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.

Manila Report

Forewarning, not going to talk much about poker in this post. My first poker trip of my career (taking a trip primarily for poker) was to Manila in 2008/2009. Been to so many clubs in Manila I have really lost count. I've had some interesting experiences in the Philippines like being followed by weird men, almost got kidnapped, victim of an attempted robbery by a bunch of kids, donated my shoes to a homeless shoeless lady... but I also fell in love with snorkeling and sea life, won my first poker trophy, and made many friends in my many visits to this country. 

Haven't been to this part of Manila in a while

This recent trip however opened my eyes to something that I didn't pay much attention to before. Before I start ranting, let me say I am often the first to complain about the Philippines. Some policies they have do not make any sense. Someone high up just make rules and do not care if it inconveniences any one. For example there is a beautiful shoreline park next to Okada but there is a security guard that prohibits people from walking there. Me bringing my luggage, backpack, passport in hand trying to enter the airport and I still need to show my ticket. As if I have nothing else to do but to lug around heavy bags to pretend I am flying. Sure I get it, there are non passengers trying to get in for free AC or whatever reason. But common sense isn't very common here. Service levels at some places are impressive, but in general, Filipino service is slow, sometimes rude or impersonal. People just DGAF about their jobs or doing it the best they can. Many just choose to scrape by, put in the hours, get paid and GTFO. 

Some poker content

However I started to put myself in their shoes. Some of these service staff are being treated like crap! Especially by foreigners and from my observations during this trip, glaringly from Mainland Chinese and Koreans. Yes they are there to serve customers, but somethings that are just right in front of you, the customer still insists to be helped, as if getting up for 2 seconds is going to kill them. Then there is a feeling of superiority as if Filipino service staff or even fellow players are less than human. The way they are spoken to carries no positive emotion, no respect, no gratitude. Sure some customers would say thanks and tip also but most I've seen treats them worse than animals. At least if my dog fetches me something I would reward her. 

Oh, I didn't know that

So here is the chicken and egg argument. Was it because of overall poor service that caused customers to lose respect and treat service staff like shit? Or was it poor attitude from customers and bosses created the lack of self worth and job satisfaction for them to give a rat's ass? I do not know, but I've seen some that had good service treated the same way. So what did I do? I  did my best to be the exemplary customer. I thanked them for their service, tipped those who were outstanding, some I even asked for their names and spoke to them like human beings. Sure we need their help from time to time but at other times you can still speak to them normally. Ask them how their day was, try to get to know them, treat them and their job with respect. I also would chat up fellow players including Filipinos some of which are there to make a living. Wouldn't it be nice if you went to work in a friendly environment? 

I guess the recent enlightenment was from my Moroccan experience being treated like second class by a small number of European players. I am being nice on the table, trying to speak to them in their own language, playing poker ethically, but all they needed was just look at my face and instantly decide to treat me differently from others of their own skin tone. Did Asians raped and plundered their ancestors? What did I do to deserve this? Sure some of the Asian players I've seen this trip probably deserved to be looked down at because of their behavior, but me? Really?

Same ugly chips, same ugly uniform as 15 years ago

There are great human beings and there are human beings who suck. But at the end of the day, they are all human, just like you and me. If they didn't wrong you, hurt you, did bad things to you, they should be respected, appreciated as we would treat anyone else. Even if they made a mistake, as if we never make mistakes. We shouldn't be treating them any less than how we treat others. Because if we do, then maybe we deserve it too. 

Amazing People from My Journey

In my 23 years of playing poker, I have met thousands of people. Some of them bad, but some of them were amazing. This article is about some of the amazing people I have met along the way. Hopefully it will inspire all of us to be better people too. The list will not be too comprehensive as I have met so many people, I might miss a few stories here and there, and some of which have become my lifelong friends and they don't need reminding of how great they are. 

About 10 years ago I often frequented Macau to play some live poker. At the time I was working in Malaysia and was earning a measly salary. Every trip to Macau was a big deal as the cost was high and each buy in was about 1-2 months' salary. I remember vaguely that I lost a few hands in that session, even was taunted by a reg by showing me his bluff, but the last hand I flopped a small set only for my opponent to turn a bigger set and stack me. I guess I had that dejected look on my face. As I was walking away from the table, another player probably in his late thirties or early forties came up to me. He offered to buy me dinner at the casino restaurant which initially I politely declined. He said he had unused points and he wanted to grab a bite anyways. After losing a bunch of money a free meal sounded pretty good so I went. I forgot what we talked about during the meal, nor how he looked like or even his name. But what I still remember feeling to this day is how kind he was because I needed comforting and a friend. I don't remember if we spoke about the hands but all this time I feel thankful that someone showed that they cared and did a nice thing for me. I doubt I would recognize him if I see him again, nor would he remember me if he saw me instead. He has inspired me to be this person for other up and coming players. I thank him and wish him the best in life. 

