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. 

Hong Kong & Macau Report

Hong Kong and Macau played a big part in my poker career. Over the years I have dabbled in poker whilst in Hong Kong, and it was there I left my job to play full time. It was also by winning the Central Cup (organized by the HK Poker Players' Association) where I extended my tournament career that led me to where I am today. So it is always cool to be able to visit after being unable to for the last 3 years. 

Same skyline, better camera

Today Hong Kong has a different vibe than when I was living there. It is as if the life has been sucked out of it. I can see pain and sadness on my friends' faces of what Hong Kong has become, when their home doesn't feel like it anymore. Always a very social city, it is nice to gather with old friends and make new ones, over a game of poker, money Jenga, OFC or in-between. I had a lapse of discipline where I played some degen games with my friends but the laughs were priceless. And I am proud to say in my 3 days in Macau I didn't touch any table games. 

Super tight Jenga for money with multiplier!

First real session of Holdem I did terribly. I think I was being too relaxed amongst friends and admittedly I was super tired and was not playing well. A couple of lapses in judgement made me throw a couple of buy ins away. But determined to do better, the next 3 sessions I played in Macau were of better quality. If only a couple of major hands went my way, it would have been an even better result, but I did pray for a profitable trip and thank God that was what I got. 

Food this trip was ridiculously good. There is only a handful of life changing meals that I've had, but this trip I had one in Macau at A Baia Portuguese restaurant. I was also introduced to the best suckling pig I've ever had. But most meals were memorable because of the people I had them with. I am happy that some friends and I have kept in touch over the years. 

Baby squid in it's own ink yummmmm

Hotels are still super expensive in both HK and Macau, and the ones I chose were disappointing. They don't seem to understand the concept of "do not disturb" and "afternoon nap". Once they called my room to ask if I needed room cleaning, the second time I thought I was smart by unplugging the phone but they came knocking at my door. Service levels seem to have improved overall but you still get the occasional rude staff. 

So nice to walk without having to go back to the office

But overall we had a great time. Was planning to see a few more people, eat at a few more restaurants, but too many friends, too much good food, too little time. We'll be back again at some point!

USOP Taipei Report

I've missed Taipei so much. Some of my fondest poker memories have been in Taipei. One trophy, 2nd, 3rd, 4th (twice) so after being away for 3 years, I was excited to be back. This time it is for USOP, backed by the same company that owns Upoker. It's extra sweet because Upoker has a special place in my heart with all the history, and now owned and operated by my friends. 

Views from Elephant "Mountain"

Almost every event I ran up a good stack

Being it's inaugural event, no one knew the numbers to expect. But not only it surpassed expectations, it broke records for international events held in Taipei! There were also support from players all over the world, as far as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Mauritius, USA, France etc. A lot of my friends also attended and it was great to see some of them do really well, running deep and taking down trophies. 

Nice sunset

I however did not have a great series. I am personally not a fan of the "play to ITM" on day one. It becomes a marathon and quite strenuous. I admit I overplayed a few hands but the key hands I have lost have all been coolers on the wrong side. AJ vs QQ on a AJxQJ run out, 55 vs QQ on 589Qx, AA top set vs K high flush draw. But I did do well in the PLO KO event where I got as low as 5bb and came back to knock out 7 players. I could have played safe to sneak into the money but I played to win and had 45% chance to quadruple up on the bubble. Alas I didn't get there so ended the trip with no ITM record. But it was a fun series.

金峰卤肉饭 yummmm

Me being a foodie, I've always enjoyed Taipei for it's food. Unfortunately on the third day I had a very serious food poisoning incident. I even had fever and chills. But that did not stop me from having my favorite foods, and finding new favorite restaurants there. My best experience was at Sushiro, where they served reasonable priced quality sushi. We went there 3 times during the trip. Needless to say I put on weight this trip, but quickly lost it after fasting as soon as I returned home. 

I probably ate 20+ plates of Negitoro this trip

Taipei is a nice place to chill, especially when it has cool weather. I particularly enjoyed the night walks and bike rides. We also took a day to hike up Elephant Mountain for views of the city and Taipei 101. Overall it is a wholesome city to visit and I hope I can return again soon. 

