Varun Goenka

Team Vietnam Makes Their Match Poker Debut!

, , , , ,

Vietnam has seen tremendous growth in the poker industry over the past few years and even more so during the pandemic. This has lead to widespread adoption of the game with many players traveling to this beautiful country to compete in tournaments. A new member to the Match Poker family, the national team will be making its first ever appearance at a global IFMP event at the 2023 Asian Nations Cup in Hong Kong. They are coming with lofty ambitions and a strong team, aiming to go home with the Winners trophy and gold medals!

 

This is the Vietnamese squad for the Asian Championships:

 

Name: Jul Tran (Tran Duc Ngoc) – Team Member and Team Coach

Age: 39

Profession: Poker professional

Bio: I knew poker since I was living in France and then I love this mental game, have spent a lot of time researching about this mathematical game. I won many trophies around Asia like WPT, APT, APL and specially focus on high-roller games or other deep-stack games in which I can apply the strength of math. Match Poker is also based on skill and math while reducing many chances of luck, I think I can quickly follow this kind of game.

 

Name: Terry Nguyen (Nguyen Tien Thanh) – Captain

Age: 39

Profession: Lecturer

Bio: I am a teacher (on the financial field) and I love poker since I found out it is a skilled game although there is still luck involved. I have played poker for quite a long time and won many trophies like APT and APL. I got to know about Match Poker recently and really love the rules which can reduce almost all the luck in the game, so I can apply the math, probability factors and mind skills to the games. I hope this game will be popular in Vietnam in the near future, that is also my mission.

 

Name: Tran Huy Hoang

Age: 48

Profession: Businessman

Bio: Love travelling and poker. I really want to prove this game is a skilled game, I hope I can meet many players from around the world at the 2023 Asian Nations Cup and win the trophy for Vietnam.

 

Name: Linh Ran (Nguyen Dieu Phuong Linh)

Age: 30

Profession: Real Estate Sales

Bio: I love traveling, movies and poker, first female Vietnamese player to win trophies of WPT (WPT Ladies event 2018, NLH APT 2019). Proud to be representing my nation.

 

Name: Ha Manh Tuong

Age: 35

Profession: Math Teacher

Bio: I am a math teacher for secondary school, I studied many theories and poker professional and get some achievements. The biggest I won is the Main Event of WPC in 2022 with the biggest prize in Vietnam at that time. Beside that I also like reading books, music and math.

Some achievements:

1st Main event WPC 9 – 2022.

2nd Main event VSOP Championship II 11 – 2020.

1st Main event GrandLoyal poker CUP 4 – 2022.

1st Main event VSOP Grinder Series II 12 – 2021.

3rd Main event WPT Warm up Series 4 – 2021.

1st Mistery Bounty VSOP Championship IV 8 – 2022.

3rd Kick off WPC 1 – 2023.

 

Name: Dang Thanh Luong

Age: 35

Profession: Financial Analyst

Bio: I played poker for the first time about 6 years ago and I see the development of poker industry in Vietnam very fast. After Covid time, the poker industry in Vietnam is developing even faster and my love for the game of poker is still bigger and bigger. I was recently introduced to Match Poker by a friend and I really like the rules of it and want to challenge myself. I am very happy to be selected to represent the Vietnamese National Team to compete in the Asian Nation Cup 2023 in Hong Kong. I will try my best to take the medals and trophy home with my team to Vietnam.

 

Name: Nguyen Huu Dung

Age: 35

Profession: Businessman

Bio: I enjoy psychological challenges in general and the competitiveness in poker in particular. I like the hard headed mindset that poker puts me in. It is the mindset to always have faith and maintain mental strength in any circumstances.

Some Achievements:
•1st Championship event – APT Manila Championships 2017
•1st Opening event – APT Manila Championships 2017
•2nd High Roller – Macau Poker Cup 27 2017
•2nd Main event – National Poker Championship II 2017
•3rd Super High Rollers – APT HCM 2018
•3rd High Roller – APL Danang 2019

 

Name: Nguyen Anh Minh

Age: 32

Profession: Owner of a radio station – Through the Radio The Voice of Vietnam

Bio: I take on Poker as a hobby as early as 2012, starting out playing home games with friends during weekends. From time to time, the interest for the game grew larger and I start taking Poker more seriously. I was very fortunate to have many opportunities to play poker during my time studying and working in the United States from 2008 to 2017. Had my first professional poker tournament in 2016 during the World Series of Poker in Rio Las Vegas, Nevada. Since 2017, I moved back to Vietnam and start participating in many other poker events both locally and internationally such as: WPT; APT; APL; Poker Dream; etc. Poker has definitely evolved into something bigger than just a weekend hobby; it offers me a chance to connect with people and bring something greater for the local community.

