My poker journey in 2017

2017 has been a huge year for me. Sorry I haven't been blogging a lot because of my busy schedule. Looking back on the year I have so many things to be thankful for. I first played poker in 1999 and since then I have been on a really cool journey but I would say 2017 has been the most eventful year of yet. I think I am getting closer to realizing my poker dream.

TRAVEL: Those who know me well know that I love to travel. This year alone I have been to:
- Seoul (3 times)
- Taipei
- Tai Chung
- Kaohsiung
- Macau (lost count)
- Manila (3 times)
- Coron
- Palawan
- Tokyo
- Ho Chi Minh (3 times)
- Hanoi
- Danang

POKER: In January and February I had a downswing of about 2500bbs and I gave myself a poker ban until the 23rd of August. (6 months) Then in March thanks to Mr. AP and MK, I joined them as their biggest agent online. I broke my own ban in April and played online. At my highest point I was up 6000bbs in just a few weeks. From time to time I would play live poker but mostly during my trips to Macau, Seoul, Manila.

This year I played 6 tournaments. Baby dragon, APT Macau side event, APT Manila Main Event & High Rollers, PKC Suncity Main Event & APT Macau Finale main event. I ran deep in the APT Manila and Macau Finale main events, making 2 final tables and my biggest cash ever.

FINANCES: The online poker business has helped me build a solid bankroll, being able to play proper BR management and fearless poker. I am starting my own business soon and recently also made some investments on cryptocurrency so things are looking up. 

2018: I should have more time on my hands for next year. There are some goals I set for myself. 

FINANCES: To have my businesses earn enough to cover my expenses and live comfortably

POKER: I hope to follow the APT this year rigorously and play some major main events. My goal is to have 10 cashes for 2018 and to get my second title. I hope to be in the race for APOY as well.
TRAVEL: I want to go to either Europe or USA in 2018 but I don't know if my schedule will allow it. 

Thanks to those who've supported me and my blog. This year I am thankful also that I have haters! :) I guess that means I have somewhat succeeded. 

Goodbye Facebook

I will update you guys about my recent Main Event run. But before that, I want to let you guys know that I have been blocked by Facebook. Apparently some hater decided to report my name to Facebook and now I can no longer access my account. I have to use my real name on my profile which I do not want to, so I guess it is goodbye Facebook.

If you guys still want to follow me on Facebook then please follow my alternate account peternegreanu@gmail.com

Peace

Philippines visit and APT Main Event

Just recently came back from APT. I played in a couple of events. Had a great time. The turn out was not great, but APT is my favorite tour as most of my cashes are from the APT. This time round I had a good event as well. The field is comparatively soft, buy in is reasonable so it attracts some newcomers to the tour, structure is super good, 40k starting stack and 1 hour blinds. Overall the event was well organized. Majority of the field were foreigners with a big contingent from Japan. I would say mostly recreational player. So if you're looking to get into tournament poker, APT is a great start. Most other tournaments in Asia have quite tough fields. Also another plus is APT's dealers are pretty good. In some other tournaments, they have been really slack about punishing out of turn actions, chip mistakes.

After my tournament I had some time to relax and also play some cash games.

One thing about the Philippines is you gotta love the beaches and islands

Caught myself some fish

Caught some fish on the table too!

Guide to Asian Poker Destinations - MACAU

Macau is the Vegas of Asia. Or should I say, Vegas is the Macau of the US. Macau is actually the gambling capital of the world, with more gamblers, more money dwarfing Vegas' numbers. But that's not what we are talking about. Macau's poker scene is still far from Vegas but it is getting there. This week there's the ACOP, with the main event buy in at HKD 100,000 - higher than WSOP's main.

Recent Photo of Macau, after the typhoon destruction

There are I believe almost 40 casinos in Macau, but when it comes to poker in Macau, they are only available at these casinos.