Bike ride with boo

Charity Work for the Next 6 Months (HappyRiver fund)

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

Post Odette destruction

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

Imagine if this happened to your home

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

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

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

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

Morocco Poker Trip Report Part 2 (The bad)

In most of the cities I was in, I barely saw any other Asians, so I stood out like a sore thumb. Whilst sometimes that is kind of cool, and you get friendly people saying hi or trying to strike a conversation, you also attract scammers, hustlers and beggars. During this trip I voluntarily gave money and food to people I felt needed it. For example one day as I was heading out to a tournament, I saw a guy dumpster diving for scraps of food. I turned around and gave him a 20dh note. A few days later I saw a homeless person sleeping out in the cold. I bought 5 bananas for him for 5dh. So I guess the first guy got like 20 bananas worth. However there were a couple of times I wanted to help but got kind of scammed also. There was one guy in the markets of Tangier asking me for money and as I was reaching for some coins he said no, please buy me food. He took me to a stall and he bought 54dh worth of food, gave me hug and left. I was stunned but okay, at least he seemed happy about it. Another time a woman was selling tissues usually for 1dh each. I felt bad for her so I bought one. I gave her a 10dh coin but she only gave me 5dh change. Oh well, it's not that I mind the money, but I don't like to be cheated. 

While I was walking around some towns, you have to be careful where you step because some places are really full of shit. You can see piles of shit on the floor! Of course I didn't take pictures of them but you smell them as you go. There was a corner on a street of Rabat where there were piles of feces. I don't know if they were human, cat, dog or horse but it spoiled my appetite for that day. Most places are not very clean as well especially in Casablanca. 

Literally a litter of cats

Stray cats are well treated in Morocco and are healthy and well fed. Stray dogs however are sometimes bullied, kicked at, shooed away. I understand it is haram in Islamic teachings but there are also Muslim dog owners in Morocco who care about the animals too. People seem to turn a blind eye on drinking and prostitution but somehow dogs are a no-no. I saw a poor dog down to her bones and scared of people. It took her a while to have the courage to come near me. I ran to a nearby store and bought her some dog food. After that I continued on my walk. On my way back she found me. She sat up straight in front of me and gestured at me with her paw. She seemed to recognize me and wanted me to pet her. If I lived there I would have brought her home. 

Poor girl was scared to walk up to me

There were many times random strangers would give me directions when I look lost but never asked for anything. But there were a couple of times I was scammed. One guy wanted to bring me to his shop. Thankfully he wasn't pushy and I left without buying anything. But the second time two boys brought me to have soup at a stall. When I asked how much it was, they wanted me to pay 5x the normal price. Another lady customer that was with me shook her head in disgust. Even the shopkeeper looked guilty as he collected my money. I knew I was scammed but didn't want to fight it. There were some Moroccans that I have come across that I felt was out to take advantage of me, including one of the hotel hosts. Just don't be too trusting of people. Taxi drivers especially in Marrakesh would take advantage of tourists too. But I must add that I have come across honest ones too and usually I would pay them more than they asked for. Whereas the greedy ones I would just say no. I also witnessed a snatch theft not 10m away from me. I am so thankful it wasn't my phone that was snatched but also felt bad for the guy at the same time. There was also a police station just 30m away. 

Those two guys are scammers

As far as poker goes, I didn't like that they allowed smoking on cash game tables. In Tangier they allow 30bb buy ins and in Marrakesh 20bb. It made some games a shove fest. Marrakesh also felt like had an uncapped or pretty high cap rake. On the tourneys most of the tables I played on were soft. However I felt that some of them either didn't like me, or they were ganging up on Asians. But of course there were those who felt bad for me, even made friends with me and told off the local bullies. There was one lady I immediately tagged as a fish. From reading her I knew she had a flush draw, on the turn her body shook so I said she hit a pair with her flush draw and I was 100% accurate. Soon after I had KK. Utg had just opened and I flat. She 3b in position, utg called and I 4b, both called. Flop came J75cc. Utg jammed his small stack, I called, she rejammed and I snap fold my KK. Sure enough she had 77. Imo she was such a fish until later I saw her Hendon Mob had 900K+ in cashes. How can such a bad player win so much? Life is not fair hahaha. Anyway second part of my series I fired twice in the main, first bullet I jammed all in with a straight, he had trips and called. River the board paired. Second bullet I was 1 or 2 levels away from making day 2, I 3b jammed AK was called by AT, runner runner straight. Fired twice again in the deepstack, only highlight was I was on the same table as Lon McEachern. 