Varun Goenka

After 10 Years, Can Team China Still Dominate?

, , , , ,

This will China’s first participation in a Match Poker event since their victory at the 2013 Asian Nations Cup, held in Sanya, China! The Chinese team has been created by China Poker Games (CPG) and they still have very fond memories of the first Asian Championships.

 

Here is their squad for the 2023 Asian Nations Cup:

 

Name: Taowei Zheng (郑陶威)

Age: 39

Profession: Lawyer

 

Name: Zhu Xingbiao (朱星彪)

Age: 36

Profession: Poker player

 

Name: Zhe Li (李哲) 

Age: 36

Profession: Poker player

 

Name: Wang Junjie (王俊杰)

Age: 26

Profession: Poker player

 

Name: Chen Guangcheng (陈光城) 

Age: 45

Profession: Poker trainer

 

Name: Neves Yang (杨崇贤)

Age: 35

Profession: Entrepreneur

 

Name: Wu Ya Ke (吴亚轲)

Age: 31

Profession: Freelancer

 

Name: Chen Dong (陈东)

Age: 39

Profession: Businessman

 

Name: Yuan Yi Lu (袁亿璐)

Age: 43

Profession: Financial practitioner

 

Name: Lulu Yang (杨曦)

Age: 21

Profession: TV Host

 

 

Varun Goenka

Can Team Israel Win It All in Hong Kong?

, , , , ,

Under the leadership of Stas Tishkevich, the Israeli national team put on an incredible performance in Gevgelija, North Macedonia last May during the Nations Cup Finals. They were the last Asian nation to qualify to this event after finishing 2nd in the final virtual qualifier and sealing their spot to the Championships. They were last placed out of 14 teams after the 1st session of play but that didn’t demoralise them, and they went on to not only qualify to the final 6 but finish runners-up to Champions Germany!

 

Here is the squad for the Asian Nations Cup:

Name: Stas Tishkevich

Team Israel Coach.

37 years old from Portugal. He is a co-founder of the Israeli Poker Academy, a co-founder of the Poker-Fighter Training App, and the chairman of the Israeli Poker Union.

Stas is a professional poker player since 2012, poker coach, and entrepreneur. 

He plays both Cash & MTTs and his best results to date include a 7th place finish at SCOOP Main Event 2013 for 90,877$, and a deep run in the WSOP Main Event 2020 where he finished 20th for 34,116$.

 

Name: Shimon Yaffe

Team Israel Manager.

54 years old from Tel-Aviv. CEO of the Israeli Poker Union. 

Tournament Director of the Israeli Poker Championship company.

 

Name: Aharon Arbeli

Won his seat at the Israeli National team through 2022 Champion of the Israeli Poker League.

67 years old from Jerusalem. Businessman 

Plays Texas Hold’em since 2007, mostly MTTs. A passionate advocate for poker regulation & legalization.

Loves to ride bicycle.

 

Name: Ayman Jarrar

Won his seat at the Israeli National team through 2022 1st Place Final Table average score of the Israeli Poker League.

59 years old from Haifa. Businessman 

Plays Texas Hold’em since 2018, mostly MTTs. Learned the game at the Israeli Poker Academy.

Loves to play Tennis. 

 

Name: Daniel Barak 

Won his seat at the Israeli National team through 2022 1st Place Final Table total score of the Israeli Poker League.

52 years old from Kiriyat-Bialik. Driver of a public bus.

Plays Texas Hold’em for 15 years. Believes that Patience is the key for a winning poker strategy.

Loves to read books and watch movies.

 

Name: Daniel Glick

Won his seat at the Israeli National team through 2021 1st Place Final Table total score of the Israeli Poker League.

33 years old from Tel-Aviv. Construction contractor in abseiling.

Plays Texas Hold’em for 15 years, mostly with friends. 

