India Poker Experience (Goa)

Attracted by his posts of crushing the games, I couldn't resist coming back to India for a second visit. My friend had been doing well in the poker clubs of Noida (near Delhi) and the casinos in Goa. Since my Sri Lankan trip was cut short due to the lack of cash game options, I thought I'd give it a go. 

One of the floating casinos there

The day I landed in Delhi, the poker clubs stopped posting game updates and replying WhatsApp messages. Out of curiosity I Googled poker news in Noida and apparently the day before, a journalist infiltrated one of the top clubs and exposed their raking system etc. I was spooked so I quickly booked a trip to Goa instead, not before spending a couple of nights in Old Delhi. 

I tried to feed the stray dogs

Delhi definitely does not represent all of India, especially Old Delhi. It's bearable to visit for a couple of days, but you can't help to think about the people who live there their whole lives. They have been dealt a bad starting hand, yet they choose to grind it out, those who do well, still choose to stay as it is their home. There is much to learn from observing the people there, to appreciate what we have and our circumstances in life. Things did not change much since my last visit in 2012, as if it was stuck in time. I visited an old restaurant where I ate at 14 years ago, it was just as I remembered. 

The mangoes are amazing

Goa had a much different vibe. I got a hotel in the Portuguese old town that had a chill village vibe. A forewarning to others considering visiting, Goa has terrible taxi services. They do not allow Uber or any e-hailing apps, and insist on using their own janky app, that is virtually unusable for foreigners. You can pay the driver in cash, however you must have a balance in the app or order to do so, but as a foreigner you have no way of loading a balance. I was lucky to have a friend who knew the poker room manager at Big Daddy casino so I could request a pick up. For travelers I would suggest going online to find some taxi services that have WhatsApp and accept cash. 

To circumvent the law, the casinos are boats anchored offshore. You would arrive at the pier, purchase a ticket (yes it costs between INR 2900-5000 - approx. USD 29-50) to get on the boat depending on which package you choose. Then you would be ferried to the corresponding casino. The packages include some free chips, free flow alcohol and access to the buffets. The games are usually INR 100/200 or 100/200/500 but I heard there are bigger private games at 500/1000. However the whole system is not foreigner friendly. The exchange rate on offer was ridiculous, and it took me about 20 minutes to get it done. The table was soft but I did not enjoy it. However I must say, the food was tasty, as was with most of my meals in India, and I did not have any stomach issues with them. 

It's cool to collect my 41st poker country, and as a Jason Bourne fan, to visit another of his film locations. However I do not recommend Goa for a grind. The whole process of getting there is so tilting, and the environment on board was not fun either. It's impossible to game select as going to the next casino means boarding two other boats and paying for another entry ticket. I forgot to verify this but I believe the rake was capped at 7bbs. 

Bengaluru Airport

One thing that surprised me the most were the airports. During this visit I used 4 Indian airports and they were all very clean, efficient and fast. The Bengaluru airport looked more like a 5-star hotel. I think it is unlikely I would return, but never say never. If you haven't, follow me on Instagram for more of my poker adventures @happyriverpoker 

Sri Lanka Poker Experience (Colombo)

I think most of you are like me, shocked to hear that there's poker in Sri Lanka. A friend of mine was grinding in India in the past few months and told me games were good there, and heard that Sri Lanka was also great. I was looking for a break from MTTs, want to add to my list of poker countries (now 40th) and it sounded like an adventure so off I went. 

My initial plan was to grind cash games, but it just so happen that there was a series at the same time called the Royal Spade at the newly built City of Dreams. This time I had a couple of poker friends going together as well so it sounded like fun. 

We arrived at night and it was off to a bad start as my friend was stopped by immigration for having travelled to Cambodia too often. Interestingly I used to live there but I got by with no issues. We went to our separate hotels and he got semi-scammed, first by a tuk tuk driver who aggressively asked for a 5-star rating and a tip. He received 1-star and no tip. Then by the food delivery app that sent him a tiny burger. The next day he also had a bad experience with a cafe, overcharging him for a coffee by 40% based on the price on the wall. I on the other hand had a more fortunate experience. My Airbnb host was kind, the place was decent for the price. 

