I have a bunch of notes on NAPT and EPT Barcelona, but that post will be pretty extensive and I had something in need of regurgitation after last night`s FTP Espana Grand Finale bust.
A circle of skilled players of various backgrounds had begun an e-mail thread discussing the advantages/disadvantages of min-raising from sb in bvb battles. The conversation evolved quite thoroughly and would qualify as premium content for any respectable poker column. I won't go into any detail on the arguments presented, but I will leave you with a reflective response on my end:
M: "You keep your opponent in more of a controlled environment, that can make him/her easy to read. Things just get way too complicated when you add that extra dynamic of how
they will react to that min-raise. It just seems to me that people will play more predictably when you 3x it in that spot."
When I read this initially I was in the middle of the tournament owning souls and was still pretty much on Derek's side. By the end of the day half the table formed a pact to take turns retaliating by doing some ridiculous stuff. I realize this thread began as a discussion of bvb battle and I've always discounted the advantages of making easier decisions, but I have to admit there is definitely some merit to staying under the radar (which includes not raising too small to instigate). I guess I had an epiphany of sorts after my bust last night. I can win 90% of pots I play vs. awful players, but as even the most unobservant players realize this, they will either play better, be more spewy, or at least take thinner edges to counter this - this phenomenon may even multiply exponentially if you are of the opposite gender. In tournaments where you have only one bullet, no matter how great the structure is there is an advantage to having players play predictably against you, or lead them to assume you're playing predictably against them.
I realize my statement probably makes most of you guys think, "well duhhhh", and although I call it an epiphany it's really more like a deja vu after bouts of amnesia. Perhaps D, this is why K and M have way better tournament results than you and I! We`re doing the meta all wrong and it`s much better to approach your table as a wolf in sheep`s clothing unless the competition is actually tough [we prefer to play as many hands with bad players as often as possible w/o being shy about this.] I`m definitely not contributing anything original again, but I thought I'd like to share my progress with you all anyway...
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Loose Cannon!
aight so this is my Pokerstars Big Game submission. I only had to play in a bunch of freerolls to get his far, but after checking out the competition, I'm feeling pretty good about my vid, and yet anxious at the same time because it would suck if we worked this much harder than most of the rest of the pack and still didn't get picked :/
Long story short, I thought we'd only have 3 days to do this vid, so first night I met up with Louis, we discussed what I wanted and he basically told me my script was garbage lol. Next morning we began getting props and shooting, I even had to buy a peachy dress right before I got there because I don't really have girly colours in my wardrobe, but I knew it'd look nice against the wallpaper he bought. Right after we started, he totally regret agreeing to help me after he realized what a wreck I was in front of the camera lol! I was also super tired and had no idea what to expect, have always hated public speaking, and was torn between wanting to make a generally appealing cliche video and listing my credentials/talking technical babble. Anyhow, after about 10 hours of frantic improv in between technical difficulties, we called it a day. Louis called me later that night after he found the perfect song off one of the royalty-free music sites Pokerstars recommended, and after playing it for me over the phone against my voice, I began to have hope that my video would not suck. I quickly rushed to e-mail Stars pointing out that they had sent me the instructions very late, and asked for an extension, which they ok'd about half an hour later (are you paying attention, FTP support? :D)
So we were able to get together briefly another night to film and adjust a few other random scenes. There was actually a section that was totally perfectly shot from the original day that we couldn't use because there was this incessant buzzing from the equipment, which was really disappointing because it was a scene where I actually didn't feel like cringing when watching myself. After watching a rough edit of the final I became even more stoked! This guy is so awesome and I can't thank him enough for all his talent and hard work while he was in between other gigs and a day job! If it weren't for him I would've attempted to go buy (and later return) some cameras from Best Buy and shoot some monotone snore myself and goodness knows what would've happened.
So yeah, I left out a lot of "real" credential stuff I could've listed and decided not to talk about real strategy and what not, but overall I think it should fit nicely with what they're looking for. Let me know what you guys think!
Monday, September 13, 2010
So someone told me yesterday when they read my blog they face-palm. My guess is that it's pretty directionless and full of random ramblings that aren't necessary aligned with what my priorities should be. I suppose I could fill it with interesting hand analysis' and graphs, but it's so much easier for me to just divulge whatever comes to my head creatively rather than brainstorm how I could make my blog more interesting or informative. Besides, I am one to disclose as little information about my game as possible, since any knowledge your opponents may have is power. That isn't to say I take myself too seriously. Just generally unless you're an extremely trusted confidante, are recognized being similar or more skilled than me, or are nicely seeking my advice, I will not discuss hand histories with you. I realize it's kind of cut throat, but poker is a zero sum game and good players generally want the field to stay as uninformed for as long as possible before they improve. Anyhow, I will try to find a balance.
Been trading at home for the past two weeks which means no trips to the poker room since then. I have, however, been playing some random WCOOPS and mFTOPS with a couple min-cash results but nothing too notable to mention. Trading is hella stressful tbh. I really need a more solid grasp of controlling my psyche and making sure to hold winning positions amidst the volatility, as well as to spend more time on analysis.
Been trading at home for the past two weeks which means no trips to the poker room since then. I have, however, been playing some random WCOOPS and mFTOPS with a couple min-cash results but nothing too notable to mention. Trading is hella stressful tbh. I really need a more solid grasp of controlling my psyche and making sure to hold winning positions amidst the volatility, as well as to spend more time on analysis.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Happy Friday 13th!
I am keeping my word to blog more often. This morning, I woke up to an IM referring me to a thread on 2p2 about the latest female FTP red pro, Melanie Weisner. It may sound really stupid, but this girl, who I've never met, has somehow established herself as a restless symbol of my inadequacies - not necessarily because she is more successful, but rather due to her personal self-awareness. How is this, you ask? Well, I have access to some random privy info about her through an ambivalent source. So anyhow, I read her postings on the forum and literally I could not believe how in sync some of her thoughts were with my own. It's probably borderline creepy but I am pretty amused by this girl and her personality. My source and I are currently having a hefty conversation about the similarities/differences in our approaches to poker, and before brushing my teeth this morning I am already a little more conscious and a better player.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Redux
aight, so I'm now back home and have done a "visibility" makeover. I've changed my twitter and my blog url to something more easily recognizable, I'm beginning to lay a concrete plan for my progress, I want to blog more regularly, and I'm still trying to get a rakeback account under my name so I don't have to be so secretive all the time. Yes, I still value my privacy, but I think it's just good business to not be such a prude anymore.
My last stretch of the WSOP was definitely eventful, but not as profitable as I would have liked. After my last post, I was able to take down the inaugural Aria 8-game mixed event, but since there weren't that many entrants, the result isn't even going to publicized in the mags/databases. QQ? It was an Aria management decision to not reveal the poor turnouts I suppose. Though it wasn't a huge cash, it was like my second time playing mixed live so I was more than happy to beat the field. I doubled up in the first level during plo, when my top set QQ34ss held vs. a flopped nut wrap+fd on QT2fd. Got c/r potted on flop and money went in on turn with my binked flush redraw. Things were cruising more or less after that. I felt that mixed game players will generally have limit poker backgrounds and steadily gained chips through the big bet games where players generally lacked imagination. At the final table I had some decent luck in razz to knock out a few players, and heads up I declined a chop with 2:1 in chips vs. a Russian Stud Champion.
Anyhow, soon after as I was attempting to qualify for the WSOP main I got the worst food poisoning of my life. We ordered Thai and I threw up everything I had eaten for the past two days :( It was not a pretty sight, and my stomach was so weak I couldn't even handle water. So my main event dreams were shattered, but perhaps it's a good thing as it's probably best from a bankroll perspective not to compete in another $10,000 event until I'm more seasoned.