After the military service he lived for several years in the USA, and played poker as his main income.

His moto for winning poker strategy is focus, mental work, and decision making. 

Loves to play soccer, going to the beach and traveling in the world.

 

Name: Carmi Klein 

Won her seat at the Israeli National team through 2022 1st Place of the Israeli Woman Online Poker Championship.

32 years old from Ramat-Gan. Product manager.

Plays Texas Hold’em for 3 years, studied the game at the “Ladies” and at the Israeli Poker Academy. 

Her moto for winning poker strategy is preparing to lose in order to know how to win.

Loves traveling, reading books, going to stand-up comedy, extreme sports, meditation, pilates and art.

 

Name: Ran Harari 

Won his seat at the Israeli National team through 2021 1st Place of the Israeli Online Poker Championship.

39 years old from Kiriyat-Mozkin. Doctorante in the university

Plays Texas Hold’em for 17 years, studied the game at the “Ladies” and at the Israeli Poker Academy. 

His moto for winning poker strategy is mixing up the game and staying unpredictable. 

Loves soccer and Maccabi Haifa.

 

Name: Shlomi Maimoni

Won his seat at the Israeli National team through 2021 Champion of the Israeli Poker League.

42 years old from Rishon-Letzion. Truck driver and crane operator.

Plays Texas Hold’em for 23 years, studied the game from playing and at the Israeli Poker Academy. 

His motto for winning poker strategy is patience and exploiting opponents’ mistakes.

Loves snooker and fishing.

 

Name: Shlomi Swissa 

Won his seat at the Israeli National team through 2022 1st Place of the Israeli Online Poker Championship.

48 years old from Kfar-Saba. Works in the Ministry of Defence.

Plays Texas Hold’em for 18 years, studied the game mostly from playing.

His motto for winning poker strategy is knowing when to get-in in order to come out victorious.

Loves badminton, snooker and basketball. 

Varun Goenka

A Revamped Korean Team is Ready for the Asian Nations Cup

, , , , ,

After a recent change in the national federation structure in South Korea, the team has also been revamped with a strong mix of individuals being selected to give the Koreans the best chance of success. National team coach James Kim is looking forward to his team’s performance in Hong Kong and seeing the Match Poker format played at the highest level.

 

Here is the squad for the 2023 Asian Nations Cup:

Name: Kevin Choe

Age: 45

Profession: Director

Bio: 2 years and 5 months of poker experience as a recreational player, spends majority of his spare time playing no-limit Hold’em as a hobby, seeking a long career in the poker industry, participated in Match Poker 3 times so far.

 

Name: Dahye Kim

Age: 31

Profession: YouTuber

Bio: 2 yrs experience playing poker, YouTuber who changed her profession to poker YouTuber, down to earth and dead serious about pursuing poker as a career.

 

Name: Yoo Ra Yeong

Age: 33

Profession: Self employed

Bio: She is following a professional path towards being a winning poker player, she loves playing Hold’em, can’t live without Hold’em!

 

Name: Kim Hak Do

Age: 53

Profession: Comedian, entertainer and singer

Bio: He has been a poker enthusiast for over 10 years now, with his own personal YouTube channel.

 

Name: Lee SeokJun

Age: 28

 

Name: Kim Ho Seong

Age: 52

Profession: Director of the Ace Poker League

Bio: He has spent over 15 years in the poker industry, working on both online and offline events. National team coach.

 

Name: Jonguk Kim

Age: 28

Profession: APL dealer, J88, WCOP, KSOP, JOPT floor & dealer

Bio: He originally only knew stud poker, but then came across Texas Hold’em when he took a part-time job as a dealer. This was about 3 years ago, after which he started working as a full time dealer and fell in love with the game.

 

Name: Jiseung Hong

Age: 25

Profession: APL, J88, WFP floor & dealer

Bio: After enlisting in the military, he got interested in poker while looking for a hobby. He watched videos and read books to improve his knowledge and learn detailed information about this mental game. After being discharged from the military, he thought it matched his inner aptitude and after consulting with his family he started to work on poker to improve his skills. He is constantly looking to challenge himself and get better everyday.