Our first day we explored 3 different casinos, only to find out the poker room permanently closed at Majestic Pride, rake uncapped at Bally's, and COD capped at 20bbs. The rake alone probably would have been okay but they enforce a minimum commitment time of 2-4 hours, and a 1 hour call time. That means you have to play at least 3-5 hours before you can leave the table. Cash games have edge because of game selection, seat selection, start and stop at your choosing... but with this setup, plus the rake, I felt that I had a better edge playing the tournament, so I did, shallow cashing the main, but nice to get my 12th flag on Hendon. To our surprise, we even met a couple of Malaysians there. 

The tournament was fun, the field soft, the environment comfy. The structure for the main was decent, although I would have preferred if they played till ITM or had a slower structure instead of being neither here or there. There was a lot of stalling as well so I hope they will introduce time banks at some point. The customer service and marketing need a lot of improvement but maybe just lacked initiative and experience. 

Colombo is pretty boring if you ask me, we covered half of the sights we wanted to see within the first day. Sri Lankan food is not as exciting or flavorful as their counterparts in South Asia, the best meal I had was at the Ministry of Crab but it was ridiculously overpriced. You'll easily spend $250 per person not to mention the 20% VAT and 10% service charge. 

This was the 3rd largest size they had on the menu

Sri Lanka in my opinion has potential, but it is a bud that needs to be nurtured. If operators are willing to spend the time and effort doing proper marketing, not go crazy with the rake, improve on the overall user experience and customer service, it can blossom into one of Asia's hot poker destinations. But if not done with care, it will just die off and be long forgotten. I am currently writing this in India, which I will share about my poker experience in another post. Stay tuned. 

Busan SuperCup 2026

I have travelled to South Korea probably more than 15 times in my life and Busan is actually my favorite city of the whole country. So when I was invited back to Busan SuperCup for a second time, I couldn't pass on the offer. 

Busan sunsets are gorgeous

This time the event was held at the Busan Port International Exhibition Center (BPEX) and personally I prefer this event location than at any hotel or casino. The place a super spacious, just a stone's throw away from the Busan train station and Chinatown, and we were put up in a beautiful and super spacious luxury condominium. 

SuperCup is packaged as a sporting event, which allows local Korean players to join by connecting through local poker clubs. (local players are not allowed into casinos) That is what makes the field one of the softest I have ever played in. Korean players are fearless, and if there is anything that they fear, is to be shown a bluff. Hence I have seen more 3b calls, or three barrel calls with one pair than anywhere I have played. The trick is, you got to have a hand to start with. 

Charity Invitation event

I managed to run deep in the Samsung Medicos event finishing 9th, but I busted every other event including 9 bullets in the main. Those who followed my stories on IG or Facebook would have seen some of my bust outs, including a massive chip leading pot AK < A3 all in pre in the High Roller, folding KK correctly post flop, KK < QJ all in pre, and many other bad beats and cooler spots. Losing isn't fun, but I enjoyed the fact that I managed to get under their skin to get it in worse hands with me. During this trip, I also somehow learned to accept losses that are out of my control. Tap the table, smile, wish everyone good luck and walk away. Keeping my dignity, my poise, my class and maybe to a certain extent, earn the respect of my tablemates. Most local players are hostile, especially to a foreigner they view as a threat. But I also managed to make a few friends, by showing them I can be kind and funny even when others do not reciprocate. 

Dinner with Isabelle Global and S. Ent bosses

The surrounding area of the venue and our condo was beautiful, especially at night. So the busto strolls from sunset to dusk by the river and ocean gave me some comfort, a chance to decompress, evaluate my day and get back on the horse the next day. This series I grinded for 10 straight days, even played 17 hours straight in one of them. 

