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Blogs, Events/live poker, Team PKR
I won't talk too much about the 'Poker King' film [the Asian 'Rounders' movie filmed in Hong Kong & Macau during the APT] as it will bore you to death. It was fantastic to be a part of, and now not only will I have a credit on IMDB as 'executive producer' (for a previous film I financed for a film student director of mine) but now I'll have casting credits as an actor too - nice! It was a great experience being on set, and I've developed a lot more respect for production crews who work unbelievably hard to produce the quality of film we expect from today's movie industry.
It wasn't unusual to hang around for hours, waiting for word that we would be needed for our scene, do a five minute take and then wait for another four hours, but it was still fun. I think I would have been extremely bored if it were not for the other [poker] guys there (and girls, sorry Liz and Tracey). We managed to stay entertained despite the studio's limited entertainment facilities (no frigging bar!!!) [ED - I suspect that was no mistake!].
During my stay in Hong Kong, my hotel was being covered by the film company, but the hotel I chose offered a range of suites. Feeling the afterglow of zlatan35's recent success, I checked into one of the hotel's nicer suites, fully fitted with a bed I could lie on sideways, panoramic windows and not one but two bathrooms (the reason completely escapes me!). I told the film company I would cover the additional room costs myself, as it would be nice for me to take a short break from poker and travel around Hong Kong seeing the sites.
Lonely planet: A poker guide to Hong Kong
The joys of Hong Kong lasted all of about three days for me. Once you've seen one area of Hong Kong city and it's random streets, you've seen most of them. The night markets are a great novelty, where you can buy knock-off T-shirts (five for $12), fake watches, belts and bags as well as a multitude of sex toy stalls! I particularly liked the goldfish market which sold every kind of tropical fish, shark and turtle at bargain prices. The flower market sold a vast array of flowers for all occasions in every colour of the rainbow (better for apologies, than your local petrol station bouquet). There were noodle stores on every corner, and cute local cafés with peking duck strung up in every window, as well as small stalls selling squid, prawn, octopus, beef and chicken satay, all dipped in a red-hot spicey sauce (which later troubled my digestive system, and provided me with the worst nausea and headache's I'd ever had)!
It all sounds great, but after three days it had worn off, and I was dying for a Big Mac, large fries and still Fanta! Oh the culinary delights of eastern cuisine...
Hotel trouble
The Langham Place Hotel in Mong Kok was fantastic. It's amenities were superb, the hotel room was stunning and the housekeeper left little presents every night on the turn-down, but it just lacked the sense of customer service that you get from a similar hotel in Las Vegas, for example. Despite leaving the 'Do Not Disturb' sign out every night, I got a phone call from housekeeping every morning asking when I would like a service. Four times in a row I told them I did not want to be woken up, and every day I got called again!
I was asked for a deposit for the stay. Fair enough. Usually just a card pre-authorisation suffices, but this time they told me I should pay a cash deposit. Fair enough. So I left the requested $10,000HKD. Two days later, they requested $10,000 more, which I thought very strange as I was now paying for my full stay in advance. I didn't want to kick up a fuss so I paid it. On the last day of my stay they'd misbooked me, and basically told me to get out of my room. When I told them I was meant to be booked in for one more day, they told me that I'd have to pay another $3,000HKD (despite them owing me some money already). It was the final straw, so I kicked off big time and I think they felt the full wrath of the '666'. I just hate terrible customer service! If I stay in a nice suite in a top hotel, I don't want to be bugged about trivial things - I want to enjoy my stay and have people look after my needs.
Prop bets: the male masseur
This leads me onto the concierge... For those who don't know what a concierge is, it's someone, or a group of people, whose task it is to do anything morally, legally or physically possible for you. If you want tickets for a sold-out football game, they find them for you. This concierge desk was more like an information booth. The answer to a request every concierge staff should give is 'Yes sir, I shall try my hardest to make this happen for you', not 'No sir, I cannot do this'. It was not as if I was asking for Jack Black to come and polish my shoes. On one occasion, I asked that someone bring me up some headache tablets. 'No sir. I am afraid we do not have a pharmacy'. 'Well please send someone to get some for God's sake, I'm in agony!' In the end I had to pay a porter to go and get me some tablets from the local pharmacy. Another request was simple: the Spa at the hotel had many female masseuses, but as any hardcore massage client knows, men do the best massages. They have the strength to really remove those knots. [Pro poker player] Liz Lieu wanted a male masseur, and bet me a few hundred dollars that I couldn't find one for that evening. I did offer myself up, but apparently I'm not qualified - go figure. I enquired at the concierge desk, and received the reply 'No sir, sorry'. 'OK, well can you please find me a male masseur to come to the hotel, cost is not a problem'. 'No sir, but I can show the you address of a local parlour'. 'But I don't speak chinese'. 'I'm sorry sir, we can't help.' And so on...
Airport clouds and silver linings
Time flew by, and a fairly successful couple of weeks ($8k in the APT Main Event and about $6k playing online) sent me home in profit despite being in a bad mood. I was no longer up for my planned trip to Thailand, so I booked my return flight home with Virgin Atlantic who I use regularly, and set off for the Airport. On arrival, I was told that even with Premium Economy which I had booked, I still had a weight limit of 23kg for luggage! A long haul flight, and I can't even take the contents of one suitcase. I kicked up a big fuss, paid the extra £220 they wanted from me for an extra 5/6kg's and I waltzed off in even more of a stress! A nice beer (my last drop of alcohol until 01 October, due to a one month detox) and some seafood pasta later, and I was nicely chilled. I hopped and skipped off to Gate 28, only to be greeted by the Virgin Atlantic team who had upgraded me to Upper Class, nice! One flat bed, a multi-media station with some of the latest films, a four course meal, and more staff than passengers, meant my flight home had finally turned my holiday into a happy experience.
One taxi home from Heathrow, and I entered the flat, straight to the kitchen, and scoffed down my first Bombay Bad Boy pot noodle for three weeks. Extra hot sauce and tobasco, a burnt mouth and a few glasses of water later and I was very happy to be back home! Good old England...I'm sure I shall be bored of Her Majesty's realm very soon!
Check that out, almost an entire blog without talking about poker hands, beats and suck outs... Gooo Meee!
James 'james666' Sudworth