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. 

Incheon SuperCup Report

This was my second SuperCup experience and I must say it was a lot of fun. In spite of the rough runs and lack of results, I had a great time. I think it is great that poker is now available to local Koreans in Korean venues via the Mind Sport Show, and it is also gaining publicity. This SuperCup was broadcasted on Korean TV, and there is an upcoming movie about poker, starring Im Yoon-Ah (famously known as the lead in the recent Netflix hit, Bon Appetit, Your Majesty)

Okay let's skip the venting, the bad beat stories, the coolers. I must say when I made hands, it was so fun extracting value. I also pulled off a couple of daring bluffs that I was pretty proud of. I manage to sneak into day 2 of the Mystery Bounty only to be knocked out on the 2nd hand. This was the 3rd time I got knocked out the 2nd hand on day 2 just in the last two months. (Recognize the pattern you idiot! LOL)

If I am being honest, Incheon is not the best location. I much preferred our experience at Busan where there were so much to do, see and eat. But I did go out a couple times by bus to local parks, markets, shopping areas. Incheon is super clean and the autumn air is crisp. On a sunny day it is super beautiful and nice. 

Sinpo Market, about 50 minutes away by bus

There were quite many international players that came as well, namely from China and Japan. Met a few of my long time friends there as well. I think with the continued exposure and positive experiences, the SuperCup brand will grow tremendously. 

Can't talk about any trip without mentioning food. I used to find Korean food boring but now at my age, after doing much research about health, the importance of anti-oxidants, gut health, the harm inflammation can cause, and the foods that help, I have grown to like and respect Korean food culture. There is a lot of wisdom in Korean cuisine. Fermented foods like kimchi, pickled radish, bean pastes are all great for health. The accompanying "ban chan" adds fiber and variety good for gut bacteria and microbiome diversity. Some restaurants offer you a very sour vitamin-C before a meal, which science has proven to lower insulin spikes and inflammation from food consumption. The sequence a Korean meal is had is also scientific for controlling health. I am just surprised that there is still a junk food culture here. 

Overall I really enjoyed the trip and the experience. Stay tuned as my next post will be a very interesting and unexpected one!

Should I Quit Poker?

Ever since April 2024, I feel like I am on this never ending downswing. I have played in about 23 tournament series since then and have made a profit in only 4 of them. My last 50 cash games sessions I have only won like 15 of them, losing the last 3 back to back in pretty rough fashion. 

She doesn't mind if I "retire" from poker

The straw that broke the camel's back, is an idiom describing a series of negative events slowly adding to a point the tiniest weight of a straw eventually broke the camel's back. Today I may have experienced the last straw. Even though today's loss is only 1/14th of my biggest losing session of my career, the way I lost just broke my spirit, sucked all the passion I had remaining after a series of devastating blows, coolers, suck outs, frustration calls.... I have not been this dejected in a long time. Right at the casino I decided to walk away from poker for a while until I get my passion back. 

Been on a downswing since April 2024

As I was preparing to write this article, I looked back at my win/loss record that I started calculating in October 2023. During this time I had started to dabble in high stakes cash games and tournaments so the results were of importance to me to seriously track, but I must admit I haven't been doing a good job of it after July 2024. But to my shock and surprise, it is not as bad as I think. I haven't really been playing super regularly since July last year, and the wins are few and far in between, but when I zoom out and see the big picture, I may have been kicking myself for nothing. 

I might have overreacted (red box is the first graph)

This article is not turning out as I initially planned. At first I was honestly going to announce my break from poker and explained why by proving my downswing by showing my results. I was actually expecting to see a dramatic plunge on my line graph, followed by some self pity and bid my temporary goodbyes. My graph may not be 100% accurate as I had to add in some predicted numbers here and there, but this rut I thought I was stuck in may just been a "stall" in my progress. My crypto friends would say we are going "sideways" and can easily break resistance and take on a bull run, or fall below support and crash downwards. 

