The Lord Poker Tournament (TLPT) Experience

Really grateful for TLPT's invitation to experience their series first hand. Jeju is not my favorite poker destination but I really wanted to play at TLPT and meet the people behind it. 

I joined the middle of the series and immediately I could feel the energy in the room. There were a lot of Mainland Chinese players, and it's quite obvious most of them do not travel to other series to play. There were a mix of American, Taiwanese and Korean players as well. I saw Jungleman again and this time he was grinding his Mandarin on Duolingo, and I had the pleasure of sitting next to DJ Washburn at the cash game table. 

The livestream was pretty cool with Celina Lin and Vidur Singhal commentating. The counter staff albeit inexperienced were very friendly and helpful. Shoutout to Austin for arranging my invitation who had to wear many hats during the series and handled himself really well. 

Decent cash game action

TLPT is relatively new to the industry but I see that they are willing to invest into their brand. They generously offered 9 Super High Roller tickets for free, each worth a whopping USD 16K+. 2 were in a lucky draw and 7 over two freeroll satellites. The freeroll was worth more than some of the side events I have ever played in! 

This is what I eat during Jeju events

Overall I had a great time and I hope TLPT is here to stay. I am sure with the right positioning and marketing direction, they can become a permanent fixture in the Asian circuit schedule. They have a strong following from Mainland China and ample resources to make it in such a competitive landscape. I wish them all the best and hope I can join one of their future events again. 

Grinding One Month In Hanoi

Sorry for the late post as I used Shanghai as a stopover after my Hanoi grind and China blocks so many of the apps and websites I use. Even though I did not like Hanoi the first time I visited it, over the years I have grown to appreciate and even love it. 

Random Hanoi Park

I started the trip strong, making the money in the first 3 events I played in. But when the hands truly mattered I could not win flips or even 70/30s 80/20s and I did not run deep enough in those events. To make matters worse, I bricked the following 9 buy ins, most of them were higher buy in events than the ones I cashed. Compounded with a bad year so far, I felt super drained and dejected. However I have already committed to joining 3 upcoming series in the following month so I want to give it a good go before deciding what's next for my poker career. 

Maybe because of my faith, and maybe because I have survived through worser pain, or maybe at a young age I learned how to choose happiness, somehow thankfully I could muster the strength, hope and inner peace to continue on, be positive and appreciate the things I have, focusing on the things I can control. Sure I have had some dark days, but thank God for the people who love and support me, for their kind words and actions that have helped lifted me. 

Newest Poker Club in Hanoi, Quads

This trip I ate really well, mostly home cooked meals. Sometimes the simplest ingredients given the right care and effort can turn into the most amazing things. My sleep pattern has improved significantly, and I can honestly say this whole month I did not make any fatigue-induced mistakes. 

Follow me on Instagram if you haven't for daily updates of what could be the last 30 days of my MTT career. If not, you'll read about it here in my post mortems. Until then, take care.