My mindset was pretty crushed after the sickness, and I extended my trip to desperately try to compensate for the lost time and opportunity. Although I didn't make money my last last week, I don't regret it at all because other good things can happen in Vegas :D
Anyhow, since I've been back I've put in 5 live sessions back at Fallsview. I really did miss this place, but never really found legit reason to go back. Now that I'm not playing online so much and have been re-inspired with live cash, I look forward to taking the degen shuttle outside my condo to work on my craft. Hourly isn't as good as RUSH during its peak, but I have yet to book a losing session since I've been back and it's always nice to play with old friends. Even though the 5/10 has 2 tables max going on at any given time, the game's never too bad and it's just a matter of deciding whether the 2/5 is more profitable.
CPT may also be in the works. My sister is going to college in a week so I won't be able to make it for the ladies event, but I have a good feeling about this. The CPT will be getting decent coverage and it seems as if it will draw a good crowd. This means great cash games for me :)
Anticipating good things comin with hard work and focus; stay tuned!
My last stretch of the WSOP was definitely eventful, but not as profitable as I would have liked. After my last post, I was able to take down the inaugural Aria 8-game mixed event, but since there weren't that many entrants, the result isn't even going to publicized in the mags/databases. QQ? It was an Aria management decision to not reveal the poor turnouts I suppose. Though it wasn't a huge cash, it was like my second time playing mixed live so I was more than happy to beat the field. I doubled up in the first level during plo, when my top set QQ34ss held vs. a flopped nut wrap+fd on QT2fd. Got c/r potted on flop and money went in on turn with my binked flush redraw. Things were cruising more or less after that. I felt that mixed game players will generally have limit poker backgrounds and steadily gained chips through the big bet games where players generally lacked imagination. At the final table I had some decent luck in razz to knock out a few players, and heads up I declined a chop with 2:1 in chips vs. a Russian Stud Champion.
Anyhow, soon after as I was attempting to qualify for the WSOP main I got the worst food poisoning of my life. We ordered Thai and I threw up everything I had eaten for the past two days :( It was not a pretty sight, and my stomach was so weak I couldn't even handle water. So my main event dreams were shattered, but perhaps it's a good thing as it's probably best from a bankroll perspective not to compete in another $10,000 event until I'm more seasoned.
My mindset was pretty crushed after the sickness, and I extended my trip to desperately try to compensate for the lost time and opportunity. Although I didn't make money my last last week, I don't regret it at all because other good things can happen in Vegas :D
Anyhow, since I've been back I've put in 5 live sessions back at Fallsview. I really did miss this place, but never really found legit reason to go back. Now that I'm not playing online so much and have been re-inspired with live cash, I look forward to taking the degen shuttle outside my condo to work on my craft. Hourly isn't as good as RUSH during its peak, but I have yet to book a losing session since I've been back and it's always nice to play with old friends. Even though the 5/10 has 2 tables max going on at any given time, the game's never too bad and it's just a matter of deciding whether the 2/5 is more profitable.
CPT may also be in the works. My sister is going to college in a week so I won't be able to make it for the ladies event, but I have a good feeling about this. The CPT will be getting decent coverage and it seems as if it will draw a good crowd. This means great cash games for me :)
Anticipating good things comin with hard work and focus; stay tuned!
Monday, June 28, 2010
White Horse
I'm in Vegas chillin in my condo taking another personal day off. Women need these, ya know. It was a tough choice since my days in Vegas are limited and the action is really great at every casino every day of the week, but I figured I've been through a lot these past few days and I can spend another day grinding online.
My accounts got hacked by someone who was once relatively close to me, and though I won't go into details, it made me really bitter and closed me off even more to the world. I eventually got the money back, but I still just really don't understand how people can be so vindictive.
My RUSH results since I recovered my FTP account has stagnated. This has been due to a mixture of forcing results, subconscious tilt, and some pretty sick coolers with deeeeep stacks. Well, the field may be slightly tougher these days as well, but tbh I'm not too worried about that part.
Anyhow I cashed in the WSOP ladies' event for 69th, which was a disappointing finish considering I was really hoping to take it down in the relatively soft field. Even then, I had a lot of fun and I was impressed by a few very skilled female players.
A few days later I played in the 6max event under the advice of a skilled friend, but busto'd soon after dinner break after being table chip leader and doubling 2 shorties up and coming late from dinner break, which was definitely all my fault. In a short-handed game 10 minutes can really kill with blinds and antes when you're not there, and I should have definitely been more diligent for this $2500 event. A few days later I played a Venetian Deepstack and min-cashed after 12 hours. Tourneys are so rough! Some believe that cash is much more stressful, which is true when you're immersed in the game, but tourneys require so much more stamina and luckboxness!
Anyhow, so I'm 4/5 with 1 final table this year. Well, 4/6 if you include the mega-satty I played a few days ago. Not bad, but I want to WIN something desperately. Other than last session, cash has been pretty amazing. There's been good games at pretty much every casino I've gone to, and it's been a steady climb.
It was my birthday a few days ago, and though I can`t say it wasn`t eventful, it was a pretty depressing day for interpersonal reasons. I won`t go into too much details, but it had to do with my current priorities being in conflict with what others are expecting of me. Thus, the personal days off, since I realized my last session was way too premature as I was playing in a pretty emotionally unstable state. Yes, I only have about a week and a half left on schedule here, but ultimately it`s probably a better idea if I take some quality time off for myself before I push even harder for the last stretch.
I also still don`t have a main event seat yet, and as of yet, I think even if I do win one I may not play.
All the best from Vegas :)
My accounts got hacked by someone who was once relatively close to me, and though I won't go into details, it made me really bitter and closed me off even more to the world. I eventually got the money back, but I still just really don't understand how people can be so vindictive.
My RUSH results since I recovered my FTP account has stagnated. This has been due to a mixture of forcing results, subconscious tilt, and some pretty sick coolers with deeeeep stacks. Well, the field may be slightly tougher these days as well, but tbh I'm not too worried about that part.
Anyhow I cashed in the WSOP ladies' event for 69th, which was a disappointing finish considering I was really hoping to take it down in the relatively soft field. Even then, I had a lot of fun and I was impressed by a few very skilled female players.
A few days later I played in the 6max event under the advice of a skilled friend, but busto'd soon after dinner break after being table chip leader and doubling 2 shorties up and coming late from dinner break, which was definitely all my fault. In a short-handed game 10 minutes can really kill with blinds and antes when you're not there, and I should have definitely been more diligent for this $2500 event. A few days later I played a Venetian Deepstack and min-cashed after 12 hours. Tourneys are so rough! Some believe that cash is much more stressful, which is true when you're immersed in the game, but tourneys require so much more stamina and luckboxness!
Anyhow, so I'm 4/5 with 1 final table this year. Well, 4/6 if you include the mega-satty I played a few days ago. Not bad, but I want to WIN something desperately. Other than last session, cash has been pretty amazing. There's been good games at pretty much every casino I've gone to, and it's been a steady climb.
It was my birthday a few days ago, and though I can`t say it wasn`t eventful, it was a pretty depressing day for interpersonal reasons. I won`t go into too much details, but it had to do with my current priorities being in conflict with what others are expecting of me. Thus, the personal days off, since I realized my last session was way too premature as I was playing in a pretty emotionally unstable state. Yes, I only have about a week and a half left on schedule here, but ultimately it`s probably a better idea if I take some quality time off for myself before I push even harder for the last stretch.
I also still don`t have a main event seat yet, and as of yet, I think even if I do win one I may not play.
All the best from Vegas :)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Rambles 'n updates pre-WSOP
I've been back in North America for roughly two months now and as usual there's never a dull moment. Since then, I've readjusted to Westernized living, went on a road trip with my sis, lost some friends while reconnecting with old ones, and got all my accounts hacked, all while attempting to study for my next CFA exam in June and preparing for the world series.
