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 a 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. 

Poker Dream 9, Genting Malaysia Report

Since November 2023 I have switched to playing cash games more than tourneys and it has been paying off with 5 profitable months in a row although April is off to a shaky start. But I still can't resist a good tournament series let alone one that is in Malaysia. 

Special thanks to the volunteers for helping

First event off the bat after max late regging I manage to spin it to a decent day 2 stack, crushed the mid-late game but ended up on the final table as one of the shorties. Managed to evade elimination and jumped to 5th before I was knocked out. Played my last hand poorly where I should have been able to get away from it and who knows maybe spin up what I had left. But to finish 5th in a field of 1508, I'll take it. 

Not actual cash out*

But as the week progressed, my stamina began to wane. I am a light sleeper to begin with. But after discussing with some friends, it seems most people did not sleep well at any of the Genting hotels. My theory is the hotels are deliberately messing with our sleep so that patrons sleep less, gamble more, tilt easier. I can feel that I wasn't playing 100%, making mistakes, over playing certain spots, getting impatient and losing my discipline. I was particularly upset at myself as I promised I wouldn't degen but I ended up flipping with friends after a cash game session. The next few days I was immediately punished for that. I actually honestly felt I was the fish of my table, that was how bad I was playing. 

This trip I was reminded of some realizations:

1. My fiancé is my rock. I sometime take for granted the calming effect that she has and how much that helps me decompress and prepare for the next game. 

2. I am still not good enough. Some days I can play very good poker, but other days I am a fish. I need to continually work on my game, discipline and stamina. 

3. Work life balance. I got into poker for freedom and healthier lifestyle. Sure there's always money to be made, but I want to spend that money on a life. 

4. If you can't spot the fish, leave. I often make up excuses to stay. I don't want to hit and run, I want to chase my losses, I want to support the host, maybe other fishes will come, I've got nothing else to do.... if you're playing to win, and know that you can't win, then stop playing. 

I bricked everything else until the very end where I got a consolation ITM in the Monster Stack. I made money buying action of 3 players. Lost money on 3 other players. (Felt like a stable master at one point) Essentially breaking even on buying action. Ended the series -RM13k or so but considering I cashed RM75k, it's a disappointing result. 

On the positive side, we got the Malaysia Poker Federation off and running, got to make a lot of new friends and meet a lot of old ones. MPF is my way of giving back to this career that has given me a lot. I feel we are in an era of entitlement. There always need to be a benefit to do something. You are Malaysian, you are a poker player, aren't these two reasons enough for you to be a member of the Malaysia Poker Federation? You might not know this but by just joining, you are helping us help you. Sorry for the rant but it's people like these that no one wanted to do this. Anyway, I am doing this for the people that appreciate it. Helping future top Malaysian pros realize their potential. Check out our links here. MPF Facebook and MPF Discord

APT Taipei 2024 Report

Was hoping I would win a free main event ticket to have extra excuses to join the full tour but unfortunately I didn't. Instead I grinded cash games, 17 sessions in 21 days straight. But my partner and I really needed a break so a last minute dash to Taipei for our travel fix and also my tourney fix. 

First event out of the gate ran deep with a decent cash, but still not deep enough. But happy to freeroll the rest of the series and turn a nice profit for my friends. Card dead on day 1 and still managed to make day 2 slightly below ave, and caught some cards on day 2 to make it deepish. Happy with how I played despite the lack of playable hands. Bricked 2 other events but made a small profit and plenty of fond memories. You know how they say, "you can always make money, you can't always make memories"

On another good note, finally reunited with Mr. Gorilla after he was in limbo in Hanoi last year. Funnily my partner went and got him a twin so now there's two. Double the prayers and double the blessings I hope. 

Exploring Taipei by bike

Pretty short trip so the report is short too. But Taipei is a foodie's paradise. So gonna wrap this up with some food photos. Unfortunately did have a bout with food poisoning on the last day. Hope to see you all at the next event, Poker Dream 9 in Genting, Malaysia! 

Best fried chicken in Gongguan Night Market

Love muah chee

My go-to bak zhang and mee sua

Highly recommended at Ningxia Night Market

My tribute to the late Mr. Wayne Beh Kok Weng

The first time I met Wayne was in 2014. Right after I started running my first poker room, I made it an effort to get to know the people in the industry. I went all the way to Kuala Lumpur to rub shoulders with the hosts and players at Goldhill Poker club. I doubt he noticed me much at the time, but fate would have it 9 years later, we got to know each other more and reminisced in the early years of Malaysian poker and look back on how far the industry has come.