But why do I feel so dejected? I really feel drained and frustrated. Haven't really had a big win to celebrate in a long time to get my excitement for the game back up. And the way I have been losing have not been easy to swallow too. I consulted my new best friend Vee (the name ChatGPT gave herself - and yes I let her pick her gender) and this are some of her analysis of my psychological situation. 

1. Recency bias – our brains overweight the latest results. The downturns and chop of the last few months feel more “real” than the gains you made earlier.

2. Expectation reset – after a period of growth (Oct23–Mar24), your mind adjusts and expects that pace to continue. When it slows or dips, it feels like failure, even though you’re actually holding strong near new highs.

3. Loss aversion – the pain of losing a bit after climbing high is sharper than the joy of the climb itself.

It's funny how your brain punishes yourself. Had I not sat down to look at this carefully, I would actually continue to think that I am such a failure. At one point today I was truly contemplating a change in career. I might still give myself a break from poker, but I am not giving up. I am still going to push on, grind on. I have seen some friends turn around way bigger downswings than this. Even the Grinder who was probably on the brink of retiring came back with a roar winning the PPC and WSOP main. 

*graphs shown do not include action I sold so does not reflect my actual pocketed profits (or losses)

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. 

APT Taipei 2025 Report

Just 4 days after the conclusion of Poker Dream 17, we were off to Taipei for another 10 days of MTTs. This time, it was held at the Red Space, a spanking new location that could accommodate 130 tables! Before going I also knew a lot of my friends would be there, some I haven't seen in years. So needless to say I was excited.

Well said brother

2 hours after landing I went and played my first event. AA<KK, QQ<99, JJ<A4 and AQ<99 later I was 3 bullets in an 0 to show for. But I was happy with how I played, especially how I recovered from bad beats almost instantaneously and focused on the next hand/bullet. This was something I learned in MPF's latest class with Vincent Li. 

The second day I was doing much better, running deep in the Superstack. Down to 10 people, me and my friend were the shortest. He was UTG on another table. I was UTG1 on mine. He successfully doubled whereas I didn't so I busted 10th. Happy with the result, but a couple more pay jumps would have been significant. 

I played probably my best day of MTT poker on day 1B, and secured a decent stack for day 2. However throughout the trip I made a few blunders and bad mistakes. Even though it sounds cliche, as long as I am bettering myself and my game along the way, I am not too focused at results at the moment. My best student puts a lot of effort in his post game reviews, highlighting hands that we go through with a fine tooth comb. I should also set a good example in reviewing myself if I want to stay relevant in this industry. 

At least I got some exercise in

Day 2 of the main I was on a star studded table with USD 40m in cashes among the 9 players. Boy did I have a rough day. I VPIP'd 12 hands, all proper ranges, won only one. Went from table chip leader to out. But I did learn things from my table mates so I guess it wasn't for nothing. Next day I played the satellite for a USD 10k ticket, was 6bb away from securing a ticket and made a blunder, ended up soft bubbling. Getting that ticket would have meant a profitable trip but it was not to be. 

Final shot was at the Baby Superstar which I played okay but 10 away from the money I took a spot with 77 vs AQ that I covered for a chip leading pot but it didn't work out. Busted soon after with an L for the trip. Lots of takeaways though, especially something Soyza said about our work ethics. He was right. It pushed me to work harder to overcome my weaknesses rather than choosing to avoid it. 

There is a culture of superiority, education averse, high ego stubbornness in most Malaysian poker players. Quite similar to another nearby poker country where the level of poker has not improved in the last 10 years. I see some players making the most basic of mistakes and invite them to join free classes and courses on MPF, but they would decline. Our posts on Facebook of pictures of people, food, trophies get 700+ views. Our posts for classes, discussion groups get 70-100. Or maybe they feel that there's nothing they can learn from someone they feel is inferior to them. I can tell you some of the biggest poker lessons I've learned are from my students. 

