Singapore Poker RWS vs MBS - Who wins?

Disclaimer: This is purely based on my experience of playing at the two casinos over the last 4 weeks, incidents, players, staff that happened to be there at the time. I was not swayed or influenced to say one thing or another. I am just being brutally honest but my intention is to help players who have not been there to see a clearer picture, and maybe even casino management to make further improvements. 

What attracted me to visit this time was the Resorts Poker Championships at RWS. The event was rake free with a decent guarantee. Skip this paragraph if you are only here for my cash game reviews. Possibly due to the lack of experience, there were some stark issues that I believe needs to be changed immediately. For example, every flight for the main plays down to 35 players regardless of the number of participants. Whilst I understand they are concerned about the number of players that make day 2 (due to the limited number of tables) but this is not the proper way to progress. In an extreme example, if day 1A only had 35 runners, 100% of players will qualify for day 2. Had 1C had 350 runners instead, then only 10% will make it through. Please do not use stack size as the way to explain this off. Instead there should be a % of players that make it through. If you are concerned about day 2 numbers, then cap the max number of buy ins. Secondly they should let day 1 play into the money. Otherwise I see some poor locals who make day 2, having to pay the levy ($150 a day) twice and still not cash the event. There was also a pay jump that had 0 increment. This is a big no no for me. You can easily adjust, even a $100 difference is still a pay jump. There were communication issues too. Some staff thought day 1 ended at level 15, some said it ends at the end of level 15. This is a huge difference as some players were stalling by level 14 knowing the wrong information. Announcements were poor, for example at bubble time, they didn't even mention which hand belonged to the short stack. Bagging took 30+ minutes because they needed to count every chip, get players and dealers to sign, wait for a print out.... This is where the kiasu side of Singapore comes into play. BUT, I don't fault them on this, being careful sometimes is fine. However it can be simplified to make it smoother for sure. Consult with some tournament veterans and you will know how to streamline the whole experience. 

MBS chips are nicer

As for the cash games, I will review each casino separately and draw my final conclusions. 

Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

• Games: They spread 10/20, 25/50, 100/200 and sometimes even bigger games. 
• Rake: 5% capped 5bb (for 10/20) - I didn't pay attention to the others but I believe it scales down
• Tables and queue: They had 9 tables, I believe most days the game runs 24 hours, queue is long in the evenings and weekends, especially when they are running bigger games and have less tables for 10/20. 
• Amenities: There isn't a proper waiting area, drinks are served

Pros

• MBS is a well designed casino. High ceilings, classy decor, comfortable seats and tables, bright lights, high end vibe. 
• From my observations, MBS attracts more tourists and a younger richer crowd. 
• There are more players there, new tables start up quickly, they run almost non stop. 
• MBS has a higher buy in min and max. So the games plays slightly bigger. Pots and swings would usually be bigger too. 
• MBS queue lists shows player names, so you can see who else is waiting and whether it is worth waiting around for a new table to start. 
• They seem to be more receptive to feedback, evident when "buying the button" was disallowed after 3 weeks into operation. Although I disagree with the decision, but it is good to see that they are flexible. 
• Poker room location is prime, so the possibility of getting some curious cats to try out the game is higher. 

MBS at night

Cons

• All the sharks are there. Due to the hype of the room, most of the top regs of the country now resides there. So as good as the game sounds, most days you have tables full of regs targeting 1-2 spots. 
• It is surrounded by slot machines, which can get a bit noisy and annoying
• I hope this is just temporary, but most of their dealers are terribly slow and prone to mistakes. 
• Rake is high. You'll be surprised how much it adds up.
• Floor prioritizes bigger games, so 10/20 players feel like second class citizens. My personal experience was I waited 3 hours from being 11th in the waitlist to be at the top, only to have to wait for another 8 slots to clear because the floor decided to kill a 10/20 table to make way for a 25/50 list that had 4 players queuing. I would understand if there were 8 ready to go on 25/50 but not when there's 4 whereas 10/20 had 30 waiting. 
• Service was poor and rude at times. For example, any curious player that wandered into the poker area was often met with stern tone and ushered out. I understand they are just doing their jobs but there are no signs or forewarning, and staff can just be kinder. There was another incident where the dealer over-raked $5 by mistake, realized his mistake and asked the floor if he could give it back to the player. First floor agreed, second floor said no, because the hand was dead. She even tried to explain it away that even if they under-raked, they would not ask for it back (which is totally untrue). The player clearly upset later asked the floor to reconsider and under slight duress she over turned her own decision. I understand Singapore is a country of rules. But rules are meant to be bent if it meant for the good of the business. After receiving the $5 back the player tipped the dealer instead. It is not about the money, it is how you make a customer and observing customers feel. The player unfortunately went on to tilt away a few thousand bucks, and maybe to never return. This is what I don't understand about the "kiasuness" of Singapore. Clearly you are a country full of smart people. There's doing right things and doing things right. Sometimes rigid adherence to rules is not the right thing. 

