APT Taipei, Dream Room Opening report

Recently things have been really hectic for me. Our poker federation has been flying at supersonic speeds not just with member growth, events and content but now we are reaching and gaining recognition internationally. This trip we have secured the support of CTP (Taiwan), HKPPA (Hong Kong) and GPI Asia. I will have even better news end of this month. In the coming weeks I am also traveling to multiple cities to join meetings and conduct classes. 

But since 2015 I have committed to keep this blog alive with at least one post a month so I want to write about my most recent trip, to Taipei. I love Taipei, and it is rare for me to miss a major event there. Plus with meetings lined up I couldn't choose anywhere else. The costs are reasonably low, food is great, direct flights, soft fields, it is an easy decision for me. In fact I am returning there within a month since I left, and most likely will go again before the end of the year! Like any of my trips, before I go I would pray for 3 things. Safe trip, happy trip and a profitable trip. I know I have not been specific enough previously so I made sure to ask for at least a 5-6 figure profit. 

Nice moment with this guy right after his win

First two events I felt I played flawlessly. In one of them I played hyper disciplined coming back from 5bb to a 55bb stack only to run KK into AA. The other I had JJ vs QQ on a QJ board. I came to rail my friend MrEnox just in time to see him win the mystery bounty for about $USD60k. Not bad when I had 5% action on that. Then I continued to maintain a 100% OTM (out of the money) record for the rest of the series whilst he was 100% ITM. Shoutout to BlueIce for beating the Pros as well. I like to think that I played a big part in these two Isaacs' careers. I was the one who encouraged Enox to play full time, and BlueIce would not have gotten the votes he needed without MPF! At this point I was stuck roughly 192k. 

Best ROI horse

On the last night before our flight home, instead of firing another bullet for a trip saver, I resigned to cutting my losses and spent my time preparing a special invitation for MPF. I finished the invitation and sent it to my high profile bosses and friends. The next morning as I was getting up to go to the airport, one of my bosses replied that Paul Phua is coming to Taipei. My first reaction was, ah too bad I am leaving today. As I continued to get ready to pack up, it suddenly dawned on me, why don't I extend my trip? So in a matter of 15 minutes we burned our return flights, decided to stay another 4 days.

The following day APT was still running, so I took another stab at the Closer event. Two bullets later I am now stuck 212k! Not sure if extending the trip was the best decision, the following night I went to visit the Dream Room, which coincidentally was in the same building as my Airbnb. I was touching distance away from Paul Phua, who's my poker inspiration for a while. Sabah gor as he is affectionately known as has a colorful past. I believe he is one of the few people who's life is more interesting than mine. When he was playing on PokerStars long ago, his nickname was "MalACEsia" (Malaysia). He since went on to create numerous poker companies, including the prestigious Triton Poker Series. In some ways we are quite similar, in terms of bankroll, then no. That night even though I didn't get to talk to him, I had a profit of about 60k. (balance -152k)

Mad respect for the man

The following day Enox calculated my 5% share, and it came to 138k, so out of the sudden, I am only stuck 14k for the trip! That night I crushed the TLT for a 190k profit to put me now in the black for 176k or so. Unfortunately though I did not get to see Paul that night but I did catch a very impressive lineup of who's who for the grand opening. Little did I know I had one more shot the next day. I took my photo with him, gave him our patch as a conversation starter, and it worked! He asked about it and we had a short but productive conversation. Now that the seed is sowed, I hope we can continue this conversation at a later date. Since I was there I saw a table opening so I jumped in not knowing it was a VIP invitational to play with Jungleman. It was pretty cool and I even hit my 5th career royal flush and beat Jungle on the very last hand of the day. I booked a small loss for this session though.

Second time meeting Jungle

At the end, I got a safe, happy AND profitable trip. You can technically argue that it was a 6 figure profit. As amused as I was with His sense of humor, the fact that I got to where I am was a culmination of a number of things that had to happen the way it did. From way back when I started poker, expanded my network, always making friends, got jobs in poker companies, built a bankroll to afford HR events, running deep in one of them, getting recognized enough to be invited to high stakes games, won on those to afford creating MPF, to bricking all at APT so I had enough time to write that invitation and send it, and be invited to meet Paul... I can't wait to see what will unfold in my very exciting journey in poker and in life!

Is Poker about SKILL or LUCK (tournaments)

Recently I saw a poker media company claiming to be an educational resource interview a bunch of people asking this question. Are poker tournaments about skill or luck? To my disappointment everyone answered LUCK. Yes indeed you have win your flips, key pots have to hold, and sometimes the occasional suck out will help you go deeper, but if you're like the people in the video that think that luck is more important, then maybe you're not doing the following things.

1. Playing the right ranges

Without someone telling you it's wrong, you might think you're playing the right ranges all along. "When Ï was short, I was waiting for a good hand and folded shit like A8s, KQo so when I finally got AA I had only 3bb left so I shove and bb called with me J9 and won. Hash tag run bad." Take 10 minutes to read some charts and you might be surprised what you should and shouldn't be playing. 