China seems like a blur now, and I still miss a lot of it, but am having trouble remembering why. That's a characteristic about myself I'm not crazy about. I can connect and disconnect with people and places so easily it almost seems rather superfluous. Besides basic necessities, I feel as if I can adapt to anything and nothing really phases me anymore. This isn't to say I don't appreciate what I have or I won't miss something if I were to lose it. Some may regard this as being jaded, but I'd like to think that this is what makes me very human. After all, isn't it our skills in adaptability that makes u more advanced than all the other species?
Anyhow, so Anny and I took a road trip to Montreal so she could visit the McGill campus and make a more educated decision on what college she should attend next year. Unfortunately, I left my blackberry on the stupid bus and have been playing phone tag with them ever since. This may or may not be a good thing since I don't feel very social these days anyway. I remember when I was still in school I used to adore Montreal so much. I thought it was vibrant and eccentric, and had a lot more character than plain old Toronto. On this trip however, my sister and I agreed that the city appeared to be pretty trashy overall. Funny thing is, I don't think it's the city that changed. Anyhow, I hope Anny ends making a solid decision for her future, so I can start supporting it, whatever it may be.
China seems like a blur now, and I still miss a lot of it, but am having trouble remembering why. That's a characteristic about myself I'm not crazy about. I can connect and disconnect with people and places so easily it almost seems rather superfluous. Besides basic necessities, I feel as if I can adapt to anything and nothing really phases me anymore. This isn't to say I don't appreciate what I have or I won't miss something if I were to lose it. Some may regard this as being jaded, but I'd like to think that this is what makes me very human. After all, isn't it our skills in adaptability that makes u more advanced than all the other species?
Anyhow, so Anny and I took a road trip to Montreal so she could visit the McGill campus and make a more educated decision on what college she should attend next year. Unfortunately, I left my blackberry on the stupid bus and have been playing phone tag with them ever since. This may or may not be a good thing since I don't feel very social these days anyway. I remember when I was still in school I used to adore Montreal so much. I thought it was vibrant and eccentric, and had a lot more character than plain old Toronto. On this trip however, my sister and I agreed that the city appeared to be pretty trashy overall. Funny thing is, I don't think it's the city that changed. Anyhow, I hope Anny ends making a solid decision for her future, so I can start supporting it, whatever it may be.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Back "home"
I am now in monotonous Toronto, having just finished an average breakfast and getting ready to go work off the pounds I've gained from Tianjin's incomparable cuisine. My mother is still bickering incessantly about my upcoming exam and finding a real job, a husband, and buying my first home. In other words, there is still very little here for me, and soon enough, I can see myself living very far away, where the people are friendly, the costs are low, and the food always tastes good.
I am very stressed atm, as I feel like I have a ton of pressure on me in the next few months. I want to prepare and plan for WSOP, but I have to retake CFA in early June and will have to put hundreds of more hours into studying. I am also setting up an online business for my stepmom, hoping she will gain financial autonomy with it eventually and be able to overlook it full-time from home. Whereas when I was in China I was euphoric and felt so blessed to be where I am with myself, here I am lonely, unadjusted, and a social anomaly. I don't even know where to begin to take care of everything, and have just mindlessly been grinding in an obviously tilted state.
At least the weather is getting nicer, and the company of my sister is helping. When I was in Tianjin I saw family I hadn't seen for 17 years. Everyone was so accommodating and for the most part I felt like I was able to return the favour by being a good guest. Being there during Lunar New Years was especially crazy; for over two weeks the vibe was bustlin' and fireworks went off day and night on the streets and sidewalk. It was also totally obnoxious at times, as it really sounded like warfare and didn't allow for any sleeping in. It was great to bond with my cousins and for me to imagine what I'd be like if I never came to Canada. My eldest cousin, Rui, is a total G. She's so socially adept and she knows exactly what to say to whom, and knows the ins n outs of TJ and has guanxi (connections) in every niche. I stayed with her family and she took me around everyday for basically 3 weeks, and it was never a dull moment. Her friends are jokes to the point where when we go out to eat after clubbing or ktving, the servers would all stand around our table and eavesdrop/laugh like it was a sitcom. She's getting married in August (which she refers jokingly as doomsday), and I can't wait for the festivities then. My second cousin has been living in Yunnan (a laid-back tropical province in China) the past few years, doing her masters while running a bar on campus and another business on the side. I'm envious of Rui's extrovertedness, but I was more comfortable and bonded better with Juan (J pronounced J, not "h" hehe). She was very independent, more reserved, and witty. My last cousin who's a few months older than me - I'm the youngest btw - is already married and recently had a baby girl. His wife is very pretty, though has put on some pounds from the pregnancy, but he's still a total player. I hear stories about how him and his wife would go out in a group together and he'd send her home as he stayed out with his buddies to find "xiaojie" aka PR girls/hookers. Apparently the girls in the family, including myself, used to make fun of him a ton when we were kids since he had a different last name, and thus in Chinese culture he wasn't as important a part of the Liu family. He was spoiled nonetheless since he was the only boy in our generation and got a ton of special treatment from our grandparents. Oh, and I helped give birth to puppies! Rui's family owns 3 dogs and their Poodle was pregnant when I arrived. Soon after, I became one of the only people she'd let close to her pups <333 They were so adorable and my dad seriously considered bringing one back with us to Toronto. My stepmom isn't a fan of pets, however, and we ultimately decided against it. I think I would still prefer bigger dogs anyhow.
So yeah, that's the rundown on my cousins on my dad side. I can definitely see where I get some of my habits/characteristics from. Did I mention our entire family are big fish? In a drinking sense, heh. If anyone's ever had 白酒，a common Chinese hard liquor, you'll know it's not a walk in the park, as this shit has an alcohol volume of between 40-80+%. It's nasstttttty, and the men in the family drink glasses of this stuff with every meal. My first few days were relatively tame, as they were unsure of what to expect from me, whether I'd be reserved and stuck-up or whatever. The first time I went out drinking with my cousins they were borderline worried that I couldn't handle my liquor lol! Anywho, I was so ecstatic that they could all keep up :)
Disclaimer: Alright I must've totally sounded like an alcoholic there, so I'd like to clarify that this most certainly is not the case. It's just my social lube of choice, and I don't depend on it in any sense.
I wish I could post all the details about every night we went out, but I feel like I should just make a conscious effort from now on to blog more frequently rather than wait a month and try to regurgitate everything that's happened on another continent. So I guess I'll just fast-forward to my first Macau experience. In my weeks in TJ, my schedule was pretty much packed everyday, but I did manage to fit in almost 30 hours of RUSH grinding. I'm still kind of upset at myself for not being able to make a top-quality video before I left, but at the same time I'm also glad I didn't divulge the info to make the field tougher than it has to be. Anyhow, results in TJ were pretty sick with a $100+hourly , though I was running above EV and probably won't be able to maintain this rate as the games I've noticed have slowly begun to get more competitive. So my friend and I decided to meet up in Macau (he'd been staying in China also) in time for the Macau Cup and grind some cash. Even though we were gonna buy-in to the events anyway, we played some qualifiers on Stars and were both able to win a ME seat. The one he won was value-added and had 2 nights of Grand Lisboa thrown in, so that was a nice bonus for us. I invited Rui to come with me, as she has never been outside PRC, and it really made me happy to do this for her. I ended up playing tournaments on all 4 days rather than grinding cash as expected since I made it deep in both the 200k gtd and main event, and for the most part poker was good. I was being mindful of the tournament strategies Alex had taught me, and for the most part I think I played well and got rewarded for it. Event #3 200k gtd. was a 2-day event that drew 190 entries and was my first live event this year. It was nice to see the diverse backgrounds of the players and I felt like I fit right in as many of the players were asian but spoke English. At one point I was at the table with the PokerStars Asia pro Celina Lin, whom I have heard mixed reviews about in the skills department (she is obviously very pretty so there's no question there). She was very charming with her subtle Australian accent, and was definitely a class act as a rep of PS, but there was a point about her that I noticed (since I used to be an offender as well hehe). She was very vocal about her strategy and decision-making-process, and openly discussed her thinking with her neighbour for everyone to hear and during pots. Not even in a Negreneau-esque way, but much more blatant about her own thought-process and way less about trying to get reactions and tells. It almost appeared as if she was trying to prove that she deserved to be sponsored because she knew how to calculate pot-odds. Anyhow, I may be just totally jealous of her position which is definitely true to some extent. It's also cause I felt a little better when I observed this, one, because it felt nice to play with a semi-competent female player who also has innate concerns in proving herself like I do, and two, because I've realized that I have, indeed, improved a ton and will continue to as long as I'm constantly trying to get better. Anyhow, the fields were pretty soft and before I knew it, it was day 2 and I was at the final table with cameras and camcorders hovering over my shoulders. It wasn't a big cash by North American standards, but it felt good nonetheless to cash in my first event since I hadn't played live since Legends of Poker at the Bike last year.