I met Basil and Winnie at a couple of tournaments in the Philippines. We had mutual friends so were introduced, chatted a bit but didn't really get to know each other that well. A few years later I was involved in an online poker club on PPPoker and invited Basil to be my agent for players in his network. We did that for quite a while until I suddenly decided to move to the city he was based in. Finding ourselves strangers in a new city, Basil and Winnie took us in like old buddies, as family even. They would offer to take us out, showed us around, brought us to their family gatherings and celebrations. Our experience there wouldn't have been so nice without their warm hospitality and friendship. To be honest we barely knew each other but it felt so comfortable with them as if we've known each other our whole lives. I am glad we are still friends and still see each other once in a while.

I used to live and play poker in Vietnam so I understand the culture very well. The first time I took notice of Quoc Bao was from an online hand discussion on Facebook. River was dealt and a foreign player opened then mucked his winning hand by mistake. Vietnamese player got the floor to help him claim the pot by a technicality. Although well within the rules but I have zero respect for players who try to win this way. But knowing Vietnamese culture, some players pride themselves in getting these advantages, slow rolling, angle shooting, etc. Quoc Bao voiced out his opinions against the Vietnamese player's actions and the actions of the floor and the rest of the players. Even though I didn't know the guy at the time, I had instant respect for him. Granted now that I do, he's more American than Kim Kardashian so maybe it doesn't count. But for a Vietnamese to voice out against their negative culture deserved my admiration, and he's a pretty decent guy too. 

I've met Pham Bao at international tournaments, always polite, courteous and happy to chat. Eventually he also became one of my agents for the Vietnamese market. However at one point him and his team started to owe me a decent sum of money. At first he would clear a little at a time, but at one point he said to me that he was in a bad situation and will pay me back when he can. I didn't think too much about it because if I got back every dollar everyone in the world owed me, I would have enough to retire. Four years later, out of the blue Pham contacts me and paid me back in full. Again I had little respect for most Vietnamese people I know, but for him to keep to his word, I was very impressed. Even if he were doing better, he could have kept quiet and kept the money to himself. But he didn't and he earned my trust by doing that.  

Last year I visited Spain and we stopped briefly in Valencia. Overall Spanish people are quite friendly but this guy Paco stood out. The first day I met him he would give me advice about traveling around Spain, places to eat, and made me feel comfortable in his country. It's one thing to chat on the table but another to offer ones friendship to someone you've just met. 

This year I was playing a lot in Hanoi. Very typical Vietnamese game, and you feel the culture strongly as the foreigner. When I first met Quang Nguyen I felt a different vibe from him even though he is Vietnamese. I told him I could see his cards. He thanked me but asked me why I didn't just keep it to myself and used it against him. I said I don't want to win like that, and he instantly replied that he is the same. I don't know anyone in that room who wouldn't want to peek at my cards when I am playing them. In another session he waited for a seat and finally got it. But because there was a whale behind him on the list, Quang being a much better player than the whale and that he wasn't a regular, he got bullied and had to give the whale his seat. But instead of fighting he let it go. Sure, standing up for yourself can be a positive attribute but in this situation I felt he handled himself really well and more Vietnamese people should learn to think and act like him. But I also later found out that Quang is probably more Australian than Vietnamese. Goes to show the importance of culture and education. 

I met these last two guys in my recent trip to Cambodia. The first one is Eddie from Pakistan. As soon as I sat down on the table, I knew he was a nice friendly guy. He seem to know everyone and anyone. He would fist bump any guy that sat down and spoke to them as if they have known each other for a long time. But instead he is just that friendly and have made friends with almost everyone there in his few days in Cambodia. So naturally we became friends too. He was discussing an incident about a guy pulling an angle claiming he didn't see his cards but he actually flopped the nuts. He even said later he spoke to the guy and told him that wasn't cool. A few days later that guy, Eddie and I happened to be on the same table and Eddie pointed him out to me so I wouldn't be angled by him as well. One morning I went to a game that was running since the night before. Stacks were deep, players tired and tilted, needless to say it was an amazing game. Unfortunately I ran bad and was stacked twice pretty quickly for $3000. I didn't have that much cash on me and didn't feel like walking all the way back to the hotel and coming back again so I quit the game and walked out. As I was outside Eddie came out for a smoke. He saw me and said I should jump back in as the game was so good. Indeed it was, the best I've seen the whole week. I told him I didn't have enough cash and without hesitation he replied "you could have asked me and I would lend it to you". As touched as I was, I told him I appreciated his gesture and trust but I have just met him a couple of days ago. It wouldn't be right for me to borrow from him and I didn't. I messaged him again just today and one of his messages to me was "let me know if you need anything, ever." I would never take advantage of his generosity, maybe just let him buy me a beer the next time I see him, but what a guy. 

