USOP Danang Report and beyond

I wasn't planning on attending but went last minute. My now regular cash game took a break and so we all went together. Thanks for organizing the trip and putting us up in this sick villa. First event right off the bat I played in the High Roller bounty event. It was a roller coaster ride but I collected two bounties and my first ITM of the series. I played my last two hands pretty badly to be honest and could have had at least a couple more payjumps had I played better.

View from my balcony

The next couple of days I bricked everything. One key turning point for me was the heads up challenge. I signed up at the last minute and went in pretty confidently. I felt I played perfectly in that session. I crushed the other guy. Hero calling right, bluffing right, maximizing value, winning 80% of the pots. But there were 3 coolers that became big pots that I lost. Top two pair vs his turned straight which I lost the minimum, QQ vs KK all in pre (doubled him up and I still had 70k left) and then when blinds kept increasing, jamming A5 in to AQ. Psychologically this loss had a big impact on me. I felt that I played almost every hand right and I still lost because of coolers. That night I played in the PLO tournament and got further wrecked. Full wrap with nut flush draw AQJTdddc on T67Kddcc all in vs two other players, river bricked. Fun player blind pot pre, I flopped a flush on T65 flop, we both went all in, he wakes up with TT and pairs the board. These are just two of the "highlights" of my bad spots. 

Why must the coolers favor him?

Thankfully each night I had a nice villa to return to and dinner with my partner always made me feel better. But somehow I felt I have lost something in tournament poker. Maybe I have been spoiled by cash games or am just tired of the tournament grind. The following day I bounced back slightly with a bounty and a small ITM in the PLO5. 

Good food makes me happy

The main event turnout was amazing so I couldn't just fire one bullet. First one KK < 66. Second JT vs QJ on T98 flop. Third 88 < AA. I didn't stay until the end of the series and am itching to get back to cash games. I've learned to appreciate the things in life, enjoy every moment (preferably with loved ones). I do enjoy the prestige that comes with tournament success, but honestly how many actually profit enough from it to call it a career? In 2023 I have cashed about USD 80k from tournaments, which is not shabby at all. But after deducting all expenses including travel costs, I only have a small profit to show for it. I won more than that from one session of cash game. 

Future is bright and sunny

Don't worry, I will be back for Poker Dream Genting 2024, but for now it's back to cash game grinds as I feel the EV is with cash games. I will still dabble with tournament poker now and again but you'll probably see me less in 2024. 2023 has definitely been the most interesting year of my life. Memories that I will keep for life. Will share with you guys my journey later next month.

I was arrested for playing poker, AGAIN

Recently I have been playing quite often in our capital city (where I do not live in) and have been exploring poker rooms to widen my network and meet new people. However that means I am opened to risks as not every poker room is as secure as the other. It was my night off but I was invited to an intriguing USD 10/25 game and so I obliged. As soon as I reached there heavy rain poured down so I couldn't cross the road to get there. Maybe the rain was a warning sign that I did not see. However the car ride took 30+ minutes I wasn't about to turn back because of some rain. (mistake #1)

I wasn't busted at this game, but I heard they were raided too

Finally the game started 5 handed, but I ran good and doubled up quickly. But after some unfortunate hands I was actually stuck a few hundred. So about 2.5 hours in I announced my last 2 orbits. On my last orbit I won a significant pot from another player and being the steady, sporting player I was, I offered to extend another orbit (mistake #2). Guy next to me jokingly said I shouldn't play until UTG as usually the last hand is a sick cooler. I should stop at UTG1. I didn't listen to him (mistake #3) Finally I got up and cash out a pretty decent profit of $1750. The host offered to book a car for me which is worth $5, and the Chinese blood in me loved free things. The car was 10 minutes away so I hung around the game for another 5 minutes before leaving (mistake #4) When I left the premises, before I reached the elevators, I saw them, a bunch of 6/7 police officers in plain clothes, carrying a sledgehammer and lock cutter. They stopped me and escorted me back to the room assuming I came from there. I told them I wasn't and I didn't know any of them. Helper #1 followed my story and said he didn't know me. Helper #2 panicked and said he knew me. Gg.com (mistake #5)

Not the kind of bonding I was looking for

The way we were treated, yelled at, dragged around in handcuffs and chained together, locked in cages and trucks, served shitty packs of food scraps, barely enough water to keep us hydrated, 24 hour lighted cells, hard wood and cement floors to sleep on, a dirty toilet no one dared to use... all this for playing poker?!? We felt like we had committed some serious crime. In some other countries our profession is actually admired and respected. In this country, we are savages, animals, below human. I used to love to visit zoos. After this experience I feel bad for the caged animals. Maybe zoos are bad after all. 

Hard way to earn an easy living

Time passing when locked up and unsure about your fate is a terrible feeling. It is always nice to have hope, but the feeling when your hopes are dashed hurts even more than the joy it brought. Luckily I had a good friend with me and made new ones as well. The whole ordeal until I was finally free took probably 44 hours, but guess what I did right after I got out? I went to play poker of course. This is a game that I love, a career that has afforded me a wonderful lifestyle, lots of time for my loved ones, I am not going to let some stupid archaic rules ruin that for me. Of course I am going to be more selective on where I play, because honestly at my age, I am too old for this sh*t. Btw, throwback to my first experience in 2015 here.