Charity Work for the Next 6 Months (HappyRiver fund)

Since a few years ago in Taipei I started pledging 10% of my income to helping others, and as I travel to Taipei again today it seems fitting to renew my pledge. The past couple of years was rough, my investments many down the drain, for a while there was no stable income, poker income was erratic at best and every now and again I would get another unpleasant surprise. However I did my best to continue this pledge but somehow I have a great feeling about 2023. 

Post Odette destruction

10% of my income is a drop in the ocean. I know I can't even make a dent in the world's problems. But my philosophy has been to inspire others with what I do. If I can get others to do the same, then my impact would be compounded. In December 2021, typhoon Rai a.k.a. typhoon Odette hit the Philippines and brought destruction along it's way. Over 400 people perished during the ordeal, countless homes and buildings destroyed. Amongst the destruction was the Word of Faith Christian Church on Siargao Island. My good friend Pedro whom I've worked with in Cambodia reached out and I started getting involved in the rebuilding process even though just tiny donations here and there. But I felt this was a great project, as I hope it would inspire the entire church to pay it forward to people around them. 

Imagine if this happened to your home

I've always said this, giving money is the easy way out. Watching them rebuild the church brick by brick, women and children helping out by serving food to the builders, everyone coming together as a community, offering their time and care, that's the essence of giving. I'm blessed to be in the poker industry, flexible hours, no nagging bosses or whiny customers, lots of time with loved ones. To give back a little to people in less fortunate positions than I seems a fair exchange to me. When I was in Morocco, even giving as little as €0.50 meant the difference of a few meals or starving in the cold. Whilst we are trying to save for a new phone, car, house, there are people just fighting to live another day. 

Give to one, you change a life. Inspire one, you change many lives

You might say, why rebuild a church when the money can be used to feed the hungry, rebuild homes, build a school, etc. There are so many needs, but only this much money. My hope is that every Sunday as the church gathers, they will be reminded to bless others in their paths. I can't be fighting every fire, saving every life. But if I can get one more person inspired, then I would have done the work of two. 

For the upcoming 6 months, I will pledge a minimum of $3000 for this church. In past fundraising efforts, my friend Jonathan and his poker buddies joined in as well. If you are inspired and would like to join in, please contact me at happyriverpoker@gmail.com otherwise, do something that you're passionate about. Offer your time, care, kind words, smiles, hugs, energy, effort or money to help someone less fortunate. Put yourself in their shoes, and think of how you would wish for someone's help. And to tell you my secret, the more you give, the more you get - to give. 

Being a Christian Poker Player

By now most of you should know that I am a Christian. I always thank God for everything, I give 10% of my profits to charity or people in need, I do not join in the after poker excursions during live events (except the one organised by the tournament organiser), most already know not to invite me to drinks, girly bars, etc as they know I always say no. But for a long time I struggled about revealing my beliefs because in my culture, many still associate poker with gambling, or it carries a negative connotation. 

Poker in Prague

There is indeed gambling in poker. Sometimes there are spots that you have to take that are just barely +EV. But isn't there gamble in everything? A quarterback throws a hail Mary pass, a basketball player takes a 3 pointer instead of a closer bucket, taking the COVID vaccine or not, going out during the pandemic, driving, walking up the stairs, allowing ourselves to fall in love.... there's an element of risk in any decision we make. The best thing we can do is to weigh the risks and rewards and make the best decision we can. 

Being a Christian poker player doesn't mean God will help me win. I remember when I was little, there was a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. During their pre fight interviews, Tyson said, God will help me win. Holyfield also said God will help me win. I remember thinking, who is God going to help? Did the winner win because God loved him more? Or because he prayed more? A farmer prays for rain, a fisherman prays for sunshine, who does God listen to? If he sides with one does it mean he doesn't love the other guy?

Being a Christian poker player means that I can share my "work" with God. I tell Him my struggles, my stresses, and to be honest I almost never pray to win. I pray to play the best I can and have fun in the process. I know some of you are going to ask, then why do you still give thanks when you do win? 

I have not had a boss since 2018. I have flexible hours. I can choose where I want to work, for how long, and when I want to stop. My "job" is to play a game and talk to other players. I have a great partner who not only understands what I do, but supports me even when I am losing. I have so many things to be thankful for. Even when I lose, I still have the best job of my life. Just a bad day at the office. 