I played a satellite and structures are obviously super fast in those. I tried to bully the table and folds to my button and I have 34 suited. I opened and was 3 betted by the big blind. I defended in position and flop was T45 (or something like that). He surprisingly checks and I check back. turn another T and he checks again. Thinking he has AK or over cards I jammed to protect my small pair but he tanks and finally calls off with 77. I spiked the 4 on the river though to give him a bad beat. I felt bad so I genuinely apologized to him. He was tilted obviously and busted soon after. As he was leaving the table he gave a middle finger, pointed towards the table. I felt nothing about it because it was understandable that he was upset. However what happened after was amazing. 10-15 minutes later he came back to the poker room, tapped me from behind and apologized! He said he was upset but regretted what he did. I took no offense at all but I was so amazed by his gesture. To know that you made a mistake is one thing, but to have the humility to return and apologize is a totally different level. Hats off to this man. During the next few days, I would actually make an effort to seek him out and talk to him. I wanted him to know I held no ill feelings and actually was impressed by how he acted. I wished I had taken his contact so I could show him this article. 

These are some of the amazing people I have met in my poker journey. I am sure there will be more. But for every amazing person, I have probably met 10x that in shitty ones. What impressions are you giving others you come across? Are you an inspiration or a disappointment? Some of these guys I will never meet again in my life, but their impact will be forever remembered. So if you meet others on the poker tables, even if it's just for a fleeting moment, your actions and words can mean a lot. Be that amazing person for someone else. 

Cambodia WPT Report

I have dreaded to write this post mortem because it has been an ugly trip. I was feeling really upbeat about the trip at first, and had a good feeling about it all along, first cash game session I turned quads and got paid on the river but it all went downhill from there.

I was expecting a much deeper run

Returning to Phnom Penh is always bitter sweet for me. I have a lot of memories of the place, good and bad. It was a key place for my poker career and wherever I go I seem to have some reminders of what happened there. One day I might sit down and write my entire experience down but it makes for a nice movie script actually. 

On the bright side I made some nice new memories this trip. Having dinner with the boys after our Andrew Neeme meet up game. The meet up game itself was quite memorable as well. We played the stand up game and I won the first hand against Andrew. It was also featured on Andrew's YouTube vlog. Took pictures with him and Vince Van Patten and they with Mr. Gorilla too. Called Vince as Lon because some genius pointed at him and said that's Lon McEachern (the WSOP commentator) I guess I was too tired and drunk to realize that mistake until I look back at the photo and thought to myself, why would a WSOP commentator show up at a WPT event and then it hit me. I hope he didn't take offense. 

Andrew Neeme

Vince Van Patten

I made day 2 of the main running super hot early in day 1. By level 3 I had 8x starting stack. It fizzled out in the middle losing AA to 22 and QQ to 77 in pretty significant pots before clawing back with a decent stack for day 2. Manage to outlast 1000+ players only to finish with a modest cash. Another few pay jumps would have made the trip a nice one but couldn't win a couple of key flips at the end. 

But my usual bread and butter cash games got my butt kicked real well. One, two, three, four, five outers hit for my opponents, but me missing fifteen, sixteen, seventeen outer draws. The downswing started a week before WPT and is still going as of yesterday. This is not my worst downswing but every beat I take feels like a kick in the stomach. This year I have been a committing to becoming a better player, better person, better friend, better son, better partner. I have cut out all degen stuff in my life, committed to be an honest person with friends and business partners, recommitted myself to be loyal to my partner which is always a challenge as there are so many temptations especially when we travel, focused on improving my skills and I feel that I am playing the best poker in my entire career, helping people whenever I can both in giving but also teaching, sharing, encouraging, caring without expecting anything back. But to lose session after session, and the way I lost, lately has me feeling dejected and depressed. I cut my trip short yesterday because I couldn't take another losing session.

This blog is to document my poker journey and it wouldn't be fair to just report the rosy results and hide the ugly ones. Including cost and losses the WPT was a -9k trip. Including my entire downswing since early August its probably like -12k USD. I can take that hit but emotionally it has been draining because I felt it was my time to shine. The amount of effort I've put into bettering myself, I expected to be rewarded. 