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS)

• Games: They have 5/10 on weekdays, and 10/20 on weekends
• Rake: 5% capped at 3bb (for both 5/10 and 10/20)
• Tables and queue: They have 11 tables at full capacity. But due to MBS poker opening they rarely run more than 3 tables nowadays. Weekdays game usually start at around noon to 1pm, and weekend games slightly later than that. Some days just missing the first 8 seats, I waited 2+ hours for the 2nd table to start. 
• Amenities: There is a reasonably comfortable waiting area, drinks and occasionally they will come by with finger food or snacks. 

Pros

• RWS has the lowest casino rake in all of Asia
• They have a few good dealers that keep the game flowing (but still the occasional one who stalls on purpose) 
• Although you can still hear the hum of the slot machines, it is less annoying than those at MBS
• Service overall feels friendlier and homely. Regulars get greeted by name, floor and staff would interact and joke with players. You feel genuinely welcomed and at home. 
• The migration of pros means there is a vacuum of top regs at RWS

Cons

• Although RWS was completed just 3 months before MBS, it feels like it is 20 years older. The design in my opinion is not well thought through, it's dark and gloomy. 
• RWS seem settled on attracting the older folks. There are table min bets of $1, free lunches for annual package holders, concerts of 80s singers.... I would guess average age of the typical patron is 50. 
• Location of the room is obscure. In my months of visiting the casino, I just realized there is a completely different area that I have not been to. Wouldn't surprise me if most patrons didn't know the poker room existed. 
  
• There are a lot of unnecessary delays. For example starting a new table takes 20 minutes. Checking the new decks also take way longer than MBS. Just having an unnecessary top card cover wastes 2 seconds every hand, so for grinders like me, it's less hands played, wasted opportunities. 
• Bureaucracy and inflexibility seems prevalent in Singapore. There was an incident where one table was running auto-straddle and the other wasn’t. Both tables had a seat open. Floor brings a new player to the auto-straddle table and causes the auto-straddle to break. Player complains that she should have given the player a choice to play at the other table that didn’t straddle. Floor insists that players are not allowed to choose tables and auto-straddle is voluntary. Please don’t hide behind rules or “this is how things are”. Be smart, there are better solutions, use them. It’s no wonder everyone knows it’s wrong to call it carrot cake yet no one wants to change. (It’s a radish cake for goodness sake)

So who wins? You might be surprised but in my opinion, at least for the time being, RWS. More people at MBS doesn’t mean the games are better. In fact I found it to be consistently worse. I was lucky to be on some good tables while I was there, but most of the time it took a lot of maneuvering and tricky table changes to get there and sometimes only to fill the seat the fish left and having other pros switched there as well. MBS has a high concentration of the best regs in Singapore while RWS has only a handful. I find every game at RWS had at least 3 clear spots or better. Those who migrated their annual levy to MBS will be there for at least a year so it created a unique opportunity to grind at a much weaker game than it was. While it is true that MBS attracts more tourists and whales, but since priority is given to bigger games, you’ll find that the 10/20 seats are usually filled by early bird pro campers whereas the whales give up after waiting for a long time. However I must say if you want bigger swings and higher stakes then MBS does have its strengths. If they continue to be flexible and adjust positively, then they might one day take away RWS’ edge. I look forward to returning in a few months and report back if anything has changed. 

Follow me on Instagram for more poker stories or click here to read my review of RWS poker room from last year. 

India Poker Experience (Goa)

Attracted by his posts of crushing the games, I couldn't resist coming back to India for a second visit. My friend had been doing well in the poker clubs of Noida (near Delhi) and the casinos in Goa. Since my Sri Lankan trip was cut short due to the lack of cash game options, I thought I'd give it a go. 

