APL Taipei Report

Last year I won a trophy at an APL event so it's only natural I follow their series too. This time it was held in Taipei. They had some challenges this time round but I would say overall the team is good and willing to listen to player feedback. I am sure they will continue to improve and grow to be a solid Asian circuit.

First event was the DSO main event. Key pot was near the end of day1 when I had TT in UTG I opened, sb called and bb jams. He was chip leader on the table and I had 30bb effective. I took a shot to become the new chip leader and almost guaranteeing an ITM. He flips over AK. Flop A river K. He ended up chip leading the final table until he snap called a 50bb+ jam pre with KK vs QQ but flop Q.

Two days later we would meet again this time in the KO bounty tournament. There I met this player who is super funny, great fun and a poker maniac. He would jam with 75, 53, 74, J3, K3...wait, he jams any two cards. But he would get so lucky and win. I am chip leader of the event until I opened AQ under the gun, he jams for 28bb on the button. Against him it is an easy call. He flips over T9 and flop KTx. We would meet again in the final table where he had like 70% of the chips. Going into the final 3 players, he jams into me when I was holding A8o. I had 20bb left and him and the other guy had 40+. I felt that it was a great spot to double up and take charge of the final 3. He flips over J7o and flop 7. He ended up winning the whole event. (PS: he bought in 5 times though)

5 bounties and 3rd place

I was doing well for the APL main event until I went from 80k to 0 in two hands on the last level of Day1. First hand I had TT on a T76 flop. The next hand I had 87dd on a Q93dd flop.

I had a losing trip this time but one highlight was my friend who came to visit me ended up shipping a side event for his first cash and win. I was behind him all the way when it was down to the last 6. He played really well and deserved the win. Very proud of him and happy for him.

Ubike Rental. Fun and easy way to cruise around Taipei

Another highlight that had nothing to do with poker was I found this bike rental system in Taipei called Ubike. You can get a value card to pay for transportation or at convenience stores. All you need to do is to register your phone number and card at one of the kiosks and you can rent the bike for TWD 5 every 30 minutes. (That's about 15 cents USD) You can ride it to the closest station to your destination and park your bike there and vice versa.

Poker Ethics

Recent events sparked me to write this article. There are rules in poker, but there are also unwritten rules too. Just because they are unwritten, some people choose to deliberately break them, while others gentlemanly follow them. There is no black/white right/wrong, but there are definitely good/bad definitions.

There was a recent cash game controversy at a Vietnamese game where a foreigner tabled King high but player with pocket tens misread it as a flush. After his tens hit the muck he realised his mistake and pulled his cards back. After some deliberation, floor ruled that his tens were still live and hence was the winning hand. The foreigner unable to communicate properly could not (any possibly did not) fend for himself. A Vietnamese actually later voiced out his disappointment on how the rules were broken to help a local buddy. For the sake of fairness and also the image of Vietnam, he felt that he needed to say something. Quoc Bao, you have my utmost respect. Sure the tens deserved to win the hand, but he also made a mistake. You can man up to your mistake, or you can ruin your reputation as well as the club and country's by being the dick here. Credit to the foreigner for letting it go as well.

Only a few days ago during a tournament, friend of mine was facing a river bet. He picked up his cards to throw them away, but the chip covering his cards crossed the line. The other player insisted it was a call while clearly his intention was to muck. Villain wanted to call the floor but hero paid for the call anyway even though he knew it was a losing call. Bobby you may have lost a few more chips but you have won my respect. If I were villain in this situation, I would not want to win like this.

During my recent trip to Korea, I played a few hands with China Pro Guo Dong. He is well known for going deep during WSOP Main Event 2015 and has over 1.3 million USD in cashes. There was one pot where he faced a river bet of 4500. He called off but lost the pot. The dealer mistakenly threw his 4500 call back to him. I didn't want to call him out and at that point, 4500 was a lot relative to his stack. No one said anything, and I don't think he knew I knew. It was definitely tempting to keep it but he gave the chips back to the winner. He earned my respect not just as a pro but as a person.

Some of the best players I know are true gentlemen, while others are big time a-holes. Slow rolling, angle shooting, celebrating early, celebrating a suck out, taunting others, deliberately missing antes, hit and run, etc. Sure it is your freedom, just like in life where you can be a dick and cut queues, be rude, inconsiderate, selfish, etc. Or you can live a life you can be proud of. It is not always about winning.

