Experiencing Poker Dream 21 and Genting Culture

As a poker traveler, it makes me happy to know there's poker on home turf. I can only imagine the struggles the founders of Poker Dream had to finally get a regular series in Malaysia. In poker terms, you might say Poker Dream was dealt a series of bad hands, such as the short sighted, backwards business culture of Genting and the introduction of the sales and service tax but I am so happy to see Poker Dream's innovation and pushing for the best in the realms within their control. It is obvious to me this time round they have stepped up their game. They've improved their customer service levels (at least the ones I have encountered), try to make the cash out process as painless as possible, introduced live reporting, facial recognition for the photo library, added in lots more freerolls, etc. I can really appreciate that effort as a player. Just as we can't always get great hands, we try to improve on other aspects of our game and even being dealt marginal hands, we can make the best of it. 

I made it through day 1 of the Malaysia Open only to bust out of day 2 on hand number 2. I then jumped into the heads up tournament drawing possibly the second toughest opponent of the field. A Chinese pro with an impressive résumé including the recent SHR trophy. He was super aggro at first but later held back which I took as a sign of respect of my play. I also switched gears all the way and made a few top plays including bluff catching with bottom pair and once with ten high. It was an intense battle and I could feel my stamina waning. We swap leads like a yoyo but in the end he had a series of good hands when I had second best. Took a spot with my last hand that I might have been able to give up had more in my tank. One suggestion for the heads up is having regular breaks because by then we were 2.5 hours into the match without one. Heads up is way more tiring as you do not have any downtime. But overall I felt I played well, without fear, and gave a tough player a run for his money. I also fired twice in the main event but no bueno. 

One of the little things, and the way the staff explained it

It's always refreshing to play at Poker Dream Malaysia because it's a time to meet old friends and make new ones. Seeing so many people putting on the MPF patch proudly without asking for anything in return, and for them to represent the federation and our nation with poise and pride always warms my heart. Sometimes we take the little things for granted. A smile, a hand shake, a nod, a fist bump, a pat on the back, a complimentary word, a congratulations, a like on a post, a positive comment, putting on a patch, wearing a jacket, for me they are the fuel I need to keep going. Years ago I came across a lady helping poor people in Indonesia voluntarily. I started to support her financially whenever I could. To our shock not only some people did not support her work, they actually had negative comments about it. I remember saying to her that everyone should participate in a good cause. If they can't participate, then they can give money. If they can't give money then they should give encouraging words. If they can't say anything positive, then they should keep their mouth shut. Light bringers are rare on earth, so if you see a light, if you can, help. If you can't, the least you can do is not put it out. But I guess if you’re reading this, I might be preaching to the choir. 

I can see Poker Dream's culture increasing in care and positivity. Hence I wanted to encourage and support it. But at the same time I can see Genting's culture is still as negative and inconsiderate. I hope more and more Malaysians can wake up. Little things take little effort, but as our ancestors said, "sikit sikit lama-lama jadi bukit". (little by little, after a while it becomes a hill) It only takes a spark to get the fire going, but it also only takes a drop of water to put out a spark. 

Revisiting Cambodia and playing at the GOP (Gods of Poker)

I left the workforce in early 2018, at the time not knowing that it was actually perfect timing. We all know soon after there was political turmoil in HK/China followed by COVID19 so had I kept working, I would have likely been out of a job by then anyway. One of the first places I was based out of was Vietnam until my regular game was raided by the police and everyone caught was sent to jail for 6 months, I knew I had to choose a safer environment to grind in, hence Cambodia. 

It's funny how life turns out as never in my wildest dreams I would think of living in Cambodia, and now looking back, boy what a time that was. Many of my tablemates or customers were probably from the scam companies we now know about. But at the time I was oblivious of what's happening in the dark corners of the region. It turned out to be a key turning point of my career as I grinded out a living and it also inspired my giving mentality. Although I didn't know what they did, I always assumed many of the Chinese players I played against were bosses of at a minimum - grey area businesses. Some were clearly bad people, some on the run from the law, a few rare ones did feel genuine and were actually nice people. Outside of the few genuine friends I made,  my comfort was I felt like Robin Hood by taking money from the shady guys and giving to others in need. 

Used to grind here 6-7 days a week

I eventually left the country not on great terms as I was bullied out of a super profitable position but I chose not to fight it so it always felt bitter sweet returning for a visit. But this time, I got the time to reconnect with some old friends and I felt that I was still loved and missed by some, and I felt touched that my time spent there left a lasting impact years after I had left. The government has since cracked down hard on the scam centers so I think most of them have left, but some that remain now stay on looking for the next money grab opportunity. I even met an old acquaintance who proudly shares his involvement in the scam industry. If that is winning, I never want to win like that. 

