart after a beat? This series I seem to have grown immune to those. The final hand of my series, vs the J8o, I just walked away like mum saying dinner's ready.🤣

This trip we explored quite a few new food places and found some gems. I've never been a big fan of Beef noodles so I was surprised that I enjoyed my experience at 永康牛肉面. The yakiniku place near our hotel was pretty good too. However we had quite a serious bout of food poisoning from our regular hot pot place with headaches and fevers lasting for 3-4 days. I was also down with other ailments that have both thankfully receded. 

I guess it's not yet my time. Stay humble, stay focused, stay calm, stay patient. In previous years I often complain about how poorly I ran, but granted looking back I didn't play well either. But variance did even out albeit only for a short time but thankfully I was playing my highest stakes in cash games. Going to stay the course, keep the faith, continually work on my game. Hopefully when it's my time, I am able to capitalize on it!

I want to win when I truly deserve to!

APT Manila Classic 2025 Report

Not going to share too much about the trip itself, but rather what I have learned or reminded myself of in this series. In recent years, I have focused on improving myself, bettering myself, having this mentality of if I am not learning, I am falling behind. Poker is an ever evolving game so especially in our industry, complacency is such a dangerous thing. However to aim for a tough goal like becoming the best, or consistently crushing the game is such a tall order, so for me to cope with it, I break my goal to simply becoming better than who I was yesterday. 

Improved my photo taking skills too

As I sat across the table from a recreational player, I couldn't help but notice some physical tells creeping into his game, especially after losing a few pots. I could see on his face the frustration and him starting to take things personally against the guy that beat him. That was when I am reminded again that the biggest downfall of poker players is ego. Whether it's the sense of entitlement, or thinking that you're good enough, that you've done your best and just got unlucky, self justification of bad moves, all these stem from ego. Sure we all love to win, we crave adoration and respect, we all want to be the hero that punishes the villain.... but the first step is really getting over yourself. One of the problems is we over value "wins" in a game where "survival" is the whole point. I am first to admit, I love to celebrate my big scores, deep runs, usually over a nice meal with my loved one. But I am teaching myself not to celebrate the "success" but rather celebrate the hard work that got me there. If you're being honest to yourself, and couldn't find much hardship to achieve it, then maybe it isn't worth celebrating. 

I've been to the Philippines probably almost 30 times now and the huge disparity in wealth in the country is clear as day every time I visit. The tournament venue was a 4 minute walk from my hotel, and every walk I would pass by beggars and homeless families sleeping on the street, under or in the overhead pedestrian crossing. Some kind locals would give them small change and we gave a young boy an ice cream treat. From my experience I've learned that sometimes giving them money makes things worse. Recently I have spoken to a couple of poker players where we discussed our six-figure even seven-figure losses. Poker success in some way has distorted our perception of money. Sure a loss like that is huge, but I need to remind myself not long ago I was taking home a four-figure salary. It's such a slap in the face when we are crying about a ridiculous number when a $1 ice cream made a kid so happy. We are complaining about our poor Wi-Fi in our room when someone out there doesn't even have a bed. I watched a documentary about scam compounds in Myanmar where thousands of people are also in similar size rooms having "Wi-Fi issues" but in a totally different context. Satisfaction, achievement, success, wealth, happiness are all a matter of perspective. There is nothing wrong with wanting more, wanting better, but appreciating how far you've come, how good you have it should be the driver rather than how far away we are, or the good we don't yet have. 

First 4 events I bricked all of them, but I was surprisingly upbeat in spite of the results. I feel much more comfortable in many spots because of the time I put into studying them. Managed a decent deep run in the main but nothing else to show for and to take a small L of Php 22k (less than $400) Love the innovations APT keeps coming up with for the industry, and had one of the best food trips I've had in Manila in a long time. 

