Singapore Poker RWS vs MBS - Who wins?

Disclaimer: This is purely based on my experience of playing at the two casinos over the last 4 weeks, incidents, players, staff that happened to be there at the time. I was not swayed or influenced to say one thing or another. I am just being brutally honest but my intention is to help players who have not been there to see a clearer picture, and maybe even casino management to make further improvements. 

What attracted me to visit this time was the Resorts Poker Championships at RWS. The event was rake free with a decent guarantee. Skip this paragraph if you are only here for my cash game reviews. Possibly due to the lack of experience, there were some stark issues that I believe needs to be changed immediately. For example, every flight for the main plays down to 35 players regardless of the number of participants. Whilst I understand they are concerned about the number of players that make day 2 (due to the limited number of tables) but this is not the proper way to progress. In an extreme example, if day 1A only had 35 runners, 100% of players will qualify for day 2. Had 1C had 350 runners instead, then only 10% will make it through. Please do not use stack size as the way to explain this off. Instead there should be a % of players that make it through. If you are concerned about day 2 numbers, then cap the max number of buy ins. Secondly they should let day 1 play into the money. Otherwise I see some poor locals who make day 2, having to pay the levy ($150 a day) twice and still not cash the event. There was also a pay jump that had 0 increment. This is a big no no for me. You can easily adjust, even a $100 difference is still a pay jump. There were communication issues too. Some staff thought day 1 ended at level 15, some said it ends at the end of level 15. This is a huge difference as some players were stalling by level 14 knowing the wrong information. Announcements were poor, for example at bubble time, they didn't even mention which hand belonged to the short stack. Bagging took 30+ minutes because they needed to count every chip, get players and dealers to sign, wait for a print out.... This is where the kiasu side of Singapore comes into play. BUT, I don't fault them on this, being careful sometimes is fine. However it can be simplified to make it smoother for sure. Consult with some tournament veterans and you will know how to streamline the whole experience. 

MBS chips are nicer

As for the cash games, I will review each casino separately and draw my final conclusions. 

Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

• Games: They spread 10/20, 25/50, 100/200 and sometimes even bigger games. 
• Rake: 5% capped 5bb (for 10/20) - I didn't pay attention to the others but I believe it scales down
• Tables and queue: They had 9 tables, I believe most days the game runs 24 hours, queue is long in the evenings and weekends, especially when they are running bigger games and have less tables for 10/20. 
• Amenities: There isn't a proper waiting area, drinks are served

Pros

• MBS is a well designed casino. High ceilings, classy decor, comfortable seats and tables, bright lights, high end vibe. 
• From my observations, MBS attracts more tourists and a younger richer crowd. 
• There are more players there, new tables start up quickly, they run almost non stop. 
• MBS has a higher buy in min and max. So the games plays slightly bigger. Pots and swings would usually be bigger too. 
• MBS queue lists shows player names, so you can see who else is waiting and whether it is worth waiting around for a new table to start. 
• They seem to be more receptive to feedback, evident when "buying the button" was disallowed after 3 weeks into operation. Although I disagree with the decision, but it is good to see that they are flexible. 
• Poker room location is prime, so the possibility of getting some curious cats to try out the game is higher. 

MBS at night

Cons

• All the sharks are there. Due to the hype of the room, most of the top regs of the country now resides there. So as good as the game sounds, most days you have tables full of regs targeting 1-2 spots. 
• It is surrounded by slot machines, which can get a bit noisy and annoying
• I hope this is just temporary, but most of their dealers are terribly slow and prone to mistakes. 
• Rake is high. You'll be surprised how much it adds up.
• Floor prioritizes bigger games, so 10/20 players feel like second class citizens. My personal experience was I waited 3 hours from being 11th in the waitlist to be at the top, only to have to wait for another 8 slots to clear because the floor decided to kill a 10/20 table to make way for a 25/50 list that had 4 players queuing. I would understand if there were 8 ready to go on 25/50 but not when there's 4 whereas 10/20 had 30 waiting. 
• Service was poor and rude at times. For example, any curious player that wandered into the poker area was often met with stern tone and ushered out. I understand they are just doing their jobs but there are no signs or forewarning, and staff can just be kinder. There was another incident where the dealer over-raked $5 by mistake, realized his mistake and asked the floor if he could give it back to the player. First floor agreed, second floor said no, because the hand was dead. She even tried to explain it away that even if they under-raked, they would not ask for it back (which is totally untrue). The player clearly upset later asked the floor to reconsider and under slight duress she over turned her own decision. I understand Singapore is a country of rules. But rules are meant to be bent if it meant for the good of the business. After receiving the $5 back the player tipped the dealer instead. It is not about the money, it is how you make a customer and observing customers feel. The player unfortunately went on to tilt away a few thousand bucks, and maybe to never return. This is what I don't understand about the "kiasuness" of Singapore. Clearly you are a country full of smart people. There's doing right things and doing things right. Sometimes rigid adherence to rules is not the right thing. 

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS)

• Games: They have 5/10 on weekdays, and 10/20 on weekends
• Rake: 5% capped at 3bb (for both 5/10 and 10/20)
• Tables and queue: They have 11 tables at full capacity. But due to MBS poker opening they rarely run more than 3 tables nowadays. Weekdays game usually start at around noon to 1pm, and weekend games slightly later than that. Some days just missing the first 8 seats, I waited 2+ hours for the 2nd table to start. 
• Amenities: There is a reasonably comfortable waiting area, drinks and occasionally they will come by with finger food or snacks. 