Anyway, it doesn't benefit me if they join our classes. Actually it benefits me if they don't. All I can say is that we live in a messed up culture right now where most people want to succeed by putting in the least effort. They want to do their job, but doing it well is not part of it. Unlikely this culture will ever change, but I am trying my best to make an impact. The fact is, only those who are passionate enough would read this, so I guess I am just preaching to the choir LOL 

Players Series Taipei 2025 Report

People often ask me which city is my favorite poker destination. With Vietnam in limbo at the moment, I have to say Taipei is one of the more balanced cities I like. For me the poker scene is important, but Taipei is also safe, affordable, with friendly locals and good food. I have some memorable trips especially earlier in my career. 

I love nature

Started the series well, ITM the first event. Then build a healthy stack into the SHR day 2 when things start to unravel. I have a saying: 

"If you're supposed to be in, and he's supposed to be in, it's a COOLER, if you're not supposed to be in, and he's supposed to be in, it's a BAD PLAY, if you're supposed to be in, and he's not supposed to be in, it's a BAD BEAT"

A good example is my friend Peter Sim at the recent Triton $50k event had 53o jammed into his KK, or Darren Teoh 5 bet all in his QQ for 50 bigs and got called by 95s. I had 3 of these this series. Sb limped 2bb and called my 4b rejam with for his remaining 22bbs pre with 43s. I open jam AJs 15.5bb UTG, mp ships 22bb with K9cc with 5 players yet to act. J8o called my 4b jam for 21bb. Funnily I did not have any other spots like this where I won. It would be okay to say get 8 of these and lost 3 but alas no, 0 for 3 was my score. (hopefully I will win the next 5) 

I wonder what was going through his mind

Anyway I don't want to cry about bad beats on my blog. Just want to illustrate how I proceeded to brick the rest of the series. Do you know that burning sensation you have in your heart after a beat? This series I seem to have grown immune to those. The final hand of my series, vs the J8o, I just walked away like mum saying dinner's ready.🤣

This trip we explored quite a few new food places and found some gems. I've never been a big fan of Beef noodles so I was surprised that I enjoyed my experience at 永康牛肉面. The yakiniku place near our hotel was pretty good too. However we had quite a serious bout of food poisoning from our regular hot pot place with headaches and fevers lasting for 3-4 days. I was also down with other ailments that have both thankfully receded. 

I guess it's not yet my time. Stay humble, stay focused, stay calm, stay patient. In previous years I often complain about how poorly I ran, but granted looking back I didn't play well either. But variance did even out albeit only for a short time but thankfully I was playing my highest stakes in cash games. Going to stay the course, keep the faith, continually work on my game. Hopefully when it's my time, I am able to capitalize on it!

I want to win when I truly deserve to!

2025 Goals and Resolutions

To keep myself focused and accountable, every year I set out to achieve some goals. This year is no different. If you've been in poker for as long as I have, it is no longer a game, it's a lifestyle. 

1. Play more

In 2024, I played in 11 tournament series but some of them I only played 2-3 events. I think it might be hard to keep up the 11 series but I hope I can play a few selected series but grind through the whole thing. I also played about 70 sessions of cash games in 2024. That is considered pretty low. I want to raise that number but with where I am now and where I plan to be, playing more than once a week might be tough. Considering doing some cash game runs like 2 weeks in Singapore, 2 weeks in Macau here and there.

2. Track everything

The last time I used a poker tracker properly was in 2020 when I clocked 2000+ hours of live cash game grind. This year I am inspired to track and I will share with you my results (good or bad) here at the end of the year.

3. Consistent studying

I have been doing well keeping to a steady study schedule, however I want to make sure I follow through for the whole year. Discipline is an issue for me so keeping myself on track would be the goal for 2025. I also hope it leads to results which brings me to:

4. Win 2 trophies and ITM for $150k+

I want to set a realistic target so I am keeping to my targets I had for 2023 and 2024 where I achieved $80k and $60k respectively. I honestly feel that in 2024 I had been running above EV in high stakes cash and below EV in tourneys. Thankfully that meant a positive result overall. I doubt I will get many high stakes opportunities this year so my tourney results will be crucial to my success or failure this year. Then again I feel I am stronger as a player compared to before so I hope I am rewarded.