 

Name: Giju Hwang

Age: 25

Profession: J88, WCOP, KSOP, JOPT floor and dealer

 

Name: Hyeunmo Gu

Age: 27

Profession: APL, J88, WFP, KSOP floor and dealer

Bio: After starting as a bartender, my boss recommended I try dealing blackjack which eventually lead me to becoming a Texas Hold’em dealer. I was a dealer for about 2 and a half years and was famous for ‘one handed dealing’ in the Korean Hold’em world. My interest in managing the floor grew and I naturally studied it while performing my duties as a dealer.

 

Name: Won Guy Kang

Age: 35

Profession: Poker player

Bio: Korean Team Pro member

 

Name: Kim Kyounghoi

Age: 42

Profession: CFO at the Texas Holden Association of Korea (THAK)

Bio: He has been involved in the poker industry for over 10 years and is excited to represent his nation.

Varun Goenka

Team Philippines Has a Point to Prove at the 2023 Asian Nations Cup

, , , , ,

Team Philippines, being lead by Philipson Chua, made their last live Match Poker appearance at the previous Asian Nations Cup held in Taoyuan city in Taiwan. They narrowly missed out on qualification to the Nations Cup Finals last year, falling just a few points behind Israel who secured their spot as the final Asian team to qualify.

 

However, this revamped national team will be looking to secure their qualification to the World Championships in Zurich and put on a strong performance in Hong Kong. Later this year we will also see the launch of the National Match Poker League in the Philippines, which will no doubt lead to the emergence of very exciting talent that can eventually go on to represent the nation.

 

Here is the squad traveling to Hong Kong:

Name: Philipson Chua

Age: Is just a number

Profession: Financial Consultant

Short Bio:

  • A financial consultant by profession, but poker runs in his blood. He has been playing since 2007 when he won the first APPT online qualifier out of 5,000 players. Has won multiple poker tourneys here in Philippines and abroad.
  • Jointly organized the Poker Players Association of the Philippines and became its first President in 2011. Lucky enough to Survive 15 years of playing and enjoying each moment of it.

 

Name: Aleyza Angeles

Age: 21

Profession: Freelance Model

Short Bio:

• A poker enthusiast who tends to be very highly competitive. After winning 3rd place in the qualifier, wants to prove to herself that she can achieve more while enjoying the challenge.

 

Name: Aloysius Pacia

Age: 60

Profession: Retired Entreprenour

Short Bio:

• Started playing 52 years ago with my father who is my poker idol. Has participated and placed in multiple poker tourneys live and online since 2007.

 

Name: Anselmo Ferdinand Adriano

Age: 57

Profession: Lawyer

Short Bio:

• Ansel started playing poker in 2005, joining small live tournaments purely out of curiosity, fun and meeting new people. Since then, he has played in some major tourneys both locally and abroad, and participated in live and online events.

 

Name: Delfino Ty

Age: 66

Profession: PC Network Integrator

Short Bio:

  • Del fell in love with the game after observing the WSOP 2005 in Las Vegas. Played nightly poker tournaments with Philippine poker pioneers Philip (Team Captain) and Marco (Marketing Head). He has since traveled extensively around the region as a recreational player with multiple final table appearances and victories.

Member Team Philippines:
Asian Nations Pair Challenge 2018, Bangkok, Thailand and the Asian Nations Cup 2019, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

 

Name: Myra Adriano

Age: 54

Profession: Manager for Site Acquisition – Telecommunications

Short Bio:

• Myra started playing poker in 2005, both live and online. She has participated in various poker circuits and has also won some multi table tournaments. She loves the challenge of playing against the best in the game and outwitting the poker pros. She looks forward to winning her next major tourney. She is is happily married with 3 children.

 

Name: Vicente Peña

Age: 57

Profession: Entreprenour

Short Bio:

• Started playing poker since 2007 and have joined various live/online local & international tournaments. Recent accomplishments include finishing 1st in a 2022 APPT event and cashing in a major 2023 local tournament.

 

Name: Randy Cirineo

Age: 54

Profession: Civil Engineer

Short Bio:

  • Randy started playing Poker since 2014 and since then he has been fascinated with the math involved, especially with the odds & probabilities. He is known as “Patch Adams” because of his personalized jacket.
  • He has always been a tournament player and had his own share of winnings In the local community. In his bucket list is to play in an international event & represent his country, Now, he can check that off.