Don't get scammed in Vietnam

Vietnam is hosting tournament after tournament. After hearing many scam stories of people visiting Vietnam and being involved in a few myself, I thought I would write a post warning visitors and give you some tips of how to avoid getting into regrettable situations.

Ho Chi Minh, beautiful city

1) Taxis

As soon as you arrive at Ho Chi Minh Airport, avoid anyone offering taxi services. When you exit the doors, turn left and walk until the end until you see guys in Green or Dark Turquoise shirts. They work for the two most trusted taxi companies, Mailinh and Vinasun. You will find them everywhere so there is no lack of these cars. They run on meter as soon as the car moves, and will usually have a GPS map on a screen so you will know if he is giving you a “personal tour”. 

Another smart option is to get an app like Grab or GoViet to order your car or bike (if you are as adventurous as I am) for cheaper and also scam-free travel. However cars will usually require a bit of a wait, and GPS is dodgy in some places so you might have some problems waiting for your driver. Bikes are abundant and quick, reasonably safe as city traffic is usually slow.

TIP: If possible, get your payment ready (or thereabouts) before arriving. Do not show the driver your wallet and let them pick the notes for you. Some notes are very similar in colour but very different in value. 

The two most trusted Taxi brands in Vietnam

2) SIM cards

The airport sells SIM cards as soon as you arrive. Depending on what you need, SIMs go for 100k to 150k Vietnam Dong. If you pay more than that you probably got scammed.

TIP: Ask for your SIM card number, so you can use it to register for the Grab App or GoViet App if you haven’t already done so. 

3) Walking around

I have never felt unsafe to walk around Ho Chi Minh, even at night. But I have heard stories of snatch thefts and the likes. It pays to be street smart. If you are all bling and have a massive camera on your neck, you are basically wearing a “rob me” sign. I go everywhere in shorts and sandals. I am always bottom of the target list. But I am not fashion conscious, but I am never robbed either. 

There are many sights in the city and it’s understandable if you want to whip out your phone for some pictures. Be smart. Look around you when you are taking photos. Don’t stand next to the street when doing so. The usual modus operandi is to grab it from a bike and zoom off, hence the term “snatch theft”. If you have a fancy camera, always have it strapped to you. 

4) Going for a massage

I am so surprised that to this day, people still believe the lockers in massage parlours are secure. You think you’re holding the ONLY key? When you are getting your back rubbed, someone is going through your stuff and wallet. There are some legit massage places in town where it’s safe. But if you are not sure, it is best to have your valuables with you. If they insist then go to another place. 

TIP: I usually don’t carry a wallet unless I have to. I will put my big notes in one pocket, and small change in another. (there aren’t any coins in the Vietnamese currency) If you do carry a wallet, then place the wallet underneath your pillow as you are getting massaged. In case you only remembered this tip DURING your massage, check your wallet and valuables before you leave. You might see a wad of cash still in there. Always count it. There are stories of people switching out big notes with small ones, and even monopoly money. 

5) Road safety

Where you are from, there are rules that apply to protect you on the streets. In Vietnam, there are no rules. Traffic can come from the opposite direction, bikes zoom through red light like it means stopping are for pussies, sidewalks are just another bike lane, zebra crossings are just stains on the road. 

If you’re like me, if there’s a honking biker behind me on a sidewalk, I will stop, turn and stare. Why should I give way to someone doing something illegal? I once smacked one car when he zoomed past me while I was crossing a zebra crossing. All I got was a big “F You”. You are doing their country a favour by visiting it and spending your money there. I say we show them how things are done by civilized people around the world. 

6) Immigration 

For poker players, sometimes we do make a profit at the tournaments and carry cash back home. First of all do not carry Vietnamese Dong. Always change it back to USD or your home currency. There is a rule where each person is only allowed USD 5000 when exiting the country. Most other countries in the world allows USD 10000 per person. If you are traveling in a group, split your money amongst those you trust, of course. Otherwise check some in with your luggage IF your luggage can be secured and locked. Split the rest between shirts or roll into your socks.

I for one agree with rules and abiding with them. However USD 5000 is unreasonable in my opinion and these guys are not enforcing the rules, they are looking for bribes. I have heard stories of players voluntarily declare their winnings and still got scammed for a bribe. I would happily give my money to a Vietnamese orphanage or hospital than to give a cent to these greedy corrupt officers. 