5. Bringing MPF to the next level

I started this as a pet project and it has taken off mainly because of the response of the members. Now, I have a bigger ambition than I ever thought possible. But in order to do that, I have to get personal results in order for me to be comfortable devoting my time and effort to do this. I can't be pushing MPF and bleeding money on the tables at the same time. I also realize that I am making myself a high profile target in case politicians or the police needs a scapegoat. I just hope that I have enough friends that will come to my rescue if that does happen. 

6. Be a positive influence

I am trying to be very obvious about my faith, yet there are people still talking to me about poker gods, going to temples, working girls, etc. I believe if you do something with dedication, pure intentions, humility, you can have a positive impact on people around you. You can be an amazing poker player and an asshole at the same time. But you can be kind, helpful, God fearing and still crush souls on the tables. I hope I have the time but my intention is also to create some charitable events, community service through the monster machine that MPF now is. I want to inspire positive action and healthy careers in this industry. 

Bring it on 2025, let's see if I can survive another year. 

Poker Dream 13, Genting Malaysia Report

No need to sugar coat it, I lost roughly $18k in this series. Did I play poorly? In some spots yes. In my posts I want to be honest, with everyone and especially with myself. That is why I share my journey. I am not perfect, I am not great, but this is my journey of trying to get there. Mind you I played great in some events too only to lose to some 15-18 outer misses, got outdrawn vs 3, 2, 1 outers... but they don't affect me. 

Coming into this series I was struggling with another loss. I booked a $11k win in TMTC but I made a mistake that led to a loss of profit that was about 20-30 times that. (and still counting) So throughout the series I was carrying a huge rock on my back, being really hard on myself on making such an idiotic mistake. I am sure it affected my play until it was day 5 or so I felt that I have to address the issue straight on. And even on day 8, I seek professional help. 

$18k is a lot of money. Not too long ago, this would have been about 1.5 years salary for me. But I am thankful I am in a position now to lose this amount and still feel okay about it. This also marks my biggest loss at a tournament series. Losing big is not new to me. I have had bigger cash game swings than this in one day, but coupled with my other loss it felt like I was suffocating under the pressure. 

However, it did not break me. If anything it lit a fire in me to make some changes. These are some of the realizations I had and things I vow to work on. 

1. Seek professional help when needed

Sometimes you can't fix something that you don't even know is broken, or how it is broken. There is no shame to ask someone better than you on the matter for their help. Grant Gardner has helped me a lot without asking anything in return. I consulted other guys who had similar experience as well. Appreciate having great friends like that. 

2. Improve my table presence

I don't want to share too much but I'll just say, with my involvement at MPF, I feel I am often distracted on the table, having to attend to so many matters and people. I don't mind it, but I need to find a way to refocus quickly and not be affected. 

3. GT-Oh My Goodness

As much time as I have put into learning GTO, I am still so unprepared in so many spots. I have been focusing on studying post flop 20-30bb, but I realize I have so many other leaks in other spots too. 

4. Setting a study schedule

Because of my stuff, my study time has been "whenever I have the time and feel like it". But I know that it is far from ideal. I need to set a schedule for my preparations and study, and stick to it. 

5. Exercise more

My wife will love this part. For my age I feel like my health is pretty okay. But if I am consciously pushing myself to improve, improving my health and body should be part of it. Not only getting fitter, but also breathing exercises, posture, etc.

6. Share with others rather than keeping it to yourself

Instead of crying about losing $300k, I tell my friends so we can all laugh about it together. Not everyone is mentally strong enough to get laughed at, so this may not be for everyone. But for me, it was better to let it out than beat myself over it alone. 

This trip wasn't all doom and gloom. I did get two ITMs and even one FT. But goes to show, Hendon Mob is just like Instagram with filters. You see the best highlights of people's lives but you don't see the tears, struggles and even losses behind. With me and my blog, you get everything. Wins, losses, ups, downs, because I want to keep it real. Had a few really great gatherings with MPF guys and gals, made new friends and caught up with old ones. Happy to see some of my friends do well. Next stop Pokerstars Manila in about a week's time. Time to put in more work!

