CPG Sanya, Hainan China Report

When I embarked on my journey to play poker in as many countries as possible, I kept wondering when would I have the chance to play in China. When I heard there was going to be a CPG stop in Hainan I was intrigued. The last time I visited Hainan was in 2016, rented a scooter, had some yummy seafood and a great time. I was reluctant at first because August had been a mediocre month for me, and I really needed to grind some cash games if I wanted a productive month. But then I found a nice connection in Changsha and also needed to attend for business purposes so I went.

Why are dragon trophies the norm nowadays?

Sanya has changed a lot since I last visited 8 years ago. It is now a full blown tourist town. Food is nice if you know where to find it. I recommend the First Market for some very nice seafood at pretty good prices. I remember it wasn't as hot in June but this time in August it was scorching. Even at night you would sweat in the dark. So it wasn't as nice to explore during the day. We didn't even go to the beach or took a swim. 

Such a nice pool but never got to use it

China Poker Games (CPG) position themselves as a sports event organizer, and their tournaments are open for registration for sportsmen/women from all over. Therefore in order to participate you need to first download their app, create a membership account with real details, ID numbers, preregister and prepay for your planned events. Therefore you don't have the luxury of deciding on the day what to play, or walking to the counter to register. Transferring of prepaid tickets are allowed the first time, but the process is complex. Given the strict laws in China, it is understandable that they need these for the protection of the event and the players. 

I played in the main event only and it was quite fun. I can say that CPG does not skimp on quality. Everything is top notch. From the chips, to cards, to even the day 2 bags, they are all super high quality. The membership app, seating app, every table has two CCTVs, you can see the high cost of running their events. Then again, they do have a high rake and tax associated with them, although I am unsure how much it actually is. Pay outs are not immediate and will take some time to process, but it didn't affect me as I busted day 2 on the soft bubble. Prices of the tickets fluctuate if you don't prepay early enough and as I understand it, most local players earn them by playing online. 

Navigating my tight bankroll

Overall I had a nice time. Sanya is quite picturesque and the food is good. However I enjoyed my little stopover in Changsha more in spite of the scorching heat. (it was like 39-40 degrees) I do not recommend CPG for non-Chinese speaking players though. You would have a tough time if you didn't speak the language. They do have translators and staff that can help you, but you would find it less enjoyable. Going out, taking taxis, ordering food, you will have a rough time. For those who do go, you would need WeChat pay or AliPay. Without it life will be tough. 

Coconut chicken (so-so)

Goat hot pot (nice but expensive)

Seafood (cheap and good)

If you're like me, good food can solve anything, then I would say give CPG Sanya a go. I just wish the August weather was a bit cooler. But if you are considering it purely for poker, be prepared for a very different experience than most other series in Asia. If you're willing to have an open mind, try new things then the experience itself is worth it. 

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

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. 

APT Hanoi Billions 2023 Report

I know I said no more tournaments till next year, but my regular cash game took a break, a couple players were away or sick so the games were not running. Had a good session in cash so took the winnings to hopefully freeroll my way to a big score. Turn out was looking sick so I booked my flights last minute, went straight to the airport right after the last cash session, landed, checked in, and straight to my first event. 

I wanna be a billionaire, so freaking bad...

The 50m Mystery Bounty looked juicy and I started hot. I registered in level 5 but soon after that I had 4x starting stack. But as easy as it came, in 5 hands, I went from big stack to out. Didn't hate how I played, except for maybe 2 hands. Felt quite good at the end of the day even though I lost.

On the second day I played the main event 1C flight. Things went well, maybe 1 mistake but I played the rest of the hands as best as I could. One highlight hand was an Ace high call after a flop reraise, turn check call, river check call. The reporter was on hand to write about it and it was cool to have it recorded in text. I also made a 1.5x pot river value bet that almost got snapped off. (maybe could have done 2x) The previous APT at Danang I was chip leader for 1C. At the last level I could see the photographers swarming around me. One of them confirmed I was the chip leader but I blew it on a hand and ended 2nd in chips. Felt great about it though, so far so good.

Hanoi weather is beautiful this time of year

Came into day 2 full of confidence. Sb and bb were away from table, I was on button and everyone folds to me. Initially I was happy to get a walk and free blinds, but I flipped over two black aces! I had such a healthy stack imagine I had TT on a KTx flop vs KK and still had above ave after doubling him up. Another two black aces that got no action I kinda had a bad feeling for the day. The turning point when I limped pre with a 3b hand and got into multiway, had to fold to a river jam. Next hand I played vs Indian pro Kanchan Sharma where the previous day we had a lot of back and forth. 3b, 4b, bluffs, floats... so when I 4b 55% of her stack I didn't blame her for jamming all in with A7o. I called with AQ but she hit the 7 on the river. The next two hands I got rivered (some of you know the story so I will skip it) and I was out. 