A more realistic local market

Many Moroccans have a short fuse. I have witnessed at least 6 altercations on the street, strangers yelling at each other, and even bloody fights twice. Taxi drivers are impatient and drive dangerously. Within a nano second of the light turning green they would start honking. A few times some people yelled at me for taking photos. I don't know what the problem was. But it reminded me of rude people from my country doing the same thing to other tourists. Sigh...

Almost all of the Tangier taxi drivers I met were nice

There were those who saw me as a tourist, an opportunity to make money from, someone to take advantage of. Come on, I read people for a living, I can see through every intention. But sometimes I just choose to ignore it. But there are those who wanted me to feel welcomed in their country. Someone who wanted to leave a good impression, wanted to be my friend. Those people make me want to give Morocco a second chance. 

Morocco Poker Trip Report Part 1 (The good)

I am going to split this into two parts, the good and the bad. I've always wanted to visit Morocco. Maybe because I am a huge fan of the Jason Bourne series and part of it was filmed in Tangier, or I've seen so many travel videos of Marrakesh especially the night market at the square, Jamaa el Fna. My food heroes Anthony Bourdain, Mark Wiens, Gordon Ramsey had eaten whole roast lambs, snails, tagines in Morocco. It is a beautiful place with deep history and now with great poker as well. 

I landed in Marrakesh after just 30 hours of travel, and the next day hopped on a train to Rabat the capital. There I met a local who sometimes host live and online poker games who showed me around. Rabat is called a green city and it really is beautiful. Majestic trees lined the streets, parks everywhere, orange trees, palm trees, it was very nice. I stayed in one of the Riads (guesthouses) inside the medina (old town) and it was a nice experience. I went to a local poker game twice but the first time I didn't get a seat but the second time I lost 400bbs lol. But I made plenty of friends. 

Rabat's old castle (Kasbah)

From Rabat I took another train to Tangier where there was a casino with a proper poker room. I managed to visit some of the places where Bourne Ultimatum filmed their scenes. 16 years later the places were still recognizable. Had a coffee where Julia Stiles sat at. It was by chance I happen to be in Hollywood 16 years ago also on a work trip and I was at the premiere where I saw Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. This was a nice follow up to that. The cash game was good, 50/100 dirham game and I believe a rake cap of 300/350. But unfortunately I only broke even in the two times I was there. 

Very typical Tangier (feels like it's stuck in the 80s)

On my way back to Marrakesh I had to make a stop at Casablanca so I spent a couple of nights there just to chill before the intense poker ahead of me. Strayed into a very old very local market, had a sardine bun for just €0.50. There are stray cats everywhere but the occasional stray dog. The people are very nice to cats and would put food and water out for them. Dogs not so much but you do see the occasional dog lover who would do something for them too. 

Did you know they use red for meat markets so the
blood doesn't stand out?

Finally I was back in Marrakesh for the WSOPC. All the cities had a different vibe. Marrakesh is very orangey and brown. Almost every building is in a different shade of brown/orange/beige. The Es Saadi casino is on the smaller side but the hotel complex was very beautiful. The turnout was very good. The opening event had 554 runners and I finish 33rd. The second event I played in there were 631 runners and I finished 12th. (painful exit as I jammed AK into AJ aipf with a decent stack) The third event I played had 207 runners and I finished 20th. (I was chip leader with 28 left and I had AK vs AQ aipf, then got 2 outered and then out) But 3 cashes in 3 tournaments I was pretty happy. I played well too. Folded QQ correctly preflop losing only 4.5bb, over jamming KK correctly getting snap called by AJ preflop for a 200bb pot.... The rest of the series I will leave for part two.

Jamaa el Fna at night

Food in Morocco is pretty good and surprisingly I didn't have any serious stomach issues the whole trip. Maybe a bit bloated after a couple of meals but that was about it. I definitely overate the first few days then I had to force myself back to my intermittent fasting routine. The Moroccans definitely have a sweet tooth and I was not used to that. But after my first cake in Rabat I was hooked! They do their desserts really well so not recommended for diabetics. I also had a lot of firsts, boiled snails (I've had baked snails before), sheep's head (eye balls, tongue and everything), lamb ribs, cow lungs, cow hearts and they were all pretty good. 