Cash however, was a different story. The night after my final table and before my main event day1, I had a few hours and went to check out the 25/50HKD max. 6000 sidegames. I was initially thrilled to see there were 5 tables running, but soon after I got there I realized it was all regs and 1 mainland fish they were all gunning for, and for the most part stayed out of each other's way. I thought about getting a table change right away, but decided against it since I couldn't stay too long anyway and it's not like the regs were good. Did I mention this was my first time playing live since L.A.?! I felt sooo good to be back at a live table, but it was
so
insanely
slow
lol. After the obvious fish got stacked I opened the table up and played a lot of hands and took most of them down, until I made an awful spewy play during a squeeze to a straddle and ran into KK. I soon realized basically no one is ever bluffing and basically all play very straightforward, with lots of limping pre but calling any sort of raise. Isolating is also difficult since if 1 person calls, 5 others will, but if no one calls even hands like AQ and TT don't wanna play heads up. Anyhow, it's the asian way, and it definitely seems to be profitable when there are basically teams of 2-3 on any given table. There's no blatant collusion of course, but my reg neighbour got very friendly by the end of my session, and gave me the scoop on the various players and how there were a few of them who never played without their friend sitting beside them. I thought it was wise to get up soon after since it was getting late and although it kinda sucks to end off my first session stuck I had to get up relative early (noon haha) to tourney, and I no longer had the spunk and stamina to battle knowing I'd have to leave soon.
Day 1b of the Red Dragon Event was a fun but tedious 12 hour day. The tournament drew 321 from all over, including two teams from Japan who were often obnoxious at times, as there was this one guy who would get up and incessantly yell something along the lines of "Japanese pride" every time someone from his team won a decent pot, and get really in-your-face with his opponents. I have definitely seen better sportsmanship coming from Hellmuth. Anyways, I was also very impressed with the sheer amount of female players in the tourney. At one table I was at when there were about 5 tables left, there were 6 female players! It was definitely a treat since for the most part everyone was quite predictable. However, I still had difficulty accumulating chips as +CEV spots were really hard to come by, but managed to wake up for 10minutes of day2 and finished in 24th. It wasn't a big surprise as I was pretty short at the time, but getting deeper would have pretty much sealed my fate in Asia. Anyhow, since I hadn't had much time to spend with my cousin doing touristy stuff (I had told her I'd be mainly grinding before the trip so it wasn't a surprise), we went to a few temples after and I treated her and Alex to Zaia, a Cirque du Soleil show at the Venetian, and spent our last day in Macau and the Grand Lisboa pretty quietly as I was all tourneyed out.
My cousin and I made our way back to Beijing finally after a delayed plane through Zhuhai, invited some friends, and spent my last night in China eating Peking Duck and partying at a club where the music was familiar and the dance floor bumped! I was very sad to go indeed.
I am very stressed atm, as I feel like I have a ton of pressure on me in the next few months. I want to prepare and plan for WSOP, but I have to retake CFA in early June and will have to put hundreds of more hours into studying. I am also setting up an online business for my stepmom, hoping she will gain financial autonomy with it eventually and be able to overlook it full-time from home. Whereas when I was in China I was euphoric and felt so blessed to be where I am with myself, here I am lonely, unadjusted, and a social anomaly. I don't even know where to begin to take care of everything, and have just mindlessly been grinding in an obviously tilted state.
At least the weather is getting nicer, and the company of my sister is helping. When I was in Tianjin I saw family I hadn't seen for 17 years. Everyone was so accommodating and for the most part I felt like I was able to return the favour by being a good guest. Being there during Lunar New Years was especially crazy; for over two weeks the vibe was bustlin' and fireworks went off day and night on the streets and sidewalk. It was also totally obnoxious at times, as it really sounded like warfare and didn't allow for any sleeping in. It was great to bond with my cousins and for me to imagine what I'd be like if I never came to Canada. My eldest cousin, Rui, is a total G. She's so socially adept and she knows exactly what to say to whom, and knows the ins n outs of TJ and has guanxi (connections) in every niche. I stayed with her family and she took me around everyday for basically 3 weeks, and it was never a dull moment. Her friends are jokes to the point where when we go out to eat after clubbing or ktving, the servers would all stand around our table and eavesdrop/laugh like it was a sitcom. She's getting married in August (which she refers jokingly as doomsday), and I can't wait for the festivities then. My second cousin has been living in Yunnan (a laid-back tropical province in China) the past few years, doing her masters while running a bar on campus and another business on the side. I'm envious of Rui's extrovertedness, but I was more comfortable and bonded better with Juan (J pronounced J, not "h" hehe). She was very independent, more reserved, and witty. My last cousin who's a few months older than me - I'm the youngest btw - is already married and recently had a baby girl. His wife is very pretty, though has put on some pounds from the pregnancy, but he's still a total player. I hear stories about how him and his wife would go out in a group together and he'd send her home as he stayed out with his buddies to find "xiaojie" aka PR girls/hookers. Apparently the girls in the family, including myself, used to make fun of him a ton when we were kids since he had a different last name, and thus in Chinese culture he wasn't as important a part of the Liu family. He was spoiled nonetheless since he was the only boy in our generation and got a ton of special treatment from our grandparents. Oh, and I helped give birth to puppies! Rui's family owns 3 dogs and their Poodle was pregnant when I arrived. Soon after, I became one of the only people she'd let close to her pups <333 They were so adorable and my dad seriously considered bringing one back with us to Toronto. My stepmom isn't a fan of pets, however, and we ultimately decided against it. I think I would still prefer bigger dogs anyhow.
So yeah, that's the rundown on my cousins on my dad side. I can definitely see where I get some of my habits/characteristics from. Did I mention our entire family are big fish? In a drinking sense, heh. If anyone's ever had 白酒，a common Chinese hard liquor, you'll know it's not a walk in the park, as this shit has an alcohol volume of between 40-80+%. It's nasstttttty, and the men in the family drink glasses of this stuff with every meal. My first few days were relatively tame, as they were unsure of what to expect from me, whether I'd be reserved and stuck-up or whatever. The first time I went out drinking with my cousins they were borderline worried that I couldn't handle my liquor lol! Anywho, I was so ecstatic that they could all keep up :)
Disclaimer: Alright I must've totally sounded like an alcoholic there, so I'd like to clarify that this most certainly is not the case. It's just my social lube of choice, and I don't depend on it in any sense.