1. Wynn Macau

Wynn Macau is one of the earliest if not THE earliest to have a poker room. I still remember playing there like 10 years ago when it the games were at 10/25. Wynn has a cool room, nice tables, stakes from 25/50 to 1000/2000 (HK$), free drinks, good dealers, reasonable service and usually a good 4-6 tables going every day. The room is open 24 hours and doesn't disappoint. The rake is good, capped at $250 regardless of stakes (please correct me if I'm wrong) Due to this, there are more regulars and pros here. However it is good to note that most players play with deeper stacks here, compared to other rooms.

2. Venetian

Like Wynn, Venetian has a very active poker room as well. Well, Venetian has a very active casino. I think it is one of the most crowded in Macau. So the poker room is buzzing with action too. When full they can accommodate quite a lot of tables because it has a pretty big area. However rarely they do that and there's always a queue. The dealers are pretty grumpy and service isn't great. Games are 24 hours too but the rake cap is at $500. Less pros and regs, good location so there are curious fish who swim by once in a while. However most just sit there with a 50bb stack.

Outside the Venetian

3. Galaxy

Galaxy has a small but reasonably active poker room. When full they can only fit in 3-4 tables and games are 25/50 and 50/100. However they do have some promotions going to attract players, such as the bad beat jackpot, aces cracked, high hand of the day etc. Initially when they started they had a rake promotion of $150 cap. I am not sure if it is still the case. Dealers deal pretty well, but do not expect friendly banter or smiling. I was told tables close at 1am, but I am not sure about this myself.

4. City of Dreams

This is where most of the big tournaments are held, ACOP, Red Dragon, etc so it has a buzzing poker room as well. Stakes are usually 25/50, 50/100 and occasionally 100/200 but I have never seen higher. Rake I believe is capped at $250 as well. I would say the game is pretty good during tournament times but there is usually a long queue for seats. It is away from other gaming tables so I don't think they attract passer-bys as well as some of the other rooms.

5. Wynn Palace

Wynn has a twin! Pinkish, flowery twin! They have a poker room with 6 tables but usually only 1 or 2 are running. Smallish games, haven't played there so I don't know about the service or dealer skills. But I think it is a bad idea to split their focus to two poker rooms. Would not recommend, unless you're staying there or happen to be passing by. I would recommend taking the free cable car while you're there though.

6. Others

Lisboa and Babylon were running poker at one time. I have no idea if they are still going. If anyone knows please comment below.

Join me Natural8 using the code POKER168 and play!

Guide to Asian Poker Destinations - MANILA Accommodation

Live poker is illegal where I live. Therefore I have to travel to play legitimate poker games. And one of the headaches is where to stay. Where can you find safe, affordable, convenient, comfortable accommodation? Let me give you a rough guide. Check out my YouTube video on Poker in Manila.

I recently just returned from Manila. Manila is a great place to play live poker due to the following reasons:
- Plenty of games to choose from (Resorts World, COD, Solaire, Okada, Metro, Masters)
- Plenty of different stakes (from US$0.50/1 to bigger games)
- Tables are pretty soft (not many grinders go there because most games are too small to be sustainable)

Wanna feel like a millionaire? Their biggest denomination is 1000 pesos, which is like US$30.

Manila can be a dangerous city if you're not street smart. Word of advice, keep a low profile, no bling bling, fancy jewelry or camera on your neck otherwise you've just painted yourself a target. Take taxis that drive by. Taxis that are parked there for a long time most likely is there waiting for a sucker. One of the best taxi companies is called RYOAKI (the white taxi with rainbow stripes) Therefore when it comes to accommodation, I usually prefer walking distance from the casino I am going to. But most hotels in Manila are super expensive. Even more expensive than Macau standards. But depending on your budget, you can live like a king, or have a decent place but doesn't break your bank.

