Living As A Professional Poker Player In Asia!

I left everything I knew behind to move my family to Asia for poker. I had a lot

to learn the first month about the food, the language, >> and even what I thought I knew best, the poker. I tried their poker rooms,

poker. I tried their poker rooms, tournaments versus cash game. I was

winning, reaching my goal of 200,000 Taiwanese in the very first month. But

the hardest financial skill is getting the goalpost to stop moving, playing bigger and bigger buyins, upping the stakes, and the pressure to succeed.

I might have bit off more than I could chew. [music]

chew. [music] >> Quick recap. At the end of the first month, I flew to Ju Korea. Thanks to

Coin Poker, I got free into a buyin here where I won 300,000 Taiwanese in just under a week. Now, back in Taiwan, new poker rooms kept opening up.

>> Kitty, what are we doing today?

>> I'm coming here for poker.

>> Kitty and I were playing in a new game every week around a 1,000 USD buyin. The

money was consistent. And then we found Dream Room.

[music] The biggest buyin here is 100,000 Taiwanese, three times bigger than we were playing before. Last month, I'd have to win about five to six sessions a

month to hit my income goal. Now [music]

I could hit it in one night if the session went well. Kitty and I don't like to play against each other.

Conflict of interest. So I let her take the bigger games while I grinded the $33,000 buyins. Same stakes as before.

$33,000 buyins. Same stakes as before.

Generally poker in Taiwan plays very splashy. I mean they literally have 74

splashy. I mean they literally have 74 off suit plastered on the wall as lucky hand. You'll see the race sizes are in

hand. You'll see the race sizes are in tournament chips, but this is a cash game. a lot of calls pre flop and I flop

game. a lot of calls pre flop and I flop a really big draw out of position to all the players and they like to bet like to splash around. I'm generally going to

splash around. I'm generally going to play this as a check call, try to hit our hand in the turn, but we don't.

Another diamond comes in and Kevin keeps betting. I think he's saying he has ace

betting. I think he's saying he has ace 10 or even better. So, [music] never bluffing here, just calling. And I think the hand's over when the river comes to six of diamonds. I think it's a really

good spot to bluff, risking a 100,000 chips, which is around 800 USD. And

Kevin does fold, but the second player now goes in the tank. He asks me how pro I am. I say I'm a super pro because only

I am. I say I'm a super pro because only a super pro could bluff in this type of spot. It's a reverse game where I tell

spot. It's a reverse game where I tell him the opposite of what I really want him to do. He eventually

folds and shows pocket fours. I got a set to fold and Kevin folded ace 10 trying to oneup Kitty. I was playing online tournaments while at the live table playing at the poker room and

making it to a final table. I come back home one last one >> and win first place for 100,000

Taiwanese in one game. [groaning]

>> We were in a nice routine. I was getting more used to eating duck and spitting fishbone out of my teeth. Even learning

a little bit of Chinese, although I'm still really bad.

The language is as hard as they say. The

hardest time for me, though, is with Kitty's parents. I mean, I'm a white guy

Kitty's parents. I mean, I'm a white guy who plays poker for a living and can't speak their language.

>> Yet, they're very accepting of me. I

miss home at times, but I'm mostly really excited about being here. I think

I could get really wealthy here just by playing poker. One of the nights at the

playing poker. One of the nights at the poker room, we got invited to a different game, but this one wasn't legal. An underground room that promised

legal. An underground room that promised cash outs five times bigger than the game Kitty was playing. Kitty was open to it, but I wasn't convinced. We had a rule in Vegas. Never play home games.

What amount of risk is worth it? We

don't know. As the game was approaching, I left the country. I flew to Europe to film six videos for the World Series of Poker. It was a legendary trip, one that

Poker. It was a legendary trip, one that I'll tell in the next video. From some

recent winnings, I stepped into the 100,000 Taiwanese game forkitty. All

right, I'm playing a high stakes poker game. I'm in Taiwan and there's a super

game. I'm in Taiwan and there's a super VIP from Hong Kong. Really big spot for me. I literally stopped what I was doing

me. I literally stopped what I was doing and just came play this game. It was in this bigger game that I met Sunny, who is just a super successful businessman and a self-proclaimed fish who actually

got it in very good against me. He

trapped me with aces. I had the nut flush draw and on the turn I rivered the best hand. So I got lucky against him

best hand. So I got lucky against him but this started a huge relationship with him. In Asia I feel like the rich

with him. In Asia I feel like the rich people are on a different level of rich than in America. A few other really big spots. I had eight seven of spades. It

spots. I had eight seven of spades. It

was a four bet pot. My opponent was betting and I just thought I had the best hand and I trusted my reading that a lot more recently than I ever have in the past. So I I pushed all in and she

the past. So I I pushed all in and she had a flush draw. Still anything can happen. But on the turn in on the river

happen. But on the turn in on the river we held. It was a massive score.

we held. It was a massive score.