I wish I could post all the details about every night we went out, but I feel like I should just make a conscious effort from now on to blog more frequently rather than wait a month and try to regurgitate everything that's happened on another continent. So I guess I'll just fast-forward to my first Macau experience. In my weeks in TJ, my schedule was pretty much packed everyday, but I did manage to fit in almost 30 hours of RUSH grinding. I'm still kind of upset at myself for not being able to make a top-quality video before I left, but at the same time I'm also glad I didn't divulge the info to make the field tougher than it has to be. Anyhow, results in TJ were pretty sick with a $100+hourly , though I was running above EV and probably won't be able to maintain this rate as the games I've noticed have slowly begun to get more competitive. So my friend and I decided to meet up in Macau (he'd been staying in China also) in time for the Macau Cup and grind some cash. Even though we were gonna buy-in to the events anyway, we played some qualifiers on Stars and were both able to win a ME seat. The one he won was value-added and had 2 nights of Grand Lisboa thrown in, so that was a nice bonus for us. I invited Rui to come with me, as she has never been outside PRC, and it really made me happy to do this for her. I ended up playing tournaments on all 4 days rather than grinding cash as expected since I made it deep in both the 200k gtd and main event, and for the most part poker was good. I was being mindful of the tournament strategies Alex had taught me, and for the most part I think I played well and got rewarded for it. Event #3 200k gtd. was a 2-day event that drew 190 entries and was my first live event this year. It was nice to see the diverse backgrounds of the players and I felt like I fit right in as many of the players were asian but spoke English. At one point I was at the table with the PokerStars Asia pro Celina Lin, whom I have heard mixed reviews about in the skills department (she is obviously very pretty so there's no question there). She was very charming with her subtle Australian accent, and was definitely a class act as a rep of PS, but there was a point about her that I noticed (since I used to be an offender as well hehe). She was very vocal about her strategy and decision-making-process, and openly discussed her thinking with her neighbour for everyone to hear and during pots. Not even in a Negreneau-esque way, but much more blatant about her own thought-process and way less about trying to get reactions and tells. It almost appeared as if she was trying to prove that she deserved to be sponsored because she knew how to calculate pot-odds. Anyhow, I may be just totally jealous of her position which is definitely true to some extent. It's also cause I felt a little better when I observed this, one, because it felt nice to play with a semi-competent female player who also has innate concerns in proving herself like I do, and two, because I've realized that I have, indeed, improved a ton and will continue to as long as I'm constantly trying to get better. Anyhow, the fields were pretty soft and before I knew it, it was day 2 and I was at the final table with cameras and camcorders hovering over my shoulders. It wasn't a big cash by North American standards, but it felt good nonetheless to cash in my first event since I hadn't played live since Legends of Poker at the Bike last year.
Cash however, was a different story. The night after my final table and before my main event day1, I had a few hours and went to check out the 25/50HKD max. 6000 sidegames. I was initially thrilled to see there were 5 tables running, but soon after I got there I realized it was all regs and 1 mainland fish they were all gunning for, and for the most part stayed out of each other's way. I thought about getting a table change right away, but decided against it since I couldn't stay too long anyway and it's not like the regs were good. Did I mention this was my first time playing live since L.A.?! I felt sooo good to be back at a live table, but it was
so
insanely
slow
lol. After the obvious fish got stacked I opened the table up and played a lot of hands and took most of them down, until I made an awful spewy play during a squeeze to a straddle and ran into KK. I soon realized basically no one is ever bluffing and basically all play very straightforward, with lots of limping pre but calling any sort of raise. Isolating is also difficult since if 1 person calls, 5 others will, but if no one calls even hands like AQ and TT don't wanna play heads up. Anyhow, it's the asian way, and it definitely seems to be profitable when there are basically teams of 2-3 on any given table. There's no blatant collusion of course, but my reg neighbour got very friendly by the end of my session, and gave me the scoop on the various players and how there were a few of them who never played without their friend sitting beside them. I thought it was wise to get up soon after since it was getting late and although it kinda sucks to end off my first session stuck I had to get up relative early (noon haha) to tourney, and I no longer had the spunk and stamina to battle knowing I'd have to leave soon.
Day 1b of the Red Dragon Event was a fun but tedious 12 hour day. The tournament drew 321 from all over, including two teams from Japan who were often obnoxious at times, as there was this one guy who would get up and incessantly yell something along the lines of "Japanese pride" every time someone from his team won a decent pot, and get really in-your-face with his opponents. I have definitely seen better sportsmanship coming from Hellmuth. Anyways, I was also very impressed with the sheer amount of female players in the tourney. At one table I was at when there were about 5 tables left, there were 6 female players! It was definitely a treat since for the most part everyone was quite predictable. However, I still had difficulty accumulating chips as +CEV spots were really hard to come by, but managed to wake up for 10minutes of day2 and finished in 24th. It wasn't a big surprise as I was pretty short at the time, but getting deeper would have pretty much sealed my fate in Asia. Anyhow, since I hadn't had much time to spend with my cousin doing touristy stuff (I had told her I'd be mainly grinding before the trip so it wasn't a surprise), we went to a few temples after and I treated her and Alex to Zaia, a Cirque du Soleil show at the Venetian, and spent our last day in Macau and the Grand Lisboa pretty quietly as I was all tourneyed out.
My cousin and I made our way back to Beijing finally after a delayed plane through Zhuhai, invited some friends, and spent my last night in China eating Peking Duck and partying at a club where the music was familiar and the dance floor bumped! I was very sad to go indeed.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Beijing huan ying ni (Welcome to Beijing)
So I've been in China for about 4 days now and I must say I'm loving every minute. Unforunately I can't upload any pics from my BB, but my dad and stepmom have arrived with a new camera so I'm sure there'll be new ones coming soon.
The tl;dr version is basically having great food, buying awesome affordable gear, and indulging in a really happening vibe in Beijing. A friend from school was kind enough to take me out to the party scene and I have to admit I am seriously considering moving out here. Really, to make US$ while having minimal expenses along with world-class food and entertainment options really can't be beat.
The flight was a drag with United, and taking the airport express to save 75Y (~$17) might not have been the best option for my first time alone in the city (I'm working really hard to beoome a life nit), but I got there with everything intact and immediately fell in love with my boutique hotel, esp. since they upgraded me to a suite for my first night. I had a sick view since the hotel was mere metres from the east gate of the Forbidden City, and had all the luxuries I could wish for, especially since I had started coming down with a cold. I spent some time figuring out how to get my phone to work with a Chinese SIM (I kept getting weird cryptic messages since my BB doesn't support mandarin), and eventually gave up trying to contact my friend and went downstairs to eat instead. My dinner was amazing and comforted my cold symptoms, and the only complaint I have was them bringing me a serving of a specialty green tea (though it was delicious), when I had confirmed my request for basic complimentary tea. I mean, I suppose I could give them the benefit of the doubt for not hearing me properly, but chances are good that they are aware I won't be able to say no after the meal and 25Y isn't much for a foreigner anyway (yes, even though I look Chinese, speak Chinese, and act it for the most part, they say it's obvious - something about my "demeanor"). So on my first night I had tomato and egg noodles (homely fave), hot and sour soup, some marinated jellyfish and cucumber, and 2 servings of tea that was worth more than half the meal itself. The dining room had a pleasant atmosphere and the service for the most part was very inviting. In addition, I was very satisfied to go up to my room and draw a long bath while watching Forrest Gump on HBO and sleeping at a sane hour I could never allow myself back home.