APT Taipei, Dream Room Opening report

Recently things have been really hectic for me. Our poker federation has been flying at supersonic speeds not just with member growth, events and content but now we are reaching and gaining recognition internationally. This trip we have secured the support of CTP (Taiwan), HKPPA (Hong Kong) and GPI Asia. I will have even better news end of this month. In the coming weeks I am also traveling to multiple cities to join meetings and conduct classes. 

But since 2015 I have committed to keep this blog alive with at least one post a month so I want to write about my most recent trip, to Taipei. I love Taipei, and it is rare for me to miss a major event there. Plus with meetings lined up I couldn't choose anywhere else. The costs are reasonably low, food is great, direct flights, soft fields, it is an easy decision for me. In fact I am returning there within a month since I left, and most likely will go again before the end of the year! Like any of my trips, before I go I would pray for 3 things. Safe trip, happy trip and a profitable trip. I know I have not been specific enough previously so I made sure to ask for at least a 5-6 figure profit. 

Nice moment with this guy right after his win

First two events I felt I played flawlessly. In one of them I played hyper disciplined coming back from 5bb to a 55bb stack only to run KK into AA. The other I had JJ vs QQ on a QJ board. I came to rail my friend MrEnox just in time to see him win the mystery bounty for about $USD60k. Not bad when I had 5% action on that. Then I continued to maintain a 100% OTM (out of the money) record for the rest of the series whilst he was 100% ITM. Shoutout to BlueIce for beating the Pros as well. I like to think that I played a big part in these two Isaacs' careers. I was the one who encouraged Enox to play full time, and BlueIce would not have gotten the votes he needed without MPF! At this point I was stuck roughly 192k. 

Best ROI horse

On the last night before our flight home, instead of firing another bullet for a trip saver, I resigned to cutting my losses and spent my time preparing a special invitation for MPF. I finished the invitation and sent it to my high profile bosses and friends. The next morning as I was getting up to go to the airport, one of my bosses replied that Paul Phua is coming to Taipei. My first reaction was, ah too bad I am leaving today. As I continued to get ready to pack up, it suddenly dawned on me, why don't I extend my trip? So in a matter of 15 minutes we burned our return flights, decided to stay another 4 days.

The following day APT was still running, so I took another stab at the Closer event. Two bullets later I am now stuck 212k! Not sure if extending the trip was the best decision, the following night I went to visit the Dream Room, which coincidentally was in the same building as my Airbnb. I was touching distance away from Paul Phua, who's my poker inspiration for a while. Sabah gor as he is affectionately known as has a colorful past. I believe he is one of the few people who's life is more interesting than mine. When he was playing on PokerStars long ago, his nickname was "MalACEsia" (Malaysia). He since went on to create numerous poker companies, including the prestigious Triton Poker Series. In some ways we are quite similar, in terms of bankroll, then no. That night even though I didn't get to talk to him, I had a profit of about 60k. (balance -152k)

Mad respect for the man

The following day Enox calculated my 5% share, and it came to 138k, so out of the sudden, I am only stuck 14k for the trip! That night I crushed the TLT for a 190k profit to put me now in the black for 176k or so. Unfortunately though I did not get to see Paul that night but I did catch a very impressive lineup of who's who for the grand opening. Little did I know I had one more shot the next day. I took my photo with him, gave him our patch as a conversation starter, and it worked! He asked about it and we had a short but productive conversation. Now that the seed is sowed, I hope we can continue this conversation at a later date. Since I was there I saw a table opening so I jumped in not knowing it was a VIP invitational to play with Jungleman. It was pretty cool and I even hit my 5th career royal flush and beat Jungle on the very last hand of the day. I booked a small loss for this session though.

Second time meeting Jungle

At the end, I got a safe, happy AND profitable trip. You can technically argue that it was a 6 figure profit. As amused as I was with His sense of humor, the fact that I got to where I am was a culmination of a number of things that had to happen the way it did. From way back when I started poker, expanded my network, always making friends, got jobs in poker companies, built a bankroll to afford HR events, running deep in one of them, getting recognized enough to be invited to high stakes games, won on those to afford creating MPF, to bricking all at APT so I had enough time to write that invitation and send it, and be invited to meet Paul... I can't wait to see what will unfold in my very exciting journey in poker and in life!