2. Defend your big blind well

You can play snug and choose your battles, but once every orbit you have to defend your big blind. Understanding which boards favor which player, which lines, defending what range vs the perceived range of the opener, these things will highly increase your odds of going deep. 

3. Bluff more

One of the most common complaints I hear in an MTT is "I don't have any good hands", "card dead"... Well if you are waiting for premium hands, hoping to be on the right side of coolers, then yes you will be sorely disappointed most of the time. Since most of the time stacks are relatively shorter than say a cash game, we are "scared" to bluff as a bad bluff might cost us. But we forget that "fear" or the same concerns are with your opponents too, as a bad call will cost them just the same. Fold equity is much higher in MTTs compared to a cash game. If you're not 3 bet bluffing, 4 bet bluffing, over bet bluffing, then you are not doing enough. 

4. Ready to catch bluffs

You will be put in many tough spots in the course of a tournament. If you a able to read ranges well, sense the type of player you're playing against, have a proper bankroll to make decisions more comfortably, then you're prepared to call off sometimes your tournament life with marginal hands. The biggest mistake I've seen players do is bluff catch on the turn but change their minds on the river. I am not saying once you call the turn bet you have to call the river bet as well, but if nothing major changes, what made your mind change? If you're not prepared to call off then why call on the turn too? 

For me to win this back then I definitely had some luck

5. Hero fold 

I know this sounds contradictory to the point above but it's spots like ability to fold jacks to a small blind cold 4 bet, 3 bet folding AK deep stacks to utg opener, folding AA on a 789 cold 3 bet multiway, folding QT on a QJTxx preflop aggressor triple barrel, etc. Poker is about relativity. In some spots you can call with king high but fold 3rd nuts in another. Knowing the difference is key. 

6. Thin value

If you are avoiding thin value because you fear getting raised off your hand, or you're thinking villain can't call you anyways, you might be missing out on precious blinds that might be the difference between surviving your future hands or player out. A few blinds here and there will compound in future pots, giving you more room to maneuver later stages, able to take a cooler or bad beat and still have chips to continue.  

7. Paying enough attention

I can grind cash games for 12-15 hours straight and not feel tired, but I am exhausted after a day of tournament poker because there is so much attention and focus needed. Paying attention to things like player conversations (for example, someone saying that this is their last bullet) or the clock (stone bubble, MP has 6bbs now but if you time it right, he will have only 3bb left when he's on the big blind) or if someone is tilting, tired, scared, over confident, under bluffing, over bluffing.... You are not playing your hand, you are playing against the players on your table. 

There are many more things but these are just the top few. If you really think poker is about luck then you're better off playing blackjack or baccarat. If you're already doing the above and still losing then you have earned the right to blame it on luck. Come play online on Natural8 with me or join our Malaysia Poker Federation discord here. 

CPG Sanya, Hainan China Report

When I embarked on my journey to play poker in as many countries as possible, I kept wondering when would I have the chance to play in China. When I heard there was going to be a CPG stop in Hainan I was intrigued. The last time I visited Hainan was in 2016, rented a scooter, had some yummy seafood and a great time. I was reluctant at first because August had been a mediocre month for me, and I really needed to grind some cash games if I wanted a productive month. But then I found a nice connection in Changsha and also needed to attend for business purposes so I went.

Why are dragon trophies the norm nowadays?

Sanya has changed a lot since I last visited 8 years ago. It is now a full blown tourist town. Food is nice if you know where to find it. I recommend the First Market for some very nice seafood at pretty good prices. I remember it wasn't as hot in June but this time in August it was scorching. Even at night you would sweat in the dark. So it wasn't as nice to explore during the day. We didn't even go to the beach or took a swim. 

Such a nice pool but never got to use it

China Poker Games (CPG) position themselves as a sports event organizer, and their tournaments are open for registration for sportsmen/women from all over. Therefore in order to participate you need to first download their app, create a membership account with real details, ID numbers, preregister and prepay for your planned events. Therefore you don't have the luxury of deciding on the day what to play, or walking to the counter to register. Transferring of prepaid tickets are allowed the first time, but the process is complex. Given the strict laws in China, it is understandable that they need these for the protection of the event and the players. 

I played in the main event only and it was quite fun. I can say that CPG does not skimp on quality. Everything is top notch. From the chips, to cards, to even the day 2 bags, they are all super high quality. The membership app, seating app, every table has two CCTVs, you can see the high cost of running their events. Then again, they do have a high rake and tax associated with them, although I am unsure how much it actually is. Pay outs are not immediate and will take some time to process, but it didn't affect me as I busted day 2 on the soft bubble. Prices of the tickets fluctuate if you don't prepay early enough and as I understand it, most local players earn them by playing online. 