One of the floating casinos there

The day I landed in Delhi, the poker clubs stopped posting game updates and replying WhatsApp messages. Out of curiosity I Googled poker news in Noida and apparently the day before, a journalist infiltrated one of the top clubs and exposed their raking system etc. I was spooked so I quickly booked a trip to Goa instead, not before spending a couple of nights in Old Delhi. 

I tried to feed the stray dogs

Delhi definitely does not represent all of India, especially Old Delhi. It's bearable to visit for a couple of days, but you can't help to think about the people who live there their whole lives. They have been dealt a bad starting hand, yet they choose to grind it out, those who do well, still choose to stay as it is their home. There is much to learn from observing the people there, to appreciate what we have and our circumstances in life. Things did not change much since my last visit in 2012, as if it was stuck in time. I visited an old restaurant where I ate at 14 years ago, it was just as I remembered. 

The mangoes are amazing

Goa had a much different vibe. I got a hotel in the Portuguese old town that had a chill village vibe. A forewarning to others considering visiting, Goa has terrible taxi services. They do not allow Uber or any e-hailing apps, and insist on using their own janky app, that is virtually unusable for foreigners. You can pay the driver in cash, however you must have a balance in the app or order to do so, but as a foreigner you have no way of loading a balance. I was lucky to have a friend who knew the poker room manager at Big Daddy casino so I could request a pick up. For travelers I would suggest going online to find some taxi services that have WhatsApp and accept cash. 

To circumvent the law, the casinos are boats anchored offshore. You would arrive at the pier, purchase a ticket (yes it costs between INR 2900-5000 - approx. USD 29-50) to get on the boat depending on which package you choose. Then you would be ferried to the corresponding casino. The packages include some free chips, free flow alcohol and access to the buffets. The games are usually INR 100/200 or 100/200/500 but I heard there are bigger private games at 500/1000. However the whole system is not foreigner friendly. The exchange rate on offer was ridiculous, and it took me about 20 minutes to get it done. The table was soft but I did not enjoy it. However I must say, the food was tasty, as was with most of my meals in India, and I did not have any stomach issues with them. 

It's cool to collect my 41st poker country, and as a Jason Bourne fan, to visit another of his film locations. However I do not recommend Goa for a grind. The whole process of getting there is so tilting, and the environment on board was not fun either. It's impossible to game select as going to the next casino means boarding two other boats and paying for another entry ticket. I forgot to verify this but I believe the rake was capped at 7bbs. 

Bengaluru Airport

One thing that surprised me the most were the airports. During this visit I used 4 Indian airports and they were all very clean, efficient and fast. The Bengaluru airport looked more like a 5-star hotel. I think it is unlikely I would return, but never say never. If you haven't, follow me on Instagram for more of my poker adventures @happyriverpoker 

Win Win Poker Grand Opening

First of all congratulations and thank you to Win Win Poker and Alex Lee for inviting us to attend the grand opening of Win Win Poker Club in Taipei. In the last couple of years, Taipei has become my 2nd home. I have actually spent more time in Taipei than in my home country during this period. So when I heard there's a new club I was definitely excited and wanted to come and extend my support. 

Plenty of space for chill areas and displays

The opening ceremony was very impressive. A very strong showing of players and VIPs were in attendance. I rushed straight from the airport to the hotel and club just in time to catch most of it. Guests from overseas and all over Taiwan were there, with tons of media presence and support. 

The space is clean, sharp, spacious and well designed. Plenty of space for players to chill, rest, or cool off after a bust out. Staff were very well prepared for the crowd, even trained on what to say, expect and respond to possible scenarios that may occur. The overall vibe of the club was comfortable, professional with a touch of class. 

I was invited to play in the Invitational Event which gave me a chance to experience the place as a player. The field was very impressive to start with. I was told there were many famous people and influencers playing. Me being a dinosaur only recognized Jacky Wu and poker pros. Dealers and floor were well trained and experienced, even the photo/videographers were enthusiastically hard at work. 

I was lucky enough also to experience their really cool Final Table area. I think eventually they will continue to add to it and it would look really cool on live stream. I've typically done well when I was invited to play a tournament. Champion in the Poker Dream first Invitational, 5th when invited by APSA to Taipei, and this time managed to eek out a 2nd place finish. 