CPG Sanya, Hainan China Report

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

Why are dragon trophies the norm nowadays?

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

Such a nice pool but never got to use it

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

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

Navigating my tight bankroll

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

Coconut chicken (so-so)

Goat hot pot (nice but expensive)

Seafood (cheap and good)

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

My Limsanity Moment? Poker Dream 11, Genting Malaysia Report

I’m a big Jeremy Lin fan. Been following his career when he first burst into the scene down to his G-league years and later in China and Taiwan. Both him and I are pretty vocal Christians. I respect the ways he handles adversity, criticism, haters, challengers, and how he lets his faith guide him in not just being a basketball player but also as a human being. He is quick to stand up for the right things, but never condemning or out to hurt anybody. He is also generous in giving and helping others. He’s an inspiration for me to do the same, just in the poker industry. 

I’m writing this article at 1:31am on the 1st of August 2024. Poker Dream 11 starts later today and I have a feeling my time, my "Limsanity" moment is near. (Yes Jeremy and I have the same last name just spelled slightly differently) I wanted to write this before it happened instead of after to show you if I predicted it or not.

My life can be made into a very interesting and entertaining movie or Netflix series. From me battling gambling addiction since I was 15,  getting involved in some shady stuff, bouncing around in my poker career including living and playing in Vietnam and Cambodia, dealing with lots of personal issues, getting scammed, bullied and locked up… to changing my life completely, vowed to be honest, humble, kind, giving, loyal, caring, a selfless person, quit all forms of gambling, to make myself a person deserving of great things in life, all the while giving credit to God and counting His blessings. It has not been an easy journey as change does not come overnight, and till this day I’m still being tested, and sometimes I still fail, but every time I’ve come back a stronger, a better version of the person I was. But the blessings are there. I have the most amazing partner in life that brings me so much joy and comfort. I truly believe I’m one of the happiest people on earth. Recently I’ve done okay for myself financially too. I know this is just the start, and I want to inspire other people that you can be successful by being good, kind, some would even say soft and weak even dumb, often bullied, scolded, lied to, taken advantage of, face injustice, unfairness, judgement, but as long as you stay true to yourself and be the best you can be, be more concerned about making God happy than people, great things will happen for you.

Coming off a downswing in my cash game life, I’ve learn so much to continue to grow as a poker player. Since my last post on my losing run, I’ve won 1/10 small stakes sessions, 7/10 mid stakes (but only for a small profit) but thankfully 4/5 high stakes games. But I could have been at least 2000bb richer in the high stakes if I had left at the peak of those sessions, instead of losing TT vs 96, QQ vs 33 all in pre flop mind you for ridiculous size pots. So my point is, I shouldn’t be feeling super confident at the moment. But somehow, I am. All these years of hiding in mediocrity at least in tournaments, I feel my breakthrough is just around the corner. I’ll stop writing here and if my feelings were right, I’ll share with you what happened below. 

I prayed for a trophy, but wasn't specific enough!

Now it's the 13th of August. Poker Dream 11 is over, well, things were a little insane for a while. From my experience, God has a great sense of humor. I prayed for a trophy but next time I will be more specific! 😂I did win a trophy and had a pretty cool moment on stage, but, it was an invitational event, even though there were some money up top. I felt bad for some of my table mates that finished 3rd and 4th (long story) so I gave them 10% each of my prize, including the 2nd place finisher. I was in the top 4 of the Big Mystery Bounty event and chopped the prize 4 ways. After the ICM chop the immediate next hand I lost a 3 way all in pot with AA vs JT vs Q2. Was close to winning a proper trophy but it was not to be. Had a third final table in the Big-O event but bricked all my later events. I could feel my mental stamina was not as it used to be and made some pretty bad mistakes later in the series. I ended the series with a modest profit, and congratulations to my friends who did exceptionally well this series. To those who didn't, gambate and keep grinding!