I have been to Vietnam probably 20+ times, even lived there for a while. The food is great, the history sad but meaningful, some parts of the country is absolutely beautiful. Don’t get me wrong, I have made some good Vietnamese friends as well. Some of the people are hardworking, honest and humble human beings. But the general culture is a self-centered, self-serving, scam you at the first opportunity upbringing. When parents, teachers, role models are not obeying simple traffic rules, you only teach the next generation to seek self gain whatever the cost. But we are not talking about post Vietnam war, or post embargo Vietnam. We are talking about 2019 Vietnam that still has a village culture. 

I sincerely hope the younger generation, especially the poker players we interact with, after seeing cultures from all over the world, be able to make a change by setting a good example for future generations. I have met so many people that have a bad experience in Vietnam and will never return. Vietnamese are very proud of their country, especially when they do well in sports. But nevertheless many Vietnamese would not do their part to make their country great. They do not know that foreigners are judging their culture and behaviour. Winning football games is great, but it is better to win hearts. 

APPT Korea Interesting Hands

Before I went to APPT Korea, I assumed the field would be tougher than usual. Paradise City Incheon is out of the way next to the airport. Only those who hardcore poker players will take this trip. I forgot that there are some hardcore rich poker fish as well. ;P

Addicted to this : SPAM and rice

First dude I quite enjoyed stacking him. A few hands before, I had AJss on cutoff and opened. He called on the Button. Flop came KK9dhh we both checked. Turn was 9h I check he bet I called. River was a Q. I checked and he overbet the pot. I was thinking for a few seconds, his body language was really odd. He would move around in his seat and mumbling to himself, and end up calling the clock on me. I only spent like 2 minutes tanking and was honestly a bit pissed off. He was even counting down on his watch. After I mucked he even had a speech about how hard it was to fold a queen. 

A few orbits later I have 44 on UTG and I limped. He makes a standard open, bb calls and I call. Flop is A72dd. I was ready to fold to a cbet but surprisingly he checks. Turn is a 4. This time I lead and he calls, bb folds. River is the T of diamonds. I thought about betting for value but I don’t put him on an ace or any strong hands. River diamond is also a scare card, he might use it to bluff. So I checked. He jams for 2x the pot. This time his demeanour was completely different. He sat back at his seat, playing with his phone, completely quiet and still. I called pretty quickly and he shows KQhh. 

On another tournament, the first hand of the whole tournament, we all started with 300bbs. Blinds were 100/100 and UTG plonks out a 500 chip but did not verbalise anything. I assumed he wanted to raise and was probably a nervous newbie who didn’t know the rules. On mp I had KTo I flatted, sb and bb checked. Flop was TT6. BB donks for 100, he calls, I call, sb folds. Turn was a 5, still rainbow, both checked. I bet 600, BB folds, UTG check raises to 2400. At this point I am not sure what’s going on. I called anyway and river drops an 8. He insta shoves for 27400. That’s 5 times the pot! Can he have AT? 55? 66? Or overplay an overpair? 600bb pot on the first hand of the tournament. I called and he shows A3hh.

Nice double up right? Few orbits later, a new guy shows up. He often 3bets pre so this time I 4bet with AJo on the big blind. He calls. Flop comes 234. I cbet he raises, I jam and he snap calls! He turns over KQ with one spade. Only one spade on the flop. He runner runners a Q high flush. He went on to suck out on half the table to become the chip leader only to donk off all his chips within 1 level to bust out. 

I played with my fair share of fish but also pros too. This hand was in the Super High Rollers with a famous Chinese Pro. Blinds were 2500/5000 and he was on the small blind and calls. I looked down at AdKc I made it 15k and he calls. Flop comes T92dd. He checks I bet 15k he raises to 40k and change. He has about 75k behind and I cover him. I jam for all the marbles and he tanks for the longest time. Eventually he calls and flips over KdJh. Turn and river bricked out. 

Speaking of hands, I also witnessed a Japanese player left with 1000 on the big blind when blinds were 3000/6000 to comeback and make the money. Goes to show how a fighting spirit and patience can do for your game. And also luck. :D

GG next!

Interesting trip, good experience, something to show for, now heading to Taipei for the next one!

APPT Korea Report

Things were rough in Taipei and I set a profit goal that I thought was unreachable. I was happy to break even but thankfully I ended up exactly hitting my goal. The following day scrambled air tickets and hotel booking and headed to Incheon. 

Sakura season in Incheon

Incheon is about 1 hour away from Seoul, so if you are thinking of a poker/vacation destination you might be sorely disappointed. It is right next to the Incheon airport so it is pretty convenient. I recommend booking an Airbnb nearby. The hotels are pretty expensive and Airbnb’s are of good quality. Mine even had a massage chair. 

