Busan SuperCup 2026

I have travelled to South Korea probably more than 15 times in my life and Busan is actually my favorite city of the whole country. So when I was invited back to Busan SuperCup for a second time, I couldn't pass on the offer. 

Busan sunsets are gorgeous

This time the event was held at the Busan Port International Exhibition Center (BPEX) and personally I prefer this event location than at any hotel or casino. The place a super spacious, just a stone's throw away from the Busan train station and Chinatown, and we were put up in a beautiful and super spacious luxury condominium. 

SuperCup is packaged as a sporting event, which allows local Korean players to join by connecting through local poker clubs. (local players are not allowed into casinos) That is what makes the field one of the softest I have ever played in. Korean players are fearless, and if there is anything that they fear, is to be shown a bluff. Hence I have seen more 3b calls, or three barrel calls with one pair than anywhere I have played. The trick is, you got to have a hand to start with. 

Charity Invitation event

I managed to run deep in the Samsung Medicos event finishing 9th, but I busted every other event including 9 bullets in the main. Those who followed my stories on IG or Facebook would have seen some of my bust outs, including a massive chip leading pot AK < A3 all in pre in the High Roller, folding KK correctly post flop, KK < QJ all in pre, and many other bad beats and cooler spots. Losing isn't fun, but I enjoyed the fact that I managed to get under their skin to get it in worse hands with me. During this trip, I also somehow learned to accept losses that are out of my control. Tap the table, smile, wish everyone good luck and walk away. Keeping my dignity, my poise, my class and maybe to a certain extent, earn the respect of my tablemates. Most local players are hostile, especially to a foreigner they view as a threat. But I also managed to make a few friends, by showing them I can be kind and funny even when others do not reciprocate. 

Dinner with Isabelle Global and S. Ent bosses

The surrounding area of the venue and our condo was beautiful, especially at night. So the busto strolls from sunset to dusk by the river and ocean gave me some comfort, a chance to decompress, evaluate my day and get back on the horse the next day. This series I grinded for 10 straight days, even played 17 hours straight in one of them. 

Recharging strolls at night

The MTT business is a tough one, and I've seen many brands struggle especially during their early years. SuperCup has their own struggles as well. It is a relatively new business and with lots of polishing that needs to be done. For example I do not understand the 1 hour dinner break at close reg where the level before was 20bb starting and the level after was 15bb. It means if you wanted to late reg for 20bbs, you would have to register, than take a 60 minute break only to continue, or join right before the dinner break ends with 15bb. But what I know is, this is a brand with tremendous potential. The ability to have local Koreans play is a USP no one else can offer at the moment and with strategic positioning and targeted marketing, it can become one of the strongest circuits in Korea. 

The inaugural World Poker Games Taipei

It was my honor to be invited to the inaugural World Poker Games (WPG) held in Taipei. I've known Anh Nguyen since the Pro Poker Club days. Those were pretty fond memories as they were the early days of my poker career. 

In the past 8 years, I have witnessed the explosion of the Vietnamese market, the wave of the Taiwanese and emergence of the Malaysian players. I would say Anh Nguyen was super involved in the MTT poker boom in Asia. If I remembered correctly, Pro Poker club was the first in Asia to break thousand player fields and completely changed the landscape. Since then, Taiwan and Vietnam jostled for the pole position, breaking record after record, both worthy to be the strongest MTT market in Asia.

Why the history lesson and the trip down memory lane? The unfortunate part is I can see a decline in the Taiwanese market. There are many brands that faced overlays because the local market is exhausted. I witnessed more players playing TLTs (time limit tournaments) at one club than at side events with a 200x TLT buy in guarantee. WPG was also in the same boat but with a smart satellite strategy, they managed to close the gap in the major events. Even though overlays are good for players, it is not healthy for the industry. Instead of trying to slice a shrinking pie, I hope the organizers and venues can work together to bring in new blood and bring back old ones. Some people often ask me what purpose does MPF serve. We are here to stretch the longevity and sustainability of the industry. 

I did not have a good result all series, barring a sun run in a satellite claiming the first ticket out of 20. The WPG staff were great and I enjoyed their creativity with the daily media. However I did have some poor experiences with APA dealers. Maybe that is contributing to the market decline as well. 

I have no regrets of attending WPG, just wished I had better results to report. But overall I had a good time, I played reasonably well except for a few mistakes. Those who followed my stories probably felt some of my pain of how I lost most of my hands. I believe my luck will change at some point, but I just hope I will still be around to capitalize on that.