The second day was just as awesome in a totally different sense. I shopped and haggled til I dropped, bought a plethora of goodies for amazing prices (even though I still got ripped off a lot compared to if I were local), and had 2 pleasant meals outside. The two malls I went to were pretty touristy, but I didn't care as there was a huge selection and the items were all much better quality than you'd expect. You really don't realize how many foreigners are in the city til you come to one of these, and the young shop girls able to bargain in 3-4 languages will let you know. The first meal was after the shopping, which is highly unusal because I am usually very cranky and unfunctional when I don't have food when I wake up, but I was simply too eager to shop and felt like I didn't have time to lol. I found a small bunch of street vendors in an alleyway off the road. There were exotic skewers, buns and dumplings of all kinds, and all the customers were local, so it had to be good. I ended up ordering a plate of goodies at 1Y (~0.15) per item, costing me a grand total of 5Y for an a la carte meal cooked in front of you. After going back to the hotel to relax for a bit and go through my purchases with glee, I made plans and took a quick nap before I went across the street to the famous Beijing night food market and had a bowl of specialty soup (I was nursing my cold and the cold) that lists for 30Y, that I paid 20Y for, but probably could be sold for 5Y to a local. It was divine, and he ingredients really were authentically nourishing - pig skin, shark fin, chicken, fancy herbs and mushrooms, quail eggs...; along with a local favourite, lamb skewers, it was another divine meal.
So my friend met up with me pretty late as he had a business meeting in my Tianjin, but nonetheless he was a great sport and took me out exhaustedly two nights in a row. My first Beijing nightlife experience was at Xiu at the Park Hyatt, a trendy upscale lounge/bar catering mostly towards foreigners and hot locals. I hadn't waited in line for a club for a long time, but this one was definitely worth it. There was an extensive live band that played very current club jams, and the vibe in general was very energetic and enticing. The drink prices were standard for Western bars, but when you see a round costing 350Y when you just bought a year's worth of accessories for less, it's kind of a reality check of sorts. But hey, let the foreigners have their status with their drinks costing a month's avg salary - the city's not complaining. I especially felt classy when my friend ordered a round of shots and having forgotten that I was sick and couldn't breath properly, I basically choked/poured the shot onto my face -.- Anyhow, I decided to stick wtih wine for the rest of the night.
The next day was sort of a write-off as you might expect. I attempted to play poker but realized the mere sight of the pixels on my screen sent my head swirling, so I nursed my hangover until I was ready to do it all over again lol. I had also run out of RMB (I thought I was responsible enough to make what I had last 3 days >.<), and by the time I was ready to step outside the bank was already closed. Anyhow my friend took me to yummilicious Yunnan hotpot with very delcious broth. It was a pleasant surprise that I had already started feeling much better, I guess between the soups and the alcohol killing the cold germs in my system. Then we stopped by Mesh lounge (I think that's the name) in another trendy boutique hotel called the Opposite House, a place I considered staying in before I remembered I'm supposed to be a nit grinder for awhile. Oh, did I mention there is NO LAST CALL? win. or lose. I'm not sure yet. Well then around 2 we went to a pretty local club called Coco Banana and had decent bottle service there with some of his friends who were all foreigners (and very nice people) as well. It was a very different scene from Xiu (this place still had squatting toilets ><), but the vibe was pretty good as well, and still way better than anything in T.o. imo.
I am writing this at the end of my 4th day, where I am now in Tianjin, reunited with my dad's side of the family. When I woke up pretty early this morning,(I can't really have a good night's rest when I drink) I was hastily approached by a poker friend online who apparently needed my help. He's a tournament player trying to SS Rush, and I was glad to be useful and sent him my almost-finished basic strat video (actually it's done I just have to blur out my SN in every frame and edit some parts I still hate, though I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with it unless I start from scratch. The stupid part is it's been at this stage for over a week, and I really should produce it soon). Well as you can see there's not gonna be much poker strategy on this blog, mainly trip reports and rantings related to poker, but I highly recommend any decent player to pick up the very profitable Rush on FTP (and play with a full-stack for so many reasons). I may post the vid here on this blog soonish, or try to work something out with Cardrunners, (though I don't think my first vid is good enough and I hate my voice.)
I then went back to the clubbing district (Sanlitun), had a brunchy meal at a fusion Chinese restaurant and roamed around in The Village til it was time for another city. Anways I then went back to my hotel, picked up my luggage, and decided to take a cab to the airport to pick up my parents (rather than exhaustedly try to maneuver my way through the Beijing subway system.) Oh, and I am so incredibly blessed and yet a complete disaster at the same time. At the airport, I clumsily left my LV bag with EVERYTHING - passport, RMB, CDN, US, credit cards, etc. etc. in the washroom stall. LUCKILY, I remembered within 5 minutes, ran back to the restroom, and was the washroom attendants were totally honest and valued being recognized with merit in their jobs rather than years worth of salary. They asked me to fill out a claim/commentary form, where they tell me it will bring them honour at their next meeting with their supervisors since nothing was missing from my bag when they could've quite easily have taken a whole other approach. whew.
Anyhow my 3 cousins who I haven't seen for 17+ years then approached me asking me if I was who they thought I was, and that was a fine reunion that made me really fuzzy inside. We then waited for awhile for my dad to arrive, and started heading back to Tianjin, where I was born. Did I mention how incredibly crazy drivers here were? No one checks their blindspots, it's all a push/shove riot to them, and my cousin probably stopped about a half dozen times on the side of the highway as cars were zooming inches from him to wipe the windshield since it had started snowing during the 2 hour drive. So I'm here on my cousin's desktop since her internet isn't set up on my laptop, but soon I will have wireless here and I can play some pokerz to not feel like a completely unproductive loafter, albeist one that is having an amazing time on this mini-vacation. I am staying at my eldest uncle's house, who has 3 lovable dogs who will make my stay even more enjoyable, and I realized I have a lot more in common with my cousins than I expected. Very exhausted atm, I prob should've did something even closer to a tl;dr version than this, but I'm glad I expended the energy.
The tl;dr version is basically having great food, buying awesome affordable gear, and indulging in a really happening vibe in Beijing. A friend from school was kind enough to take me out to the party scene and I have to admit I am seriously considering moving out here. Really, to make US$ while having minimal expenses along with world-class food and entertainment options really can't be beat.
The flight was a drag with United, and taking the airport express to save 75Y (~$17) might not have been the best option for my first time alone in the city (I'm working really hard to beoome a life nit), but I got there with everything intact and immediately fell in love with my boutique hotel, esp. since they upgraded me to a suite for my first night. I had a sick view since the hotel was mere metres from the east gate of the Forbidden City, and had all the luxuries I could wish for, especially since I had started coming down with a cold. I spent some time figuring out how to get my phone to work with a Chinese SIM (I kept getting weird cryptic messages since my BB doesn't support mandarin), and eventually gave up trying to contact my friend and went downstairs to eat instead. My dinner was amazing and comforted my cold symptoms, and the only complaint I have was them bringing me a serving of a specialty green tea (though it was delicious), when I had confirmed my request for basic complimentary tea. I mean, I suppose I could give them the benefit of the doubt for not hearing me properly, but chances are good that they are aware I won't be able to say no after the meal and 25Y isn't much for a foreigner anyway (yes, even though I look Chinese, speak Chinese, and act it for the most part, they say it's obvious - something about my "demeanor"). So on my first night I had tomato and egg noodles (homely fave), hot and sour soup, some marinated jellyfish and cucumber, and 2 servings of tea that was worth more than half the meal itself. The dining room had a pleasant atmosphere and the service for the most part was very inviting. In addition, I was very satisfied to go up to my room and draw a long bath while watching Forrest Gump on HBO and sleeping at a sane hour I could never allow myself back home.