At least she gone on to cash

I have no problems with losing. It is part of poker life. But to lose to 5 rivers IN A ROW, back to back, from table chip leader to out, that hurt a lot. But that was just the beginning of my series of run bad. In my 4-day trip, I had 5 different hotels, wrong branch, overbooking, burnt bookings etc. Finally things were looking up when I made day 2 of the double stack. So looking forward to playing in the second day of the biggest side event prize pool I have been involved in, only to wake up to bad news. I am not going to comment further on what happened or how I feel about it. All I know is it sucks, and probably sucks most for APT themselves. But every poker brand I have played in has had their blunders and issues. It's how you handle it, and bounce back that is important. You can't make an omelette without cracking some eggs. You can't break records without pushing the boundaries. 

Best dressed card protector

Overall I am proud of how I played. I was in control, recognized my mistakes, made some great plays, hero called correctly 4 times (three times with ace high, once with third pair) Smack breakeven after ICM chop but lost on travel cost. On the plus side got to meet SuitedSuperman in person. But really sad news is I think I've lost Mr. Gorilla for good this time. I was pretty sure I put it in the day2 bag but APT said they couldn't find it. Hopefully I was wrong and it will turn up in my luggage, but I think this might be it. It's time for a new guy. 

LATEST UPDATE: APT found Mr. Gorilla! Yay! 😍

We will be reunited soon!

USOP Danang Report and beyond

I wasn't planning on attending but went last minute. My now regular cash game took a break and so we all went together. Thanks for organizing the trip and putting us up in this sick villa. First event right off the bat I played in the High Roller bounty event. It was a roller coaster ride but I collected two bounties and my first ITM of the series. I played my last two hands pretty badly to be honest and could have had at least a couple more payjumps had I played better.

View from my balcony

The next couple of days I bricked everything. One key turning point for me was the heads up challenge. I signed up at the last minute and went in pretty confidently. I felt I played perfectly in that session. I crushed the other guy. Hero calling right, bluffing right, maximizing value, winning 80% of the pots. But there were 3 coolers that became big pots that I lost. Top two pair vs his turned straight which I lost the minimum, QQ vs KK all in pre (doubled him up and I still had 70k left) and then when blinds kept increasing, jamming A5 in to AQ. Psychologically this loss had a big impact on me. I felt that I played almost every hand right and I still lost because of coolers. That night I played in the PLO tournament and got further wrecked. Full wrap with nut flush draw AQJTdddc on T67Kddcc all in vs two other players, river bricked. Fun player blind pot pre, I flopped a flush on T65 flop, we both went all in, he wakes up with TT and pairs the board. These are just two of the "highlights" of my bad spots. 

Why must the coolers favor him?

Thankfully each night I had a nice villa to return to and dinner with my partner always made me feel better. But somehow I felt I have lost something in tournament poker. Maybe I have been spoiled by cash games or am just tired of the tournament grind. The following day I bounced back slightly with a bounty and a small ITM in the PLO5. 

Good food makes me happy

The main event turnout was amazing so I couldn't just fire one bullet. First one KK < 66. Second JT vs QJ on T98 flop. Third 88 < AA. I didn't stay until the end of the series and am itching to get back to cash games. I've learned to appreciate the things in life, enjoy every moment (preferably with loved ones). I do enjoy the prestige that comes with tournament success, but honestly how many actually profit enough from it to call it a career? In 2023 I have cashed about USD 80k from tournaments, which is not shabby at all. But after deducting all expenses including travel costs, I only have a small profit to show for it. I won more than that from one session of cash game. 

Future is bright and sunny

Don't worry, I will be back for Poker Dream Genting 2024, but for now it's back to cash game grinds as I feel the EV is with cash games. I will still dabble with tournament poker now and again but you'll probably see me less in 2024. 2023 has definitely been the most interesting year of my life. Memories that I will keep for life. Will share with you guys my journey later next month.

Poker Dream Hoian Report

When I first started playing at tournaments 13 years ago, I would have been ecstatic with a bag, or ITM. 13 years later, I am not satisfied with multiple cashes or deep runs. But I think about how far I've come, how I have made a career out of poker, the journey I've been on, the friends I've made, the places I've been, the experiences I've had, the life I've lived, I can't help but be thankful. 