The location is great. It is walking distance to Shuanglian Market, one of my favorite Taipei morning markets. The club is also walking distance away to three key subway stations, plenty of food and hotel options around. Most of the buildings around have a classy office vibe going on. 

I hope Win Win will continue to host more poker events and tournaments. I would love to return to play some of them and highly recommend for my friends who want to try it out. Here's the link to their Google Map location and Instagram if you need more information. 

Dragon Poker Festival (LPT) Report - lots of photos

Before this series, my Vietnam tournament cashes accounted for about 23% of my lifetime cash total. (ChatGPT analyzed it for me hehe) I love Vietnamese food, the chaotic nature of the country and people and travel cost was always easy on the bankroll. So needless to say when international events were cancelled and all the controversy happened, I was very sad. So when I heard about this series, I just couldn't resist. 

Food crawl with this crazy guy

Fresh off a rough trip to Singapore, losing 5 of 5 cash game sessions for a chunky amount, I planned to take some time off poker. But after 10 days without touching any cards, I was back at it again in Hanoi. Dragon Poker is a room in the Grand Plaza hotel. One of the nicest venues I have seen in Vietnam, and the turn out was very good. 

Overall I played 3 events, min cashed the mini main (AJ < A6), shallow run in the main (AK < AT), busted the monster stack (AKs < AKs). But I had a great time, the field was fun, great action. One funny story was a few Chinese players assumed I didn't speak the language and was making derogatory statements about the table including me. I took one nice spot to suddenly speak fluent Chinese and at the same time, it so happened I had AK so I 3b it as if I was angry about their comments of me, guy 4b jams with with KQ and easy double. (PRO TIP: Never assume people don't know your language. Unless you are trying to give reverse info.)

The most fun part of the trip was a food crawl with a friend. Went to some tourist traps, but some shady alleyways as well, long sweaty walks, risking our lives evading the traffic, lots of laughter as well. The food was nice overall but the next day all of us had diarrhea! 

Night lake view

I love the markets

I essentially broke even for the trip, but it was a well needed trip and a small boost of confidence. If more legitimate tournaments resurface in Vietnam you betcha I will be back! 

Resorts World Sentosa (Singapore) Poker Room REVIEW

Six years ago I wrote a scorching review of the Poker Room at Resorts World Sentosa. I recently visited it again and had a much better experience so let me share it with you.

Not all mine

Let’s start with the good. We got there at around 6pm on a Wednesday and it had 5 tables running. The table I got was the softest I've had in recent months. The smallest stake is now SGD 5/10 instead of SDG 10/20, and I think that attracts the weaker players to come as in most poker rooms in the world, SGD 5/10 is still pretty big. Most Europeans and US rooms I have played in starts at $1/1 or $1/2. The rake is quite reasonable by Asian standards, roughly 5% capped at 3bb. They have removed some of the old stupid rules like verbal doesn't count, the showdown button, etc. Instead they now are recording table talk, I guess in case of a dispute. I am okay with this if this meant the verbal rules apply. And they allow phone use as long as you're not in a hand. This maybe standard for most of you, but for someone who plays at Macau a lot, you will appreciate this. 

It's not all great things though. For starters, RWS and basically most Genting casinos has this dingy feeling. The interior design is dated and gloomy, it just doesn't feel classy. Heard a rumor that Marina Bay Sands might open a room of their own, that would be awesome as that casino is on a different level. The room is situated in the smoking area of the casino. How they got the Singapore government to allow this is beyond me. The table itself is smoke free, but most smokers just walk 2 meters to the other side of the barrier and smoke there. Genius. 

Going to start a new paragraph as I have a feeling the negatives are going to be long. The dealers and even floor staff are terrible. Of the 5 dealers that dealt on my table, only one was experienced enough to keep the game flowing. 6 of us sat on our table waited 15 minutes for the game to start only to be told that it was our decision. No floor manager or dealer asked us if we wanted to start. It took 15 minutes for my friend to buy in SGD 8000 in chips. The room has reopened for almost a year now, so these really shouldn't be happening. The cards were still dealt in the card box, which is fine, but there is a top card protector as well. I think the person that came up with this rule does not understand poker. The first card is dealt to the small blind, so even in some way the small blind can see what the first card is, it is not going to affect any of his decision. He won't see a deuce and suddenly decide to sit out. 