Plus EV getting a massage chair in the room

At first I wanted to stay away because I assumed the field would be tough. There is rarely any curious cats who wanted to try poker for a change. Those who go have poker in mind and I thought they would be tough. To my surprise, there were many that travelled for poker that didn’t really know what they were doing. Coming to think of it, that was me a few years ago. Haha. I will share some interesting hands on another post. 

First tournament was going well when my QQ couldn’t win a flip against AK for 50bb. The following day I played in the freeze out and was chip leader for a while until I made two untimely 4b jams that cost me my tournament. I fell 10 spots away from the money. 

At least there's nice fried chicken to soothe my bust outs

I almost never play satellites as I always feel it ends up being a shove fest. But there was one happening for the 10 million KRW Super High Roller so I thought I give it a shot. 4 seats were given and I ended up in the top 4. Pretty happy with that because the ticket is worth about USD9k. Immediately had to jump into the tournament (that Michael Soyza end up shipping) but did not catch any momentum and ended up shoving my A9 into Sparrow Cheung’s AA (who end up winning the main event) 

PS: how could I forget this, sat next to John Juanda in the SHR and Randy Lew in the shortdeck. Pretty cool. 

Finally got a cash in the series but fizzled out when my A8 lost to 55 on a A59 flop. Was chip leading the short deck tournament but also could catch the right cards when I jammed 2x pot on a flop of J87 with AJ and was called off by JQ. Turn and river were both Q. 

Most players wouldn’t admit losing money and some envy my lifestyle. But reality is, the variance, costs and opportunity costs are high. I lost money this trip, but I did get a 9k SHR ticket. If you count that as value, then I made a modest profit. To me what does not add to the bank account doesn’t count. But at the end I think the trip was worth it. A modest cash is still at least something to show for, and like levelling up a video game character, I think I definitely gained some experience points. 

Kimchi Stew. But don't be misled, food choices nearby are scarce. 

After about one whole month of non-stop poker, I am taking a 5-day break before the next series. Hopefully I will have some good news to share then. 

12 days in Taipei (Part 3)

I had 3 big name pros on my immediate left, and a couple of high performing regs on my right. If I were to guess, the whole table probably had 40 trophies between them. I look down at ATdd with 12bb left, still 4 from ITM and I am playing with no fear, I pushed, only to be snap rejam by buddy world class pro on my left (insider joke) who woke up with JJ. Flop brick, turn brick, river A. Sorry mate! :p

Soon after I get AQs on the button. Utg chip leader leads, I just flat, buddy world class pro jams his remaining stack, utg just limp (I think it was his mistake), I 4b and made him fold. A7dd vs AQss. He said I should let him win this one and I actually felt bad and meant it when I said I hope he would win this hand. But alas for him, AQ held.

Soon after shortest stack jammed with QTss, I wake up with AAsh, and flop was KJxss. I am like, here we go again! Turn 6s river 5s. Finally I am running good at the right time! Flopped set twice, second time I lost to a higher set but somehow I could have gotten away I feel. The bubble took a while to burst but finally we were down to 5. I opened UTG with A3hh and button jams 6bbs. 4bbs to call, I knew I wasn't in good shape. I eventually called vs AJ but spiked a 3 to knockout another multiple trophy winner. Sorry bro!

Two days before this event, I remembered clearly I had a dream where I won a big pot with 77 and shipped a tournament. When I woke up I could still remember it clearly. But I didn't tell anyone because it felt silly and I just thought it was a dream. I just won a decent pot and with 4.1million chips in play, I had 1.2million. Under the gun I had 77! The blinds were pretty high and two stacks with about 11bb each. 4 handed I just open jammed. Biggest stack covered me by a little snap calls. I was like, oh, this doesn't feel like the dream. He flips over AK. I spike a 7 on the turn and doubled up to 2.5m.

Thanks to the nice dealer who helped me stack this up. I also won a pass to the December event.

With the blinds rising fast, and the tournament quickly becoming a shove fest, we proposed a 4-way chop and with 100k left for the eventual winner. I had about half the chips and was guaranteed a better than 2nd place money so I took it. Soon I knocked out one, and then another (in a very lucky fashion) I jammed A4cc into A8ss. Flop was 862 one spade. Turn 5s. River 3c. 6 outs to knock him out. Granted even if I had lost I still had a monster stack and he would double to 8bb. During heads up I had 3.7 million vs 400k in chips. First hand he had to commit 200k blind. I looked down at A9o and he called with KJdd. Blank all the way until ace on the river.

Who wants to buy Taiwan dollars?