Poker and Spirituality

I just watched the NFL legend Aaron Rodger’s career story “Enigma” and in it he was quite open with his spiritual views. I too was raised in a structured, traditional church upbringing. But my poker journey also intertwines with my spiritual journey. I am not your typical Christian. Most Asians let alone Christians probably would not consider poker a legitimate career. But in the last few years I’ve grown closer to God than I ever was, and I feel that it has helped me and my life in so many ways.

First thing is acknowledgment. I love nature, and if you look closely, it is impossible to believe that nature occurred without design. Bees, we used to run when we see one. Apparently the whole world would crumble if we lost them. Wolves, that were hunted and eliminated in North America. The whole ecosystem and even economy was affected, it got so bad they actually reintroduced wolves back into the wild in 1995 on purpose. Koala bears, puppies, cute little animals like that, what other purpose do they serve other than to delight us, add fun and color to human lives? You’ve got to acknowledge there’s someone above humans that have designed and planned this. A higher power EXISTS. (“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalms 19:1)

Reach out. There are so many “brands” of god and religion, the worst one that tilts me when people bring it up is the poker god. But which one is the real one? How do you know for sure? My trick is, just talk to God. It goes something like this “hi, are you God? I don’t know you, but I would like to get to know you more. If you’re God I’m sure you can hear this, and you can make it happen. Thanks” (“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7) Don’t worry if God is real, He will have plenty of ways to respond, for example through someone like me, a feeling, a thought, an emotion, an event, a song, etc. If there is no God, then you just spoke to yourself for 10 seconds.

Now that you know God, it’s time to form a relationship. Just as a parent delights in their child talking to them, spending time with them, appreciating them… God delights in us doing the same with Him. You may ask, if God is all knowing, why do we still need to tell Him things? Imagine your kids or nieces and nephews, they come to you and tell you something, it’s a story you’ve heard a thousand times. But you watch their cute little faces telling you as if for the first time. God knows what I am going through. He knows villain hit his runner runner, but He wants me to share it with Him, to involve Him in everything I do. Even if He doesn’t intervene doesn’t mean He doesn’t care. (“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Mark 10:15) and in return, I let Him speak to me through the Bible, nature, and good people around me. 

Do what God likes or what God wants you to do. Especially in Chinese culture, we see god as a shortcut to getting what we want. Burn some incense, buy some roast pork, or fruits in exchange for what you want. In the Old Testament God also required burning sacrifices, namely a lamb, because it symbolizes purity, innocence but is also often a prized possession so it reflects sincerity. But the sacrifice is not in exchange for success but rather an atonement for sin. Because success can only come when you are without sin. (“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Isaiah‬ ‭59‬:‭1‬-‭2‬) Imagine going to your boss everyday asking for a raise, promotion, upgraded equipment, more holidays… instead of doing things to genuinely help the company, make your boss look good, being a good example, helping your colleagues, being kind. If you’ve done the latter, a fair and good boss will reward you whether you ask for it or not. 

Doesn’t mean you can’t tell God what you want. In fact He asks us to. (“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬) I am 97% a super happy person. I have so many things to be thankful for, an angel of a partner, a decent career, a colorful life. But yet I still have my struggles, days where I would cry in the shower, wake up middle of the night crying, or “crying” on the table when the eventual SHR champ jams K9 vs my 99, flop clean and turn 9 I still lost. Winning isn’t sweet if you never lose, success is not satisfying if you never fail. But what makes it different for me, is the peace I get that is truly out of this world; the hope I have even when things look bleak; and the love I can share because of the abundance that I have received. 

