THE INFLUENCER HAS ARRIVED!

 

OK. I wouldn't consider myself an influencer - not with the 239 followers I have on my @xcijjpoker Instagram. Not even with the 2,011 followers I have on my personal IG: @jjduqueart. However, I took a stab at the promotions that Gods Of Poker was offering to take part in a team event of influencers in their Titan Assembly series at Taipei.

The result:

So with short notice, I booked the flight, found Happiness (IYKYK) again and here we are now in the hotel room after a red-eye flight, arriving in Taipei at the crack of dawn and waiting half a day for an afternoon check-in, and now - trying to mentally prepare myself by writing a bit. 

To be honest, I am excited because it's a little bit of a big deal for me to get a free seat to a tournament. I don't usually get these kind of opportunities because I'm busy as doing media work and live reporting when I'm usually at poker festivals. So, this feels different. For one, the organizers usually are the ones who set me up with everything from flight, feeding and finding a home. I just have to show up and do work.

Now, I feel like me doing everything on my own to play --- well, I can feel what it's like to be in the shoes of a nomad poker pro grinder. So there's a different hat on my head so to say. 

Secondly, I get to sit beside the people I usually write about. I've done it before in Manila and with some success, but then this is on a stage away from home with some pretty familiar names whom I haven't had the chance to sit with yet.

I've sat with Dave Erquiaga, literally sit on his left, during the Soul Poker Fest. But then, there are guys here like Yohwan "Boxer" Lim - NOW, that's an influencer! There are also the twins from Thailand, whom I met when I covered the Ola Poker Tour. One of those guys made final table in an event, so you know they're not jerking around. There's Christy of the CTP Club who gets home court advantage. Then, of course, there's Gemmy Poker, who just grinds so regularly. 

However, apart from competing, one of the influencers is supposed to also be my teammate. So it's not like I'm out here on my own. Who it is, I don't know yet. We draw for partners later at 5PM before the event starts at 6PM. I don't even know what we're playing for or what's at stake or what we win. I'm just here to have fun and play some poker, enjoy the experience of being in a livestream.

Yup, there will be a livestream on the Facebook page of Gods Of Poker (@godsofpokerlive). Hopefully, my game shows some flashes of brilliance and I don't look like a fish too much. If anything, I'd want to be seen making a brilliant fold. All I know is this jellyfish will be swimming with the sharks and will just pulsate in calmness and just watch the fun and chaos unfold. I'm just happy to be here.

Anyway, more on that later. Meanwhile, we rest.