Recharging strolls at night

The MTT business is a tough one, and I've seen many brands struggle especially during their early years. SuperCup has their own struggles as well. It is a relatively new business and with lots of polishing that needs to be done. For example I do not understand the 1 hour dinner break at close reg where the level before was 20bb starting and the level after was 15bb. It means if you wanted to late reg for 20bbs, you would have to register, than take a 60 minute break only to continue, or join right before the dinner break ends with 15bb. But what I know is, this is a brand with tremendous potential. The ability to have local Koreans play is a USP no one else can offer at the moment and with strategic positioning and targeted marketing, it can become one of the strongest circuits in Korea. 

The inaugural World Poker Games Taipei

It was my honor to be invited to the inaugural World Poker Games (WPG) held in Taipei. I've known Anh Nguyen since the Pro Poker Club days. Those were pretty fond memories as they were the early days of my poker career. 

In the past 8 years, I have witnessed the explosion of the Vietnamese market, the wave of the Taiwanese and emergence of the Malaysian players. I would say Anh Nguyen was super involved in the MTT poker boom in Asia. If I remembered correctly, Pro Poker club was the first in Asia to break thousand player fields and completely changed the landscape. Since then, Taiwan and Vietnam jostled for the pole position, breaking record after record, both worthy to be the strongest MTT market in Asia.

Why the history lesson and the trip down memory lane? The unfortunate part is I can see a decline in the Taiwanese market. There are many brands that faced overlays because the local market is exhausted. I witnessed more players playing TLTs (time limit tournaments) at one club than at side events with a 200x TLT buy in guarantee. WPG was also in the same boat but with a smart satellite strategy, they managed to close the gap in the major events. Even though overlays are good for players, it is not healthy for the industry. Instead of trying to slice a shrinking pie, I hope the organizers and venues can work together to bring in new blood and bring back old ones. Some people often ask me what purpose does MPF serve. We are here to stretch the longevity and sustainability of the industry. 

I did not have a good result all series, barring a sun run in a satellite claiming the first ticket out of 20. The WPG staff were great and I enjoyed their creativity with the daily media. However I did have some poor experiences with APA dealers. Maybe that is contributing to the market decline as well. 

I have no regrets of attending WPG, just wished I had better results to report. But overall I had a good time, I played reasonably well except for a few mistakes. Those who followed my stories probably felt some of my pain of how I lost most of my hands. I believe my luck will change at some point, but I just hope I will still be around to capitalize on that. 

The Lord Poker Tournament (TLPT) Experience

Really grateful for TLPT's invitation to experience their series first hand. Jeju is not my favorite poker destination but I really wanted to play at TLPT and meet the people behind it. 

I joined the middle of the series and immediately I could feel the energy in the room. There were a lot of Mainland Chinese players, and it's quite obvious most of them do not travel to other series to play. There were a mix of American, Taiwanese and Korean players as well. I saw Jungleman again and this time he was grinding his Mandarin on Duolingo, and I had the pleasure of sitting next to DJ Washburn at the cash game table. 

The livestream was pretty cool with Celina Lin and Vidur Singhal commentating. The counter staff albeit inexperienced were very friendly and helpful. Shoutout to Austin for arranging my invitation who had to wear many hats during the series and handled himself really well. 

Decent cash game action

TLPT is relatively new to the industry but I see that they are willing to invest into their brand. They generously offered 9 Super High Roller tickets for free, each worth a whopping USD 16K+. 2 were in a lucky draw and 7 over two freeroll satellites. The freeroll was worth more than some of the side events I have ever played in! 

This is what I eat during Jeju events

Overall I had a great time and I hope TLPT is here to stay. I am sure with the right positioning and marketing direction, they can become a permanent fixture in the Asian circuit schedule. They have a strong following from Mainland China and ample resources to make it in such a competitive landscape. I wish them all the best and hope I can join one of their future events again. 

Grinding One Month In Hanoi

Sorry for the late post as I used Shanghai as a stopover after my Hanoi grind and China blocks so many of the apps and websites I use. Even though I did not like Hanoi the first time I visited it, over the years I have grown to appreciate and even love it. 

Random Hanoi Park

I started the trip strong, making the money in the first 3 events I played in. But when the hands truly mattered I could not win flips or even 70/30s 80/20s and I did not run deep enough in those events. To make matters worse, I bricked the following 9 buy ins, most of them were higher buy in events than the ones I cashed. Compounded with a bad year so far, I felt super drained and dejected. However I have already committed to joining 3 upcoming series in the following month so I want to give it a good go before deciding what's next for my poker career. 