Resorts World Manila - Airbnb (recommended - search for Pasay City or even Resorts World), Marriott (Luxury) or Belmont (Not cheap but very nice)

City of Dreams - Hyatt or Nobu (Luxury), Red Planet (Decent hotel and affordable but need a 5 minute taxi ride), Heritage (budget 5 minutes by taxi but not a great neighbourhood)

Solaire - Solaire (luxury with cool ceiling to floor windows), Airbnb (recommended - search Solaire or Mall of Asia)

Pretty soft games at Resorts World but small stakes

I think I will make a separate guide for other poker destinations. Overall I would say Airbnb is your best bet for quality, safety and price. Still expect to pay like US$40-50 per night. Hotels are pretty expensive and not as good as the price you're paying for it. However if you really want to book a hotel, I suggest contacting the guys at www.pokertourbookings.com They have the best rate, better than Agoda, Booking.com and any online sites.

Join me Natural8 using the code POKER168 and play!

Latest Update

Sorry for not posting in a while. What has been happening with me?

1. I went to Macau during Red Dragon but did not play any tournaments at all.
2. Been playing online on APL@pppoker and doing well
3. Been to Malaysia, Manila, Seoul and Tokyo between my last post and now.
4. Moved to a new apartment with a kitchen (I love food and cooking)
5. APL is now a Union on Pppoker. If you're not familiar with this, Union means we can now combine with other clubs to form a bigger group with more tables, more action, more fishes and more FUN!
6. I am touching distance from my next milestone! This is a big one so I am quite excited about it.

Luckily a few days before they switched, I manage to snap a picture of APL's leaderboard. Guess who is on 1st and 6th on the list? Actually Wobuhuiwan in the last few days won another 6k chips and ended up on 3rd.

 (APL is really fishy to be honest. Don't mind telling you I am up HK$174k in 23 weeks - approx US$22k) *just to clarify, I may have multiple accounts but I never, ever play two accounts on the same table at the same time. 

Just mucking around at my usual live cash game

Things have been going reasonably well, although my list of debtors have also grown. Money does bring out the best/worst in friendships. Anyhow, I have my principles and I believe I am a standup guy, even when some people around me are not. I choose the high road - to be a better friend to them than they are to me. I believe in positive karma. 

Poker Lifestyle

I have kept this blog going since June 2015, and have been playing poker since 1999, let's review where I am now. The blog is supposed to be about my journey as a poker player and in recent months, I am gratefully living the lifestyle of a poker player. I haven't been grinding a lot recently but I am truly enjoying the lifestyle I have.

Since April I have been more active in poker, and it has given me the financial freedom I need to pursue my dreams. If you know me well, you would know that I love travelling. And since April I have been to Ho Chi Minh, Macau (twice), Tai Chung, Kaohsiung, Taipei and Seoul. Tomorrow I am going to Hanoi, next week Manila, next month Tokyo, October Palawan and December Singapore. Some of these trips involve poker and some don't but I am thankful for the freedom and ability to do this.

 Recent success in Korea. 2.2 million! Sounds like a lot but its like 2k USD. 

What has contributed to my success I feel?

1. Humility : I know sometimes when I trash talk among friends, we would boast of our skills and achievements. But those who know me well know that I am a humble person. It took me a lot of times of reminding myself that I am not a good poker player for me to get to where I am now. I am still not a good player, but I am much better than before. I got a coach, and even when I am "coaching" others I learn a lot from them.

2. Building relationships : A lot of doors were opened to me because of the years of networking that I have been unintentionally doing. I am successful today due to some friendships I have forged over the years that I never intended to benefit financially. I am just friends with everyone who is willing and it has paid off. My business partners, and my trusted team, my ability to expand quickly is all from my circle of friends. Don't get me wrong. In poker you make enemies too. There are plenty of &*$@ holes in the game, but if you pick the right friends, you will be okay. My motto is, be genuine and be nice to people. It never hurts.

3. Love what you do : I am at the age where I shouldn't be up late nights. But recently I have been playing until the wee hours, and still have to work the next day. Sometimes I played until past sunrise. But some games have been so good that it is just worth putting in the time. Enjoying it is important, even the days when things are going your way. I just look at it and think thankful things. I have a bankroll, I have the time and energy, focus on positive stuff and it gets me through tough days.