I know there are many other players who are Christians. They may not be as obvious as I am, but I hope this blog can encourage them. If we feel ashamed to tell people we are Christian poker players, then maybe we shouldn't play poker anymore. But I believe, whatever we do, we do the best we can, we do it with integrity, with respect, with honour, with class, and we can still make God proud of us. We can inspire others, help others, be kind to others, care for others within our industry. 

Merry Christmas guys

Whatever it is, I feel that I am usually the happiest guy among my peers. You always see me smiling and making jokes. Knowing that it is a blessing that I have this life, win or lose becomes secondary because I appreciate how fortunate I am compared to many other people. 

So far in my poker "career" I have had some mediocre results at best. I can still turn a decent profit from cash games, but I haven't had any significant scores in tournaments. But that's okay. When it is my time, it will be my time. But in the meantime, I hope people sense a difference in me, I am not like other people, I can mingle with poker players but yet be God fearing. My "job" is to take as much money from other players as I can, but I can still be generous in helping others and giving back. I take bad beats like a champ, I never throw a tantrum on the table, nor yell at other players or dealers, always leave the table gracefully and wishing everyone the best. Maybe one day God will allow my career to shine. But even if He doesn't, I am thankful I can be a Christian and a poker player at the same time. 

New Year Resolutions

Somehow it seems every year is okay but doesn't end well so come January I am always at the crossroads deciding my next move. In 2018 I had a great year on the tournament circuit, won two titles, finished third in a high roller for my biggest career cash in Oct, then Nov-Dec I was agonisingly close to a WSOP ME run and lost big on $35 a point OFC. 2019 I had a good year playing private cash games, went to play a big tournament and finished 4th (also in Oct) but then bricked out Nov-Dec and cash games dried up. 2020 I was running and winning at a profitable business. Nov I started losing and after a lot of drama I was out of the business.

2021 is going to be another very interesting year. I really don't know where it will lead me so it is really hard to decide what my resolutions are going to be. I have learned so much in 2020, about myself, about others, about the world, about values, about what's truly important. It was a path that I had to go through, putting in the hard work and having it taken away from me. Because maybe it wasn't mine to begin with. Or it was just given to me for me to learn my lessons. And I truly believe I have come away a better man.

Another crossroads of my life

Whatever happens, poker is still going to be a big part of my life. I haven't played a lot of Holdem in 2020 and I feel that I am not on top of my game. Maybe years of soft super aggro private games has changed me into this passive, nut hunting, marginal hero calling style which probably doesn't work as well in most other games. So I think 1) Improve my poker skills. I don't want to say study because I know how lazy I am, but I will try to study more. I guess improving my skills also include reviewing my ranges, sizing, observing others, cleaning up my fundamentals, improving my control, etc.

Health should be a top priority this year. There was a death in the family last year, my mum had a Covid scare and my body is sending me warning signs. Honestly I have a great life and I want to live as long as I can. so 2) Be healthier. My theme this year is to be vague with my resolutions LOL. But health means eating better, exercise more, maybe start taking more supplements. I haven't had soda in a long time, and last year I have taken out a lot of processed foods from my diet. I ain't going vegetarian but I do want to have more fruits and vege. 

Some say rest is good for health too

Giving and helping people is what got me here. It will always be a part of me and my principles. I just watched a movie called All Saints and it made me cry so many times. I have toiled so hard in 2020 working every single day without rest. But that was to help myself. I really can see myself working as hard if not harder, like the guy in the movie to help others in need. But at the moment I haven't seen that opportunity or have that calling. Until then financial help seems to be the most practical. 3) Give 10% of my income 

I've never met any of them but I am glad I could help
(And don't ask me why they call me Peter. It's a long story)

It is unlikely there will be any live tournaments in 2021, and I don't enjoy playing online, so I imagine my main source of income is still live cash games. But the Covid storm is also a time of opportunities. There are cheap businesses to snap up, or potential new services and goods that are suddenly in higher demand. So 4) Look for a new project to work on. In 2020 I have proven my business and marketing skills as well as people skills are still sharp. Would be a shame not to use them. 

I look forward to the new challenges 2021 will throw at me. If anything I also learned from 2020 is that life is full of surprises. You'll never know what will happen. Continue to be positive, do good, work hard, and even if things don't go my way, I can hold my head high and be proud of myself. Set yourself goals and resolutions to become a better version of yourself. What are your passions? How can you contribute to society and the betterment of the world? And share those goals with others because we can be your motivation to achieve them. Like you are to me.