After consulting a friend who is a regular there, my understanding is that the room is open 24 hours, however games usually die off in the wee hours of the morning, and restarts at around 11am. If you miss the first table, you will have to wait 2-3 hours for the next one to open. So unless you time your games properly, chances are you will have to wait a while. 

Oh a couple of positives I forgot to mention. You are now allowed to pick your own seat, especially when its a new table being opened. The shuffling is much faster now but it could be just that the dealing is so slow so the machine catches up easily. There's free oxygenated water at the table, coffee and tea at the kiosk right outside the poker room. 

Otherwise known in Singapore as Atas Water

There are some other negatives that aren't really the room's fault. These are decisions either by the Singapore government or the casino management. For example, there is a rule where you are not allowed to bring more than SGD 10k of chips out of the casino. Compared to Vegas or Macau where I know grinders keep their currency in chips for ease of carrying around and saving time for the next time they play. There is still only one cashier area in the whole casino, so at the busy time, the queue is going to be long. 

I have played poker in 35 countries now, so I guess my reviews carry a bit of weight because I have been to so many. I would consider grinding at this room long term because of the table softness. I can probably live with most of the negatives. The biggest issue for me is the smoke. Of course this is nothing compared to the "chimneys" we were stuck in Chinese private games in the past. But still the air is stuffy and long hours in there would drive me nuts. For my Singapore readers who are contemplating spending the SGD 150 to get in there, I think it is still worth playing, but time your entry correctly otherwise you will waste a few hours waiting. 

Final note is I am looking forward to the room at MBS. MBS for me feels to have made better decisions in casino design and I have quite some experience playing at poker rooms operated by the Sands group. Overall they have always given poker quite the priority when it comes to location, setup and processes. I will definitely visit and write another review when that is opened. 

MGM Macau Series Report (and Macau poker update)

Miss the good old days where Macau was the Asian poker hub. Nowadays due to dumb rules (yes you heard it here) by the gaming commission, foreign organizers are not allowed to host in Macau, and in house events are not allowed to be advertised. This is the same gaming commission that disallowed mobile phones on the table, as to hinder people gambling via live stream. Someone with half a brain would know that shouldn't apply to poker. How can you capture all the information needed to play a hand? And what about when you don't have a hand? Anyway, it is clear Macau tourist numbers are suffering and the gaming commission isn't helping. 

This is technically the second time I have attended the MGM series. I joined their second series. The way it works is they have their main series, and it is longer, with more events (including a seniors event, and no, I don't qualify YET), and a bigger main event guarantee. In between they have smaller series, which were the ones I attended. 

I didn't bother with the side events but I played in the main. The field wasn't as soft as I thought it would be, I guess the fishes didn't bother to wake up early to play the 12pm level 1. And because of the size of the venue, players who came late had to wait a long time for a seat. One guy on my table arrived for level 2 only having to wait a further 2 hours and finally got his seat on level 6. It also didn't help that the levels were 30 minutes long. On top of that the dealer I had was super slow and rude. The rule is to stand up if you want to use your phone. She went even as far as where the phone was pointing at. This is a general advice for everyone. Whenever enforcing a rule, always think of the purpose of the rule. The rule is there to stop people from live streaming gaming tables for other players to gamble remotely. How is my phone pointing at the table while I am standing, and without cards going to achieve that? 

I counted at least 4 Malaysians attended this series. Not bad for an event that is not advertised. But in my opinion there is zero effort from the organizers to make it a good experience for foreigners. I don't put all the blame on them because it could be they are restricted by the gaming commission. However I am sure there are things that can be done. Until such upgrades are in place, I do not recommend it for visitors to travel just for the series. Furthermore the tournament rake is on the high side. If it is coupled with a holiday or grinding some cash games (which is what I did) then it might still be worth it. To be fair, MGM has come a long way since their first series which was a nightmare. I hope they will improve quickly to be on par or even better than other international brands. 