4. Be better than your opponents : There are two ways. One is to improve yourself so you are usually better than whoever you are playing, OR choose games in which you dominate. I got myself a coach but I also put effort into improving my game. I am trying to eliminate my tells and I play fearless poker regardless of stakes, but even then it is hard to be better than all your opponents. But what I have been highly profiting in is by playing the mega fishes. These guys will drop 1000bb in 4 hours, that kind of player. Against these guys, it is not too hard to be the shark of the table. Choose the right opponents and suddenly the game becomes so easy. There are at least 3 guys that have "given" me USD 6k combined in the last 14 weeks or so.

5. Don't stop growing : Whether it's skill, or network, relationships, new markets, new opportunities, new ideas, always do not be content with your current state. I keep looking for new ways to improve, to get better advantages, improve the processes, not only for myself but for those who work with me, so that they can be more effective too. Make people under me grow and I will grow with them.

I have recently reached a milestone in my own poker journey and I hope I can continue to break new highs. Who knows, you guys might hear that I am playing the WSOP next year.

Earn Money IN Poker, Not FROM Poker

Fedor Holz retired at a young age, Doug Polk, Alec Torelli, Daniel Negreanu and plenty more have their vlogs, podcasts, Youtube channels. Some pros turn to coaching, seminars. Some create their own apps, run poker rooms, online sites, become affiliates.

We all love poker, but the dream is not to make money from playing poker, the dream is to play poker as a hobby but making tonnes of money from stuff related to poker, or using poker winnings to start a successful business.

Poker is tough, it takes a lot of time, energy, study, mental strength, emotional sacrifice, discipline, and risks. Only a handful of players can play at the top level for years, and not many can survive the swings, not just financially but emotionally and mentally. The longest session I have played was 56 hours non-stop, but at my age now I can't do that anymore. I find myself losing focus after 5 or 6 hours and sometimes even nodding off! So physically it takes a toll as well.

The dream is making enough money to live well, and playing poker as a side income or hobby, or a way to maintain your status in the poker world. I don't want to be a grinder, not many people wants to be.

I recently reached my first milestone about 7 weeks ago. This week I am celebrating my second milestone. I am not going into details about what this milestone is, because there are people who know me personally that reads this blog. I recently even received an email blackmailing me for money. It was laughable considering I have had run ins with the authorities before, and I know what is legal what isn't. I've learned my lessons and I probably know more about these laws than most people. Nothing can intimidate me as I have done nothing wrong and plus I have proof of blackmail and extortion. Those are serious felonies if you ask me.

What I can say is I am blessed to be in this position. It's been a long time coming but I think I am finally going where I need to be heading. I have put in a lot of work, studying, humble hours of learning and observing, networking, and maybe, maybe it is starting to pay off.

Finally a good result in Macau

I have been complaining a lot about Macau. Still 0 tournament cashes, and usually end of having losing trips, thanks to no small part the very attractive table games (but I have controlled). Recently I decided to take a trip and it didn't start the way I liked.

First day I dropped about USD 4000 in one night. I am like, here we go again. The next day I clawed back a bit. And finally I had a great session and you big fish fed me yummy sashimi! These guys were calling a "flush" as "same color" and two pairs as "dubs". Immediately I knew they were for the taking.

First hand I literally just sat down. I had 33 on cut off. Someone opened, 3 callers, I called, the two fish called. Flop was 1063. Everyone checked, fish #1 leads out a small bet, 2 callers (apparently many people knew they were fishes too), I just called. Turn was an 8 plus a flush draw. Another player opened this time. Could he have 79? Maybe but I was not going to fold my straight. I played it snug and just called again, and fish reraises. The guy folded so I am very happy about that. I went for another reraise so that I can get it all in on the river. He calls. River another 8. I got my boat. I jammed and he called. Chaching, USD 2.4k pot.

Couple of hands after, I had T9 of clubs. Flop comes 653 three clubs! Guy opens, another guy raises, I was worried I was drawing dead but I just flat. Fish flats. Turn is a blank. Guy checks, I bet, fish calls, guy folds. River was a blank King. I thought to myself what kind of value can I get? I am hoping this guy had a King high flush draw and hit his king. I bet and he did have a king and called. He had K2 with a club.

