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.