>> Are you serious? Only one.

[laughter] >> That's a 6K USD score in one night.

>> My biggest win in a long [ __ ] time.

>> It was at this game I met someone from New York of all places who told me the next must hit poker room. This one was on board above ground but had 120,000

Taiwanese buy and up to a million Taiwanese cap. That's like 40 grand.

Taiwanese cap. That's like 40 grand.

Taiwan life is peaceful. I'm living in the second safest city in the world.

>> 3. [music]

>> It took me a couple months to get rid of that I'm out of place feeling and finally settle down into a routine. Wake

up, study an hour of Chinese, walk to the gym, eat lunch at one of the local spots. Now know some of those by name.

spots. Now know some of those by name.

work on my YouTube channel, pick up Tony from school, play with him before he sleeps, and then go play poker at night.

The only thing that changes on a day-to-day basis is the buyins at my poker games.

>> And this game is crazy because the average buyins is four to five buyins per person every single game.

>> So, this is my friend from New York. He

told me about this game and he said last week there was a total of 40 buyins, which is equivalent to 160k USD.

>> Yeah. Yeah. Uh

>> what the gets [laughter] crazy. Uh, but

it's fun. It's a lot of fun.

>> Apartment building right here and then secret entrance into a VIP poker game.

>> I mean, I really would have never thought that across the world from the United States, they have nicer poker rooms than what we are used to in Las Vegas. This room is called Six Bet. The

Vegas. This room is called Six Bet. The

owner invited me to this highstakes really difficult bounty tournament game.

And so every single round there's a two around 2k [music] USD bounty and every hand there's a bounty in it and if you win that hand you win a bounty.

>> Yeah.

>> If a player in a round wins three bounties they take the entire bounty pot.

>> Today I have to be a really quick [music] learner. Just adjust.

[music] learner. Just adjust.

>> This is a tough game because I'm here.

The tiger is coming. Coming for Frankie.

>> Someone show tiger.

>> [laughter] >> He was right. The game was extremely aggressive.

>> All right, we started at 8:00 and uh how many dimes you have for?

>> Three.

>> Good luck to my friend Frankie.

>> Everyone at this table is so out of line. Ace5 suited is a good enough

line. Ace5 suited is a good enough handed three bet and I get re-erised again from apparently a really famous VIP player. I make the call and we go to

VIP player. I make the call and we go to a flop and it's it's not very good but he bets really small and aside could be good here. Not only that, a three gives

good here. Not only that, a three gives an open-ended straight draw. So I call once and the turn is a two. So now any three gives us a straight and he continues for a small size. Now 200,000

tournament chips equates to about 800 USD. The river comes to queen of

USD. The river comes to queen of diamonds and I'm like all his bluffs got there. King, queen. I just check and

there. King, queen. I just check and expect to lose the hand. He checks it back and he shows king five. Our read

was right all along. It was spot on. I

can't believe that ace five calls right.

What? I was like on the river. I'm like,

I'm dead. I'm dead. But I held on the whole way and I was right. Huge first

two hands for me. I didn't scoop the bounty, but still we're up like $2,000 in 10 minutes.

>> [snorts] >> making a mental note of which players are playing totally out of line. Asia is

crazy. Good thing about this game is because it's so aggressive when you have a hand like ace king, you just get to go all in and usually take down the pot uncontested. There's been 35

uncontested. There's been 35 in this game. There's over $140,000 on the table. We have no hands left. Good

the table. We have no hands left. Good

luck us. On the second to last hand, I get to king 10. Put a raise and a couple people make the call and I just hit Jen.

Three of a kind on the flop. When I bet, one person sticks around with the call.

Turn comes nothing. And now I bet again.

It's about $900 USD. He makes the call and the river comes a jack.

This is when my opponent goes all in.

$3,500.