I used to think “hey God, I’m your spokesperson now, don’t make me look bad, You scratch my back I scratch Yours…” The truth is, it doesn’t work that way. Most good Christians do not have earthly success. The thing is, the poker industry does not have the best of reputations, let alone exemplary life choices and pureness of heart. With company closure, HK riots and COVID I was pushed into the poker industry. Didn't really give me much of a choice. But I wanted to be different, in Chinese saying "grow out of dirty mud but unsullied". Somehow I grinded out a decent career but now, I want to influence others to be good too. To influence someone you need a certain degree of success. My success is not necessarily in dollars and cents or trophies, but the richness in friendship, loyalty and respect. (but results help too) Whether God grants me that or not, I leave it to Him. But if I am successful in helping another person, give them joy or hope, offer them solid advice, inspire them to give, make them a better person.... then these are my trophies. Of course my argument with God is that poker trophies would make me even more effective 🤣

If you are going through something and need a listening ear, a helping hand, sound advice, or anything at all, you can reach me at happyriverpoker@gmail.com God bless

 

Poker Dream 15, Genting Malaysia Report

Coming into 2025, my last few trips of 2024 had pretty bad results.

TMT +RM50k

PD 13 -RM80k

APPT Manila -RM10k

Macau -RM33k

Players Series Taipei -RM12k

So naturally this series my confidence wasn't sky high. But after PD 13 I vowed to work on my game and myself and I did. I could feel I was handling spots better and smoother range construction, but still results weren't going my way. But as a poker player, one of the lessons is to see results as secondary. You learn to accept defeat as long as you did your best. 

"For a good player, losing is a blessing; for a bad player, winning is a curse" ~ by me

3 ITM from 4 events

Having a proper bankroll allowed me to take those losses on this chin. So although not flying high, I was still confident in myself to pull through at some point. The 80k loss just 2 months ago still haunted me, but I was determined to not let it affect how I played. 

Went up unplanned for the opening event, honestly I ran really well and bagged comfortably. On the second day one key hand villain suddenly decides to spaz with bottom pair and won. Still okay with how I played and happy to break the duck of the year.

The second event was a little bit stressful for me, which was the Super High Roller. I have backers riding on this, and they are supporting me when I am on a bad streak. I really wanted to do well for them. First few hands I made a big fold where I might have called off had I had 100% of myself. QQ vs AK all in pre with a friend had me crippled to 7bb where average was about 100bb. I stayed positive, patient, disciplined, took a photo of my stack saying out loud to everyone on the table, announcing "epic comeback on the way". I also said I needed four full double ups. 

Epic comeback OTW

This year one of the resolutions I had was to be a positive influence, mainly through my faith. At 7bb I lost my stress I had when I had 100+bb. If I succeed, it is not because of my skill or abilities. It is out of my control now, let go, let God. 

First double I jam 7bb with A6, bb very good player from China snap off with J high.
Second double I flopped a set, same villain bet one bb on turn, resisted the urge to raise, river call jam
Third double QJs vs TT all in pre, river Q
Fourth double hero call 3x pot river jam with 2nd pair

From 35k spun up to 920k on day 1, eventually went on to spin up to 8.9m. On the final table I lost a big pot and was very close to the shortest stack. However he jammed A4 utg got called by 66. Window card A, then a 6. Jeremy then defended his big blind with 67. Flop Q67hhx he got it in vs chip leader KJhh and turn Ah. Then I was utg with maybe 6bb left, CO open, as if to put ICM pressure on the big blind, who subsequently decided to jam A7 vs ICM steal. CO wakes up with KK, calls, flop K. Pretty happy to ladder up to 6th.

Skipping forward, 4 bullets in the main, first bullet had a good stack and a good shot, lost almost all in two hands. Then lastly the Mystery Bounty High Roller. Lost the first bullet, decided to late reg the second day, spun up from 10bb to finishing 11th with 4 bounties, I am pretty okay with that. 

Long story short, PD 15, +RM 143k

I have a full schedule planned at least till May. Good start but hope it would go on. Constantly trying to better myself. Watching my tongue, table mannerisms, keeping good relationships in the industry, choose kindness first before anything, and glory not to me, but the big guy upstairs. 

2025 Goals and Resolutions

To keep myself focused and accountable, every year I set out to achieve some goals. This year is no different. If you've been in poker for as long as I have, it is no longer a game, it's a lifestyle. 