Charity Work for September (HappyRiver Fund)

I was debating to share this one or not but I want to inspire others to do their part to help, not necessarily giving money but sometimes just offer a helping hand, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a comforting smile, an encouraging word. Also if anyone wants to join me in my donations, I can setup a HappyRiver Fund and make everything transparent to those involved. 

This month I continued supporting the Animal Rescue Centre and also a bicycle repurposing effort. Some locals have to walk a long way to school, to sell their produce, to town to get supplies, so there is a guy in town who gets unwanted bicycle parts and repurposes them and gives it to people in need. I'll keep you guys updated and possibly some photos. 

Someone brought my attention to a cause in Indonesia delivering food for struggling locals. Jo-Anna is a resourceful woman who brought this mission onto herself when she saw the need. With the funds I sent, she turned it into 660 eggs, 645kgs of rice amongst other goodies including some spending money. 

The fact is there are always people that need help. Monetary needs are most obvious, but some people are facing depression, anxiety, emotional and mental issues. We can make someone's life so much better by offering our help. Wouldn't you wish someone helped you when you're the one suffering? Have some compassion, have some empathy. Changing the world is easier than you think. 

Charity work for August

It has been a frustrating month with results going up and down, and having to deal with some difficult situations, but still extremely thankful for opportunity we are in. The new club is great, it feels like a proper poker club, a very exclusive high end feeling to it. 

I pledged to write more blog posts but also pledged to give more to those in need so why not combine the two. This month there were two causes that moved me to give. I have mentioned in my previous posts before that one of my friends often gives to the animal shelter. He says human beings should have the ability to take care of themselves, but helpless animals can't. They deserve our care and attention. I agreed with him and together with his help, we donated about 320kg of food to the shelter. I wanted to visit myself but am too busy at the moment. But definitely will make it there one of these days. My friend was kind enough to go source for the food and delivery it personally. They have a website too, but we thought that buying and delivering food is the more effective way of giving. This way we ensure all the funds benefit the animals directly. But if you are interested to help you can check out the Animal Rescue Cambodia website. 

Food "Panda" for the animals (my friend Ras on the left and I'm not in the pic)

Another cause that came to my attention was the food situation in Beirut, Lebanon. After the devastating blast, a lot of food storages were destroyed. Being in the desert, Beirut has to rely on imported foods through their ports that are now inoperable. So the United Nations' World Food Programme has been sending in food deliveries to feed the local people. They need more help to be able to supply all the people affected. If you are interested to help please also donate. You can join their monthly donation or donate a one-off amount. 

Add caption

My two recent charities both involve food. Everyday we have the feeling of being hungry, but we are never in hunger. The next time you are feeling hungry, think of the people and animals that are suffering and might not have a meal waiting for them. Also I hate wastage. I despise the people who waste food. Do not be like them. It may sound cliche but really, think of the starving people in Africa, or maybe even just outside your street. Have compassion, don't waste, give generously. Feeding someone is more satisfying than feeding yourself. 

Why do I give?

I have a file that I keep to track how much I should be giving for charities since June 2019. I did a tally and I was surprised how much the total was. But I have developed the habit of helping others, maybe in my upbringing and also the people who've inspired me throughout my life. And to me it is natural and something everyone needs to be doing, in order to make our world a better place. People who know me well know me as a very genuine and straight forward person, but I guess when I start posting Facebook ads looking for charity cases genuinely seeking out people in need to help, it may have caused some people to react or think negatively.

I give, because of one thing, because I am selfish. You might think that doesn't make sense, but once you know my secret, you might just do the same too.

Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

Almost my entire cash roll at one point

The more I give the more I get to give and it goes on and on. You might think it gets easier but it doesn't. As the amounts grow you are tested more and more because your mind is trying to reason with you, and it defies logic to give it away to someone you barely know. Last year I played a lot in a private game where I was surrounded by all kinds of characters. I've seen them snort cocaine and take meth on the table, I'm pretty sure they are mostly involved in illegal businesses, some were loan sharks and possibly drug dealers too. I remember saying "their money is better off in my hands". Indeed it was because I would do good things with it whilst they probably spend it on the next party, next high or even worse. One night I won $7k+ and the next morning I sent $1k to a local teacher fighting cancer.