Pros

• RWS has the lowest casino rake in all of Asia
• They have a few good dealers that keep the game flowing (but still the occasional one who stalls on purpose) 
• Although you can still hear the hum of the slot machines, it is less annoying than those at MBS
• Service overall feels friendlier and homely. Regulars get greeted by name, floor and staff would interact and joke with players. You feel genuinely welcomed and at home. 
• The migration of pros means there is a vacuum of top regs at RWS

Cons

• Although RWS was completed just 3 months before MBS, it feels like it is 20 years older. The design in my opinion is not well thought through, it's dark and gloomy. 
• RWS seem settled on attracting the older folks. There are table min bets of $1, free lunches for annual package holders, concerts of 80s singers.... I would guess average age of the typical patron is 50. 
• Location of the room is obscure. In my months of visiting the casino, I just realized there is a completely different area that I have not been to. Wouldn't surprise me if most patrons didn't know the poker room existed. 
  
• There are a lot of unnecessary delays. For example starting a new table takes 20 minutes. Checking the new decks also take way longer than MBS. Just having an unnecessary top card cover wastes 2 seconds every hand, so for grinders like me, it's less hands played, wasted opportunities. 
• Bureaucracy and inflexibility seems prevalent in Singapore. There was an incident where one table was running auto-straddle and the other wasn’t. Both tables had a seat open. Floor brings a new player to the auto-straddle table and causes the auto-straddle to break. Player complains that she should have given the player a choice to play at the other table that didn’t straddle. Floor insists that players are not allowed to choose tables and auto-straddle is voluntary. Please don’t hide behind rules or “this is how things are”. Be smart, there are better solutions, use them. It’s no wonder everyone knows it’s wrong to call it carrot cake yet no one wants to change. (It’s a radish cake for goodness sake)

So who wins? You might be surprised but in my opinion, at least for the time being, RWS. More people at MBS doesn’t mean the games are better. In fact I found it to be consistently worse. I was lucky to be on some good tables while I was there, but most of the time it took a lot of maneuvering and tricky table changes to get there and sometimes only to fill the seat the fish left and having other pros switched there as well. MBS has a high concentration of the best regs in Singapore while RWS has only a handful. I find every game at RWS had at least 3 clear spots or better. Those who migrated their annual levy to MBS will be there for at least a year so it created a unique opportunity to grind at a much weaker game than it was. While it is true that MBS attracts more tourists and whales, but since priority is given to bigger games, you’ll find that the 10/20 seats are usually filled by early bird pro campers whereas the whales give up after waiting for a long time. However I must say if you want bigger swings and higher stakes then MBS does have its strengths. If they continue to be flexible and adjust positively, then they might one day take away RWS’ edge. I look forward to returning in a few months and report back if anything has changed. 

Follow me on Instagram for more poker stories or click here to read my review of RWS poker room from last year. 

What is my mission in life?

Did I ever imagine I would be a professional poker player? Never in my wildest dreams. I started playing the game a long time ago, and I loved it, but never thought it would become a profession. I was almost pushed into it when the company I worked for closed down, followed by the riots and COVID I found myself with no other choice but to seek an alternative source of income. 

Little things that may mean a lot to someone

At first I struggled with it, doesn't it go against my beliefs? What would someone think about Christians playing poker? I even prayed for a different job, I still remember I had tears rolling down my eyes as I asked God, what do you want me to do? There is an element of gamble in poker, but so is in almost any other thing. Starting a business, buying a house, moving to a new country, getting into a relationship... when there are the unknown, and when outcomes can vary, there is a gamble. But you reduce it by being vigilant, acquiring more knowledge, research, study, learn from mistakes, seek advice.. and you do it with discipline and self control, and never let greed overtake you. 

That's my arm on the right

I have done a lot of stupid shit in my life. I started gambling when I was 16. I have been in jail twice. I have family members who refuse to speak to me even to this day. It's one thing to have never fallen, but it's another to have fallen and gotten back up. I have since given myself a new mission. To use my involvement and position in the industry to inspire, influence, encourage, impact, be a positive example, to give glory to God. A big part of our game is deception, creating an edge, maximizing value, but we do not have to be the same off the table. Those who travel for tournaments know the temptations during a series. Those who know me well know that they are wasting their breath inviting me to after poker activities. I try my best to be respectful on the tables, always friendly to everyone, even after a bad beat to accept it gracefully, wish everyone good luck and walk away. There are times that I do lose it, and I make sure I apologize for my mistakes. 

In the last 10 years, I have lost 3 friends to suicide and overdose. YG did not have many friends, and whenever I am in town, I would hang out with him. Nothing seemed out of place but one day I was told he was gone. I often question could I have done more? Why wasn't I sensitive enough? DR and I were just planning for the coming year, that we would meet up in Morocco. He's the only poker friend I have cried for. Since then I made it a mission to be more sensitive to those around me. I have offered my friends to reach out if they needed someone. But I realized that most would probably be too shy to. So I am now taking the initiative to do random check ins with my friends. I am very touched that some would open up to me. 

I also want to give when I can. Together with HKPPA we have organized 2 charity tournaments giving money to those in need. I used to give 10% of my winnings, in the past 3 years only sparingly but I believe when my downswing ends I will be back to that. We bought food for a Cambodian orphanage, a friend was inspired and did the same in Vietnam. Wherever I go, I try to feed stray dogs, and also donated to multiple dog shelters. A friend was inspired and gave 90kgs of food to a Sri Lankan dog shelter. 

I often question why am I not successful financially. But I have a super rich life, lots of friends and family who love me, a great partner in crime. Maybe I am destined not to win big tournaments, or survive the nosebleed cash games. But I am collecting something else. I am accumulating wealth in other things. I am living my life the best I can, and to the fullest. 

If you need someone to talk to, someone to listen, you can reach me via
Instagram or happyriverpoker@gmail.com

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.