30 days, 25 sessions, September Report

September has been my laziest month. In the last week of the month I only played 3 sessions but had a hot start to the month. Unfortunately had a bad end with me losing the last 3 sessions straight. But still I had my best month so far, more than doubling my monthly target so I guess I deserved a little break. I played 25 sessions, won 16 lost 9.

Played 2 sessions of PLO (lost both) and one session of OFC where I crushed for 500+ points

Previously I gave you guys a sneak preview, telling you I lost a lot in my worst session of the month. It was not the biggest loss of my career but this time I had 100% of my action so it hurt the most. I would get it in good but get sucked out, or miss monster draws. To give you some perspective, I lost almost my entire month's target in one sitting. The amount was equivalent to 8 months salary of my last job in Malaysia. I was visibly down and left pretty dejected. I went back to my room, watched a movie, had dinner and tried to be positive. Remember a few weeks ago I helped a guy move houses? Despite knowing him for just a few weeks, I volunteered my help when no one else he knew did. But I just did it out of kindness and never expected anything back. Anyway he was at the game and he saw how down I was. I could feel his eyes on me and feeling my pain when I lost every big pot. Later that night he sent me a message, "the whale is back". I wasn't sure if I wanted to play the whale again. If I lost it would put me in a hole, so I thought I'll just play a computer game. But the game wouldn't load, and I tried like 5 times, restarting my computer and still it wouldn't load. So I went back to the poker game.

Sorry it's a long story LOL. First hand I sat down, I had AK. Before I even got my chips, it was all in and against the friend who messaged me back. He had Queens but I spiked an Ace of the flop. I felt bad but he was really cool about it. After the double I had KK vs JJ against the whale. And the last big pot of the night I won with 34o.

At that point there was a lot of limping because the two main whales would give so much value post flop. 6 limpers and I am on the SB with 34o so I complete. BB was a reg friend often would check back but decided to make it 6x. All 6 players called giving me super good odds so I called. Flop was A83 rainbow. To my surprise but worry, it was checked around. Turn another 3. I decided to play it cautiously because BB is very capable of checking AA top set there. I checked, BB checks again and whale decides to bet almost the pot. Everyone else folded so I called. BB decides to call too! I did not like that call but nothing I can do about it. River was a 4. I checked because I wanted to see what BB would do, and let the whale hang himself. BB checks and the whale bets overpot putting me effectively all in. I called and to my relief BB folds. Not only did I win back what I lost earlier that day, I ended the day with a healthy profit. Hence the biggest winning session of my career. I was so thankful and humbled afterwards.

A week later I had another decent session. The next morning when I woke up I saw the news of a Cambodian teacher fighting for her life needing life saving surgery. I immediately contacted the person and sent my donation. I later found out not only the money meant a lot, it also gave the fund raisers, family and friends hope and strength. At this point in time they are still fund raising but I hope I will have good news to report on her situation. I know some of you might think, what if it is a scam? It's dumb to just give money away. Of course I did my due diligence but even if it were a scam, my pure intention was to help, and I am sure I would still be blessed for my actions.

Ate lots of sushi this month

After a few weeks of football, long walks by the river, even a couple of gym sessions and hitting the pool, no supper, less fatty foods, I have lost some weight and continue to drop in size. But still not completely there yet. Give me a few more months and I should be back in tip top shape.

Poker vs Football (Soccer)

As you know, I have committed to losing weight and being more healthy, so I have recently joined two weekly football games to do just that. I have not played regularly since 2005 and even when I did, I was not a good player. In the weekly games I play now, there are some European and American players that are very good. Now I know how it feels to be a football fish. I constantly make mistakes, don't really know what I am doing and even when I make a good pass or nice shot, it is because of luck.

One of my earliest posts was about poker as a sport. It is one of my proudest posts so click the link to read it. Like football, skills are very important. You may have watched the game hundreds of times on TV or YouTube but it doesn't mean you can play it. The concept seems simple but it is harder than it looks. Passing is a basic skill that every player needs, but varying levels means the accuracy, precision, power, and types of passes differ from player to player. Just as in poker, betting is a basic skill. But when to bet, when not to bet, and how much, using which color chips, in which position, Hollywood or speech before the bet, etc will determine which level you are playing at.

One of the weekly games I go to

I am also feeling the pinch when it comes to stamina. At my age, it is excusable if I am not in tip top shape, but I also don't want to be huffing and puffing just after a little jog. No matter how skillful you are, if you can't keep up with the pace, or last the entire match, you will be crushed. Often you'll find late night poker is better than other games because many players are tired. It is less obvious when you run out of stamina on a poker table vs a football field. Some players push on without knowing that they are not playing optimally, their thought process is sluggish and they are prone to more mistakes and tilt easier. I guess like football, the more you play the more stamina you build, but you also have to take care of your body, be very aware of your mental state at all times and know your limits.