Navigating my tight bankroll

Overall I had a nice time. Sanya is quite picturesque and the food is good. However I enjoyed my little stopover in Changsha more in spite of the scorching heat. (it was like 39-40 degrees) I do not recommend CPG for non-Chinese speaking players though. You would have a tough time if you didn't speak the language. They do have translators and staff that can help you, but you would find it less enjoyable. Going out, taking taxis, ordering food, you will have a rough time. For those who do go, you would need WeChat pay or AliPay. Without it life will be tough. 

Coconut chicken (so-so)

Goat hot pot (nice but expensive)

Seafood (cheap and good)

If you're like me, good food can solve anything, then I would say give CPG Sanya a go. I just wish the August weather was a bit cooler. But if you are considering it purely for poker, be prepared for a very different experience than most other series in Asia. If you're willing to have an open mind, try new things then the experience itself is worth it. 

My Limsanity Moment? Poker Dream 11, Genting Malaysia Report

I’m a big Jeremy Lin fan. Been following his career when he first burst into the scene down to his G-league years and later in China and Taiwan. Both him and I are pretty vocal Christians. I respect the ways he handles adversity, criticism, haters, challengers, and how he lets his faith guide him in not just being a basketball player but also as a human being. He is quick to stand up for the right things, but never condemning or out to hurt anybody. He is also generous in giving and helping others. He’s an inspiration for me to do the same, just in the poker industry. 

I’m writing this article at 1:31am on the 1st of August 2024. Poker Dream 11 starts later today and I have a feeling my time, my "Limsanity" moment is near. (Yes Jeremy and I have the same last name just spelled slightly differently) I wanted to write this before it happened instead of after to show you if I predicted it or not.

My life can be made into a very interesting and entertaining movie or Netflix series. From me battling gambling addiction since I was 15,  getting involved in some shady stuff, bouncing around in my poker career including living and playing in Vietnam and Cambodia, dealing with lots of personal issues, getting scammed, bullied and locked up… to changing my life completely, vowed to be honest, humble, kind, giving, loyal, caring, a selfless person, quit all forms of gambling, to make myself a person deserving of great things in life, all the while giving credit to God and counting His blessings. It has not been an easy journey as change does not come overnight, and till this day I’m still being tested, and sometimes I still fail, but every time I’ve come back a stronger, a better version of the person I was. But the blessings are there. I have the most amazing partner in life that brings me so much joy and comfort. I truly believe I’m one of the happiest people on earth. Recently I’ve done okay for myself financially too. I know this is just the start, and I want to inspire other people that you can be successful by being good, kind, some would even say soft and weak even dumb, often bullied, scolded, lied to, taken advantage of, face injustice, unfairness, judgement, but as long as you stay true to yourself and be the best you can be, be more concerned about making God happy than people, great things will happen for you.

Coming off a downswing in my cash game life, I’ve learn so much to continue to grow as a poker player. Since my last post on my losing run, I’ve won 1/10 small stakes sessions, 7/10 mid stakes (but only for a small profit) but thankfully 4/5 high stakes games. But I could have been at least 2000bb richer in the high stakes if I had left at the peak of those sessions, instead of losing TT vs 96, QQ vs 33 all in pre flop mind you for ridiculous size pots. So my point is, I shouldn’t be feeling super confident at the moment. But somehow, I am. All these years of hiding in mediocrity at least in tournaments, I feel my breakthrough is just around the corner. I’ll stop writing here and if my feelings were right, I’ll share with you what happened below. 

I prayed for a trophy, but wasn't specific enough!

Now it's the 13th of August. Poker Dream 11 is over, well, things were a little insane for a while. From my experience, God has a great sense of humor. I prayed for a trophy but next time I will be more specific! 😂I did win a trophy and had a pretty cool moment on stage, but, it was an invitational event, even though there were some money up top. I felt bad for some of my table mates that finished 3rd and 4th (long story) so I gave them 10% each of my prize, including the 2nd place finisher. I was in the top 4 of the Big Mystery Bounty event and chopped the prize 4 ways. After the ICM chop the immediate next hand I lost a 3 way all in pot with AA vs JT vs Q2. Was close to winning a proper trophy but it was not to be. Had a third final table in the Big-O event but bricked all my later events. I could feel my mental stamina was not as it used to be and made some pretty bad mistakes later in the series. I ended the series with a modest profit, and congratulations to my friends who did exceptionally well this series. To those who didn't, gambate and keep grinding!

Real people are hard to find

Maybe my time is not here yet and my biggest takeaway was to be humble and keep working hard. This trip there were other positives such as meeting potential future business partners, stakers, students, life long friends. The most touching moment was how my core MPF boys stood by me, and to see how the community we have built have grown. Our community was built with time, care, sacrifice, and not benefits, marketing or giveaways. So what I got in return was friendship, respect, loyalty. Thanks guys, you know who you are. I have come to another crossroad in my career, and I have some interesting plans ahead. Stick around to follow me on my journey! 