Sometimes the journey takes you on narrow alleys

Coming to Poker Dream Hoian I had big hopes again. First and foremost I always pray for a safe and happy trip. Of course I also want a profitable trip and specifically final tables and trophies as well. I got the first part, but this trip I didn't get the second part. The most painful was actually losing "heads-up" in the Halloween costume contest to a contestant that didn't know the competition existed, and had likes from people that weren't even in the poker scene. But kudos to her for actually going on to win the main event. Hope she does something good with the money. 

I got two 9m bounties. Guy on my left got 400m

This trip I managed to get 2 ITMs, both in Mystery bounty events, picking up 5 bounties, finishing 17th and 10th respectively. Had I drawn better bounties the P&L could have been so different but I never thought of myself as a lucky person, at least financially. After a rough series at USOP Hanoi, I now did just as bad at Poker Dream. How bad? I lost about 15 months of my last Malaysian salary in the two series. Thankfully from other events and income, I still had a decent last two months, otherwise this could have been a really bad blow to my bankroll. 

ITM twice in the same day

Some of you may have noticed I started wearing a cross on my neck. Now that I am not representing any poker company, I felt it was important for me to represent something bigger than poker, bigger than myself. Win or lose, God doesn't owe me anything, but I owe it to Him to be at my best behavior, to be different from other people, to be caring, kind, honest, helpful, polite, loyal, respectful, generous, giving... My faith doesn't make me a better poker player, but it should make me a better person. I look back to my post in 2018, I think I am vindicated for being nice. 

Beautiful Hoian

Overall this year I am still profitable in tourneys, coming close so many times. The next event I am eyeing is a few weeks away. I might be taking some time off tourneys to get back to cash games. Surely the prestige and recognition isn't the same, but the money is just as sweet. I'll be back, hopefully with a big loud bang. 

I'll be back

USOP Hanoi Report (Aug/Sept 2023)

I had a great feeling coming into this series. I studied hard, mentally prepared, my discipline and timing has improved a lot, feeling confident but not over confident, but boy it did not go well. I've had people say that I am a show off but I beg to differ. I share my losses just as much as my wins. What I am trying to do is just document my journey. My highs, my lows, my successes, my failures, earning money from poker businesses, getting ripped off or cheated.... just being transparent about the life in the poker industry. I apologize if I come across as showing off, which was never my intention. And if you read between the lines, I often give glory to God because it is not easy being a Christian poker player. 

Hanoi at night (traffic because of Pres. Joe Biden's visit)

This trip I prayed for 3 final tables and a trophy as well. I did come close with a 3rd place finish in the PLO tourney, and had 2 main event tickets from a single satellite. But instead took the 2nd biggest personal loss of my career in a tournament series just behind my WSOPE trip in Rozvadov. When it was down to 3 handed in the PLO, out of the 1.3m chips in play, me and my friend Kar Hou had 1.2m between us. Short stack was all in and I had AJ86 on JJ3 flop. It didn't hold and I went from big stack to out. Happy for Kar Hou who won it though.

My best day this series

Two main event tickets to soften the blow

This month is particularly tough on me as well as I rejected my new contract offer from MiMa which means I won't have the safety net of a fixed salary every month. But one thing that I have learned in my life, is to be thankful in whatever circumstances. Even with the loss of income and a big financial loss this trip, I am not deterred. I have so many good things in my life that I wouldn't want to change it one bit. Many of you have seen the beautiful yummy dinners I come home to, to a loving partner who is the light of my life. I have really good bonds and relationships with the people I love, my family, my friends, my business partners, and I choose to make friends rather than enemies wherever I go. In almost every room I go to, I can confidently say I am the happiest person in it. What more can I ask for?

Made with love

My extra curricular activity - spend time with my girlfriend

A job well done to the USOP team, especially my good friend Alex (CEO) for a record breaking series. How they handled themselves with some hiccups here and there just shows the amazing dedication to the industry. Thanks to those who bought my action even after a dry run quickly snapped up 47% of my action for the next series at Poker Dream Hoian. Thank you for keeping the faith and trusting me. I felt that I played well this series. 6 away from ITM in the Deepstack, Bottom two pairs couldn't hold for a massive pot in Main 1C. Min loss with QQ in the finale high roller.... Most of all, I felt I learned new things this series as well. 

On a side note I have been taking on real paying students in the last month. So far 8 people have part ways with their hard earned money to listen to me talk. I hope I have brought them value in helping them improve their game. I am not a top pro by any means, but if someone is interested in leveling up their poker skills to be able to hold their own on most tables, coaching is the quickest and most comprehensive way to get there. To be honest, I actually improve my game when I am teaching too, so a win-win situation. Still feel there's more to 2023 in store for me. Let's see if I can have better news in 2 weeks' time from Poker Dream Hoian. 