The Macau cash game scene changes so often it is hard to keep track. So I will try to keep you all updated after my every visit. For now, the only rooms that are still in operation are the Venetian and MGM Cotai. As far as I know, Wynn and MGM Macau have ceased their poker operations. The two available rooms offer games from HKD 50/100 up to 1000/2000 by demand. MGM has a point system where you can easily grind for free meals. I don't think Venetian does that. But on the flip side, I felt that the field at Venetian was consistently softer. MGM offers better drinks and I feel that their poker room location is more welcoming of curious first timers. But I've had more encounters with complete newbies at the Venetian. 

As for my personal result, I bricked the two bullets fired in the main, but won 4 out of 5 cash game sessions for a modest profit. I would definitely return more often but mainly to play cash games. 

POKER GUIDE TO : Poker in Estoril, Portugal

I have always enjoyed playing at new locations. The opportunity to keep my reputation obscure, even role play as a tourist whale, sometimes pretending not to speak certain languages so I could eavesdrop, and testing my profiling and reading skills for me is part of the enjoyment playing at different rooms, casinos, cities and countries. 7 years ago when I first visited Portugal I thought I would get the chance to play while visiting Lisbon. To my dismay, I found the casino but they did not offer poker games. I later found out the best game in town was about 1 hour away from Lisbon in a town called Estoril. So I was determined at some point in my life to try the games there. 

Estoril is a beach town, full of nice houses for the rich and famous, beautiful villas overlooking the ocean, and of course rich holiday goers. Dr. Stanley Ho seeing this opportunity to target tourists and the elite Portuguese crowd built a casino together with a park right by the Estoril train stop and named it Casino Estoril. To my surprise and I assume due to local law, the casino doesn't open till 3pm. So we took the opportunity to explore this little town, especially along the coastline. It has a cute little town but the most impressive were the rock cliffs (Boca de Inferno) and stone villas. 

I happen to be there on a Friday night so maybe games were better than usual. By 9pm there were already 5 tables going and the supervisor told me on Fridays, game run till 6am. Games start from €1/3 and goes up to 5/10 usually. Rake was a reasonable 5% capped at 5bb for the lower games, and goes down to 1-2bb for high stakes. I ordered a bottle of water which was free, but I tipped. No preflop or chopped pot rake but I did notice that if you do not specify you want to sit out, they still post the blinds for you in your absence. 

My table happened to be quite soft. I noticed only one good player, but quite a few loose passive juicy fishes. From my observation, the tables all looked soft to me and I made a remark that it was the softest game I've played in Europe. Given that Portugal has one of the lowest cost of living in Western Europe, although Estoril is slightly on the high side, I think it is quite possible to grind a good living playing here. One down side is they have a lower minimum buy than I liked but most people do buy in 100bbs+. 

To get to the casino, you can take a train from Lisbon city from Cais do Sodré station. It takes about 40 minutes costing just €2.95 one way. Get off at the stop called Estoril and it's across the street. Can't miss it. The main town is about a 30 minute walk away but on a good day, it is quite enjoyable strolling along the coastline to get there. If you have the time, you can also make a trip to nearby town called Sintra where you can find an impressive castle and palace on top of the hill. 

Portugal is number 35 on my list of countries I've played poker in. I don't know where the next one will be but on my bucket list there's South America, Japan, UK countries (apart from England)... but wherever it may be, I hope my passion and bankroll will continue to grow until that time. 

POKER GUIDE TO : Poker in Paris, France

I had no luck finding any games in Lille, and when I was in Bordeaux, I happen to visit the casino on the only day of the week where the poker room does not run (Saturday). It might have been a misunderstanding or miscommunication because I feel it doesn't make sense, but I didn't stick around to find out. However I did find a couple of cool places to play poker in Paris.

Mr. Gorilla really wanted to climb up the Eiffel

Instead of full fledged casinos, they are licensed but has a underground feel to it. You enter an obscure entrance area, although the muscular bouncer kinds of gives it away a little. There's no fancy signs or posters, but you feel like you're entering a casino where 007 goes to stakeout his villain. 

The one I frequented the most was Club Pierre Charron, located not too far from the Arc de Triumphe, off the famous avenue Champs-Elysée, in a really posh area of town. There are table games of course but they have quite a few tables of Holdem and Omaha. Games start from €1/2 and I think I saw them running €10/20 PLO as well. Of course as usual you bring your passport, get registered, use your member card to scan and queue, and the card is required during buy in and cash out as well. 