I don't want a lucky break, I want deserved success

How did Jonathan Tamayo win the WSOP Main Event 2024

Jonathan Tamayo is the latest winner of the WSOP Main Event. But he is probably going to be remembered more as the guy that folded QQ to a single open when it was 10 handed. A move even his coach said in an interview was a mistake. Later in the final table he also made some questionable snap folds like AJdd and AQ both to single opens. I've read so many comments on how poorly he played, how bad a player he is, etc. But how did someone that seemingly played so tight/poor/bad eventually win the whole thing?

Imagine yourself, sitting there with 9 other people, having a shot at winning $10 million dollars. If there's a time you should play to win, this would be it wouldn't it? I do not know Tamayo's financial status, but you are also one person away from winning an additional $200k, which in most main events is the winner's purse, and one person away from WSOP Main Event FT history (nobody remembers the FT bubble boy, except maybe Phil Ivey) You scan the table and you are mid-stacked at a pretty vulnerable 19bbs, with two guys shorter at 11bb and 5bb respectively. UTG opens, you look down at QQ with so many players left to act behind you, including the two shorties. What's the best case scenario? You 3b and take down 4.5bb. What could go wrong? You get 4b, or called by a big stack. Or, within the next two orbits the 5bb is going to have to take a stand otherwise he will be eliminated. Game Theory Optimal would never fold QQ here, no matter the ICM situation. But GTO is designed to be emotionless. It does not care about money, fame or survival. It only cares about playing the hand correctly in a bubble, independent of the previous or next hands. 

I call Tamayo's style of play, defensive poker. GTO is about aggression. Guns blazing, all out attack. You can't say Tamayo was playing meekly because later he took some spots like 3 betting with K5o to a late position open, opening 93o in the small blind on bvb, etc. Instead of all out attack, he played defensively, only sneaking in an attack or two here and there when the spot opened up for him. When we look at the hands individually we can critique all we want because as hands, they were probably not played optimally. But considering the spot, where you factor in the payjumps, shorties, opener styles and positions, he took the lower variance route and picked the spots where he felt he had a better chance. Some players can play certain hands creatively, I say Tamayo made some creative folds. In his mind he could see how these hands although as good as they are could get him in trouble. He quickly folded AJdd to a single open, yet called with 77 and even later streets. With AJ you are often dominated, and are only ahead of Kx Qx type hands. If there's a Jack or Ace on the flop you are never comfortable. Whereas 77 is ahead of all Ax, Kx, Qx and if you flop a 7 you are extremely comfortable. 

When someone plays a hand differently than us, for me it is an opportunity to learn. Why did he play it that way? Why is it different from how I would have played it? What was going through his mind? Poker is ever evolving, and things we are doing not so long ago would have been considered crazy, stupid, fishy. Also, it's easy to backseat drive when you are comfortably sitting at home, as a spectator. But the guy that's playing is feeling all the emotions of the camera, lights, fame, fortune, a chance of a lifetime. Furthermore, you can't win a tournament in one hand (unless it's down to heads up), you can't aim to be winning every hand, playing to survive sometimes trumps everything else, especially when the payjumps are unlike any other tournaments in the world. 

I'm not saying that I would play exactly like Tamayo, but I can respect the moves (including the folds) that he made. In a bubble they may have been mistakes, but given the context, it may have been genius. Phil Ivey once famously mucked the winning hand at showdown in the 2009 Main Event. He later went on to be in the final table. When he was interviewed if he regretted mucking that hand he replied no. It got him as deep as it got him, so it was the right move. I'm a believer in butterfly effects as well, short term gains may not lead to the best outcome in the long run. In an age of GTO and solvers, we may be quick to comment, to critique, but thankfully we are human after all. There are adjustments, emotions, risk v reward, table dynamics, fear v greed, all these human elements to make this game fun, unpredictable and entertaining to watch. Congrats to Mr Tamayo and his team for the win!

Why I created the Malaysia Poker Federation (MPF)

Since our official launch a few months ago, I often get asked this question. Why did you do this? What do you get out of it? To be honest, some days I ask myself the same question. Some days I even regretted doing it in the first place. But below are the answers I use to comfort myself and maybe it will help you to appreciate it too.

1. COMMUNITY

I started playing poker in 1999. I first found a group of poker players from a Facebook group, later an online forum, then also on a meet up website. I traveled all over to play poker but all the time by myself. My early close poker friends were actually from Hong Kong instead of Malaysia. I wanted to create a community where fellow poker lovers can meet and make friends with each other, have a sense of camaraderie, brotherhood and friendship. To create a sense of belonging and patriotism cause as small as a poker nation we are, we are surprisingly influential in the industry with Malaysian footprints in so many poker related businesses. 