Moving in the right direction

We like playing with our friends' kids or our nieces or nephews. Have you tried giving kids something and asking them for a little back? Offer them a whole bag of candy and ask for one little piece back. Even though we never wanted or needed a candy in the first place, but I bet you the one that actually shares with you will be your favourite, and you will give him or her more stuff in the future. Although the kid is well within their rights to say now that you have given the whole bag to them, it is theirs to decide what to do with and who to give to. But it is just natural for us to give more to the one that shares.

Don't worry, I put it in the bank already 

If you're like me and believe there is a higher being watching over us, and that He in His own words challenged us to test his promise and generosity, then you'll understand why I give generously and with a pure heart. Because the more I give, the more I get to give, which means the more I get to keep too. 

I've come across people who are generous with their resources. One guy offered free accommodation for backpackers who are stuck in Cambodia because of Covid19, and he also takes in stray dogs. One poker pro friend I know once wrote a $100k cheque to a cancer foundation right after a tournament win. Another gave money for locals to help with their education and other personal needs. I know some of my friends are going to joke that they contribute to the locals every night too, but these guys ask for nothing in return. 

If you or you know someone in genuine severe financial difficulty (because I had people asking me to help them fix their car, but I am looking to help people who don't have a car and may be evicted or even starve to death if they don't receive help kind of difficulty), drop me a message on happyriverpoker@gmail.com and if I can help I will do my best.

31 days, 100% Win Rate, October Report

In July, August and September I played a combined 91 sessions of live cash games. In October, I had a 100% winning rate because I played only ONE session haha. This has been my laziest month so far but I had good reason.

My ONE and ONLY winning session

If you read one of my recent posts, first week of October I was playing a tournament and ran good to finish 4th. I hit my monthly income target with that score so I decided to stay on to play a few more tournaments. The next Main Event I made day 3 but fell 5 spots short of the money. Pretty disappointed but not as disappointed as stone bubbling the High Roller event. But still I had a good trip with a decent profit.

During this time I joined Neverlose as their agent and naturally started playing on it. At the end I pulled out a modest profit from it. I probably logged about 40+ sessions and it has improved my OFC game as well. Unfortunately in the last week we had a downswing of 2200 points combined. After that experience I am having mixed feelings about the site. PS: Did you know CST stands for China Standard Time? I guess Google doesn't know everything.

Go BIG or go home. Opps, I am already AT home

This month I met up with the fundraisers for the Cambodian teacher suffering from cancer. Bless them as they volunteered themselves to take up this task for zero personal gain. Since then they have inspired many to participate but also given the teacher hope. They would tell me when they first visited her, she barely had any energy to do anything. I guess $20,000 felt like a death sentence to her. Since the fund raising started, she would start to eat, sit up and even speak during their visits. Mind you her cancer is in her throat so speaking I assume would be a big challenge, and possibly painful.

This month was also the 2nd Happy River charity tournament at HKPPA. Again great organization by the association and great support by the members. I am very amazed by the closeness of the HKPPA members and their show of support of everything HKPPA. At the end we generated a total of USD 3500 for charity. The Children of Cambodia thanks all that was involved.

Charity event turn out

Because I was at the tournaments, I missed about 6 sessions of my bi-weekly football. I did get in some biking and hiking, but it does not compare to the huffing and puffing chasing the ball. I played a couple of games since I got back and in my second game I was so tired I almost blacked out. I hope I can rebuild my stamina and continue to lose weight. I think I did not lose any weight this month because I ate a lot in Taiwan.

Don't forget to join me online on Neverlosepoker and Natural8 using the code POKER168 to sign up and play!

Pay it forward

When I first started playing poker full time, one of the key principles I had was to give 10% to charities and helping people. Last year I gave to charities, to churches, and organized a charity tournament with the Hong Kong Poker Players' Association (HKPPA) and generated additional donation money for those in need. However I did that in a losing year. To be honest, the drive to give was a selfish one. I believe if I give, I will be blessed and earn more. I didn't. Not until after I fixed some things.

This year I had started to do well, especially when I switched my focus to cash games. I have been giving to orphanages, charities, and also a special case I came across - a Cambodian teacher suffering from cancer. I mentioned this in one of my earlier posts where I won a decent amount the night before, and the next day I saw this story on Facebook and contacted the person in charge. I did not want to be scammed again but felt the story was legit. Immediately donated money on the same day. She has gone through the CT scans and thankfully the cancer has not spread to other parts of her body. She is preparing to travel to Bangkok for the surgery soon. Today I met with the fundraisers and contacted the teacher for the first time. It was humbling and yet gratifying to hear that my contribution has made a difference. I also received warm messages not only from the teacher in need, but also a touched fund raiser that was inspired by my actions.