 

Poker Dream Malaysia Report

As a Malaysian poker player, I cannot miss our own home ground poker tournament series. This is the 3rd series in Malaysia and due to scheduling clashes, I have only played one of their events (first series main event) So this time around I was determined to play the entire series to have the full experience. 

No complaints

If you've read my blog regularly, you'll know every year I set some resolutions and this year I wanted to cash $150,000+ and get 2 more trophies. It's already August so I really need to push if I want to hit that target. So I had a goal of 3 final tables (including 1 trophy) for this series. I prayed for it, I studied for it, I prepared myself mentally and emotionally for it...

And boy did we have a bad start. First event the Malaysia Open I fired 3 bullets to no avail. To make matters worse, I lost a bunch on cash games the next day and crashed out of the second event after 3 bad beats. Not going to bore you guys with bad beat hand histories, but I do honestly feel I have been running below EV for a while. By now I am -10k after just two days and feeling dejected and disappointed.

Poker Dream arranged free buffet everyday, but this was nice too

Here comes the turning point. I believe reflection and self critique is very important for a poker player to grow. I took the time to look back and see what I've done and how I can do it better. Firstly I settled a monetary dispute I had with an ex-employer. Then I changed my mindset. Players worse that yourself do not owe you anything. Just because you think you are better than them doesn't mean you deserve to win. You just have to play the best you can and let the cards speak for themselves. You are not entitled to win because of your experience and skill. Thirdly I still have some outstanding donations to make because of my 10% pledge, and even though I was -10k for the series, I gave to those that needed it more than I. 

The next day although relatively card dead, I crushed the cash games for a 6k profit. My biggest pots were won with T2, QT and JJ. Then I fired another 3 bullets in the Deepstack, with the last one finally sticking and ended up finishing 3rd. I was down to 11k and ran QQ into AA but spiked a beautiful queen. Then top two pairs held against an overpair and flush draw in a 3 way massive all in pot. On day two my jacks cracked queens. When it was 7 handed, I just sat there as the chip leader took out 3 players very quickly, and I took out another one with AJ vs 44 and suddenly I jumped from a 17k payday to 47k. Took a stand for a massive pot with KQ vs A8 but lost to eventual winner who played a very good tourney. 

Cash game is a good confidence and bankroll booster

Feeling much better about myself and my results, I entered the 20k High Roller the next day. I sold 58% of this event and swapped 5%, but I managed another 3rd place finish. It was probably the most star-studded event I have ever played, from Triton champs, Red dragon champ, WSOP bracelet winners, overall crushers in the field. I had two key hands, one I ran TT into AA and turned a ten against a very nice guy and friend. Prior to that I folded QQ on a J high rainbow turn vs KK but I did make a couple of mistakes probably from the nerves of playing against all these guys. When it got down to 5 handed, it was little old me vs Webster Lim, Danny Tang, Vincent Li and Anson Ewe. Super happy to finish 3rd and to make money for my investors. 

Thank God for the many "walls" I built this series

Gunning for my 3rd final table and still missing a trophy, I fired 3 bullets in the main but it wasn't to be. Shout out to crusher Ben Loo for taking it down. Probably the most consistent, best part-time player that I know. So my final shot was the 11k High Roller Mystery Bounty. This was fast and furious as players were trying to build a big stack quickly. I had a smooth day 1 but day 2 didn't go my way. Finished 10th without any bounties for a small cash, barely missing my 3rd final table of the series but wasn't too disappointed. Final hand A6 < 87 < KQ triple up spot but couldn't hold.

Thank you Poker Dream for a packed event, great food for free, tonnes of action players and overall great hospitality and friendship. Overall I had a good series, vaulting me closer to my 150k target, 2 decent shots at a trophy. I grew as a poker player, as a human being, as a networker, as a Christian, and I feel like this was my turning point of my career. Quite a few people came up to me and said hi, telling me they follow my blog, Instagram or Facebook, or they recognized Mr. Gorilla. Thanks for your kind support, photos, well wishes. Thanks for many friends who came and railed me during my deep runs. Still can't break my 3 ITM per series ceiling, and shout out also to Clarence Wong who had 4 ITMs in his first ever poker series. Watch this space guys, my time is here, let's go! 