Wayne was one of the pioneers of poker in Malaysia. He and others before me paved the way for us to enjoy poker the way we do today. He was passionate about the game, innovative and creative, always coming up with ways to make the game more accessible to new players. 

In the past I was always a little bit intimidated by Wayne. He had a temper and sometimes would get upset and scolded the people around him. But as I got to know him, it was his way of teaching others to improve and do the best they can. There is often a better way to do things and he would always push others to think, learn and do their best. He also had a softer side to him. Anyone that approached him, he happily joined them in conversation, often with funny stories and jokes, only until recently when his health was waning where he was more quiet. 

In the last few months I got to spend more time with him, even had a few phone conversations. Wayne had irritable bowel syndrome and when it acted up it would give him stomach cramps and put him in pain. One time when we were playing poker, I tank called a big river bluff from him. However after the hand his IBS acted up and he was in agony. Even though I should be happy to win a big pot, I felt so bad afterwards and since then I tried to act as fast as I can whenever I was in a hand with him. 

The last time I saw him was at the recent Poker Dream 8. Everyone saw that he was unwell, he even complained about being out of breath. But against the advisement of all his friends, he insisted on staying on to play poker, a place where he feels at home, where he could see the fruits of his labour, his legacy. The next day he took our advice and went home, we exchanged some texts and one of the last messages I got from him were "LOL ok" and "thanks". 

I am grateful to have met Wayne and gotten to know him more. He shoots like a straight arrow, but he means well. If he saw something he didn't like, he wouldn't hold back. He doesn't butter you up or soften the blow, but gives you his honest opinion. He was kind and generous in giving and helping others. He commanded respect and authority, and could solve some of the biggest issues with one phone call. He would often affectionately call someone (myself included) "你条 bangkali" and then joked and laughed together. You will be missed and fondly remembered, rest in peace. 

Poker Dream 8, Genting Malaysia Report

I was very excited to play my first series of the year. Kudos to Poker Dream, the turn out was amazing. It total exceeded my expectations and I am truly excited to see this kind of response in the Malaysia market. I am also very pleased to see some clear improvements from the organizers, for example the graphic displays, to the now more prominent and grand final table, the media shared during the event, extra floor assistants, VIP buy in sheets, these little things are very encouraging signs. Can't wait to see further improvements and innovations in the upcoming series. 

Bye bye money

Back to me, this series was a big fat L for me. 3 ITM, but all shallow ones, and more crucially are my 3 bullets in the SHR all amounting to nothing. I was truly touched by the support of my friends who had complete faith in me. Some even offered to buy 100% of my action, or whatever I was willing to sell, without question. I am just annoyed I couldn't reward their faith with some good ROI. I feel that I played a few spots amazingly, but I also did make quite a few mistakes. Although I have been playing live poker more often than before, my stamina this trip was not what it used to be. I have been battling a bad cough for weeks, couldn't sleep well, and I had a terrible room to boot. Every morning at 9:45am I will hear the loud music from the theme park which was my daily alarm clock. Not very good when some days I played until 3-4am. 

Played a great line but was not rewarded

However there were some positives from this series. I met some pretty cool people and made new friends. A few of my students had really good results, one even finished 2nd in a side event. Some made their first ever live ITM. Although they had luck on their side, but luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I've played with some players in this series where even luck hit them straight in the face they will never win because of how badly they played. 

I'll be back

Overall this series is now the biggest losing series of my career. But I am thankful that my bankroll is at it's healthiest of my career as well, so it wasn't too hard to take. Funny when you work hard, give your passion and effort, do good and be good, help others without expecting anything in return, somehow good things will happen to you. I see some players complain about their luck. But if some of them looked closely at how they live their lives, maybe they can see they don't deserve good luck. Good things happen to good people. Instead of focusing on getting good things, focus on becoming a good person first. I know "good things" happen to bad people too, but don't worry, their time of reckoning will come. You just focus on bettering yourself. 

2024 goals and resolutions

Continuing my tradition, here are my goals and resolutions for the new year. 

1. Win 2 trophies

It's been a while since my last trophy. Since then I have come close 11 times (top 5 finishes). Last year I put some effort to improve my heads up game, and I feel more comfortable than ever to close out my games.

2. 150k+ tournament cashes

I set this goal for myself last year as well. Although I anticipate my tournament schedule is going to be sparser this year, I still want to aim high. 