Post from the fundraiser

Personal message from the sick teacher

I want to stress that sharing all this is not to boast and I have kept my donations anonymous. The main reason is to inspire you to do the same. Sometimes we are too focused on our own needs, we don't realize how much more some people around us need that money. For you it might be to save up to buy a car, a house, a nice watch, for them it might be to save their lives. A few months back a friend on Facebook was inspired by me and decided to make a donation to a Vietnamese orphanage. He goes on to share that his experience of seeing the joy he brought to the kids and the volunteers moved him to pledged more donations in the future. The feeling you get seeing how much it means to them, and how much impact you made really doesn't compare with anything in this world.

Matt paying it forward

Last December I wrote a post "Am I too nice" and at the end I said that I hope I will be rewarded for my actions. I believe I have been rewarded and it is only getting started. I will continue to keep doing the right thing, be more selfless and help others whenever I can.

Charity event Sunday 27th October

This year HKPPA and I are doing another charity event this time for the upcoming WPT Cambodia. Proceeds of the charity event will go towards the Cambodia Children's Fund (CCF). If you can make it, I hope you will join. If you're just reading this post, I hope it will influence you to pay it forward. The problem with our world today is everyone just cares about themselves. Giving money away seems like such a -EV and dumb thing to do. But believe me, it is more +EV than you can ever imagine.

You can also help by signing up to Neverlosepoker or Natural8 using the code POKER168 and generate charity money by playing!

30 days, 25 sessions, September Report

September has been my laziest month. In the last week of the month I only played 3 sessions but had a hot start to the month. Unfortunately had a bad end with me losing the last 3 sessions straight. But still I had my best month so far, more than doubling my monthly target so I guess I deserved a little break. I played 25 sessions, won 16 lost 9.

Played 2 sessions of PLO (lost both) and one session of OFC where I crushed for 500+ points

Previously I gave you guys a sneak preview, telling you I lost a lot in my worst session of the month. It was not the biggest loss of my career but this time I had 100% of my action so it hurt the most. I would get it in good but get sucked out, or miss monster draws. To give you some perspective, I lost almost my entire month's target in one sitting. The amount was equivalent to 8 months salary of my last job in Malaysia. I was visibly down and left pretty dejected. I went back to my room, watched a movie, had dinner and tried to be positive. Remember a few weeks ago I helped a guy move houses? Despite knowing him for just a few weeks, I volunteered my help when no one else he knew did. But I just did it out of kindness and never expected anything back. Anyway he was at the game and he saw how down I was. I could feel his eyes on me and feeling my pain when I lost every big pot. Later that night he sent me a message, "the whale is back". I wasn't sure if I wanted to play the whale again. If I lost it would put me in a hole, so I thought I'll just play a computer game. But the game wouldn't load, and I tried like 5 times, restarting my computer and still it wouldn't load. So I went back to the poker game.

Sorry it's a long story LOL. First hand I sat down, I had AK. Before I even got my chips, it was all in and against the friend who messaged me back. He had Queens but I spiked an Ace of the flop. I felt bad but he was really cool about it. After the double I had KK vs JJ against the whale. And the last big pot of the night I won with 34o.

At that point there was a lot of limping because the two main whales would give so much value post flop. 6 limpers and I am on the SB with 34o so I complete. BB was a reg friend often would check back but decided to make it 6x. All 6 players called giving me super good odds so I called. Flop was A83 rainbow. To my surprise but worry, it was checked around. Turn another 3. I decided to play it cautiously because BB is very capable of checking AA top set there. I checked, BB checks again and whale decides to bet almost the pot. Everyone else folded so I called. BB decides to call too! I did not like that call but nothing I can do about it. River was a 4. I checked because I wanted to see what BB would do, and let the whale hang himself. BB checks and the whale bets overpot putting me effectively all in. I called and to my relief BB folds. Not only did I win back what I lost earlier that day, I ended the day with a healthy profit. Hence the biggest winning session of my career. I was so thankful and humbled afterwards.

A week later I had another decent session. The next morning when I woke up I saw the news of a Cambodian teacher fighting for her life needing life saving surgery. I immediately contacted the person and sent my donation. I later found out not only the money meant a lot, it also gave the fund raisers, family and friends hope and strength. At this point in time they are still fund raising but I hope I will have good news to report on her situation. I know some of you might think, what if it is a scam? It's dumb to just give money away. Of course I did my due diligence but even if it were a scam, my pure intention was to help, and I am sure I would still be blessed for my actions.