The second day was just as awesome in a totally different sense. I shopped and haggled til I dropped, bought a plethora of goodies for amazing prices (even though I still got ripped off a lot compared to if I were local), and had 2 pleasant meals outside. The two malls I went to were pretty touristy, but I didn't care as there was a huge selection and the items were all much better quality than you'd expect. You really don't realize how many foreigners are in the city til you come to one of these, and the young shop girls able to bargain in 3-4 languages will let you know. The first meal was after the shopping, which is highly unusal because I am usually very cranky and unfunctional when I don't have food when I wake up, but I was simply too eager to shop and felt like I didn't have time to lol. I found a small bunch of street vendors in an alleyway off the road. There were exotic skewers, buns and dumplings of all kinds, and all the customers were local, so it had to be good. I ended up ordering a plate of goodies at 1Y (~0.15) per item, costing me a grand total of 5Y for an a la carte meal cooked in front of you. After going back to the hotel to relax for a bit and go through my purchases with glee, I made plans and took a quick nap before I went across the street to the famous Beijing night food market and had a bowl of specialty soup (I was nursing my cold and the cold) that lists for 30Y, that I paid 20Y for, but probably could be sold for 5Y to a local. It was divine, and he ingredients really were authentically nourishing - pig skin, shark fin, chicken, fancy herbs and mushrooms, quail eggs...; along with a local favourite, lamb skewers, it was another divine meal.
So my friend met up with me pretty late as he had a business meeting in my Tianjin, but nonetheless he was a great sport and took me out exhaustedly two nights in a row. My first Beijing nightlife experience was at Xiu at the Park Hyatt, a trendy upscale lounge/bar catering mostly towards foreigners and hot locals. I hadn't waited in line for a club for a long time, but this one was definitely worth it. There was an extensive live band that played very current club jams, and the vibe in general was very energetic and enticing. The drink prices were standard for Western bars, but when you see a round costing 350Y when you just bought a year's worth of accessories for less, it's kind of a reality check of sorts. But hey, let the foreigners have their status with their drinks costing a month's avg salary - the city's not complaining. I especially felt classy when my friend ordered a round of shots and having forgotten that I was sick and couldn't breath properly, I basically choked/poured the shot onto my face -.- Anyhow, I decided to stick wtih wine for the rest of the night.
The next day was sort of a write-off as you might expect. I attempted to play poker but realized the mere sight of the pixels on my screen sent my head swirling, so I nursed my hangover until I was ready to do it all over again lol. I had also run out of RMB (I thought I was responsible enough to make what I had last 3 days >.<), and by the time I was ready to step outside the bank was already closed. Anyhow my friend took me to yummilicious Yunnan hotpot with very delcious broth. It was a pleasant surprise that I had already started feeling much better, I guess between the soups and the alcohol killing the cold germs in my system. Then we stopped by Mesh lounge (I think that's the name) in another trendy boutique hotel called the Opposite House, a place I considered staying in before I remembered I'm supposed to be a nit grinder for awhile. Oh, did I mention there is NO LAST CALL? win. or lose. I'm not sure yet. Well then around 2 we went to a pretty local club called Coco Banana and had decent bottle service there with some of his friends who were all foreigners (and very nice people) as well. It was a very different scene from Xiu (this place still had squatting toilets ><), but the vibe was pretty good as well, and still way better than anything in T.o. imo.
I am writing this at the end of my 4th day, where I am now in Tianjin, reunited with my dad's side of the family. When I woke up pretty early this morning,(I can't really have a good night's rest when I drink) I was hastily approached by a poker friend online who apparently needed my help. He's a tournament player trying to SS Rush, and I was glad to be useful and sent him my almost-finished basic strat video (actually it's done I just have to blur out my SN in every frame and edit some parts I still hate, though I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with it unless I start from scratch. The stupid part is it's been at this stage for over a week, and I really should produce it soon). Well as you can see there's not gonna be much poker strategy on this blog, mainly trip reports and rantings related to poker, but I highly recommend any decent player to pick up the very profitable Rush on FTP (and play with a full-stack for so many reasons). I may post the vid here on this blog soonish, or try to work something out with Cardrunners, (though I don't think my first vid is good enough and I hate my voice.)
I then went back to the clubbing district (Sanlitun), had a brunchy meal at a fusion Chinese restaurant and roamed around in The Village til it was time for another city. Anways I then went back to my hotel, picked up my luggage, and decided to take a cab to the airport to pick up my parents (rather than exhaustedly try to maneuver my way through the Beijing subway system.) Oh, and I am so incredibly blessed and yet a complete disaster at the same time. At the airport, I clumsily left my LV bag with EVERYTHING - passport, RMB, CDN, US, credit cards, etc. etc. in the washroom stall. LUCKILY, I remembered within 5 minutes, ran back to the restroom, and was the washroom attendants were totally honest and valued being recognized with merit in their jobs rather than years worth of salary. They asked me to fill out a claim/commentary form, where they tell me it will bring them honour at their next meeting with their supervisors since nothing was missing from my bag when they could've quite easily have taken a whole other approach. whew.
Anyhow my 3 cousins who I haven't seen for 17+ years then approached me asking me if I was who they thought I was, and that was a fine reunion that made me really fuzzy inside. We then waited for awhile for my dad to arrive, and started heading back to Tianjin, where I was born. Did I mention how incredibly crazy drivers here were? No one checks their blindspots, it's all a push/shove riot to them, and my cousin probably stopped about a half dozen times on the side of the highway as cars were zooming inches from him to wipe the windshield since it had started snowing during the 2 hour drive. So I'm here on my cousin's desktop since her internet isn't set up on my laptop, but soon I will have wireless here and I can play some pokerz to not feel like a completely unproductive loafter, albeist one that is having an amazing time on this mini-vacation. I am staying at my eldest uncle's house, who has 3 lovable dogs who will make my stay even more enjoyable, and I realized I have a lot more in common with my cousins than I expected. Very exhausted atm, I prob should've did something even closer to a tl;dr version than this, but I'm glad I expended the energy.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Guess who's bizaccckkk
Are you there, blog? It's me, X.
It's been a long while since I last posted, and EVERYTHING has changed. I feel like I'm finally on track again after my huge derailment in April last year. I won't get into details, but things were intense and dramatic. Depended on people I should't have, realized some huge leaks in my game and my life, and have basically restarted from scratch.
Satelliting into the LAPC was great and I got to play with a ton of pros and aspiring players alike. Day 1 I was sitting to Eric Liu's right and with a table full of cabbage patch kids, but I think I played well and ended the day off with a decent stack. My day 2 didn't go as well, however, I had Phil Laak (not that he is a great threat) to my left and Elky at my table, who I ended up busting to in one rotation when I had AK and QQ vs his QQ and AK of which I lost both flips. I went back to T.o. for a little bit and got into swing trading with my stepdad. It was definitely a good time to be in the markets after the crash in March, and poker was put on the back shelf for awhile. I was able to completely pay off my student loans in lump sum, which was a huge load off my shoulders. Then a good friend of mine encouraged me to go to the world series, but unfortunately, my middle name is still Murphy and I got denied at the border because I didn't have a return ticket (I wasn't sure how long I'd be in Vegas/L.A. for). The border guard then had the nerve to ask me for my e-mail so he could "let me know when to come back next so I can get across"(!)
So realizing I'd be stuck in T.o. for at least awhile longer and having found a new interest in finance, I hastily enrolled in the CFA and then studied 300+ hours of material of which I had no prior background. I took my level I exam in December and am still waiting anxiously for the results *fingers x'd*
With more market money my family went on an amazing cruise with Royal Caribbean. We visited some beautiful islands, and I spent a decent amount of time playing e-poker there against fishy tourists. The rake was really ridiculous and most people bought in shortstack so results weren't anything to brag about. After that, I have my connected friend to thank, who helped me tremendously the next time I was in L.A. Unfortunately it was evident my frazzled circumstances leaked through to my game, as I was really uncertain whether to continue pursuing the poker path due to making what appeared to be ridiculously easy money trading at the time, and it was evident I was forcing things to happen rather than just playing well and letting things unravel naturally. I did, however, enjoy playing in the media event at the Bike's Legends of Poker in their new tournament room, and got to meet some celebs and nice people.