Before losing JJ vs 99 all in pre flop (hit his one outer 9) but I had 17 outs but missed

But it is not all doom and gloom. Every time I see the people I love, I feel blessed again. I have a wonderful partner that I would never have dreamed of. She is loving, supportive, in short just the perfect woman for me. Regardless of how I do financially, I am so blessed in other aspects of my life. Money isn't everything and money isn't anything if I'm not happy, and I AM happy. I just wish I was rich too 😆

Introducing Mr. "One Time" Gorilla

I have maintained a blog and an Instagram account for a while now. Having travelled to play poker in 19 countries and 96 poker rooms (and counting) I like to share my photos of different places and games. But one time someone stole my photo and used it as their own. So since then I tried to put my "signature" on my photos by placing my "card protector toy". My fantasy is that I will travel the world to play poker and out of the blue someone on the table will recognize my toy and call me by my nickname. LOL You can follow my Instagram HERE

Recently there has been a lot of comments and reactions towards Mr. Gorilla and I felt that I have the need to clarify some things. Contrary to popular belief, the toy is not "blessed", nor has any super powers. I do not pray to the toy nor have it prayed for. It is not a "lucky charm", but it's just for people to recognize my photos are original. 

No they are not friends

Years ago I had another toy "Mr. Samurai". I bought him in Tokyo and the reason I liked it was it reminds me to have a Samurai mentality. Never give up, fight with honor, fight with integrity. I don't know if it was offensive to Japanese players but I meant none of it. But that toy was wobbly and a couple of the legs on the horse broke and I had to glue them back on. Later it just breaks too easily especially if I carry it in my hoodie pocket. Mr. Samurai officially retired on 22nd Oct 2019. So I found "Mr. Gorilla" in Taipei. 

Mr. Gorilla in Rozvadov

I think the stance Mr. Gorilla has makes people feel that it's a "blessed" figure. I had players actually do the 🙏 to it, some players instantly ask me to pick it up if it's fallen, (as if the gods would be angered if I don't), some call it my lucky charm or associate my wins to it. At first I follow along jokingly but I since think I need to clarify what it means to me. 

Mr. Samurai in Barcelona

Mr. Samurai reminds me to be strong and win with honor. Mr. Gorilla with it's praying stance reminds me to pray and thank God for everything I have. Some of you may have read my article about being a Christian poker player, I want to give glory to God even in this somewhat "dodgy" career choice. It reminds me I am not doing this alone and I am not doing this for myself only. Be thankful, be humble, be hopeful and have faith. 

I call Mr. Gorilla my "one time, every time". But the fact it, win or lose, I am thankful, blessed, joyful and at peace, all the time. 

2022 Goals and Resolutions

Usually by the first or second day of the year I would have my resolutions ready. This year I was actually at a loss about what I want to achieve. But after the last few days, I have learned my lessons and am inspired about how to better myself for the year.

Looking forward to my challenge that is 2022

I have matured a lot over the years but one thing I still can't overcome entirely is my discipline. This past weekend I took a shot that I didn't have to. It was a game that was still comfortable for my bankroll but not my cash roll. There is a degen bone in me that I have to address. I am addicted to the rush that has adversely affected me throughout my life. So my first resolution is 1) to be hyper disciplined. For the past 3 weeks I have been on a one-meal-a-day diet except one day mainly for health purposes and secondary is losing weight. I am surprised I have the discipline to keep it up especially when watching my friends have delicious food right in front of me. I hope I can continue to push on and I highly recommend some sort of fasting or intermittent fasting regime for my friends who are looking to improve their health.

2021 was a "blah" year for me. I barely made any income and I was stagnant the whole year, only watching the crypto market fluctuate throughout. Thankfully the trend is still going upwards but I feel I cannot be so passive instead I need to make things happen. This year I will 2) focus on creating streams of income. 

Omicron has put my plans to travel on hold. The backend of 2021 there were more and more countries open to tourists but since then they have locked down again. But I hope I can still play at least a couple of tournament series in 2022. If any case I also would want to play more cash games. The other day I jumped into a game and I felt so at home and in my element. After so many years of playing I still love the game and have the patience and passion for it. So 3) Play more poker in 2022.

Poker in Granada, Spain

Every year I say I want to be healthier but don't actually do it. This year I've started well. With my new eating schedule I've lost 4kg already and feeling sharper and healthier. It is actually easier than I thought and more effective than any diet or calorie counting. At this rate I should be able to hit my targeted weight and keep it off. But the beauty of my fasting regime is it's health benefits and weight loss is just the bonus. 4) Maintain healthy eating lifestyle

Without any income last year meant I didn't have any profits to give away. I tried to help as much as I can but it was nothing close to what I did in past years. This year if I am focusing on creating income streams, I hope to be able to allocate actual funds to helping the needy. 5) Give 10% of money and time to charity and helping others. 

Wishing everyone a great year ahead and hope you will also achieve what you set out to do!

Looking back at 2021

Every December I would review my year and every January set my resolutions for the year. 2021 was probably the most "blah" year of my life. But I know many people are in worse shape than I am so I am not complaining. Let's review based on my resolutions set for the year.

1) Improve my poker skills. 
I barely played any poker in 2021 compared to recent years but when I did I felt that I did play better than before. I did study some and my ranges have definitely improved. This year however I only managed two tournament cashes which at the end did not even update on Hendon so my Hendon Mob 8 year streak has come to a sad end. 