I envy the closeness of the Taiwanese players

2. GROWTH

I wish when I was coming up that I had people to discuss hands with, ask questions, etc that would have accelerated my growth and saved myself a lot of unnecessary mistakes and pain. I credit a lot of my improvement to a Singaporean player that I used to grind private games with. He probably unknowingly helped my game a lot. Poker has given me so many things, I think it's time for me to give back to the community as well. 

Chinese idiom: Don't be ashamed to ask questions

3. INDUSTRY

Although we may never gain legality in Malaysia, but with a proper legal poker room, poker tournaments, and now even poker movies, I envision there will be more and more Malaysian players. Since when do people play poker during Chinese New Year? It has traditionally been Thai Baccarat or Ngau. But the game is spreading, the game is slowly losing it's tabooness, and it's always great to have a proper federation for new players to feel comfortable stepping into something new. 

4. BENEFITS

My wish is as a collective group, is that we will have the bargaining power for some benefits for members, such as discounts for poker products, free gifts, sponsorships etc. We've offered free classes online and members have gone on to be friends that help each others' games improve. Our first major benefit for members is coming up in the form of two Poker Dream Malaysia Open tickets on lucky draw. Click HERE to find out how to join. This is just the start and I hope there will be more. We need your support and help to get there!

How can you help?

1. Become a member (free to join, free membership for life)

A federation is only as strong as it's members. Officially we have 217 members, but I am sure we can do a lot better than that. It only takes you 2 minutes of your time to fill out the form, but more members mean we can get offers from poker companies, bringing more value and benefits to members. 

Scan and fill

2. Join our Facebook Page, and our Discord

I know Malaysians don't use Discord very often, and I am one of them. But after trying it out I can say it is a very smart platform that serves our very purposes. We have live streaming of classes, watch parties, playing grinding online tournaments live, etc. We discuss hands, strategy, but also sometimes just chit chat, blowing steam, getting that bad beat off our chests. Come and be part of this community, in both English and Chinese. 

WSOP 24 Main Event live watch party

3. Donate

So far I've spent about RM 8k for MPF expenditure, but don't worry, I am not asking for monetary donations. You can donate your time, offer your skills, volunteer, etc. We often need skilled people like graphic designers, marketing people, Facebook moderators, content creators, Discord pot stirrers, photo posters..... Things that don't require too much of your time, but collectively can be a great impact for the group. 

Finally special thanks to those helped make this happen, our community members, volunteers, (who are also doing this for nothing in return) and finally our members for making it a real community, and hopefully a big happy family. 

How to deal with a downswing (my personal experience)

Since April till now mid-June, I have played 19 sessions of poker (had a month-long hiatus in between) and won only 8 of them. I lost a few sessions that were 800bb+ but the stakes were pretty wide. From $1/$1 up to $20/$40 and in between. Honestly I have not had such an experience in my career until now, so I want to share with you my experience. 

At first it started off with frustration. Why can't I win like I used to? Why does it suddenly seem so much harder than it was before? Admittedly that led to some poor plays and compounded my annoyance and made me lose more than I had to. 

Things started to go bad after this very day

So the first lesson was ENTITLEMENT. As a decent player, playing against players we perceive to be better than, we somehow feel we are entitled to win. This is one of the biggest tilt factors for most players. I flopped the nuts, I should win this pot. So when the run out gets bad, we still call off knowing that we might not have the best hand anymore, because hey, we flopped the nuts. I played that hand perfectly, trapped him with such beauty and finesse, but the donkey got lucky and spiked his two outer.

So what? If you are not prepared to lose, you are not prepared to win. (if no one said it before, then this is my quote) Getting bad beats or coolered is part of life. It awes me when some poker pros or veteran regs throw tantrums after a beat. If you can't take it on the chin like a champ, maybe you shouldn't be in the ring. 

After successfully stringing together a few more losses, I entered the reflection stage. Is this really a downswing because of LUCK, or BAD PLAY? You have to be honest with yourself, and be HUMBLE and soul search. It helps if you have a good friend (that is good enough to tell you the ugly truth, rather than a white lie) that was on the same tables with you to help you another perspective, or have someone good to analyse some hands that you played. And this time, I found my first few losses were from a combination of tilt and running bad. Hence I took a break from poker to clear my head and get refocused. You need to ask yourself is this really a downswing or I just ran out of luck. 

What should I do Mona? 

After my break I started playing poker again and managed to look at the things that was causing me tilt in a different light. I was back to being positive and focused. However things didn't go well. This time, the real downswing is here, losing 5 out of 6 sessions since returning. I don't want to bore you with the bad beat or cooler stories. I did win some nice pots in between but lost most of my key pots, the kind of pots that really define your session. So at this stage I am feeling sad. A couple of posts ago I said I was feeling depressed, now I really am. 

