What happened in August 2020

My monthly post mortems somehow get the lowest readership, so I am changing the title. In August the 777 poker club moved into a new bigger room and things didn't go well for me. Early in the first week I was already stuck $5000 for the month. But after 178 hours of grinding I managed to end the month with a small profit. I also got my first WSOP cash finishing 99/1200+ on a $800 PLO tournament. 

Playing games while waiting for the next seat to open up

The games at 777 have been great lately, and some days like yesterday we have a full table (of 10 players) and a waitlist of 4. So on these kind of days I have been able to bring my laptop and have some me time. Otherwise I would entertain some guests by playing OFC with them. Overall I think I am up on OFC. Just the other day I was up 200+ points, was in fantasyland with Royal flush on the bottom, full house on the middle and trip tens on the flop. (for those who don't play OFC, it is a freaking monster hand) But I wanted to go home so I told the guys let's just pretend the game never happened. 

Phnom Penh has some amazing restaurants

This month however I haven't been able to sneak out for nice dinners, so I compensated that with some nice lunches. Lobster and oysters at Ostra, Dim Sum buffet at Golden Chimes and afternoon tea at Khema. Yes I only went out to lunch 3 times this month not including two lunch meetings. Time is such a luxury for me right now. And I wish I had someone who can take over things from me so I can go on holiday or even have a day off. After 163 days straight of working I finally fell sick one day. I still went to work sick but at least I had more rest than usual that day.

One of the better days this past month

I am not living the healthy lifestyle I wanted. No time for exercise, sleeping late, not sleeping well because of all the stresses in life. But I'm not complaining. Life can be much worse and I am thankful. I have the most amazing partner anyone can wish for, a good job, and some money saved up. I am thankful and happy. 

Who is the China Boss?

If you've been playing at 777 poker club or have been following our group posts, you'll often hear the name China Boss come up. Every time his name pops up, the table fills up, and there's a queue waiting to play with him. Since 777's opening in March, he's probably lost close to 100k already when playing no higher than 2/5. So who is the CHINA BOSS?

Those who've followed my blog would have heard of him in 2019 when I was playing in the Chinese private game. My first encounter with him was in June 2019 when I stumbled into the Chinese private game that was running 5/10 Holdem. He was fishy as hell and me and my friend had a limited bankroll suddenly find ourselves in a juicy but deep stacked game. He was playing crazy hands with no range whatsoever and he limps on the button. I have Q9 suited on the big blind I check. It was 6 or 7 way. Flop comes Q92 with flush draw. Long story short, we both went all in and he had QQ. A few sessions later on an A98 flop he had A9 and I had A8. But I never seen him win, and most days he would lose $10k and leave the game. But somehow he runs good against me. 

Dropping one of these each session

Fast forward two months, we are now playing 10/20 and this was an unforgettable night for me. My usual buy in in this game is $2k and I went all in pre flop with him 4 times, and I lost all 4 times. AT vs K4, AQ vs 79, AJ vs 54, every single time I was ahead preflop and I lost every time. Losing $8000 in a day is not fun, considering at the time that was almost my monthly target profit. I went home pretty dejected. But that was not the end of the story. I went back to the game intending to play only another $2k and I won it all back plus a $3k profit for the day including a $11k pot with him at the end of the night. 

When initially considering the location of 777, his place is an obvious choice cause if my mind, if he comes to play at the game often, and play like he used to, players would beg to be allowed to play. But to my surprise he did not play as often as I thought, but still often enough to always create a buzz and lots of excitement when he does. 

One of the happy winners

You would often see him yell and scream on the table, and that's also because most of the time he comes to the game drunk. He can be demanding and rude, but I feel deep down he just wants to be respected and loved. He often makes himself to be the all powerful, all mighty guy who runs a little hotel, but he can be very soft and generous with his people when he chooses to be. He wants things his way because it makes him feel important. 

In the last two visits to 777, he lost $10k and $14k respectively. The last hand he played, he called $2200 bet on the flop, and shoved another $2000 on the turn yelling for a 9 or a 5 but already drawing dead on the flop. If you haven't played against him you should at least watch. Join one of our broadcast groups to see announcements of his next appearance!

Charity work for August

It has been a frustrating month with results going up and down, and having to deal with some difficult situations, but still extremely thankful for opportunity we are in. The new club is great, it feels like a proper poker club, a very exclusive high end feeling to it. 

I pledged to write more blog posts but also pledged to give more to those in need so why not combine the two. This month there were two causes that moved me to give. I have mentioned in my previous posts before that one of my friends often gives to the animal shelter. He says human beings should have the ability to take care of themselves, but helpless animals can't. They deserve our care and attention. I agreed with him and together with his help, we donated about 320kg of food to the shelter. I wanted to visit myself but am too busy at the moment. But definitely will make it there one of these days. My friend was kind enough to go source for the food and delivery it personally. They have a website too, but we thought that buying and delivering food is the more effective way of giving. This way we ensure all the funds benefit the animals directly. But if you are interested to help you can check out the Animal Rescue Cambodia website. 

Food "Panda" for the animals (my friend Ras on the left and I'm not in the pic)

Another cause that came to my attention was the food situation in Beirut, Lebanon. After the devastating blast, a lot of food storages were destroyed. Being in the desert, Beirut has to rely on imported foods through their ports that are now inoperable. So the United Nations' World Food Programme has been sending in food deliveries to feed the local people. They need more help to be able to supply all the people affected. If you are interested to help please also donate. You can join their monthly donation or donate a one-off amount. 

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My two recent charities both involve food. Everyday we have the feeling of being hungry, but we are never in hunger. The next time you are feeling hungry, think of the people and animals that are suffering and might not have a meal waiting for them. Also I hate wastage. I despise the people who waste food. Do not be like them. It may sound cliche but really, think of the starving people in Africa, or maybe even just outside your street. Have compassion, don't waste, give generously. Feeding someone is more satisfying than feeding yourself. 

31 days, 159 hours, July Report

After 5 months working and grinding at 777 Poker Club, finally I am in back the black at the club! In May I had a $12k losing month but after adjusting my play and ranges, thankfully I have managed to turn that around in June and July. I can't believe I have played over 1000 hours in 5 months. That's crazy.

Downswing took two months to recover

I am really thankful this month I got some help at the club which allowed me to have more free time, sometimes even sneak out for dinner or a stroll, which has really helped me mentally and emotionally to have some kind of life outside of poker. When you work in a poker room and play lesser hours it either means you're doing well, or you're in big trouble. Thankfully, the room is pumping and players are really enjoying themselves. We have also moved into a new room and it is great there. Much bigger space and more fun and relaxing for our players.

Snuck out for a nice dinner

This month I offered to help people who are in need. There were some who reached out that I felt were deserving of help, but unfortunately I can't save the world and help everyone. With the dramas at work sometimes I would question myself why am I doing this. Everyday I am betting on questionable characters to do the right thing. What if they don't? Then I am going to get hurt. But there was one highlight where we ordered pizzas and ended the game with lots of leftovers. After the game me and my partner drove around the streets of Phnom Penh at 2am handing out pizzas to trash collectors and cyclo riders. That was a heart warming moment.

Handing out food at 2am in the morning

This month was also tough because I heard of people spreading lies about me, rumours behind my back, and some misunderstanding over certain things. Some people have been really unreasonable and downright evil sometimes and maybe I am too honest and nice for this business, but I truly try and do my best to make everyone happy. Unfortunately it is just an impossible ask. All I can do is do my best and hope for the best. The people who have gotten close to me knows what kind of person I am and how I operate. And over time I hope to influence them to be better versions of themselves as they inspire me to do the same.