Seriously good cake

Overall Morocco is a nice place to visit. Most people I came across were nice. I obviously do not look local, so I would get people talking to me, smiling, saying Konichiwa, Ni Hao, where are you from that kind of thing and I would respond back. I find if you respond nicely they will be nice to you. Don't be like some tourists who think everyone is out to get them. Kids would come and talk to me, some would shake my hand, and especially when I was wearing the Moroccan national team jersey. Random people would smile and yell Ziyech as I walked by. It took awhile for me to realize it was the name of the guy on my jersey. I made a lot of friends at the tables too, from all over the world. Took a couple of pictures with Lon McEachern (WSOP legend) but I was surprise no one else seem to recognize him. He was very nice in person and very approachable. I also got to brush up on my Spanish and now can even speak some basic French on the tables. Oui oui. 

Casablanca

If given the opportunity I would definitely return to Morocco for poker and if you are interested in going for the next WSOPC, you can contact me and I can offer you advice that is tailored to a poker player, ie. where to stay, how to get taxi, how to change money, how not to get scammed, etc. Feel free to contact me at happyriverpoker@gmail.com if you have any questions. 

2023 goals and resolutions

Setting goals and resolutions are my way of gauging how my year went. It is also to keep myself  accountable to my pledges and commitments. But if I've learned anything last year, it was like the old Yiddish saying "Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht", man plans and God laughs. We think we control our future but the truth is we don't even know what will happen the next second. I will still set my resolutions but am welcoming all the surprises this year has in store for me with open arms. 

I told Mr. Mandela I was planning to win
 a trophy in SA.... he laughed...
.....Well, I did finish 2nd

I took a long hiatus from tournament poker partly because of COVID but also I was focusing on cash games. However the main reason was I wasn't making enough money from tournaments for it to make sense. But due to the lack of a proper poker scene here, in 2022 I had no choice but to travel for poker. Often I would pick tournament locations and dates because usually cash games are the best during those times. I dabbled in a few of them last year and felt that I had a breakthrough in my game. In the past I felt I had hit a wall, and even after studying I couldn't seem to progress. In 2022 I managed to turn a healthy profit from my tourney results and had a new arsenal of weapons I never had before. 

So the first goal of the year is to 1) play as many tournaments as possible. In two days I will be traveling to my 21st country for poker and hopefully by the end of 2023 I will have played in 25 different countries. In 2022 I managed to cash about $50k (June - Dec) and came close to winning trophies a few times. So this year my goal is to 2) hit $150k in cashes and to win at least 2 tourneys. 

I want to travel, see the world. When we leave this earth, we can only take with us the relationships and memories that we've made. Thankfully I am currently in a position to do so. So far I have made plans till April 2023 that I will be 3) traveling to a different country every month. I hope I can do that for the entire year. 

Turbulence is part of life

In the past years I have worked on my discipline and I feel I have come a long way. But I am still keeping it as another goal of mine. 4) Degen-free, disciplined year for 2023. I know I am far from being the best poker player, the richest, the most generous, the most creative, but if there is a category I have a possibility of leading, that is the happiest poker player. I have a positive outlook on life in the first place. Not putting too much emphasis on monetary wealth helps. But I have a wonderful partner in life that I never dreamed possible. I have a career that allows me to spend time with the people I love, doing the things I love, living my life to the fullest. So for 2023 I want to 5) be happy and thankful always

A bullish 2023 would help

In the past I have given 10% of my winnings to charity. But this year I want to commit to doing more than giving money. I want to care more for the people around me, be kind, be a good example, be an inspiration, be a shoulder to cry on, be a listening ear, be a mentor, give good advice, be a positive influence. I may not be able to change the world, but I can change someone's world. 6) Give my time

Me acknowledging a security guard at the tourney. Probably
no one even spoke to him the whole series.

Join me in my journey this year and see how it works out. Follow me on Instagram if you haven't yet for my journey in pictures and videos cause I know not everyone likes to read. Click HERE to read my review of 2022 if you haven't yet. Happy New Year everyone! If you would like to contact me you can email me at happyriverpoker@gmail.com