APT Danang Report

It's been a while since I last played a full APT Series. It is great to see many new faces at the event, including floor staff. There were also some new formats that I played in and found it quite fun, like 80% bounty winner takes all HR, PLO lazy river. 

Always nice to be doing the chip races

It was nice to see some old friends as well, especially the APT team some I've known for more than 10 years. My first ever career trophy was an APT event, so the series is extra special to me. It was also nice to start my series with back to back ITMs and an ITM in the main.  

First event on the bubble I had AKo and opened UTG, big bully didn't see my open and thought he opened in MP and almost flipped over his hand when everyone else folded. Flop came KT5ssc. I cbet small and he reraised and I am left with shove or fold. Knowing his open range is super wide, but it was also bubble time, I wasn't planning to back off. I jammed he showed K5o, but thankfully the turn A secured my day 2 spot and ITM with a decent stack. 

Night exploration of Danang city

Day 2 I ran that stack up to a top 5 stack only to meet with this hand. UTG rips for 17bb and I am on the button looking down at AQo. If I win this hand I would definitely be overall chip leader, but if I lose I still have a playable above average stack so I went with it. He flipped over KQ but hit the K on the river. The immediate next hand I get TT vs KQ again and doubled up another guy. I soon went out shoving Q9 into KJ into the eventual winner. 

Immediately after busting I jumped into the Mystery bounty where I ran really well to end the day 2nd in chips. An Australian friend Craig was down to his last 500 in chips when he shoved his KK into my AA. I was rooting for him to win that hand and he spiked a King. Eventually he finished 5th in this event where I fizzled out on day 2 without even one bounty. 

Banh Xeo by Grab

I fired 3 bullets in the main event with my third try ended day 1C as chip leader. I made a sick bluff with Q9o on a KT8AA board and ran good to finish day 1 on a high. On day two I had a chance to get a monster stack when my QQ met with AK and AJ all in preflop. Unfortunately K hit and I had to grind the rest of the day out. Ended with a shallow ITM and a lot of could haves. 

It's too hot to walk around during the day

I bricked out the rest of the series, with my last hand of the series AA72 losing to KKT5 all in on a 733 flop. But I am glad I wasn't alone this series. It was always comforting to return to my hotel to my biggest fan and supporter. Food in Vietnam in general has always been good and we've had the chance to have some nice meals during this trip. 

Drinking my sorrows away

Overall not the result I was hoping for, but I liked how I played, without fear and being creative at times. However I must admit I was being a bit punty with the PLO events but I really needed to let off some steam. Interestingly, 4/6 of the events I played, I was knocked out by the eventual champion. GG, next stop Poker Dream Malaysia. Hope to see you there. 

POKER GUIDE TO : Poker in Namur, Belgium

I never heard of Namur before finding out about this tournament. Just a small town of 500k people, no one would imagine that it had a thriving poker room, more action than most of the European cities I have been to. Only 1 hour from Brussels and 2 hours from Luxembourg, Namur attracts many players from surrounding areas. It has it's charms as a tourist destination as well although not well known with foreigners, I do see a lot of local visitors from other cities.

The casino is right by the river with a poker room that can fit 20+ tables. I was there during the PokerStars Belgian Challenge series and the turn out was very impressive. There were tons of action on the cash games as well. I don't know if that is the norm, but some guys in Brussels told me that Namur usually has more tables than Brussels, and Brussels didn't disappoint. 

Circus Casino Resort Namur

There were €2.50/2.50, €2.50/5 games, and sometimes even up to €25/50. So it was the first time I have seen a €2.50 chip. Making bets was slightly confusing at first, as you can open to €12.50 or some odd number like that. From my observations the rake was on the high side as they took €2.50 as a tip every hand. Not sure if this was only during the series or a regular thing. 

Did well in the cash games

Namur is a nice town, with a citadel on top of the hill overseeing the city. We had a great time exploring the city but also taking a short train ride to Dinant, the birthplace of the saxophone. It is a town right by the river with old ruins, a citadel that's almost 1000 years old, and just an overall cool place to visit. We took the time to hike up an old castle with a tragic history. It was cool as we were brought back in time and the views were stunning. 

Dinant (pronounced as Dee Nong)

Food in Namur is amazing too. We found really nice bakeries and restaurants, and on weekends they have an open street market that had tasty fruits, veges and other goodies. But when I was there I booked an apartment so most nights we would cook our own food. 

Must try the mussels

Namur is not your usual tourist destination, but if you package it in with a visit to Brussels, Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp and if it happens to host a poker tournament, it is definitely worth a visit. The people were very friendly and helpful and it is a place I don't mind settled down in. 

Namur city centre