Maybe because of my faith, and maybe because I have survived through worser pain, or maybe at a young age I learned how to choose happiness, somehow thankfully I could muster the strength, hope and inner peace to continue on, be positive and appreciate the things I have, focusing on the things I can control. Sure I have had some dark days, but thank God for the people who love and support me, for their kind words and actions that have helped lifted me. 

Newest Poker Club in Hanoi, Quads

This trip I ate really well, mostly home cooked meals. Sometimes the simplest ingredients given the right care and effort can turn into the most amazing things. My sleep pattern has improved significantly, and I can honestly say this whole month I did not make any fatigue-induced mistakes. 

Follow me on Instagram if you haven't for daily updates of what could be the last 30 days of my MTT career. If not, you'll read about it here in my post mortems. Until then, take care. 

Experiencing Poker Dream 21 and Genting Culture

As a poker traveler, it makes me happy to know there's poker on home turf. I can only imagine the struggles the founders of Poker Dream had to finally get a regular series in Malaysia. In poker terms, you might say Poker Dream was dealt a series of bad hands, such as the short sighted, backwards business culture of Genting and the introduction of the sales and service tax but I am so happy to see Poker Dream's innovation and pushing for the best in the realms within their control. It is obvious to me this time round they have stepped up their game. They've improved their customer service levels (at least the ones I have encountered), try to make the cash out process as painless as possible, introduced live reporting, facial recognition for the photo library, added in lots more freerolls, etc. I can really appreciate that effort as a player. Just as we can't always get great hands, we try to improve on other aspects of our game and even being dealt marginal hands, we can make the best of it. 

I made it through day 1 of the Malaysia Open only to bust out of day 2 on hand number 2. I then jumped into the heads up tournament drawing possibly the second toughest opponent of the field. A Chinese pro with an impressive résumé including the recent SHR trophy. He was super aggro at first but later held back which I took as a sign of respect of my play. I also switched gears all the way and made a few top plays including bluff catching with bottom pair and once with ten high. It was an intense battle and I could feel my stamina waning. We swap leads like a yoyo but in the end he had a series of good hands when I had second best. Took a spot with my last hand that I might have been able to give up had more in my tank. One suggestion for the heads up is having regular breaks because by then we were 2.5 hours into the match without one. Heads up is way more tiring as you do not have any downtime. But overall I felt I played well, without fear, and gave a tough player a run for his money. I also fired twice in the main event but no bueno. 

One of the little things, and the way the staff explained it

It's always refreshing to play at Poker Dream Malaysia because it's a time to meet old friends and make new ones. Seeing so many people putting on the MPF patch proudly without asking for anything in return, and for them to represent the federation and our nation with poise and pride always warms my heart. Sometimes we take the little things for granted. A smile, a hand shake, a nod, a fist bump, a pat on the back, a complimentary word, a congratulations, a like on a post, a positive comment, putting on a patch, wearing a jacket, for me they are the fuel I need to keep going. Years ago I came across a lady helping poor people in Indonesia voluntarily. I started to support her financially whenever I could. To our shock not only some people did not support her work, they actually had negative comments about it. I remember saying to her that everyone should participate in a good cause. If they can't participate, then they can give money. If they can't give money then they should give encouraging words. If they can't say anything positive, then they should keep their mouth shut. Light bringers are rare on earth, so if you see a light, if you can, help. If you can't, the least you can do is not put it out. But I guess if you’re reading this, I might be preaching to the choir. 

I can see Poker Dream's culture increasing in care and positivity. Hence I wanted to encourage and support it. But at the same time I can see Genting's culture is still as negative and inconsiderate. I hope more and more Malaysians can wake up. Little things take little effort, but as our ancestors said, "sikit sikit lama-lama jadi bukit". (little by little, after a while it becomes a hill) It only takes a spark to get the fire going, but it also only takes a drop of water to put out a spark.