When we were young, no one wanted to be the goalkeeper. But at my age now, I gladly take that position to catch my breath. But I find that speed and reaction times are very important as a goalkeeper. Sometimes I see the shot coming, but my hands and feet don't react quickly enough to stop it. This is also the same for poker players. Sometimes you are only allowed a short time to make decisions. I for one do not like taking too long to make a move, I like to balance my bluffs and values by taking the same amount of time. In some spots, what to do is pretty clear, but in others, it may require a bit more thought. There are "hacks" on how to make your decision quicker, and maybe I will write another post on that.

As part of taking care of myself, a healthy diet makes a difference

I find that my football skills are lacking, but I am too embarrassed to ask for coaching. Right now I can only improve by playing, and only touching the ball maybe 20 times per night does not help me improve very quickly. Even if I were to get coaching, I can't be practicing every hour every day. But with poker, you can. Even when you are not in the hand, if you pay attention to other players and how they play, you can learn a lot. Of course your skills will improve vastly if you get a coach, but you can also do self study at your own pace. One major difference between football and poker is your football skills will decline with age no matter what you do, but with poker it can continue to grow in spite of age.

In the last two football games, I had some minor injuries. First I used my hand to block an incoming shot as it was heading straight for my face. However the shot was so strong, it struck my arm so hard forcing it onto my jaw cracking my lip and also created an involuntary bite mark on my hand. This week I blocked a shot with my lower leg and now my ankle hurts when I walk. In poker, you might not think there is chance of injury, but I see injury as bankroll management. In some games you might lose a small chunk of your bankroll. So it hurts but you can easily recover. But if you lose discipline or take shots you shouldn't, you can lose a big portion of your bankroll or even go bust. Like any injury, it takes time to heal. So if you had a bad run in poker, do not expect it to turn around over night. If you lost 1000bb, you can't expect to win it all back in one sitting. Some people do, and try to force too much action and end up digging themselves into a bigger hole.

There is so much to learn about poker from my football games. It reminds me about my game and how I should continue to improve. I know the players laugh at me, and they would pick me last for their team. I am okay with that. I would probably laugh at them on a poker table too. I can't be good at everything right? Right now I am super grateful that I do not play football for a living. Because if I do, I would be broke.

Living and grinding in Cambodia

September has been a good month for me so far. I had my worst personal losing session in my life, but immediately the next session thankfully I bounced back with my biggest win ever. But I'll leave that for my monthly postmortem as we still have 2 weeks of the month to go.

Many people asked me about living in Cambodia. If you told me that one day I would be playing poker professionally in Cambodia I would never have believed it. Cambodia does not come across as a poker destination and if you haven't been here before, you might have a negative image of the place. But in just a short few months, I have adapted well to life here and have accepted it as my  home for now.

Just a photo I took while on an evening walk

Cost of living in Cambodia is higher than I first imagined, but I guess due to the influx of mainland Chinese business people, it has raised the living standard of Phnom Penh but also the costs as well. If you don't mind the traffic, a decent studio would cost about USD 600 (including utilities) but if you stay close to the casino area, expect to pay about USD 1000 a month. If you think about how most locals live, and how much they earn (average salary about USD 250), it is super expensive. Just take the average salary of your city and times that by 4 and you'll get the idea.

Food is also quite expensive. But if you're like me and like to cook, it can be somewhat lowered. Eating out costs about USD 5-10 per meal but if you cook at home then it is maybe USD 3-5 per meal depending on your ingredients of course. If you followed my recent posts, I am trying to lose weight so it has been mostly a low-fat, high fiber diet for me. I play futsal twice a week now and try to squeeze in some evening strolls by the riverside. Also I have completely stopped having supper at games. No more late night munchies and surprisingly I can fight off the urge. 

Carrots the size of baby arms

I don't drink, I don't club, I don't party, I don't smoke, so don't ask me about night life in Phnom Penh. Anyways I am usually playing poker at night, if not I am pretty content with YouTube, or movies in bed or playing computer games. If you're a night owl then you might find it disappointing. Plus I save a lot of money by not partaking. I would imagine it is pretty expensive here other than the local beers.

It's really hard to describe Phnom Penh as it is somewhat a melting pot of cultures. Some buildings have obvious French influences and if you squint it does feel like you're in Europe. Then there are Chinese enclaves that feels like old Guang Dong. Yesterday I took a stroll to the Korean embassy and that block felt like a block out of Myeongdong. If you go to a bit further, it has a typical Southeast Asian feel to it, like street food stalls and markets. So depending on where you live and spend most of your time, you will have a different feel of the city.

Would I stay here for the rest of my life? I would say no. But right now it serves a purpose. Hopefully I can build a good bankroll to either play bigger stakes somewhere else, or invest it into other things. Right now I don't know what the next step is yet, but I am just plugging away, trying to enjoy every day of my life as it comes.