Real people are hard to find

Maybe my time is not here yet and my biggest takeaway was to be humble and keep working hard. This trip there were other positives such as meeting potential future business partners, stakers, students, life long friends. The most touching moment was how my core MPF boys stood by me, and to see how the community we have built have grown. Our community was built with time, care, sacrifice, and not benefits, marketing or giveaways. So what I got in return was friendship, respect, loyalty. Thanks guys, you know who you are. I have come to another crossroad in my career, and I have some interesting plans ahead. Stick around to follow me on my journey! 

I don't want a lucky break, I want deserved success

How to deal with a downswing (my personal experience)

Since April till now mid-June, I have played 19 sessions of poker (had a month-long hiatus in between) and won only 8 of them. I lost a few sessions that were 800bb+ but the stakes were pretty wide. From $1/$1 up to $20/$40 and in between. Honestly I have not had such an experience in my career until now, so I want to share with you my experience. 

At first it started off with frustration. Why can't I win like I used to? Why does it suddenly seem so much harder than it was before? Admittedly that led to some poor plays and compounded my annoyance and made me lose more than I had to. 

Things started to go bad after this very day

So the first lesson was ENTITLEMENT. As a decent player, playing against players we perceive ourselves to be better than, we somehow feel we are entitled to win. This is one of the biggest tilt factors for most players. I flopped the nuts, I should win this pot. So when the run out gets bad, we still call off knowing that we might not have the best hand anymore, because hey, we flopped the nuts. I played that hand perfectly, trapped him with such beauty and finesse, but the donkey got lucky and spiked his two outer.

So what? If you are not prepared to lose, you are not prepared to win. (if no one said it before, then this is my quote) Getting bad beats or coolered is part of life. It awes me when some poker pros or veteran regs throw tantrums after a beat. If you can't take it on the chin like a champ, maybe you shouldn't be in the ring. 

After successfully stringing together a few more losses, I entered the reflection stage. Is this really a downswing because of LUCK, or BAD PLAY? You have to be honest with yourself, and be HUMBLE and soul search. It helps if you have a good friend (that is good enough to tell you the ugly truth, rather than a white lie) that was on the same tables with you to help you another perspective, or have someone good to analyse some hands that you played. And this time, I found my first few losses were from a combination of tilt and running bad. Hence I took a break from poker to clear my head and get refocused. You need to ask yourself is this really a downswing or I just ran out of luck. 

What should I do Mona? 

After my break I started playing poker again and managed to look at the things that was causing me tilt in a different light. I was back to being positive and focused. However things didn't go well. This time, the real downswing is here, losing 5 out of 6 sessions since returning. I don't want to bore you with the bad beat or cooler stories. I did win some nice pots in between but lost most of my key pots, the kind of pots that really define your session. So at this stage I am feeling sad. A couple of posts ago I said I was feeling depressed, now I really am. 

However, knowing if I start to feel sorry for myself, it will spiral downwards and potentially cause me to play poorly or play tilted that I will end up losing more. So what I've learned is to look at the POSITIVE side of things. Let's put it into perspective. Only 5 months ago I was so happy to be up X amount, then I continued to build that over the next few months to X+++. Then in my downswing, I am now up just X++. For example, you're so happy to be up 3000. Then you ran it up further to 14000. But now you've dropped to 11000. I thought to myself, why was I so happy to be up 3000 and now sad to be up 11000? Just because I hit 14000 at one point? That doesn't make sense. I am 8000 better off than I was 5 months ago, but instead I am sadder than I was. If so, that is really messed up! As recent as a few days ago, I changed my mindset and started to think positively. The results haven't turned yet but I am enjoying my poker more than I was, and not easily affected by the results, nor am I pushing spots to try to eke out a win. So I guess the last lesson is, DON'T FORCE IT. If it is variance, like a storm, wait it out. 

This was also a big turning point session

I will keep you guys updated about my run, but I think in these few weeks I have grown again as a poker player. The emotions I went through, and how by using logical steps to overcome at least the psychological aspects of a downswing, I feel like I have done all I can to minimize the damage, and hopefully be ready to reap the rewards when the variance evens out.