1. Play more

In 2024, I played in 11 tournament series but some of them I only played 2-3 events. I think it might be hard to keep up the 11 series but I hope I can play a few selected series but grind through the whole thing. I also played about 70 sessions of cash games in 2024. That is considered pretty low. I want to raise that number but with where I am now and where I plan to be, playing more than once a week might be tough. Considering doing some cash game runs like 2 weeks in Singapore, 2 weeks in Macau here and there.

2. Track everything

The last time I used a poker tracker properly was in 2020 when I clocked 2000+ hours of live cash game grind. This year I am inspired to track and I will share with you my results (good or bad) here at the end of the year.

3. Consistent studying

I have been doing well keeping to a steady study schedule, however I want to make sure I follow through for the whole year. Discipline is an issue for me so keeping myself on track would be the goal for 2025. I also hope it leads to results which brings me to:

4. Win 2 trophies and ITM for $150k+

I want to set a realistic target so I am keeping to my targets I had for 2023 and 2024 where I achieved $80k and $60k respectively. I honestly feel that in 2024 I had been running above EV in high stakes cash and below EV in tourneys. Thankfully that meant a positive result overall. I doubt I will get many high stakes opportunities this year so my tourney results will be crucial to my success or failure this year. Then again I feel I am stronger as a player compared to before so I hope I am rewarded.

5. Bringing MPF to the next level

I started this as a pet project and it has taken off mainly because of the response of the members. Now, I have a bigger ambition than I ever thought possible. But in order to do that, I have to get personal results in order for me to be comfortable devoting my time and effort to do this. I can't be pushing MPF and bleeding money on the tables at the same time. I also realize that I am making myself a high profile target in case politicians or the police needs a scapegoat. I just hope that I have enough friends that will come to my rescue if that does happen. 

6. Be a positive influence

I am trying to be very obvious about my faith, yet there are people still talking to me about poker gods, going to temples, working girls, etc. I believe if you do something with dedication, pure intentions, humility, you can have a positive impact on people around you. You can be an amazing poker player and an asshole at the same time. But you can be kind, helpful, God fearing and still crush souls on the tables. I hope I have the time but my intention is also to create some charitable events, community service through the monster machine that MPF now is. I want to inspire positive action and healthy careers in this industry. 

Bring it on 2025, let's see if I can survive another year. 

2024 Year End Review

Every year I look back to my resolutions and gauge my year based on that. This January my goals were to : win 2 trophies, cash $150k in tourneys, give $20k to charity, start a new business, travel, play at WSOP Vegas or Triton. 

I did win a trophy, an unexpected one in the Influencer Invitational. I came close 6 other times but no cigar. I also did not cash $150k, hit just slightly over $60k (not counting bounties and online WSOP). I have to be honest, I lost money on tournaments this year, despite the cashes. But I do feel I am a better tournament player now than when I started the year. 

I also did not give $20k to charity. It came to around $8k. I share this because I want to inspire others to give. Many poker players are doing well for themselves. We can spend $500-2000 on a tournament buy in, but we cannot give some to less fortunate people. One of my regular donations was to an Indonesian uncle who was bedridden and he passed away this year. Our money goes a long way for some people so instead of another buy in, you can change someone's life. 

Rest in peace Pak Solehan

I did not start a new business, but I did focus a lot of my time on the Malaysia Poker Federation. It doesn't give me the financial satisfaction a business would, but the planning, organizing and execution of things did bring me back to parts of my corporate life. Some people might not know it but I was at Managing Director levels of multinational companies since I was 26 years old. I have a great business mind which is a shame that I am not using it much. I did start a poker room with some guys, but it's more of a hobby than a business. I don't know a room that only runs 1-3 times a month 😂

Great bunch of people in the MPF crew

We certainly traveled this year. Taiwan (4 times), China (twice), Japan, Thailand, Italy, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Indonesia, Philippines, Macau, Hong Kong. Definitely living life to the fullest. What's the point of making money and not spending it? The experiences, the memories... there is an expiration date to our time on earth. Make sure you do more than accumulating wealth. 

