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.
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| 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.
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