Ate lots of sushi this month

After a few weeks of football, long walks by the river, even a couple of gym sessions and hitting the pool, no supper, less fatty foods, I have lost some weight and continue to drop in size. But still not completely there yet. Give me a few more months and I should be back in tip top shape.

What In The World Is Happening?

I deviate from poker and want to talk about other things. When I started this blog I wanted to inspire other poker players like myself to pursue their dreams. Since then I have found a higher purpose which is to inspire all to be better versions of ourselves. Be ethical, considerate, helpful and caring, doing what we can to help those in need. Sometimes we think we can't do much, so we end up not doing anything. But I want to tell you, it's time we do something, anything.

Amazon is on fire

Global warming is real

So much has happened in August. Amazon is on fire, the arctic is melting at the highest rate ever, protests in Hong Kong, two mass shootings in the US in the space of 24 hours.....

Once considered one of the safest places to visit - Hong Kong

Innocents killed over nothing

I saw a few of my closest friends donate and urging others to donate to the Amazon situation, which is great. But at the end of the day, if we don't address the root of the issue, these things will never end. I believe the root is "selfishness". The Amazon is on fire and every year Indonesian forests go up in flames because of lazy farmers that light up their fields to save time from clearing it for the next season. Local authorities and governments do not do anything about it because they are profiting from it. Global warming is caused by a lot of factors, including deforestation, eating habits, our over dependency on fossil fuels, etc motivated by profits, self comforts and convenience. Hong Kong clashes will never be over because each faction cares too much about their own stances to back down. Protestors wanting democracy, politicians want to keep their jobs, police wanting a break, businesses wanting their livelihoods back. White supremacy, racism are also prime examples of putting oneself ahead of others.

Maybe you might say I don't do any of those. But we might all be guilty of being "selfish" in a more subtle way. Do you give your seat to the elderly on the train? Do you let people out of the elevator before entering? Do you queue? Do you pay back your creditors? Do you litter? Do you smoke in public spaces? Do you say please and thank you? Do you use headphones when listening to something in a public place? Do you attempt to reduce your carbon footprint? Do you press both buttons on the elevator despite going only one direction? Do you hold the door open for the next person?

Two days ago I helped a new friend move apartments. But I felt kinda sad because after being here for 1.5 years, the only friend that helped him move was someone he met just 3 weeks ago. If only everyone was just a little bit caring, giving, helpful, considerate and selfless. If everyone was nicer to everyone else then maybe people will change. Giving to charity is great, but there are so many things we can do. Smile more, compliment people, be friendly, hold the door after you've opened it, let others walk through it first, say please thank you and sorry more often, keep some plants in your home to produce oxygen, use less plastics, recycle, pick up trash when you visit the beach, put down your phone and talk with the people around you, visit a poor country, do some volunteering, do something for others without expecting anything in return..... Try it. Trust me, it is more rewarding that you would think.

Hope you're inspired. Share this with someone else if you are.

31 Days, 39 Sessions - July Report

July was a crazy month with lots of firsts. I played 39 sessions in 31 days, only taking one day off completely without poker. I played in the highest stake of my life. Won the biggest session of my career. Saw the biggest cash game pot ever with my own eyes.

I am pretty proud of myself to have the stamina and passion to play so many sessions in this period. I am also very happy I can now comfortably move up stakes and make more money doing the same amount of work. However I am also very aware that I am not playing my best game in the higher stakes but I hope to grind it out and continually adjust. Eventually if I can run my bankroll up I will be more comfortable and be able to pick the right spots.

Let it grow, let it grow, can't hold it back anymore...

Surprisingly though my win-rate was not as high as I thought. I won 20 sessions and lost 19 sessions. Unlike previous months I had a much higher win/loss ratio but one thing I improved on was keeping losing session amounts low and winning session amounts high. A lot of it also had to do with great timing (by chance) and also running good at key games. Twice I had quads this month and I got paid big both times.

Enough about poker. Keeping to my word, I eventually found a good charity that I can get on board with. Cambodia Children's Fund is a well respected, transparent NGO that has done great things to help the needy. They provide housing, health care, child care, education, food and security for hundreds of kids at a time. They celebrated their 15th anniversary this year with their first cohort graduating from University after they were rescued from the dump sites of Phnom Penh while they were little kids.

