On to Poker in Macau

From my homeland of Vietnam I hopped a flight to Bangkok, then boarded an Air Macau jet to land here, the Asian center of the gambling world. For two weeks, poker will rule Macau.

It was difficult for me to leave Vietnam, but the Asian Poker Tour team made me feel welcome as soon as I landed. When I arrived, I met with their CEO, Chris Parker, as well as David Saab, winner of the APT Manila event.

They showed me around the casino, then the three of us went to the MGM for dinner. Macau has just exploded since last November. It looks more like Las Vegas with every passing day.

The next day, I made my way to the APT poker room around 3:30 p.m. to attend their official opening.

When I arrived, I was introduced to several high-level executives at Star World Hotel and also to Chris Parker's partner, Tom Hall, who owns not only the APT but also a portion of the iPoker network.

It was nice to see some familiar faces. Quinn Do, Nam Le, J.C. Tran and David "Chino" Rheem were all here to play in this event, and it was great to catch up with them. The big treat of the evening was the APT Celebrity Charity event.

There were so many press people there, many more than even at a WSOP event. They were all there to cover the Hong Kong celebrities in attendance: actor Michael Wong, singer Renee Dai, commentator Angie Mak and models Natalie Ng, Erica Yuen, Janice Man, Cha Cha and Wylien Chiu, Tracy Ip and Tila Tequila.

The sweet part was when all the Hong Kong celebrities had to pose for the media. Michael Wong, being the most famous of them all, requested to have his photos taken with the poker pros instead of with the beautiful ladies.

Shortly after being blinded by all the flash lights, Warren Lush and Michael Wong approached me before the event for a quick lesson, so I gave them a quick rundown of tournament strategies.

The lesson would have been great if we were playing poker, but there were so many beginners, I don't even know what we were playing! The celebrities played so many hands, they would make just about anyone blush!

When I had the chance, I grabbed Michael again. "Forget everything I told you," I said. "None of it will work tonight!"

I ended up getting busted by Janice Man - my pocket tens up against her A-9. She snapped an ace on the flop, and I was done.

By the way, you can google her if you want to see if she looks like a man or not. Believe me, she definitely does not! As a matter of fact, she's absolutely stunning. All the guys were practically drooling over her.

Winnar!

And of course who wins the charity event? My buddy Quinn Do! Congrats Mighty Quinn!

Thursday I play in the APT Macau main event. Next week, the PokerStars gang comes to town for the APPT Macau tourney. I know either the APT or the APPT invited Michael Phelps to play, and that would be a nice treat if he showed up.

Macau was good to me last year when I made the final table of the APPT Macau. Let's hope lightning can strike twice.

Thanks again for so many nice comments and words of encouragement. I have one more post about my father that I'll put up on LizLieu.net, although it may be a day or two.

I am at peace, and I hope that Aug. 28 will be the first day of a great new year for me, on and especially away from the felt.

Cheers!

-- Liz Lieu

www.LizLieu.net
www.iPokerCal.com

More Blogs from Liz Lieu:

• Good-Bye, Dad
• Alone with my Father
• The Downside of Blogs
• A Day Off With More to Do