However, knowing if I start to feel sorry for myself, it will spiral downwards and potentially cause me to play poorly or play tilted that I will end up losing more. So what I've learned is to look at the POSITIVE side of things. Let's put it into perspective. Only 5 months ago I was so happy to be up X amount, then I continued to build that over the next few months to X+++. Then in my downswing, I am now up just X++. For example, you're so happy to be up 3000. Then you ran it up further to 14000. But now you've dropped to 11000. I thought to myself, why was I so happy to be up 3000 and now sad to be up 11000? Just because I hit 14000 at one point? That doesn't make sense. I am 8000 better off than I was 5 months ago, but instead I am sadder than I was. If so, that is really messed up! As recent as a few days ago, I changed my mindset and started to think positively. The results haven't turned yet but I am enjoying my poker more than I was, and not easily affected by the results, nor am I pushing spots to try to eke out a win. So I guess the last lesson is, DON'T FORCE IT. If it is variance, like a storm, wait it out. 

This was also a big turning point session

I will keep you guys updated about my run, but I think in these few weeks I have grown again as a poker player. The emotions I went through, and how by using logical steps to overcome at least the psychological aspects of a downswing, I feel like I have done all I can to minimize the damage, and hopefully be ready to reap the rewards when the variance evens out. 

POKER GUIDE TO: Poker in Riga, Latvia

Our itinerary was 2 weeks in Italy then a hop over to the Baltic countries before ending our trip back in Milan. So for the first two weeks we were shoulder to shoulder with the sea of tourists in Milan, Rome, Florence (Genoa was more tolerable) hence when we landed in Riga, the first experience we had was of relief. As beautiful as Riga is, there isn't an obvious tourist in sight. Wide open spaces, beautiful parks and attractions where you can run around, breathe and not be surrounded by foreigners weaving around trying to snap their photos. Here you can actually sit and stare at the beauty and really take it in. 

You must always go on night walks in Europe

The old town is obviously the main attraction and the city park was gorgeous. But even when we took the time to venture out a little, other parks were also thoughtfully designed for a very laid back, relaxed lifestyle. I did a bit of research on the cost of living and income levels only to find out on average a doctor makes about €2700 a month in Latvia compared to €6000 in Tallinn (4 hours away by bus) or €14000 in Helsinki (6 hours away by bus and ferry). So when I found a decent €5/€5 and €5/€10 game at the casino I was quite surprised. You can comfortably grind €5/€5 here and live better than a doctor's salary. Although I just played on two nights, once on Saturday, which was pumping but the Sunday game was "meh". 

One W one L for a small profit in Riga

Games are held at the Olympic Voodoo Casino, behind the Radisson Blu hotel. You can go to https://lv.olympic-poker.com/galvena for information and register for the waitlist. Entry is free, no obvious dress code, rake is 5% capped at 3bb, free water but other drinks are not. Dealers and most players speak fluent English and are reasonably friendly. As far as I know the casino doesn't have a closing time like some European casinos and the tables can run until pretty late. 

Inside the Central Market

Just another cafe

During the day we got to explore the city. I quite enjoyed the central market, known to be the biggest market in Europe with produce from all over the world other than their own it seems but still at very reasonable prices. There is also a flower market that is just beautiful. The local cuisine to me wasn't too exciting but I tried a couple of local beers that were really tasty. English is well spoken throughout and most locals are quite nice although I did get scammed by a taxi driver. But if you use their taxi app you'll be fine. I also like to travel around on a scooter, especially late at night when the streets are clear. 

Colors in nature

Riga is easily accessible. Our taxi in Rome to the airport (€31) cost more than our flight ticket from Rome to Riga (before luggage add ons and taxes), and was 5x the price of our bus from Riga to Tallinn. From what I've heard, the poker scene isn't as it used to be pre-Covid, but I would still recommend it for a 2-3 day stopover. I hope I will get to visit again and this time I want to rent a car to explore the surrounding small towns and rich nature that is in Latvia. 

POKER GUIDE TO: Poker in Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia, a country with a population of just 1.3m and it's capital, Tallinn surprised us with it's complexity. A vibrant city with a charming old town and historic architecture, on the coast of the beautiful Baltic sea and without the price tags of some of the pricier European destinations. Only 4 hours by bus from Riga, and 2 hours by ferry from Helsinki, it is easy to get to and definitely worth a visit.

Our visit coincidentally was on the same week of the Olybet Series held at the Olympic Park Casino (next to the Hilton Hotel) I decided to play one of the mid-afternoon events, the €350 progressive bounty event. When I got there I was quite disappointed because even at level 3 entry, there were only 16 runners. When I later busted out on level 8 or so, there were less than 30 runners. Overall the casino was quite nice, on the smaller side and I would estimate the series had a maximum capacity of 10-15 tables. However it seems they have a WSOP Circuit series on the cards for September with a €1 million guarantee for the main. 