The kids were laughing and having a great time going to school

I had the opportunity to visit a few of their facilities and I am amazed how far they have come. Kids not only have a safe environment to study and play, but they also have access to opportunities they would never have dreamed of. A few of them received scholarships to study overseas, participate in international events, learn skills that can set them up for life. Some facilities are better than the public schools in the region. The kids were really friendly and cute. I didn't want to take their photos because I wasn't sure of the culture here. But they would come up and say hi, wave or smile. Without NGOs like CCF, they would have been vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse, left alone uneducated, having to work to support the family, some kidnapped or sold off by human traffickers, some will starve or die from sickness.

Scott Neeson the founder was a Hollywood marketing executive but when he came to Cambodia he was moved by what he saw and founded CCF to make a difference. He was travelling between Hollywood and Cambodia at the time trying to make both work. One time he arrived in Phnom Penh and was brought to see three kids suffering from typhoid. He did what he could but they did not make it. Almost at the same time, he got a call from an unnamed Hollywood actor complaining about how he's suffering because the Xbox on the private jet was not the correct version and he couldn't play his games. Scott then quit his job and focused on CCF full time. That story almost brought me to tears.

Clinic, maternal care, nursery, dental care, food canteen, school, housing, you name it.

Anyway, my donation is a small amount compared to the support they get from all over the world, but I am proud to have contributed to this meaningful organization and cause. Hopefully in the coming months I will continue to do well and be able to support CCF even more.

Happiest losing hand I ever had

Have you ever felt happy losing a hand? I was so happy how this hand went down. I was playing 5/10 and preflop I had AK utg. I opened to 30, big boss called, fish called on the button, blinds folded.

Flop was Qd Jd 5c. I had the Kd but I knew these two were sticky so I just checked. Boss checks, fish bets 75. I called boss called. Turn was the T! Jackpot! For deception I checked, turn should not be a scare card so I assumed the fish would bet. But to my surprise and dismay both checked. River came another 5 but no flush. I thought I would check as the boss always stabs at a checked pot. Indeed he did, he bet 50. But here's the kicker of the story. Fish puts out a 500 chip but didn't say raise. Dealer ruled it as a call. In my mind I was like, darn it. Make it a raise man! But when dealer said it's just a call fish agreed and thought the action was over and flips over T5o for a full house! Had he bet on turn, he would have called my check raise for sure. Or if I led turn or led river, or if he didn't flip it over and I raised behind..... I only lost 105 on this pot where I could have lost my entire stack. Maybe this is some good karma rubbing off.

Nice sunrise seen from inside the poker room

Anyway these last few days has been really interesting. Was up 1500 on 5/10 but saw my entire stack disappear when I jammed J5 on an A55 flop against 53 and how did I know boss limped AA on the sb in a 6-way pot. Haha got trapped good that hand.

Played the highest stakes I have ever played so far, 10/20, another 6-way limped pot. Flop Q92hh sb leads I raise with Q9 and he jams 2k on me. Of course I call and he shows QQ. Another sb limp multiway by a different person! It was a very interesting 10/20 game. On one stretch there was a guy who would open 500 every hand and get 2 callers. I didn't win but it was fun to watch.

10/20 game

For those who are following, I did not spend my entire donation budget on the last orphanage. I still have quite a bit to give. I would consider giving it to an internationally backed orphanage or random strangers in need. On my way to the casino everyday I would walk by this old lady who sleeps on the sidewalk. I don't want to directly give her money but last night I took a couple bottles of water from the casino and dropped it next to her while she slept. Next time I'll bring her some food. Doing charity does not always mean giving money. Sometimes it just takes effort to care, to extend a helping hand, to be friendly and kind, to smile, make someone's day. I believe good things happen to good people. But even if they don't, it makes you feel good inside.

Phnom Penh Orphanage

As part of my pledge for June's profits (even though I think I am still having a negative year), I wanted to do something for the locals here. I found an orphanage that houses 30 kids and I thought it would be nice to show up bringing them some food and snacks. 

Oh yes you saw right, I bought 32 toothbrushes

Off to the supermarket and bought fruit, biscuits, chocolates and cookies for the kids to snack on, hand wash, 32x toothbrushes with toothpaste, vitamin C, malt drinks, 60 eggs...... I was pretty excited to go there. I even thought that I could play with the kids, maybe even teach them Chinese or English, or a song. It was pouring hard and it was wet in the little tuk tuk but braving the elements, we headed to the orphanage. It was about 25 minutes away in the rain-caused traffic.