2) Be healthier.
I was doing well early in the year until I couldn't play football anymore and stayed home for months. But recently I have started a new diet of one meal a day and almost zero carbs. So far I am surprised I can stick to it as I love to eat. Let's see how long I can keep this going. 

3) Give 10% of my income.
Well I didn't really have any "income" per se in 2021 so I didn't really do much on this end. I did try my best to help out some friends at their time of need but not much else. However I offered my time and care to anyone I felt that needed it. Some of them I didn't know well but kind words from even a random "stranger" can sometimes make a difference. 

4) Look for a new project to work on
I had many ideas for 2021 but Covid restrictions really dashed most of them. It was really at my colonoscopy appointment I suddenly had the urge to look into Crypto again and since then it has just taken off. The height of it was in May 11th and since it has not returned to those levels yet but I believe it is just a matter of time. I think my strategy was somewhat flawed without taking profits up but still on paper it was a pretty good year. 

As "blah" as the year was, I did spend a month in Spain and two weeks in Czech so it was still an interesting end to the year. I hope 2022 will be a much better year. 

Segovia, Spain

Rozvadov, Czech

Seville, Spain

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. 

We are different but same same

As I am traveling around Spain, especially to the small towns and villages, I can’t help but feel a faint animosity towards Asians in some people. Getting weird looks on the street, some people giving us the wide berth when passing, the way service staff treat us differently, etc. I get it that many Asians behave badly and I hate that because it gives us a bad name. But to generalise us based on our looks is unfair. Most people like to assume before they give you a chance and get to know you. But I like to go out of my way to change these prejudices people have. I am not good at most things but one thing I am good at is impersonating accents. If you know me personally you probably have heard me switch from one language to another, or speak with a different accent in the same language depending on who I talk to. A few years ago when I was playing poker in London, there were 3 Asian players on my table including myself. There was an obviously tipsy Brit who was quite aggressive towards us but as soon as I opened my mouth and discussed beer and “foot-bull” (my best impression of the word Football in a Liverpool accent) he had a different attitude altogether, even towards the other two asian players who didn’t speak to him.

Chinese Restaurant in Granada

I am still trying to learn Spanish, and can speak very little of it. But the sentences that I do speak, I can speak in a pretty decent Spanish accent. Thanks to the pronunciation being very similar to Malay, another language I am fluent in. I went up to the counter and said in fluent Spanish “La cuenta por favor” (Bill please) and I saw the old man next to me do a double take. There are some Asians in Madrid that speak fluent Spanish, but often with a heavy Asian accent. I happen to do this is Segovia where I only saw one other asian looking dude in the whole town. People suddenly started treating me differently when they heard me speak their own language. The other day I even made a joke on the poker table calling myself a “big fish” in Spanish and it made everyone laugh. 

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." Nelson Mandela

 Bumped into a protest in Madrid. People just want the same things

I too have been at fault for judging people by their looks. I used to love Vietnam and it’s people but after spending time there, I have learned to see through their friendliness and find the hidden dagger many have for others especially foreigners. In my time there I probably only kept 1 or 2 Vietnamese friends that I still respect and appreciate. Jumping over to Cambodia I was immediately taken aback by how different they were to their close neighbours. I thought they were more genuine and carefree but boy was I wrong. As a people they are very united, which is commendable. Maybe because of their tragic history, there’s an inbred culture of self preservation, animosity towards foreign culture, successfully taking advantage of a foreigner is celebrated amongst their own as if they won a small battle against the enemy. Of course there are exceptions and a couple of people I respect and like, but given the pressures of their culture and people, I know they would choose them over me in a heartbeat, and I don’t blame them. For them to even pause and consider was good enough for me.

Innocent little girl walking around on the train to Cordoba

I have also met with a few people in Spain that were very friendly, helpful, welcoming and accepting. They obviously can see through my skin and looks and still treat me like everyone else. During this trip I also tried to be friendly everyone I meet, I helped an old man carry his mother on her wheelchair, picked up a lady's phone charger on the train, gave money to an old uncle asking for train money, helped someone with her luggage from the plane in hopes that it would convince them to think twice before judging every Asian they meet. Everyone is different. Even people who look like us may think or act differently from us. We have difference of opinions, ideas, values, cultures, manners, practices, beliefs but we are still the same species. Our purpose in life is to live harmoniously in spite of the differences because it is that difference that makes life interesting. We enjoy different cuisines, why can’t we enjoy the people who make them? You don’t have to agree with me, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Peace guys. 

What Happened in August and September 2021 (and some interesting facts about me)

In an attempt to keep my streak alive on Hendonmob, I played in 4 online WSOP events in August. I came close in one but bricked all of them for a disappointing series. At this moment I am waiting on some documents that will allow me to travel to Spain for a tournament. Unfortunately given the current situations, my options for live tourneys are very limited. But I am extremely excited to play some live poker finally. 