I mean, he might have jack 10, but if he does or ace 10, you just earn yourself the pot. Big win or big loss, I can't

the pot. Big win or big loss, I can't fold this hand.

I make the call and he shows 54 of clubs. This was my buy in.

>> This was my profit. Five 1 million survived. We survived the hardest game

survived. We survived the hardest game I've ever played and it was a 1.6 million [music] chip win, which is equivalent to Wow. We just won 121,000 Taiwanese and

Wow. We just won 121,000 Taiwanese and we're going to have to up our monthly goal if we can keep playing this game.

Wow. What is freaking come back? Let's

go. And that's when the underground game that Kitty decides to go to is about to start. I don't want her to go alone, so

start. I don't want her to go alone, so I come with her to make sure she's safe.

The vine is 5,000, but everyone here plays on credit. It's a trust system located in the first floor of a duplex.

Someone is there at the front to open a big metal door and close it right behind us. Immediately smell the stench of

us. Immediately smell the stench of cigarettes and see a noticeable fog that clogs this massive room. Two people man the desk. We nod at them, don't say

the desk. We nod at them, don't say anything, and walk over to the big poker table in the middle of the room. It's

all bros gangsters. There's girls

sitting on the couches next to the table. Kitty goes to sit down in the

table. Kitty goes to sit down in the game and I find a seat as far away from the other visitors as possible, but still with an eyesight of Kitty. I'm

definitely more uncomfortable right now than her. It's the longest 2 hours of my

than her. It's the longest 2 hours of my life, but Kitty finally is ready to go.

She lost a little bit of a money about break even and everything was fine. We

were safe, but we both agreed that we would never try that again. For me, it was just [music] another week. But

coming back to the studio, while everyone here will buy in five to 10 times, I cap myself at two. I can't lose more than 7,000 USD in one night. It's

the right way to approach poker. Cap

your losses and have uncapped wins. I'm

here playing the fourth variation of the hardest poker game, the bounty game. I

am currently up $16,000 since I initially played this three weeks ago.

I'm trying to repeat Magic. I'm very

excited because this game has been well it's been a quite I mean quite frankly it's been a lifecher to have this income come in.

It's been really really helpful. Makes

me feel more comfortable paying for my kids tuition. Yeah, it's a really big

kids tuition. Yeah, it's a really big deal for me to find the the spot in Taiwan where I can just really excel and crush. I moved here 3 months ago and I

crush. I moved here 3 months ago and I finally feel like settled in and I feel like as a professional I'm where I need to be and this [music] game is where I need to be tonight. On the very first

hand, a player to my right moves all in with ace4 offsuit and he loses versus ace king. Playing against these players

ace king. Playing against these players makes your hands way [music] more strong. So when I look down at pocket

strong. So when I look down at pocket eights, the second hand dealt, and he raises again, I feel like I I'm all in versus crazy gambler, but this time he has queens.

I don't hit an eight. Thinking it's

going to be a short night, I'm on to my last buy in within 5 minutes of playing.

But undeterred, I find the best spot in poker. I hit a flush versus his straight

poker. I hit a flush versus his straight to double my chips back up. How even I play aggressive, patient. Immediately after we doubled

patient. Immediately after we doubled up. Um and then we found it more chip

up. Um and then we found it more chip stacking as our strategy of just avoiding the bounties. Patiently waiting

for the right spots and why they push way too hard for the bounties and we come in with a good hand and double up.

So up slightly a lot of poker left to play. And then about 3 hours into the

play. And then about 3 hours into the night, I looked down at pocket aces against the guy to my right. I set the trap, just calling his initial raise.

>> I have $10,000 in my stack. And the

player to my right went all in, covering me.

Three and a half months living in Taiwan, I'm about to play my first 20,000 USD pot. Oh my god.

>> 20K mod as a 90% favorite going into the flop. Guys,

flop. Guys, >> I figured it out.

>> 6 million 63 million and 94. [laughter]

Oh. Oh. Oh.

[laughter] I did it. I [ __ ] did it. I love

$25,000 this month. Oh my god. I cashed

out for a profit of 10,000 USD.

The last 2 months, I made 65,000 USD. I

think my family is really starting to enjoy our decision to move [music] to Asia. I'm going to pay for one person to

Asia. I'm going to pay for one person to come live here in Taiwan and coach them how to live off poker professionally.

Send me an email at itsfrankbadass@gmail.com with why I should pick you. Only room

for one, so email now before I pick someone