I continued to run good and went on to recover all my losses from the day before, and that night won another few K to make it a good trip! Stayed at the Grand Lapa hotel. It is one of the older hotels in Macau but it has been refurbished. A bit out of the way from the city but it has a really nice resort area with pools and stuff. Loved it. Nice buffet dinner too. Would recommend this hotel.

Overall a pretty nice trip. Great getaway and a good result. Dropped back a bit when I couldn't resist some table games, but I was happy with the result at the end.

My latest update

Sorry guys I haven't been writing much. But April/May has been a really busy time for me. Work wise, business wise and poker wise. Just thought I dropped you guys an update as not to disappoint, and one of the new year resolutions for 2017 was to maintain a blog and post regularly.

If you haven't yet, you can follow me on Instagram where I am more regular in my posts (search for HappyRiverPoker) I have a twitter account but I rarely use it.

In April I got involved in a new platform called PPpoker. It is a club based game platform where you can play poker with friends within your club. I am involved in a club called APL (Asia Poker League - ID 11111) and we have about 850 players since it's inception 5 weeks ago. Our players come from different countries around the world, mainly Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, UK, USA and Canada. However the best part about this platform is the players are fishy as hell!

(update Feb 2018, now we have 5000 players and counting)

I have been doing really well here and now I am more of a PLO player where I find value games to play and grind it out. Since the club started 5 weeks ago, I am a good amount. I am not going to mention how much, but I must say it has made me consider quitting my job.

The problem is, many people want to play PLO but they don't know how to. What are good hands, power of position, ranges, blockers, etc. If you have the time, and the patience, and bankroll to handle the variance, you can make a killing. Out of the 850 players in the club, I am the top winner of the list.

The games are fun and available almost 24/7, action is fast and furious, fishes are plenty and fat, time for some omega 3 I say!

If you are interested to know more, please contact me on happyriverpoker@gmail.com, or add me on Instagram (happyriverpoker) or Facebook (peternegreanu@gmail.com - don't send email to this address though)

Pot Limit Omaha is like a hot bitch!

Players who have played PLO (Pot Limit Omaha) will tell you they have a love hate relationship with the game. I describe it as having a relationship with a hot bitch. Sometimes you're in heaven and you feel like the luckiest guy in the world, but at times you hate yourself for loving her. (*singing* I hate myself for loving you... can't break free from the things that you do....)

Recently I have been playing more PLO on a pppoker club (id: 11111). Things have been going okay but last night I had the biggest score.

That's me, wobuhuiwan (it means "I don't know how to play" in Mandarin) Here I'm up 4061 chips in one session. Sorry I haven't been posting much cause I have been involved in so many projects lately but having a good time. So far I have had a good month. I am up about USD 8k in poker profits and rakeback in April. I will write an Omaha article later this month I hope. I can't say I'm a good player in Omaha, but on this club, it is quite easy to win for me.

Anyway, just wanted to write an article as I recently heard that some people regularly check my blog for updates. Sorry to have disappointed you lately. I will try to write more posts when I can. This coming weekend I will be playing the main event at the Pokerstars Platinum Series in Macau. It has been a while I've played in a tournament. Hopefully I can do well and break my duck in Macau! If you know me personally, I am selling my action as well. Let me know if you're interested to buy.

Remember you can reach out to me on Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook by adding Happyriverpoker.

Latest updates, Self Ban, Online Scores, etc.

It has been a while since my last post. One of my resolutions was to keep this blog live and active. Sorry I have been really busy with life, work, poker and play. So let's get into it.

Live games: Still doing well on 5/10 but as soon as I venture to the other side and also bigger games, I got crushed. So I gave myself a ban from playing anything bigger than 5/10 until the 27th of August 2017. Haha. I have stopped for almost a month now, but let's see if I have the discipline to stay away.