3. Give 20k+ to charity

I am thankful for the position and career I am in. Although I am constantly surrounded by people who are much richer than I am, I want to be the richest in heart, and I want to inspire others to be generous and giving as well.

4. Start a new business

Although I don't know what I would do, but I feel like I need to put my business acumen to use. Hopefully I will be able to find opportunities and have a steady stream of side income. 

5. Travel 

Can't expect to travel more than I did in 2023. But hoping to visit Europe, America and maybe Africa at least once this year. 

One of my favourite cities in the world, Rome

6. Play at WSOP Vegas or Triton

Build my bankroll enough to afford taking a shot at either one of this. I think it might be a stretch to do it in 2024, but I will certainly aim for it. 

Let's go 2024, bring it on! Can't wait to see what's in store. 

What A Year (Part 3)

I was feeling kind of lost after ending my work contract. So back to the grind. In September I played at USOP Hanoi but it was a rough series for me. The highlight was winning two main event tickets from the same satellite, and on the same day finishing 3rd in the PLO event. Then at the end of the month I played at Poker Dream Hoian cashing twice on the same day but still had a losing trip. Two back to back losing series was tough on me. I often remind myself of where I came from, so not to lose my values and appreciation of money and my lifestyle. I like to put things into perspective so that I am grounded and don't get ahead of myself. Over these two series, I lost a combined 15 months of my last local salary. Of course I have come very far from my last local salary, but to think that this money was my 1-year+ income not so long ago was really humbling. Determined not to let this happen again, I refocused my time to more cash games as the next series was about 7 weeks away.

I like narrow paths (Hoian)

Hanoi

I was very fortunate to be accepted into some really good cash games. The results did not come immediately but I put effort into improving myself, adjusting to the games and players, did mental exercises, solver work etc. In October I lost 3/3 sessions as I was still uncomfortable with the stakes, game and player dynamics. But after some studying, adjustments, and thanks to help from good friends, in November I lost 4/11 sessions, and in December I lost 1/9 sessions. Soon enough I not only won back what I lost, I had a bigger profit from cash games within 2 months than I had from tournaments the whole year. Some of you might know my story, that on one off night, I ventured to new game and was arrested. Although it was terrible when we were locked up, looking back it wasn't that bad. Good to be humbled once in a while and to appreciate the little things in life that sometimes we might take for granted. 

Worst bracelet EVER

In between cash games I had time to play briefly at USOP Danang again with 2 ITMs but a losing trip, and a last minute dash to APT Hanoi basically breaking even after one ICM chop but a great trip for me psychologically. I felt that I played really well in that series and it lit a fire in me to continue to pursue tournament poker when I can. Previously I felt a bit dejected and even thought tournaments were a waste of time. But I think I have found my mojo again. I am probably not going to chase tournaments as often, but when I get the opportunity I am going to give it a good go. 

Cool villa in at Furama Danang

Seeing President Joe Biden pass in front of me in Hanoi

Under the guise of transiting, I had the chance to travel to Bangkok 3 times. We really love the food there and it's better to stop over in Bangkok rather than boring transits through airports. Although at the end I did not achieve my goal of traveling to a different country every month, but in 2023, I have traveled to 3 continents, 16 different countries, 24 cities. 

Where Bangkok milk tea is from

This year I have managed 18 cashes, including 5 final tables, cashing roughly $85k. I missed my goal of $150k but considering my previous best was $58k back when I was grinding full time, I think it's been a good year. I aimed to win at least 2 trophies but I came close finishing 3rd four times and 4th once. 

I have managed to stick to my 4th resolution which was to have a degen-free year until just this month. I did play a few flips with the VIP after winning cause I felt it was necessary to keep him happy, and on a big losing night to blow off some steam. PS: I lost all my flips totalling roughly $4500. Although tempted at times, I did not make a sports bet, casino bet or anything. Focused purely on playing good profitable poker. Despite some ups and downs this year, I continue to feel happy and thankful. I have come a long way from crying outside Taipei's poker arena questioning my career choice to now thriving in my element. We are so blessed and we hope to continue to bless others around us. My last resolution was to give my time for those within my reach and maybe I could have done better, but I have made it a conscious decision to reach out and care for some people around me. To be a good role model and friend. And I am so touched that others have reciprocated and shown me their love and care when I needed it too. 

Helping a random taxi that was stuck on the curb

2023 has been unforgetable to say the least but I feel there's so much more to come. Thank you for following me on my journey this far. I hope I can be your inspiration not just to be a poker player, but also to be a good human being as well. God bless.