They had cash games going as well but I didn't partake as most players were on the tourneys and the cash game table when I was there looked short and close to breaking. But on normal days you can visit their website https://www.olympic-poker.com/ for information about the games available, even register yourself on the waitlist. I am not sure about the rake but from my experience with Olympic Casino setups, it is usually 5% capped at 3bb or slightly higher for lower stakes. The casino didn't have a dress code that I was aware of but usually on the safer side I always wear long pants instead of shorts just in case. First timers are offered a free welcome drink and membership is free, just remember to bring along your passport. 

My favourite picture in Tallinn

11:30pm in Tallinn in May

When you're not playing poker Tallinn is a very nice place to visit, however it can get pretty cold and gloomy in winter months. Late spring to early autumn is probably the best time, roughly from April to September. Because of it's close proximity to Finland, the prices are much higher than their Baltic neighbours, but still reasonably affordable. It is also not as crowded and over touristy as most of your main European cities. You can stroll around the town and still feel the local vibe than see a sea of foreigners like you would in Rome or Milan. 

My favourite spot in Tallinn

Some of the friendlier Estonian residents

There was one negative incident that I had with an Estonian guy in Helsinki though. Right from when I seated down on the cash game table he was already eyeing me unpleasantly. After I beat him in a hand he started going on about Chinese people and how they are brainless and stupid gamblers. Interestingly before all this happened he 4bet all in preflop for 100bb+ with KTs vs what is clearly proper premium hands and hit a flush. He had a VPIP of 75% or more and showed down 94o, K6 etc type hands. I kept my cool but couldn't help myself when he opened a few hands in a row to ask him "so which part of China are you from?". The rest of the table chuckled including the dealer. He continued to berate me and all Chinese people so I asked him have you been to China? No. What has China done to you? Nothing. I actually enjoyed the back and forth needling and the whole time trying to be the bigger man. 

I honestly felt bad for the guy. I wished I had said this to him but I am saying this now to whoever is reading this. Why are you angry at 1.4 billion people that you don't know and don't know you? Why such hatred? How many Chinese people do you know? I know quite a few and yes, some of them are real bad but to hate a whole race because of a few rotten eggs? I know two Estonians out of 1.3m, one decent and funny guy, the other, Mr. Racist Asshole. Am I going to condemn 50% of Estonians based on this data? Why do you feel superior when you are the one acting like a fool? Even I feel ashamed about people of my own race and nationality. From just observing the way they park, drive, queue, treat strangers, eat at buffets... you can see they are selfish, inconsiderate and some even evil in their ways that if I had the power would bring fire and destruction to their asses, bolts of lighting straight to their hair and ... sorry I got carried away. My point is, instead of complaining, being judgmental, why not be the bigger person, be the good example, inspire them to be better versions of their race. I could have just turn and face the guy and said "STFU you f'in racist idiot" but instead I chose humour to get my point across. I told him you should love us Chinese because we are given you action rather than these tight Finns. Anyway, I am not going to let one Estonian ruin my view of Estonia and you should give it a chance too. 

I'm depressed I think

I’ve always been a pretty positive person. Usually I am always smiling, making jokes on and off the table, friendly with anyone and everyone. Yes I’ve been through some pretty depressing times, but I survived them. But recently I feel as if I am going through what I can only describe as a period of minor poker depression. 

Grinding full time is not new to me. In 2020 I probably played poker for 330 days. Sometimes 2-3 days without sleeping. So fatigue is probably not the issue. Pleasing others is not new to me. I used to have to deal with a very unreasonable and selfish China boss, a Cambodian business partner who was bullying and using me, customers and their wives treating us like they are kings and queens, partners and players who owed me a combined USD200k at the peak, and gave me shit when I asked for it, all when I have to put up a smile, laugh at their offensive jokes, attend to their sometimes unreasonable demands… my point is I still maintained my positivity, stayed happy and motivated. 

To be honest, I enjoy being with most of the players I played with recently. Some are really genuine and nice people. Rich yet humble and respectful. I’ve learned a lot from observing them as they must be successful for a reason. Although I’m not the host but I feel like I’m part of the team and I try to put myself in the shoes of the host. Try to keep the game going, VIPs happy, even bringing friends to the game. But recently I found myself losing my tilt control, once losing 10 buy ins for no reason at all, another time tilting away a 600bb profit in my last orbit. 

I feel it’s so easy to get desensitised to the money. In some games some players are opening more than my monthly rental every single hand. We can swing 1000bb+ each way a session and feel okay but feel pain when spending 150bb on a month-long vacation. The problem is if you care, then you get emotionally high and low every time you play. If you don’t care about it then you become a robot. I think being around players that are much richer than me doesn’t help also. They are even more desensitised to the money than most people. They can lose a lot and won’t feel a thing, but when I lose  I feel awful and they can’t relate. 

I feel I’ve lost the joy in playing too. When I get a message about a game going on, I actually feel dread as if it’s a dentist appointment. Once I’m there playing I feel better but most days I actually feel relieved if there’s no game that night. 