Recently I played on Natural8 again. First week I did really well, I booked a USD 3k profit week and after rakeback the grand total was around USD 3600. 3rd day into the second week and I'm up USD 700 with another USD 500 or so in rakeback. This week has been grindy and rollercoaster like. This morning I was up USD 300, then down to negative 800 for the week, but I grinded it back in 4 hours and booked a 700 profit.

The games are really soft, but you gotta find your groove in it. First of all I think you need a decent bankroll. There are some pros playing as well so you gotta recognize who they are and stay away. There are so many betting patterns to pick up, after a while, it is almost playing face up against some players. There are fishes and boy they are bad! Let me share with you one of them. I am sorry to name names but the pictures show the nick clearly. I guess I can edit it out but I suck at photo editing and I really don't have the time. So please forgive me Zizon007.

Soon after playing with Zizon007, I quickly realized that he was playing really badly and I think he was tilted too. Just from playing 1/2, he lost 2-3k in one hour or so. So I targeted him. Isolated him whenever I can.

First one was this hand. He raise pre UTG and I called with 99 on the small blind. I flopped top set with 3 clubs. I check raised him, he calls. Turns I boat up. So I checked to him. He shoves on me! Jack high flush draw, I showed super strength check raising the flop. Anyways I obliged and boom. $414 pot.

 Soon after he was pretty tilted I suppose. Preflop he raised on the sb, I reraised with my queens. He shoves, I snap. Pretty standard steam play I guess! Thanks Zizon007

Today I played this hand and I think I played it reasonably well. Villain is an aggressive player, likes to make moves so I elected to just flat his 3b in position. Flop I hit top pair. He bets pretty small, I just call. turn I boat up so I check behind. River he checks. I thought the best way to extract maximum value is to shove and hope for a call. And he did! Quads baby!

Anyway, pretty good 2 weeks so far. I hope it goes on. I am playing fearless poker and I think I might have found my online style. Let's not get too excited just yet, but I will keep you guys updated!

Sign up at Natural8.com using the code FREEBONUS for great rakebacks and bonuses! Or add me on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook by searching "Happyriverpoker"

Poker in Seoul - REVIEW

A while back I wrote something about this already but I just came back from Seoul so I thought I give another update.

Seoul is freaking cold in winter, but it is a nice city overall. Very modern, although I still feel a bit behind compared to Tokyo, but has a nice mix of culture, history and modern metropolitan. The people rarely speak English, and when they do, usually at native level because many Koreans grew up in America or Canada are now back in Seoul. 

 Nice to hold a 1 million chip!

The first poker room is at Paradise Casino (Walkerhill). Every taxi driver knows Walkerhill. Can't miss it. They even have free shuttle buses from Gangbyeon Subway station and Gwangnaru Subway station) Games are 1000/2000 and 2000/5000 (about USD 1/2, 2/5) and there's a bad beat jackpot that gets up to USD 20k at times. Games are quite soft, action is decent, not a lot of pros on 1/2.

 I've got the NUTS!

One thing I like about this room is free drinks (even alcohol) and free frozen yogurt, and I like mine with nuts! Usually people would tip the waitress $1 but that's still not bad. Great service, dealers are pretty fast, games are 24/7, highly recommend.

There's another casino called Seven Luck, they have a poker room too, but games are sporadic, and I have not played there myself. But it is centrally located in Gangnam.

Happy New Year and New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone wherever you are! Thanks for your continued support of me and my blog. I will continue to update it with interesting sharings and poker stories.

2016 was an up-and-down year for me.

2016 Snapshot

- I kept my blog active
- Made new poker friends (Alec Torelli, Lo Shing Fung, Robbie Strazynski, etc)
- Kept my instagram active
- I have a new "mascot"

 My new "mascot" in action

- I have improved my game - I got myself a coach! 

- 70% winning rate at my home game

- 1 Final Table out of 11 tourneys (not great)

- Mixed results in Macau

Goals for 2017

- Continue to improve my game
- Travel for poker but stay away from Macau
- Improve my discipline
- Improve my memory and mental stamina
- Save up for a month-long trip to Vegas