Ask me about playing online poker and traveling Asia

[Paul B]

I thought this might be interesting.

I graduated from university in 2006. Since then I've been playing online poker for a living and I've done well enough to fund my traveling in Asia (since 2008).

I'm currently based in the Philippines but I've been in China, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. This year I plan to visit Indonesia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Feel free to ask me anything.

 

[King Mook Mook]

Wow, dude that's pretty cool!
First question: Are you any good at poker or are you just there to have fun?
Second question: Do you get sucked in to online poker because a relative of mine got sucked in once and let's just sat he got addicted and he wasn't that good (a bad combo)?
Third question: When you play is it any different to actual poker? As in, you can't read people's faces etc. So does that make it harder?
Fourth question: What website do you play on, and is it with real people or is it against the casino itself?
Fifth and final (sorry for so many questions I'm just curious): Have you ever played in a really high stakes game? I know this sounds silly, I was just wondering

Thanks!
King Mook Mook

 

[agkm800]

What did you study in college?

When did you start playing poker?

Were you a good poker player from day 1?

What was your biggest win?

 

[Paul B]

Wow, dude that's pretty cool!
First question: Are you any good at poker or are you just there to have fun?
Second question: Do you get sucked in to online poker because a relative of mine got sucked in once and let's just sat he got addicted and he wasn't that good (a bad combo)?
Third question: When you play is it any different to actual poker? As in, you can't read people's faces etc. So does that make it harder?
Fourth question: What website do you play on, and is it with real people or is it against the casino itself?
Fifth and final (sorry for so many questions I'm just curious): Have you ever played in a really high stakes game? I know this sounds silly, I was just wondering

Thanks!
King Mook Mook

1) I'm good enough . I left the states primarily because of money reasons. By living abroad I can take advantage of a foreign earned income exclusion, saving me up to $35k a year in taxes, and the standard of living is much higher here. Other factors include weather, culture and girls.

2) Poker was like any other fun game for me. I'm very competitive so I started studying the theory behind it like I've done in the past with chess, and improved things like patience and self-control. Most people don't bother to and I don't blame them as it takes a lot of time and effort.

3) Playing online is not very different from live. In poker you have to figure out your opponents' strategy/tendencies and you can do that either online or live.

4) I play mostly on PokerStars, against real people.

5) I'm fairly risk averse so I don't play very high stakes. The most I've ever bought into a game was $5,000.

 

[Paul B]

What did you study in college?

When did you start playing poker?

Were you a good poker player from day 1?

What was your biggest win?

1) I studied economics.

2) I started in 2002 when I was a freshman in college.

3) No, I lost about $2,000 (a lot of money to me at the time) before I started winning consistently.

4) I think my biggest winning day is around +$8k. I've had several -$10k days though.

 

[kellen]

How much do you make per year?

What is your average hour work week (know it probably varies due to tournaments)?

Do you use any programs to help you play online? Some people have posted here that they use multiple odds programs that help them calculate best hands and percentages.

I remember the first time I tried it online. Sort of lame if you don't play with real money, everyone calls to the end because no one cares about the money.
I did put 50 bucks in to try out. First hand, royal flush.

 

[Paul B]

How much do you make per year?

What is your average hour work week (know it probably varies due to tournaments)?

Do you use any programs to help you play online? Some people have posted here that they use multiple odds programs that help them calculate best hands and percentages.

I remember the first time I tried it online. Sort of lame if you don't play with real money, everyone calls to the end because no one cares about the money.
I did put 50 bucks in to try out. First hand, royal flush.

1) I don't have a fixed salary.

2) Yes, I use tracking software to keep track of my stats + earnings, and a HUD while playing to keep track of my opponents' stats. I don't use any programs that calculate percentages -- I think they're useless.

No questions about my experiences in Asia? I guess that isn't as interesting as I thought it would be.

 

[agkm800]

No questions about my experiences in Asia? I guess that isn't as interesting as I thought it would be.

Tell me about girls you've met abroad.

What's your favorite international food?

Any language problems?

 

[Paul B]

1) I've spent most of my time in the Philippines and I love Filipinas. The culture here is pretty conservative but there is definitely a good number of "liberated" girls. I'd like to keep this thread rated G so I'll leave it at that.

2) Galbi (Korean marinated shortribs).

3) Yep. I've had a bunch of embarassing moments when trying to learn languages.

My latest one: I was eating dinner with one of my Filipino friends and we had this conversation:

Him: Tikman mo. *points at his dish* (mo = you)
Me: What's the meaning of tikman?
Him: It means "try."

So the same night I'm getting a massage ($5 for an hour FTW) and I'm talking with my masseuse:

Me: Who in your company gives a strong massage?
Her: Try Miss Jen. Subukan mo siya. (mo = you, siya = her)
Me: What's the meaning of subukan?
Her: It means "try."
Me: ahh, sige... TIKMAN ko siya! ("ahh okay... I'll try her!")

She busts out laughing and eventually explains that the meaning of tikman is more like "taste" and what I said made sense, but was very naughty.

 

[Surely]

Feel free to ask me anything.

What is the melting point of titanium?

 

[Paul B]

What is the melting point of titanium?

3135°F (1725°C)

 

[TheOnlyJon]

When you studied economics, did you take any game theory classes or psychology classes to help you with poker strategy?

How much did you LOVE the movie 21? (even though it's a different gambling game...)

 

[Paul B]

When you studied economics, did you take any game theory classes or psychology classes to help you with poker strategy?

How much did you LOVE the movie 21? (even though it's a different gambling game...)

1) I took a game theory class but it didn't help at all.

2) I haven't watched it yet.

 

[Don't panic]

other than the philippines, did you stay in all the other countries for extended time? in other words, did you live there or just visited? I always thought that if I could (job and family make it not a viable option) i would like to go on a around the world tour where i would stay exactly 3 months in every country visited.

 

[Paul B]

The most I stayed in a country outside of the Philippines was China for 1 month (originally planned on staying 3 but had some issues with my school). It's more practical for me to have a long-term apartment where I have a good working environment set up: 30" monitor, Aeron chair, and a reliable internet connection. As much as I'd like to move around every few months, it would be too much of a hassle hauling my stuff around and struggling to find decent internet.

To be honest though, there aren't that many cities in Asia that I would consider living for a long(er) period of time. I'm from the states and too used to Western culture like English speaking people, fine dining, good healthcare, etc. In the less developed cities there isn't even hot running water or constant electricity. I'm spoiled, I guess.

 

[nidgeg]

I am thinking of going on a similar trip myself and funding it through poker.

Do you have any advice for me? I’m particularly interested in the availability and cost of decent internet connections in the region.

I was thinking it would be impossible to play as I travel but reading this has given me some hope!

Thanks

n