Quite a few positives about this place. The decor is cool, staff were pretty friendly, of course they seem to treat the French speaking players better, plenty of game choices, players were reasonably friendly too. They serve free water but I assume everything else you'll have to pay for. Dealers are decent and cards are machine shuffled, but the coolest part is they have a box where I assume is RFID scans the total pot and it is shown real time. So no need to calculate the pot for sizing, and the rake is always accurate. It also displays further information like the biggest pot size, average pot size so you can gauge how the action is as soon as you sit down. 

However, the rake is exorbitant. According to my friend, it is 4% uncapped. I watched the screen a few times but I still couldn't work out how the calculation works. There's preflop rake and chop pot rake as well. The tables I were playing in, action was a bit slow, not many big pots or splashy players. On the up side I don't think many pros play there. My friend did make a good profit playing there for a few days though. 

On the next street is the Paris Elysées Club. I went there a couple of times, just as cool, maybe even a slightly better interior. However both times no poker games were running. On my second visit I saw 3 or 4 people waiting for the game to start and I put my name down on the queue, but didn't hang around for it. I think at the moment they are losing to their competition next door. Maybe this can spark a rake war and become a win-win for the players. 

Paris Elysées Club

There's something about playing poker in Paris, ending the game late night, walking out to see the Arc in the distance. Paris at night is beautiful. Pro tip, I took at bus to the location at night cause right in front of my hotel is a bus that stops 30 meters from the club. Not on purpose but I never have small change with me, so every time I would try to pay the bus driver using a 10, 20, or 50 note they will just wave me away and gave me a free ride. I hope I don't get any Paris bus drivers in trouble but I get it. They have a route to drive and they really can't be bothered to give €47.50 change using a pretty archaic system. Most European city buses now accept credit cards. 

You can see the Arc if you zoom in

Overall it was a nice experience to play there and also to pick up my 34th country I've played poker in. I wouldn't grind there but if you happen to be in Paris and are itching for a game, it's not bad to play a short session for fun. 

POKER GUIDE TO: Poker in Riga, Latvia

Our itinerary was 2 weeks in Italy then a hop over to the Baltic countries before ending our trip back in Milan. So for the first two weeks we were shoulder to shoulder with the sea of tourists in Milan, Rome, Florence (Genoa was more tolerable) hence when we landed in Riga, the first experience we had was of relief. As beautiful as Riga is, there isn't an obvious tourist in sight. Wide open spaces, beautiful parks and attractions where you can run around, breathe and not be surrounded by foreigners weaving around trying to snap their photos. Here you can actually sit and stare at the beauty and really take it in. 

You must always go on night walks in Europe

The old town is obviously the main attraction and the city park was gorgeous. But even when we took the time to venture out a little, other parks were also thoughtfully designed for a very laid back, relaxed lifestyle. I did a bit of research on the cost of living and income levels only to find out on average a doctor makes about €2700 a month in Latvia compared to €6000 in Tallinn (4 hours away by bus) or €14000 in Helsinki (6 hours away by bus and ferry). So when I found a decent €5/€5 and €5/€10 game at the casino I was quite surprised. You can comfortably grind €5/€5 here and live better than a doctor's salary. Although I just played on two nights, once on Saturday, which was pumping but the Sunday game was "meh". 

One W one L for a small profit in Riga

Games are held at the Olympic Voodoo Casino, behind the Radisson Blu hotel. You can go to https://lv.olympic-poker.com/galvena for information and register for the waitlist. Entry is free, no obvious dress code, rake is 5% capped at 3bb, free water but other drinks are not. Dealers and most players speak fluent English and are reasonably friendly. As far as I know the casino doesn't have a closing time like some European casinos and the tables can run until pretty late. 

Inside the Central Market

Just another cafe

During the day we got to explore the city. I quite enjoyed the central market, known to be the biggest market in Europe with produce from all over the world other than their own it seems but still at very reasonable prices. There is also a flower market that is just beautiful. The local cuisine to me wasn't too exciting but I tried a couple of local beers that were really tasty. English is well spoken throughout and most locals are quite nice although I did get scammed by a taxi driver. But if you use their taxi app you'll be fine. I also like to travel around on a scooter, especially late at night when the streets are clear. 