I have had a rough year so far, so when I had a sun run day 1 of the GOP main it was a welcomed relief. But day 2 quickly sucked all the life from me when I went from 2nd chip leader to bubble boy. I had 4 all ins on day 2 all ahead but did not win any of them. I played the mini main as well and also went from chip leader to out over just two major hands. Experiencing GOP for the first time, I must say the Kraken day 1 has an amazing structure that no one else offers. Especially for someone like me who enjoys playing deep stack poker, it was so much fun. It definitely is something one needs to experience to truly appreciate the beauty of the structure. I hope in the future they can draw in even more numbers and offer higher guarantees as I look forward to playing more of this structure.

During my trip I also had a devastating run at PLO5, winning 1 pot in 2.5 hours. I also ran super bad at OFC, losing 500+ points in 2 hours, a game that I used to play at the highest stakes in Asia. Granted one opponent was not a fish but still he would hit in 1 outer draws where I would miss my 20+ outs. It seems like every decision I make was the wrong one and I am down a pretty massive amount of my bankroll so far this year. But I have taken the time to appreciate the things I have. Looking back to my time in Cambodia and now returning as a visitor, I have come a long way. I am doing much better in so many aspects of my life, being upstuck is nothing I can't handle. I am more matured, and I like to think smarter than I was before, hopefully a better player as well but definitely more disciplined and composed. Sometimes you have to swim a long way against the tide until you catch the big wave. 

Until the next one, peace. 

Quick update of my recent tournaments (Players Series & Royal Poker Tour)

Recently in my travels I caught up with a lot of old friends. Some of which have commented that despite being apart, they have followed me through my blog. Sorry I have not been posting much but thank you all for your support. I love writing but in the age of AI, I feel like this skill has kind of lost it's value. But I promise you all that 100% of my posts will be hand typed by me. No AI will assist in my writing, so I can keep it real, my true authentic self. 

In the past two years or so, I have been reluctant to call it a "downswing" as it implies it is mainly caused by luck. I have objectively tried to analyze my hands, and also put in lots of study time to make sure it is not a skill issue. I do admit that I have my shortcomings, and sometimes discipline or stamina issues, but I have since tried to correct them. And many of the spots I've had, I can't say I have had the best of luck. But as the saying goes, "what goes up must come down", I do believe "what goes down must come up" at some point. I have been preparing. I have been patient. I have been grinding. Waiting for MY time. 

Street food in Hanoi YUM

Since the start of 2026, although not super smooth, but there were glimpses of run good, which I have not had in a good long time. Recently I played a cash game where they had a bounty for winning 3-4-5 in a row, I managed to get to 5 picking up 3 all in pots along the way. That has gotta count for something. So it has given me the confidence to go out and play, together with my newfound skills and knowledge. 

After finishing second in an invitational in Taipei, I played a couple of events at Players Series as well, finishing 9th despite a blunder right before FT. That I think came from fatigue and a lack of self awareness. After that I took a trip to Phnom Penh (which I will write on a separate post) and it was so nice to catch up with old friends. Some of these guys I spent time with every single day for months. They know me at my best and at my worst, and yet they still choose to be my friends. I wanted to keep the momentum going so I hopped on a plane to Hanoi to join the Royal Poker Tour. 

Second to Malaysia, Vietnam is where most of my tournament cashes come from. I had two ITMs. One in the mini main and one in the main. Neither were deep enough and I essentially broke even for the trip. However there were a few highlights that I was super proud of. I kept my discipline, ran up a 5k (2.5bb) stack to 195k and bag the mini main. Day 2 of the main I ran JJ into AA and also flipped up 2.5bb to get a couple more pay jumps. However I did have a blunder on my last hand where had I had more time to think, and better brain processing power I could have folded that hand keeping my last 8bb. In the final event I played, I managed only to lose 7bb (off a 20bb stack) with KK vs AA. But ultimately couldn't escape as my QQ ran into KK soon after. 

Studying has helped me immensely, but it has also added many layers to my thought process on the table. As a result, my stamina gets depleted much quicker than it did before. I am incorporating brain exercises now to my daily (non playing days) routine and recently my sleep pattern has also improved a lot. My body used to only allow me 5-6 hours of sleep. 

Pho Suong, highly recommended

Anyway I haven't started to make a dent into the losses I have incurred in the past 2 years. BUT I can already feel the cards are falling differently for me. Just yesterday I had a sun run, something I haven't experienced in years. So maybe, just maybe, this year might be the year for me. Stick around, I hope this chapter will be a more positive one.