Longest receipt of my life

On the website it says we could play with the kids, they love the company. I was imagining seeing kids run around and jump for joy when they saw the goodies we brought. I would assume they don't get snacks and chocolate that often. Was contemplating buying instant noodles for them but I thought better not spoil them.

NACOPCA official website

When we got there it was raining cats and dogs, and the place was pretty secluded in a small alley. There was a banner overhead with their name and logo but the place looked so dodgy. No kids, only a few barking dogs and an old man in a sarong. I didn't feel good about it. I just dropped the stuff and left. I should have taken a photo but it was raining so heavily I didn't want to get my phone wet.

Go Tuk Tuk

I've read somewhere not to donate to any orphanage. Now I guess I know what that means. There was another one run by a UK based charity. I think that one would have been more legit. Problem was it was 20km away and I thought a local orphanage with no international funding would be more needy. Anyway, I hope the stuff got put to good use anyway. If they were a scam, good luck using 32 toothbrushes with toothpaste. 

What Happened in June

I played 24 sessions of live cash games in June. Overall I did okay. Close to the end of the month I was doing well. Then came this two fateful sessions where I dropped close to 50% of my June profits. It hurt more by the way I lost and who I lost it to. The player was obviously a fish but he was just feeling lucky, calling down every single pot he was in.

As much as I hate 99, it's not going to lose this time, right?

Yes I was 95% favourite on the flop. It came Qd, Jd for the turn and river. Oh by the way, remember how I hate 99? A few days before this I had 99 on a J669T board where villain had JJ. The next day I had this hand below. River 5.

Not 95% favourite but 84% is still pretty darn high

Taking bad beats is part of life. But to have 2 days in a row running like this was so devastating. I guess at least it wasn't on the bubble of a big tournament. Just a bit of spoiler for July, I had a monster session and won it back. This time my sets and two pairs held and I was playing a higher stake. Thank God redemption tasted sweet and reassuring.

Starting to get into the rhythm of this city, had some time to go out and explore. Nothing much really but the food scene is decent. Found this gem of a burger place in town. Food is one of the comforts that makes me happy.

Self taken photo. Not bad right?

I started grinding cash games full time end of May so after about 1.5 months I can see it being something long term. I have tweaked my game a bit in this 6 weeks, set myself some rules to help me control my bankroll better. Overall I had a profiting month in June so as pledged I am giving 10% to charity. I wanted to donate a bunch of stuff to a local orphanage but the supermarket person did not cooperate with the delivery instructions. I will update you guys later with another post. Because I believe it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Left stack - bankroll, right stack - donation money for June

Charity Poker Tournament

This year I planned to do more charity work. Playing poker professionally is tough, especially when you don't know where your income is going to come from. You already have a difficult life trying to manage your bankroll, and especially in tournament poker, you can go on long droughts and even negative months. But having traveled and even lived in some places like Vietnam, Philippines, India, Pakistan, etc I feel that I am very fortunate as I am, and I get to play the best game in the world for a living. In order to motivate myself to earn more, but also to give purpose to what I do (other than making money), I pledged 10% of my income to charity work.

In January, despite making a loss, I made a donation to the Saigon Children's Charity. A very good cause for less fortunate kids in Vietnam. In September and October, although I struggled throughout but I had a decent result at the end so I forked out (more than 10% actually). I say this because I don't want some of my asshole friends not seeing the positive side of things and actually spinning this into "oooh so you're rich now, I don't have to pay you back"... To be honest, I am not doing so well lately but I want to stick to my pledge and it means even more when the giving actually "hurts". Kind of.

HKPPA (Hong Kong Poker Players' Association) actually came up with a great idea, for me to sponsor two main event packages (buy in and hotel) to the upcoming APL in Vietnam, which includes 4 days to spend with me, which is always worth it LOL. In the end we generated a total of  HK$21000 which will be distributed to the Homeless World Cup (HK), The Hong Kong Society for the Aged and the Hong Kong Children's Foundation.

Pretty decent turnout, HK$21000 collected for charity

Not only that my money generated more for charity than expected, I hope to inspire other players to give more. I hope it can become a practice and even tradition in the poker community.

In the end, the prizes were won by Mr ChuChu and Zack so congratulations to you both and I look forward to seeing you guys in Vietnam. Both winners if they cash in the main event, will give 10% of their profits to charity as well! So pay it forward!

Mr ChuChu

Zack