Colors in nature

Riga is easily accessible. Our taxi in Rome to the airport (€31) cost more than our flight ticket from Rome to Riga (before luggage add ons and taxes), and was 5x the price of our bus from Riga to Tallinn. From what I've heard, the poker scene isn't as it used to be pre-Covid, but I would still recommend it for a 2-3 day stopover. I hope I will get to visit again and this time I want to rent a car to explore the surrounding small towns and rich nature that is in Latvia. 

POKER GUIDE TO: Poker in Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia, a country with a population of just 1.3m and it's capital, Tallinn surprised us with it's complexity. A vibrant city with a charming old town and historic architecture, on the coast of the beautiful Baltic sea and without the price tags of some of the pricier European destinations. Only 4 hours by bus from Riga, and 2 hours by ferry from Helsinki, it is easy to get to and definitely worth a visit.

Our visit coincidentally was on the same week of the Olybet Series held at the Olympic Park Casino (next to the Hilton Hotel) I decided to play one of the mid-afternoon events, the €350 progressive bounty event. When I got there I was quite disappointed because even at level 3 entry, there were only 16 runners. When I later busted out on level 8 or so, there were less than 30 runners. Overall the casino was quite nice, on the smaller side and I would estimate the series had a maximum capacity of 10-15 tables. However it seems they have a WSOP Circuit series on the cards for September with a €1 million guarantee for the main. 

They had cash games going as well but I didn't partake as most players were on the tourneys and the cash game table when I was there looked short and close to breaking. But on normal days you can visit their website https://www.olympic-poker.com/ for information about the games available, even register yourself on the waitlist. I am not sure about the rake but from my experience with Olympic Casino setups, it is usually 5% capped at 3bb or slightly higher for lower stakes. The casino didn't have a dress code that I was aware of but usually on the safer side I always wear long pants instead of shorts just in case. First timers are offered a free welcome drink and membership is free, just remember to bring along your passport. 

My favourite picture in Tallinn

11:30pm in Tallinn in May

When you're not playing poker Tallinn is a very nice place to visit, however it can get pretty cold and gloomy in winter months. Late spring to early autumn is probably the best time, roughly from April to September. Because of it's close proximity to Finland, the prices are much higher than their Baltic neighbours, but still reasonably affordable. It is also not as crowded and over touristy as most of your main European cities. You can stroll around the town and still feel the local vibe than see a sea of foreigners like you would in Rome or Milan. 

My favourite spot in Tallinn

Some of the friendlier Estonian residents

There was one negative incident that I had with an Estonian guy in Helsinki though. Right from when I seated down on the cash game table he was already eyeing me unpleasantly. After I beat him in a hand he started going on about Chinese people and how they are brainless and stupid gamblers. Interestingly before all this happened he 4bet all in preflop for 100bb+ with KTs vs what is clearly proper premium hands and hit a flush. He had a VPIP of 75% or more and showed down 94o, K6 etc type hands. I kept my cool but couldn't help myself when he opened a few hands in a row to ask him "so which part of China are you from?". The rest of the table chuckled including the dealer. He continued to berate me and all Chinese people so I asked him have you been to China? No. What has China done to you? Nothing. I actually enjoyed the back and forth needling and the whole time trying to be the bigger man. 

I honestly felt bad for the guy. I wished I had said this to him but I am saying this now to whoever is reading this. Why are you angry at 1.4 billion people that you don't know and don't know you? Why such hatred? How many Chinese people do you know? I know quite a few and yes, some of them are real bad but to hate a whole race because of a few rotten eggs? I know two Estonians out of 1.3m, one decent and funny guy, the other, Mr. Racist Asshole. Am I going to condemn 50% of Estonians based on this data? Why do you feel superior when you are the one acting like a fool? Even I feel ashamed about people of my own race and nationality. From just observing the way they park, drive, queue, treat strangers, eat at buffets... you can see they are selfish, inconsiderate and some even evil in their ways that if I had the power would bring fire and destruction to their asses, bolts of lighting straight to their hair and ... sorry I got carried away. My point is, instead of complaining, being judgmental, why not be the bigger person, be the good example, inspire them to be better versions of their race. I could have just turn and face the guy and said "STFU you f'in racist idiot" but instead I chose humour to get my point across. I told him you should love us Chinese because we are given you action rather than these tight Finns. Anyway, I am not going to let one Estonian ruin my view of Estonia and you should give it a chance too.