When all the dust settled, I counted my winnings and buy ins and make a decent profit. I remembered the profit goal I set and it exceeded it slightly! So I changed my flights and am now on the way to the next tournament in Korea! Let's pray the run good continues and the dream lives on!

12 days in Taipei (part 2)

It was great to see some familiar faces again. It felt like hanging with the boys, good old times. HKPPA did a great job to attract a good number of players, and at the same time had a very Hong Kong twist to the whole series. The support from Hong Kong and Taiwanese players was strong and it was a fun series.

Again one by one I bricked each tournament KK lost to QJ, AA lost to A6 and also some mistakes here and there too. Can't always blame luck haha. It was painful when I fell 3 spots away from the Main event ITM when I jammed AK into AA.

Best braised pork I have ever had. Eat with caution

Maybe tournament poker is not for me, I know there is a much smaller percentage of players that make a profit from grinding tourneys compared to cash games. I can grind out a good income from cash tables but tourneys for me is more exciting and feels less like a job. It has always been a dream of mine to rub shoulders with the best in the world and come out on top. But I have to be honest to myself. I can't be proud of myself if I am not making money.

Final event (of my own schedule) was the 50k Central Cup. On the morning of the event I told a bunch of my friends that this is the one. Bust and I quit tournament poker at least for a while and focus on the less glamorous cash game. Get a middling cash and I feel good about myself that I am not that fish, but still not good enough to play professionally. Win and we'll think about it.

The field was expectedly on the small side because the buy in is comparatively high for Taiwanese events. I think Central Cup is another word for High Rollers because if you know Hong Kong, Central is one of the most expensive areas of town, if not the most. And because of that, the concentration of pros is usually high. In a table of 9, you will see at least 6-7 pros. You can't hide behind the many tables of a big MTT, or capitalize on the big field to sneak into the money. Only the top 6 get paid and I can name at least 10 guys that are way better than I am.

Great venue, nice a cozy

First bullet was abysmal. UTG jammed 10bb with 67, I rejam with AT. Flop T54, river 3. UTG opened to 2x, 4 callers. I jammed 18bb on the sb with 55, called off by mp with A4, flop A. I was like, okay that's it. See you all. But I felt that I wasn't done. I can't go out like this. So I went for my final bullet.

By now most of it seemed like a dream to me. I don't remember most of the details because I am still fatigued from the grind. But I remember I was on a table full of pros, with over USD 6 million in cashes between them. Somehow I managed to squeeze into the final 10 players with the shortest stack.

to be continued....

12 Days in Taipei (Part 1)

I wasn't planning on returning to Taipei so soon but after getting 3 cashes at the WPT, I thought I continue playing more tournaments. I thought it was a pretty impulsive move but later you will see something even crazier. :)

The first event was the J88 poker series. J88 is a Korean based online poker platform and they have been running live events over Asia. It was followed by the HKPPA (Hong Kong Poker Players' Association) series where a lot of my friends will be playing in. This added to the pull to make the trip.

For just a few days I was representing Singapore

JJ ran into AA, QQ ran into KK, busted the shortdeck event 3 away from ITM, AA chopped with AK, AQ chopped with QK on a QQJ flop all in, blah blah blah..... the usual. The main event drew a big crowd of over 400 runners which made it very attractive to play in. I fired an unprecedented 5 bullets with the last one getting me into day 2 but falling short of the money. I witnessed many players who played seemingly bad but do much better than I did and again I start to question the skill factor of the game.

Finally on the final event of the J88 series I caught my run good. A5 spiking an A on the river vs KQ on a K high flop (all in preflop), QJ beating JJ on the river, K8 jam on the stone bubble to double up against 77 on the big blind. I managed a small cash in the deepstack event. Feels more like a defeat because I was the overall chip leader during the start of Day 2. But I will take the "consolation prize".

Taiwan comfort food. Pretty comforting after a disappointing tournament.

Overall J88 organized a solid series. The turnout was impressive and the whole J88 team was courteous and welcoming. It felt really homey and fun. A few of the J88 bosses shook my hand and said encouraging words to me throughout the whole series. I think maybe they mistook me for someone else, or someone told them I am a big fish. :)

By now I am stuck a big sum of money and the future of my tournament career is looking bleak. But since I have already booked my trip, I continued on to play the HKPPA series as planned. I tallied up my losses so far and it seemed a daunting task to recover it. But I set myself a goal to recover the losses and come up with a respectable profit. Was praying for mercy and a chance to redeem myself.

to be continued...