THANK YOU, HA LONG BAY!
Two weeks at Ha Long Bay for the USOP Vietnam Ha Long Bay 2026 series doing some media work for Somuchpoker. Wow! Yes, that was a grind on the side of media, doing all the live reports with 12-hour work days, short sleeps and hangry tummies. Yes, HANGRY.
Anyway, thanks to Somuchpoker for the opportunity. Thank you to USOP for the hospitality.
My personal thanks to the friends I've had the chance to reconnect with while here and to the new ones that I've met who have entered my life in such a heartwarming way. And thanks to all that I've learned.
It's not old news that I play poker. Maybe not as regularly as the grinders and sharks I write about, but I hold my own on days I am available to play. Availability (well, and bankroll) have always held me back. I have two kids to put through college, but they'll graduate soon, so maybe I can build a better bankroll then. Availability - yeah, that's important. I can't go into a multi-day event and just lay all my eggs on one or two Day 1 flights on a Thursday. I have to free my schedule up to be available for all Day ones. Otherwise, how do I expect to make it to Day 2. Most of the pros I know don't all get there on 1A or 1B. Some need a 1C or even a 1E. And I have to be prepared for that. Soon.
Anyway - things I learned. The most important thing I learned by watching players throughout these series and taking hands - YOU DON'T NEED TO BLUFF WHEN YOU HAVE A HUGE STACK. I mean - you have a huge stack, you have nothing to worry about. You can sit and wait. The shorter stacks have to worry. There is no need for that.
I saw that in the Madness Kickoff where Haibiao Ye squandered his MONSTER stack on the final table by bluffing to someone who flopped a full house. Three-barreling to lost half his stack. What the fuck for?
Same thing happened to Neng Zhao in the Main Event final table. He could've coasted to the win and let the short stacks struggle against each other and just knock each other out, or come in to knock someone out when you have a great hand. It's ok to pressure and raise, but if you're not sitting on great cards and get three-bet back and you call with something less-than-marginal and sub-optimal, then you know you're doing your own grave.
There was this hand in the Main Event final table where Bon Yap of the Philippines lost to Neng Zhao on a nut flush versus second nut flush hand. Zhao raised with Ace-queen and Yap defended the big blind with K-3. Anyway, you can read the hand in the link. If you see the action, I don't see why you would continue on the flop or why you would defend with K-3 against someone like Zhao. I'm not the expert, but then - is it so difficult to fold K-3 off on your BB, and isn't even easier to fold it even if you hit bottom pair.? There's an Ace out there and you're not relying to hit your king because you'd lost to AK or any other K with a higher kicker. When you defend K-3 off on the BB without seeing a flop, you're generally relying on the three. Off-suit and you're not even drawing to a flush or a straight. You need four cards to make that. That's not smart right there. So, while the hand may look like a cooler nuts vs second nuts... My thing is - why was even K-3 there to begin with?
I remember seeing Haibiao Ye talking to one of the players and showing the video of the bad beat of his last hand in the Madness Kickoff final table, where his trips were outdrawn on the river. I wanted to say - "You lost your fucking stack because you bluffed half of it away before that happened. That's the sadder part."
Next lesson I learned - STOP GOING FOR LUCKY. If you already know you're beat preflop, why bother? I mean - go ahead with your GTO ranges and all, but there are times that just because you have a huge stack, doesn't mean you should expand your range loosely and hope for the fucking best. Be in a position to win. My dear friend Santi Adultrakul of Trip of Poker told me he bubbled in a satellite because he had a monster stack and started playing stupid, making his suited cards feel like kings and aces - three-betting and all that other "Look ma, I play poker" kind of stuff. Well, he knew what he did wrong and I won't rub salt into his wounds. But he's not the only one.
Junseok Oh had a monster stack entering Day 2 of the Main Event and chose to get involved in sticky spots with not-so-great hands. There was an all in, there was a caller and yet, he wanted to tangle in the threesome with eight-six diamonds for over 20% of his stack. That was just before the flop. After, he lost even more. What did he think would happen?
One of the most valuable lessons I learned - BE PATIENT. Yaxin Cen (5th) and Minh Thang Tran (2nd) were in the Main Event final table and didn't play as many hands or didn't play as actively as most. Cen had a short stack that should've been eliminated at 8th, or even before the final table, but she kept her composure and picked her spots and got all the way up to 5th quietly and under the radar. Same thing for Tran, And then he picked up chips in that one hand. Not every hand is about making moves and optimal bet bluffs and position shit. If you don't know poker, most of every hand is about folding. Most of poker is about folding. Of the 30 hands you see per hour, without seeing any premiums, you will fold at least 24 times. Or something. Of those 30, if you win two - even if it's just to scoop the blinds, you'll be on average.
I think the best take-away I had came from Guillem Segarra, who confessed, "I think I'm becoming a nit." And one of his best confessions, "I'm surprised I'm only using one bullet." The change in his mindset and his game took me by surprise. Perhaps because I started teasing him and calling him "Punter" every time I saw him. Just that little change in perspective improved his game. At least from what I saw when I first met him to how I saw him play this series. Trust me. From watching everyone play in so many series, so many times, I can tell the slight nuances. I can tell their energy is different. I can tell they're having more fun.