Another huge thing that happened was me meeting someone I really connected with at the tables. Ironically, it was his consistency to take my money (he always had position on me heh) that inspired a lot of our early conversation. This person helped me regain perspective on my goals and encouraged me to start playing online again and seriously study the game. My past few months of success there have him to thank.
So I've been back in T.o. since September, initially studying like 5-8 hours a day and playing for 2-3 hours. When my nose is in my books, I think to myself that getting a "real" job in finance will be rewarding and stable. Then I am reminded of the neverending 9-6 grind and I give thanks that I am able to maintain a decent winrate at poker with rakeback so I don't have to. It's not the best trait to have, but I also work immensely harder and am more thirsty for success when I am desperate. When I got back from L.A. the second time, I started going on 2+2 more, opened a new rakeback account, taught myself PT, and was able to book a couple of wins in large MTTS to immediately get myself back on my feet. I was especially proud of taking down the PS Battle of the Planets monthly triple shootout, since I had saved my entry from being on the SNG leaderboard like 2 years ago.
Initially I was nervous about how I would do in cash games online, since live players generally have infinite tells and tendencies that are highly exploitable and unavailable online. I was also aware that the online world was much more difficult for similar stakes, so I am really glad I was able to overcome that skepticism with objective results. These days I've been playing 9-12 tables of NL100, with the exception of today - they just came out with RUSH poker...it's definitely been a thrill to play. Unfortunately since I've started playing online, my desire to play live is practically nonexistent, but I'm sure once I do again, I'll feel right back in my niche. Another benefit of online play is, I never have to consider feeling like I'm being exploited because I'm a girl. Even though my FTP name is very feminine, players automatically assume I'm a guy and it doesn't give me the opportunity to level myself :)
Also started talking to a great MTT player who went to my school who I've known from awhile back and have learned some valuable lessons on pushbotting and grinding MTTS. I think it's important to diversify and have lots of tools and skills in my arsenal. He's been really helpful and is also encouraging me to continue pursuing this poker path against the possibility that when I got back to China in Feb I will like it too much and settle there with a "real" job.
So that's the summary of the rest of 2009 since my last post. I'm a lot more objective now, and I am dedicating more time and resources to meeting goals and deadlines. I've realized I can't just wade through situations hoping for the best; it's up to me alone to make shit happen. I have definitely also learned to value money more, and be more careful of whom I keep close to me.
Finally, I'd like to offer my condolences to the people of Haiti in the recent Earthquake. The private island of Labadee where our cruise stopped was beautiful, and I am very saddened by this tragedy. I am, however, very touched by the response from the international community, even the poker sites, for their efforts in contributing to the cause. I am uncertain yet as to how much I will pledge (even though tbh I'm not a huge advocate of monetary donations anymore), but since there's really no other way I could help, it'll probably be a % of my earnings for the week.
Labadee, Haiti
It's been a long while since I last posted, and EVERYTHING has changed. I feel like I'm finally on track again after my huge derailment in April last year. I won't get into details, but things were intense and dramatic. Depended on people I should't have, realized some huge leaks in my game and my life, and have basically restarted from scratch.
Satelliting into the LAPC was great and I got to play with a ton of pros and aspiring players alike. Day 1 I was sitting to Eric Liu's right and with a table full of cabbage patch kids, but I think I played well and ended the day off with a decent stack. My day 2 didn't go as well, however, I had Phil Laak (not that he is a great threat) to my left and Elky at my table, who I ended up busting to in one rotation when I had AK and QQ vs his QQ and AK of which I lost both flips. I went back to T.o. for a little bit and got into swing trading with my stepdad. It was definitely a good time to be in the markets after the crash in March, and poker was put on the back shelf for awhile. I was able to completely pay off my student loans in lump sum, which was a huge load off my shoulders. Then a good friend of mine encouraged me to go to the world series, but unfortunately, my middle name is still Murphy and I got denied at the border because I didn't have a return ticket (I wasn't sure how long I'd be in Vegas/L.A. for). The border guard then had the nerve to ask me for my e-mail so he could "let me know when to come back next so I can get across"(!)
So realizing I'd be stuck in T.o. for at least awhile longer and having found a new interest in finance, I hastily enrolled in the CFA and then studied 300+ hours of material of which I had no prior background. I took my level I exam in December and am still waiting anxiously for the results *fingers x'd*
With more market money my family went on an amazing cruise with Royal Caribbean. We visited some beautiful islands, and I spent a decent amount of time playing e-poker there against fishy tourists. The rake was really ridiculous and most people bought in shortstack so results weren't anything to brag about. After that, I have my connected friend to thank, who helped me tremendously the next time I was in L.A. Unfortunately it was evident my frazzled circumstances leaked through to my game, as I was really uncertain whether to continue pursuing the poker path due to making what appeared to be ridiculously easy money trading at the time, and it was evident I was forcing things to happen rather than just playing well and letting things unravel naturally. I did, however, enjoy playing in the media event at the Bike's Legends of Poker in their new tournament room, and got to meet some celebs and nice people.
Another huge thing that happened was me meeting someone I really connected with at the tables. Ironically, it was his consistency to take my money (he always had position on me heh) that inspired a lot of our early conversation. This person helped me regain perspective on my goals and encouraged me to start playing online again and seriously study the game. My past few months of success there have him to thank.
So I've been back in T.o. since September, initially studying like 5-8 hours a day and playing for 2-3 hours. When my nose is in my books, I think to myself that getting a "real" job in finance will be rewarding and stable. Then I am reminded of the neverending 9-6 grind and I give thanks that I am able to maintain a decent winrate at poker with rakeback so I don't have to. It's not the best trait to have, but I also work immensely harder and am more thirsty for success when I am desperate. When I got back from L.A. the second time, I started going on 2+2 more, opened a new rakeback account, taught myself PT, and was able to book a couple of wins in large MTTS to immediately get myself back on my feet. I was especially proud of taking down the PS Battle of the Planets monthly triple shootout, since I had saved my entry from being on the SNG leaderboard like 2 years ago.
Initially I was nervous about how I would do in cash games online, since live players generally have infinite tells and tendencies that are highly exploitable and unavailable online. I was also aware that the online world was much more difficult for similar stakes, so I am really glad I was able to overcome that skepticism with objective results. These days I've been playing 9-12 tables of NL100, with the exception of today - they just came out with RUSH poker...it's definitely been a thrill to play. Unfortunately since I've started playing online, my desire to play live is practically nonexistent, but I'm sure once I do again, I'll feel right back in my niche. Another benefit of online play is, I never have to consider feeling like I'm being exploited because I'm a girl. Even though my FTP name is very feminine, players automatically assume I'm a guy and it doesn't give me the opportunity to level myself :)
Also started talking to a great MTT player who went to my school who I've known from awhile back and have learned some valuable lessons on pushbotting and grinding MTTS. I think it's important to diversify and have lots of tools and skills in my arsenal. He's been really helpful and is also encouraging me to continue pursuing this poker path against the possibility that when I got back to China in Feb I will like it too much and settle there with a "real" job.
So that's the summary of the rest of 2009 since my last post. I'm a lot more objective now, and I am dedicating more time and resources to meeting goals and deadlines. I've realized I can't just wade through situations hoping for the best; it's up to me alone to make shit happen. I have definitely also learned to value money more, and be more careful of whom I keep close to me.
Finally, I'd like to offer my condolences to the people of Haiti in the recent Earthquake. The private island of Labadee where our cruise stopped was beautiful, and I am very saddened by this tragedy. I am, however, very touched by the response from the international community, even the poker sites, for their efforts in contributing to the cause. I am uncertain yet as to how much I will pledge (even though tbh I'm not a huge advocate of monetary donations anymore), but since there's really no other way I could help, it'll probably be a % of my earnings for the week.
Labadee, Haiti
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