Nothing much happened in the last two months really. I got vaccinated and bought some NFTs at mint, that's about it. Other than that just my daily routine and basically waiting for COVID to end. I've been doing some gardening to pass time and spend most of my day on games. 

My rarest NFT (kinda reminds me of Phil Galfond for some reason)

I think I have led a very interesting life compared to the average person. Have experienced a lot of things most people never had. But 2021 has been the most boring year of my life. Some of the notable experiences of my life include:

- Been on a TV commercial
- Been in jail (for poker)
- Bronze medal in 400m (can you believe that?)
- Chess Champion of the city (our team)
- 3rd in table tennis of the city (our team)
- 2nd in a singing competition
- 8 Poker trophies
- Played poker in 19 countries
- Lived in 5 different countries
- Traveled to I don't know how many 
- Captained a football team that was undefeated (15 wins)
- Self taught guitar, piano and drums...
and hopefully more to come

One thing I've learned in 2021 is that you can live without living. I am reminded of the cell mate I had across from me. He said to me, "one day inside, one day outside". I think what he meant was, some people spend their days in the cell, some outside. We all still get the same 24 hours, but one gets to live their life when the other doesn't. When I was released, he still had about 2 more years to serve. Those two years I kept remembering him, that I was outside free and living my life while he's still stuck in that cell. As boring as my 2021 has been, I am still extremely fortunate not to need to worry about money, getting to spend time with the most amazing woman I know and still have my health. But I hope 2022 will be much more interesting than this year. 

Kinda getting something from almost nothing, gardening

Wherever you are I hope you are well. Stay safe and hope to catch up with you all at some point. 

What happened in June and July 2021

It's been a while since my last update and I want to keep this blog going as long as I can, so about time I wrote an update. 

First things first, I finally played some poker after about 5 and a half months. Since 2013 I have cashed at least once every year to make it onto Hendon Mob with my two best years 2018 (10) and 2019 (11). Last year I travelled only once for an event in Taiwan and fortunately cashed that one. Played in two tournaments on WSOP online and cashed once for my first ever WSOP flag. This year live poker is virtually impossible so my only chance is to chase another flag for WSOP online again. I've only played in the opening event so far but no good. I'm going to try for another couple of events but if it doesn't go well then 2021 will be a barren year.

I really don't enjoy online poker

Earlier this year I was doing really well on crypto and then when I was this close to making my first major milestone, BAM, market crashed and continued to drop until only recently it has picked back up a little. I lost 70% of my profits but more importantly it kinda killed my enthusiasm for crypto for a while. But I still believe strongly in the tech and how it will impact our future. Governments and banks will continue to oppose it but deep inside even they know it is good for the people. So "hold on for dear life" is true to its meaning for me now. 

My plant dying and living at the same time

The COVID situation is looking grim for me. In May our government imposed a lockdown when there was 3000+ cases daily nationwide. Almost three months into the lockdown, we are hitting all time highs of 17000+ cases a day. The government and many seem to be betting on vaccination to end this but I don't think it will work. First of all it is not a vaccine because a true vaccine makes you immune to the virus. But the Covid vaccine (which I believe was forced to be called a vaccine to comfort the people) does not make you immune, nor does it stop you from spreading it. It just prevents you from dying in case you catch it. So until one day when we can come up with a proper vaccine, or an instant cure, COVID will be around like the flu or HIV. It's going to impact our lives and future generations to come. Just like if you were to travel to Africa now, you have to take a few jabs and tests, in the future we would have to do so for any trip. 

Never really appreciated the beauty of my hometown until you can't travel

If the COVID situation isn't bad enough, the world is facing a more serious threat. Extreme weather is a sign of global warming and there's no vaccine or cure for that. Heat waves in otherwise cool countries, extreme cold, drought, flash floods, these are now happening everywhere. Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, that's extreme. It's mother nature's way of telling us "WAKE THE F UP". But unfortunately governments are too busy troubleshooting for COVID and struggling economies to pay attention. I'm sorry to be grim and negative but it doesn't look good guys. War, famine, pestilence/plague, lawlessness, earthquakes.... sound familiar? Some dude said this will happen like 2000 years ago. 

At times like this, appreciate what you have. Be kind to people around you. hug your parents, tell them you love them, spend your time wisely, there are more important things than the accumulation of wealth. End your feuds, be the bigger person, apologize to those you have wronged, forgive those who have wronged you. Years ago a close poker friend of mine took his life, miss you YG. He didn't have many friends and I wasn't around a lot. Wish I could have said something or done something. Last week I lost a poker friend to COVID, Rip YS. Life is short and fragile. Live it to the fullest but live a life that you can be proud of. One day if you're lucky enough to be successful, you can proudly look back to the good things you did that led you there. Not the backs you've stabbed, people you've stepped over to get to the top. Peace. 