Anyway, thank you Ha Long Bay for the experience. Thanks to my brod and colleague, Derrick. Thanks to SMP - Kai! Big thanks to the USOP guys again - Paul Lee, Adrian, Jack, Poly, Noel, Coach Ron and everyone else. To all the floors and TDs - Jimmy, Tony, Joker, Johnny Jerry. To the kind dealers - Hannah, Cornnie, Hazel, Lily. To the players I see so often - Guillem, Santi, Andrwe Ong, Wesley Chen, Dinesh & Rosalie. Of course, Main Event champion Sarah! To the Philippine represents - John Niko Costiniano, Boss Joven, Jojo Tech, Alvir, Milbert, Jose Colado, Carlo, Jeofrrey and all the boys. And to the new friends I made - Van Quoc Vo, Neng Zhao, Serghei, Xiaotong, Yankai, Sofia, Siddharth, Dakota.
Also, special shout out... Happy Birthday to Adri from Trip of Poker. Salud!
My heartfelt gratitude. Love and Light always in all ways!
There was this hand in the Main Event final table where Bon Yap of the Philippines lost to Neng Zhao on a nut flush versus second nut flush hand. Zhao raised with Ace-queen and Yap defended the big blind with K-3. Anyway, you can read the hand in the link. If you see the action, I don't see why you would continue on the flop or why you would defend with K-3 against someone like Zhao. I'm not the expert, but then - is it so difficult to fold K-3 off on your BB, and isn't even easier to fold it even if you hit bottom pair.? There's an Ace out there and you're not relying to hit your king because you'd lost to AK or any other K with a higher kicker. When you defend K-3 off on the BB without seeing a flop, you're generally relying on the three. Off-suit and you're not even drawing to a flush or a straight. You need four cards to make that. That's not smart right there. So, while the hand may look like a cooler nuts vs second nuts... My thing is - why was even K-3 there to begin with?
I remember seeing Haibiao Ye talking to one of the players and showing the video of the bad beat of his last hand in the Madness Kickoff final table, where his trips were outdrawn on the river. I wanted to say - "You lost your fucking stack because you bluffed half of it away before that happened. That's the sadder part."
Next lesson I learned - STOP GOING FOR LUCKY. If you already know you're beat preflop, why bother? I mean - go ahead with your GTO ranges and all, but there are times that just because you have a huge stack, doesn't mean you should expand your range loosely and hope for the fucking best. Be in a position to win. My dear friend Santi Adultrakul of Trip of Poker told me he bubbled in a satellite because he had a monster stack and started playing stupid, making his suited cards feel like kings and aces - three-betting and all that other "Look ma, I play poker" kind of stuff. Well, he knew what he did wrong and I won't rub salt into his wounds. But he's not the only one.
Junseok Oh had a monster stack entering Day 2 of the Main Event and chose to get involved in sticky spots with not-so-great hands. There was an all in, there was a caller and yet, he wanted to tangle in the threesome with eight-six diamonds for over 20% of his stack. That was just before the flop. After, he lost even more. What did he think would happen?
One of the most valuable lessons I learned - BE PATIENT. Yaxin Cen (5th) and Minh Thang Tran (2nd) were in the Main Event final table and didn't play as many hands or didn't play as actively as most. Cen had a short stack that should've been eliminated at 8th, or even before the final table, but she kept her composure and picked her spots and got all the way up to 5th quietly and under the radar. Same thing for Tran, And then he picked up chips in that one hand. Not every hand is about making moves and optimal bet bluffs and position shit. If you don't know poker, most of every hand is about folding. Most of poker is about folding. Of the 30 hands you see per hour, without seeing any premiums, you will fold at least 24 times. Or something. Of those 30, if you win two - even if it's just to scoop the blinds, you'll be on average.
I think the best take-away I had came from Guillem Segarra, who confessed, "I think I'm becoming a nit." And one of his best confessions, "I'm surprised I'm only using one bullet." The change in his mindset and his game took me by surprise. Perhaps because I started teasing him and calling him "Punter" every time I saw him. Just that little change in perspective improved his game. At least from what I saw when I first met him to how I saw him play this series. Trust me. From watching everyone play in so many series, so many times, I can tell the slight nuances. I can tell their energy is different. I can tell they're having more fun.
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| Guillerm Segarra y Santi Adultrakul |
Anyway, thank you Ha Long Bay for the experience. Thanks to my brod and colleague, Derrick. Thanks to SMP - Kai! Big thanks to the USOP guys again - Paul Lee, Adrian, Jack, Poly, Noel, Coach Ron and everyone else. To all the floors and TDs - Jimmy, Tony, Joker, Johnny Jerry. To the kind dealers - Hannah, Cornnie, Hazel, Lily. To the players I see so often - Guillem, Santi, Andrwe Ong, Wesley Chen, Dinesh & Rosalie. Of course, Main Event champion Sarah! To the Philippine represents - John Niko Costiniano, Boss Joven, Jojo Tech, Alvir, Milbert, Jose Colado, Carlo, Jeofrrey and all the boys. And to the new friends I made - Van Quoc Vo, Neng Zhao, Serghei, Xiaotong, Yankai, Sofia, Siddharth, Dakota.
Also, special shout out... Happy Birthday to Adri from Trip of Poker. Salud!
My heartfelt gratitude. Love and Light always in all ways!
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