I’m sharing this with you guys because it’s not always fun and games, “your life my dream” kind of thing. I want to be honest to share with you my struggles and weaknesses. I don’t know what my problem is, and I feel it’s a combination of many things but yesterday was the first time I truly enjoyed the game in the past couple of months. If any of you have advice for me, or have similar experiences please share them with me. I want to thank my family and friends for putting up with me in my craziness. I am very happy with other aspects of my life but poker has somehow become something that causes me anxiety sometimes. I am so very thankful for everything in my life and I hope I can keep it going for many years to come. 

Saw this today and it made me feel better

Key Moments of My Career So Far

My career has been a crazy journey, and along the way there has been many milestones and defining moments that shaped it, pushed it in the direction it took and got me to where I am here. I am not rich by any means. I am sure I am the poorest player money-wise in my regular game. I suspect some of the staff may be richer than I. But my life might be the most interesting of all, and I think I am the happiest of the bunch. 

1999 - I am often on my computer and have the TV running in the background. Most days it was the sports channel but one day I had HBO on and they were showing Rounders the movie. My poker virginity was gone just like that. 

2004 - In between I played some tiny cash games here and there, but this was the year I found a game in Hong Kong (Prince Hotel and the Arena) and started playing regularly. 

2008 - I went back to Hong Kong and was a regular at HKPH for 3 straight months. This was where I met guys like Sparrow Cheung, Elton Tsang, Stephen Lai, etc.

2010 - First tournament series in Cebu, final tabled the bounty event sitting next to Celina Lin. Traveled a lot to Manila to play cash and tourneys. 

2013 - Won my first trophy as a super fish

2014 - Early in the year one of our home games was raided. I then went to Macau to play. Came back after some bad losses, decided to start a poker room instead. Bought everything, rented a place, everything done within a week and we were open for business.

My 2nd poker room (Malaysia)

2015 - Upgraded the poker room to a new place, within just 2 weeks we got raided. Went to the station for statements, settled and went home. 2 weeks later we were up and running again. Got offered a sweet job in HK, accepted it but again got raided 2 weeks before I was about to leave. This time, locked up for 4 days.

2016 - Played regularly in HK and Macau on the weekends. Danny Tang just finished uni, just a young kid who didn't know what was in store for him. Started the first unofficial poker union on PPPoker with a bunch of friends. (Yes we created the union idea) 1000 players at launch, 7000 players at peak, made a bunch of money. Agented for N8 as well with 300+ players under me. Started a poker room in HK but got raided within the month. 

My 4th poker room (Hong Kong)

2018 - End of 2017 I finished 9th, 3rd and 10th in 3 Main Events back to back. Company decided to close down HK branch, was doing well agenting and playing poker, decided to play full time on the Asian circuit.  

2019 - At this time I had a part time job as UPoker's consultant (China company) but I was also struggling to make money from just grinding tourneys. But this was when I pledged to give 10% of my earnings to charity no matter what. Won my 4th trophy really as a career saver. Decided to stick it out grinding cash games in Ho Chi Minh. Created the Vietnamese Poker Association. Was away on visa run one weekend and avoided a very serious raid. Could have been locked up for 6 months. Instead I moved to Phnom Penh for safer games. By chance got into a juicy Chinese private game, did well. 

2020 - Chinese game died, so started new poker room with Ryan Revai. Everything done within a week as well. Was doing very well until an unhappy ending. Ran the room and played 11 months straight, maybe resting only 3 days in that stretch. COVID? What COVID? Pride myself in running the most punctual poker room everyday at 2pm. Got super overweight and unhealthy. 

6th (Cambodia)

2023 - Did nothing significant the previous 2 years. Joined UPoker again end of 2022 for a while exploring the African market. Created the South African Poker Association. Got offered a job at MiMa Poker. Met a lot of great people in this time. Crazy year, traveled to 16 different countries. Left MiMa after 7 months. Was raided and locked up again. Got into a good private high stakes game, did well for 4 straight months. 

9th (Malaysia)

2024 - Created the Malaysian Poker Federation, this time with pure, non-profit intentions. Plan to focus more efforts in building networks, businesses. Isn't it the dream to grind until you become the whale? I am no whale by any means, but poker has allowed me the financial freedom to spend my time doing what I want. Going on an epic journey tomorrow right after a frustrating April. 4 countries, 10 cities, 31 days, playing poker, meeting people, making connections, living in the now, living to the fullest. What's the point of earning money and not spending it? Earn to live, not live to earn. Can't wait to see what's next on my journey.

My deepest thanks to the people who helped get me to where I am now. You guys know who you are. You treated me as a friend, as a brother, not for personal gain or benefit, helped me when you didn't know if I can pay you back, treated me with respect and appreciation, with trust and confidence. Love you guys. To those who tried to take advantage of me, hurt me, steal from me, cheat me, use me, looked down on me, well I thank you too. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and you have definitely made me stronger.