What happened in April and May 2021

I just realized I didn't write a recap for April so I am gonna do both months at the same time. Sorry to say I still have not played one hand of poker all this time. However I do not intend to change the theme of this blog as it is still my poker journey. As soon as I am allowed to travel, I will definitely join tournaments or play cash around the world. I hope to be able to play at WSOP 2022/2023 in Las Vegas. There are still games available in spite of COVID and lockdowns but I don't want to risk it and I am doing well on crypto. I do miss playing though. 

April was a great month for crypto as was the early parts of May. I was on track to a major milestone and before I knew it, two major crashes back to back took out more than half my profits. But I believe that crypto will be as common as the Dollar or Euro in the future, so I hung on for dear life. As at June 1st, my portfolio is almost the same as it was in April 1st. Still, I can't complain. So far still the best year I've had financially and its only June. I will share with you on another article why I think you should invest in crypto, for example how is it better than investing in property or gold, and now is the best time ever because the crashes has made prices cheaper to enter. 

One step at a time

I haven't been out much so football is out of the question. However recently I have tried to exercise more like evening walks, stretching and squats at home. I put on some lockdown weight because all I do most days is eat, sleep, check crypto and games/movies. I am by no means rich but I am easily contented. At my age I am super thankful to be living like a retiree. Just don't want the health or weight of a typical retiree that's all. 

Lockdown home delivery Indian food

It is getting harder and harder to stick to my 10% for charity pledge as crypto gains are not necessarily profits until you cash them out. But I still continue to do my best to help others. If you guys are interested, Yemen is still suffering from food shortages after that warehouse explosion coupled with civil unrest since then. You can participate through the World Food Programme. Recently I made another pledge when my financial position allows me to be heavily involved in the following causes. Cleaning up beaches and waterways, eradicating mosquitos and rats to curb the spread of germs and diseases and helping missionaries regardless of religion. 

I don't know what June has in store. I just pray that we can all #endCovid together, health and happiness to everyone, and #shutupElon LOL.

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What are NFTs and Why do they make sense?

When I first heard of NFTs I was skeptical. Why would anyone pay tons of money for a video clip that you can watch over and over again on YouTube? Or a tweet that someone typed? Don't even get me started about cartoon cats. I said to myself this is a bubble and it's just a license to print money. To a certain extent I think that is true, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

Since the beginning of time, humans have been into collectibles. Whether it's stamps, coins, rocks, watches, cars, sports memorabilia, antiques, artwork... people are willing to pay good money to have the privilege of owning something exclusive or rare. How much they would pay for them depends on the rarity, background story, sentimental value, difficulty to obtain, condition, and of course how much money they have. You may question why someone would pay $69 million for an NFT called "The Verge", but at the same time I question why someone bought Picasso's Les Femmes D'Alger for $179 million. Truth is, the value is in the eye of the beholder and we are not to question why, but just lament the fact that we are not rich enough to bid for them. 

"The Verge" sold for $69 million

Pablo Picasso's Les Femmes D'Alger sold for $179 million

Well, so much for a skeptic, I spent about 1 ETH to buy an NFT myself. It is a digital horse and yes, you can race it, bet on it, breed it, trade/sell it. So far it has won 3 races, finished 2nd twice and 3rd seven times. You can check it out HERE, and yes it is for sale for the right price. A friend of mine bought a super rare horse and sold it for 30 ETH recently (Roughly $63k at the time). 

My horse (Click for more details)

But why do NFTs make sense? 

1. Everything is digital 
So many aspects of our lives are now digital. From our calendars to banking, we have become a digital age, so why not collectibles as well?

2. Safe from Forgeries
Because of it's value, people have been forging artworks, coins, banknotes, deeds, wills, but "non-fungible" means it is unique, cannot be replaced, and the blockchain proves its existence, ownership and authenticity.

3. Safe from Theft
Depending on how you store them, crypto can still be hacked and stolen and that includes NFTs. However because it is a unique token unlike a Bitcoin, it would stick out like a sore thumb. The blockchain will show who it was stolen from and who holds it now. 

4. Safe from Deterioration
Mold, rust, rips, oxidation, most collectibles are super fragile and over time they deteriorate. Unless you decide to throw away the key, or a doomsday scenario where we lose all power and internet access otherwise your NFT will be here forever. 

5. Ease of display
What's the point of owning something cool without being able to show it off? Someone somewhere probably has cool collections but without knowing the person and physically visiting them, I would never be able to see it. With NFTs you can share it, invite people to your own virtual galleries, I assume frame them on a digital frame as well. 

Yes there is a lot of hype with NFTs at the moment, and I do think some of the prices are way inflated, but once the dust settles, and people grow into the idea of NFTs, I really think they are here to stay. 