Helsinki at night

Finally seen Venice

Did not make it to WSOP or Triton, and based on my recent runs, I think I have to put those on hold another year. In the first part of the year I was focused on grinding cash games and thankfully I did well in those. This year I also made a lot of new life-long friends. Meeting Paul Phua was another memorable highlight. Bought my first luxury watch. Of course the biggest thing in 2024, she said YES. Wasn't expecting a different answer but still a big step in our relationship. 

Stack and watch almost same value

I think the most important part of 2024 were the lessons I have learned. Removing entitlement tilt from my game; to see swings as just part of life; appreciating what you have rather than focusing on what I could have had or what I used to have; accepting that I cannot please everyone, as long as I have good intentions, how others interpret them is their issue; a lot of people wear masks, so they are not used to me not wearing one and might perceive my true self to be a mask. Keep true, stay pure, be myself. 

Happy Christmas and New Years everyone!

Poker Dream 13, Genting Malaysia Report

No need to sugar coat it, I lost roughly $18k in this series. Did I play poorly? In some spots yes. In my posts I want to be honest, with everyone and especially with myself. That is why I share my journey. I am not perfect, I am not great, but this is my journey of trying to get there. Mind you I played great in some events too only to lose to some 15-18 outer misses, got outdrawn vs 3, 2, 1 outers... but they don't affect me. 

Coming into this series I was struggling with another loss. I booked a $11k win in TMTC but I made a mistake that led to a loss of profit that was about 20-30 times that. (and still counting) So throughout the series I was carrying a huge rock on my back, being really hard on myself on making such an idiotic mistake. I am sure it affected my play until it was day 5 or so I felt that I have to address the issue straight on. And even on day 8, I seek professional help. 

$18k is a lot of money. Not too long ago, this would have been about 1.5 years salary for me. But I am thankful I am in a position now to lose this amount and still feel okay about it. This also marks my biggest loss at a tournament series. Losing big is not new to me. I have had bigger cash game swings than this in one day, but coupled with my other loss it felt like I was suffocating under the pressure. 

However, it did not break me. If anything it lit a fire in me to make some changes. These are some of the realizations I had and things I vow to work on. 

1. Seek professional help when needed

Sometimes you can't fix something that you don't even know is broken, or how it is broken. There is no shame to ask someone better than you on the matter for their help. Grant Gardner has helped me a lot without asking anything in return. I consulted other guys who had similar experience as well. Appreciate having great friends like that. 

2. Improve my table presence

I don't want to share too much but I'll just say, with my involvement at MPF, I feel I am often distracted on the table, having to attend to so many matters and people. I don't mind it, but I need to find a way to refocus quickly and not be affected. 

3. GT-Oh My Goodness

As much time as I have put into learning GTO, I am still so unprepared in so many spots. I have been focusing on studying post flop 20-30bb, but I realize I have so many other leaks in other spots too. 

4. Setting a study schedule

Because of my stuff, my study time has been "whenever I have the time and feel like it". But I know that it is far from ideal. I need to set a schedule for my preparations and study, and stick to it. 

5. Exercise more

My wife will love this part. For my age I feel like my health is pretty okay. But if I am consciously pushing myself to improve, improving my health and body should be part of it. Not only getting fitter, but also breathing exercises, posture, etc.

6. Share with others rather than keeping it to yourself

Instead of crying about losing $300k, I tell my friends so we can all laugh about it together. Not everyone is mentally strong enough to get laughed at, so this may not be for everyone. But for me, it was better to let it out than beat myself over it alone. 

This trip wasn't all doom and gloom. I did get two ITMs and even one FT. But goes to show, Hendon Mob is just like Instagram with filters. You see the best highlights of people's lives but you don't see the tears, struggles and even losses behind. With me and my blog, you get everything. Wins, losses, ups, downs, because I want to keep it real. Had a few really great gatherings with MPF guys and gals, made new friends and caught up with old ones. Happy to see some of my friends do well. Next stop Pokerstars Manila in about a week's time. Time to put in more work!