31 days, 6 cities, 21 sessions, January Report

I started the year playing in Phnom Penh, ended the month in Prague, in between was playing poker in Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau and Vienna. It has been an interesting January for sure.

I played in my first tournament of the year, made ITM but not a deep run but still nice to cash. Had 21 cash game sessions where I won 67% of them and made an ROI of 27%, played in 5 different currencies including USD, NTD, HKD, EUR and CZK. I'll be making another poker stop in Bratislava, Slovakia next week making it the 19th country I've played poker in. In the next few weeks hopefully I'll have the time to post some videos on my YouTube channels about these locations.

Hong Kong was an interesting experience which I will write on a separate article, but I went when the coronavirus was not a big issue yet. The hotels were cheap and no queues at most places even without the epidemic scare, but poker is very much alive there.

Little did I know the risks I took by being there

Macau was another surprising trip. I made a mistake thinking my flight back from Hong Kong was 4pm but it turned out to be 14:00 and I missed it. So last minute option was to take the bus to Macau. Turned out to be a great trip. Met up with a couple of old friends and had great conversations, and also won on the cash games as well. The last time I played there was 2 years ago and I remembered it being very reggy and tight. This visit totally changed my views about it but with the threat of coronavirus I have put off making a return trip just yet. I was in the crowds struggling to make it up to the ruins of St Paul's church not knowing that it was such a high germ risk. Thankfully more than 14 days after that trip I do not have any signs of the disease.

Vienna is a beautiful city which I will feature on its own article, but also a video. I will post both when they are ready. Poker was fun there as well but not much of game selection to be honest. But it was cool to visit the city during the day and still can unwind and grind at night.

0 degrees Celcius in Vienna

Now I am in Prague as I am writing this, and there was a juicy 200/400 game yesterday which lasted more than 24 hours and escalated to a 500/1000 which I was ready to join after a nap but it broke before I got there. But if Vienna was beautiful, Prague is super Pretty!

First reaction was WOW

Overall it was a decent month although I did have a bad run online. Could have been a better start to the year but can't complain. Please stay tuned for more detailed reviews of my trips.

New Year Resolutions

Poker has given me the opportunity to see the world, make new friends, expand my horizons, have new experiences. 2019 was indeed an interesting year. Each year I have given myself resolutions and I am proud that I did all of them last year. Hopefully I am not just growing old year by year, I am growing up.

I've learned from first hand experience how important game selection is. Unfortunately it seems the games here now are drying up. So 2020 might be a challenging year for finding good games. It was nice to be able to settle down a bit, finally could tell people a place I was based in. But it looks like we might be back to the nomadic lifestyle.

1) Seek alternative source of income
This year I hope to reduce my reliance on poker winnings and have some other income as supplement. Where this income is going to come from, I don't know yet. But I am working on a few projects.

Standing tall for 2020

2) Remain degen-free for 2020
There were a few times I was tempted in 2019. Someone shared a fixed UFC match and indeed the tip was true. A few times after a rough grind, the blackjack table called out to me when I walked pass. But I know it will pull me into a bad spiral if I do so.

3) Be profitable in tournaments
I foresee myself playing fewer tournaments this year. However thanks to a couple of decent scores, I manage a small profit for tournaments in 2019. But once you include travel costs, and opportunity costs (time away from cash games), then it was not a good investment. This year I hope to play once in a while but manage a profit from my time.

Building something strong for 2020

4) To be healthier and lose weight
After committing to two soccer games a week, I can feel myself getting fitter. Still have some weight to lose but my stamina is better. I am eating healthier too but the occasional trip to Manila does not help.

5) Give to those less fortunate and inspire others to do so
Money is important, and sometimes hard to come by. But the value of money differs from one to another. Everyday I come across the whole spectrum. From the aunty to sleeps on the sidewalk near the casino to the guy who spends USD 1200 for a few grams of coke. I pledge to continue to give on my profiting months.

I am going to start 2020 with a bang. January is going to be an interesting month for me, stay tuned and I will be sharing what I will do. Hopefully it's the beginning of a great year. Please follow me on instagram and join me on Natural8 if you want to support my causes!