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What Happened in March 2021

In late February four women flew into Cambodia via private jet. They were supposed to be quarantined for 14 days but somehow they bribed the guard and escaped. They went around partying and drinking but turns out some if not all of them were Covid-19 positive. Since then they have caused an outbreak of more than 2,000 cases and 9 deaths. I know this number isn't huge compared to other countries, but so far Cambodia has managed to stave off the pandemic. The actions and decisions of four selfish women and a corrupt guard have and will cause much damage to the country and its people. My last poker game happened to be on the 18th of February. 

Since I did not play one hand of poker in the whole of March, I had to do something else to fill my day and also make ends meet. Thankfully I got more and more serious into Cryptocurrency recently. I truly believe right now it is a golden opportunity to make some serious money. Exactly two years ago Bitcoin was less than $4000. Today it is touching distance from $60000. During that time the world was battling COVID-19, most businesses were suffering, people lost jobs, property market tanked, but at the same time the crypto market grew. Whilst a 15x growth in two years is impressive, some Altcoins have higher gains than that in a matter of weeks. If you know where to look, opportunities abound. If you're still not involved in crypto you should be. There are so many reasons everyone should put at least some of their money into crypto. If you want to know more please ask, I would be happy to share with you what I know.

Because of the recent outbreak, I spent most of the month at home only going out to get groceries. I couldn't go out to play football like I used to. Instead I had a lot of time in the kitchen cooking up new recipes. However in order to combat weight gain I have been on a 15-hour intermittent fasting schedule. In spite of the cakes, cookies, biscuits, and meat heavy meals I have actually managed to lose a little weight.

Southern Style drop biscuits with cheese and garlic

Malaysian Bak Kut Teh

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

I do miss poker and hope I can get back to a regular game soon, but with how crypto is going and the outbreak with no end in sight, and I don't enjoy playing online poker, it might be a while before I can call myself a full time poker player. 

Cutthroat Poker Industry?

Of all my blog posts since 2015, this is the one that I might regret writing as some of my friends are still involved in the companies that I am writing about. However the purpose of this blog is to tell the real life journey of an aspiring poker player, trying to make a living however I can, and the experiences I had along the way. I would be a hypocrite if I just shared the warm fuzzy stories and hid the ugly ones. 

I have been an affiliate of many poker companies over the years, including PokerStars, FullTilt, Bet365 and Natural8. I joined Natural8 in 2016. At the height of my involvement I recruited 300+ players. I still remember meeting one of their representatives at a Macau casino to collect their All-in buttons and Dealer buttons which I put to use at two Hong Kong live poker clubs. Me and my friend proudly wore their badge at tournaments and my friend made the final table. Designed and printed business cards that I distributed wherever I played live poker. I even wrote 7 related articles on my blog. (now removed) I got active again recently prior to the WSOP 2019 but I just found out that my affiliate account was deleted in February 2021, even though I was still actively promoting the site. I guess I am upset and hurt by that decision after all my effort. Kudos though to their affiliate staff who wrote me a beautiful email and was very diplomatic in responding to my disappointment. I never made a lot of money from doing it but it was still nice to be able to check my players' progress from time to time and the occasional commission check here and there. To remove me completely like that for me feels really cutthroat. Just a comparison, I joined PokerStrategy.com as an affiliate in 2009, bringing them 1371 players. I logged into my affiliate account before writing this post and my account is still there, everything intact. 

In 2018 Upoker entered the poker industry basically a copy cat of PPPoker but was struggling to gain any traction. They offered me a position as their consultant and thanks to me, I came up with the idea of merging with an established poker union (AU) that was run by my friends. About a month after their agreement was signed, my services was no longer required even though I was promised an account management role. I felt really sore about it because without my ideas and network, they would have disappeared like many poker apps that came and gone. Instead of what Upoker is today and how their business has continued to evolve since. But I comforted myself knowing that my friends are benefiting from that success because of me. 

The last story you guys know very well already so I won't repeat the same details. Basically me and my friend built a poker club from nothing into a successful business. We were in the profits on day 4 of operations and never looked back. At the peak of our success we were raking $70,000-80,000 a month consistently. Not bad for a one-table club. 3 months in my friend was almost forcibly removed from the business. I should have seen it coming as I was too after 9 months. He was smarter than me to sell his shares and got out on his own terms. 

Me taking a nap at the poker club

I don't know if Poker is a more cutthroat business than others but I have not had similar experiences in any other industries. Everyone knows each other in this tight knit community and yet I have heard many stories of betrayal, misunderstandings, hostile takeovers, unsportsmanlike competition. As one guy once said (and I am super paraphrasing here), "in poker, no one remains friends forever, but no one remains enemies forever either". For now I am grateful that these are now in my past and hopefully I won't need to get involved anymore in the future.