When my good friend Hiroshi Shimamura invited Jan Fisher and me to the Philippines to host the inaugural event of the
Pan Asia Poker Tournament, we accepted quite happily; after all, getting to see new areas of the world and play poker at the same time is awesome. We had previously met and consulted with representatives from the Filipino government and advised them about what was needed to run a poker tournament, and now things were ready to go. During the trip, I kept a journal, which I will share with you in the next few columns.
Day One: We left Las Vegas and flew to San Francisco for our connecting international flights. It took a little more than 12 hours to get to Tokyo, where we changed planes to continue on to Manila, which took another four hours. I enjoyed the flights and used the time to watch five movies, nap, and read some books and magazines.
We landed at the Manila airport at 11 p.m. and hooked up with Michael Zahorik, one of the tournament promoters. A local agent whisked us through customs and then arranged for a private taxi to transport us to the Diamond Hotel, where most of the tournament players opted to stay during their visit. The drive to the hotel was exciting, since there were lots of people out walking at midnight and lots of street kiosks open for me to ogle. The Diamond is a luxurious 26-story hotel with a great view overlooking Manila Bay. We were met by a hostess who took us directly to our room and checked us in from there. Our room was an executive suite, which is approximately 850 square feet in area and has a living room, two marble bathrooms, and a bedroom … very nice. A full buffet breakfast and spa/gym access were included for $185 a night.
My best advice to you if you're ever in the Philippines is, get a massage! Even though it was midnight by the time we checked in, we phoned the 24-hour massage number, and within 15 minutes, the massage people arrived to begin a two-hour massage for each of us. The total cost for an in-room two-hour massage was $10 per person. What a great way to start this visit! By the time I finished answering e-mail and played some online poker, it was 5 a.m. and time to get some sleep.
Day Two: The wake-up call at noon came too early for my liking. We jumped up and ran to see the beautiful bay view from our windows. Unfortunately, there was no time to relax and smell the roses, as we had to get to the Airport Casino Filipino for the tournament. The ride in itself was quite an experience. Before we had gone even 200 yards, we had four "close calls." The traffic in Manila is atrocious, and the cabbies are racecar wannabes. I wasn't worried about my personal security, but was worried about an auto collision. Speaking of security, it was everywhere. We had to pass through X-ray machines just to enter the hotel, and there were armed guards and guard dogs outside the hotel doors. At the casino, the security was even tighter; all bags were thoroughly searched, and there is an actual "pat down" before patrons are allowed to enter.
During our drive to the casino, we noticed that most of the people live in poverty in tiny overpopulated shacks. We saw motorcycles carrying three or four people, and some carrying livestock. Jeepneys are abundant; they are jeeps left over from World War II, and they cram them with people sharing rides to various destinations. Everything in the Philippines is very inexpensive, to go along with the low incomes. A gourmet meal at a great restaurant is usually less than $10 per person. A manicure and pedicure costs about $5. A taxi can be hired to go across town for $2 or $3.
The Filipino people were extremely nice and polite - all of them! We never met a grumpy person during our entire seven-day visit. They are also very beautiful; the women have long, thick black hair and amazing skin, and the men have great hair, great eyes, and great smiles. Despite all the poverty we observed, everyone seemed happy.
Hiroshi was happy to see us and introduced us to many of the casino execs. They treated us very well and made sure our food and transportation needs were met. Dan Alspach and J.J. Liu were there, as well as several of our Japanese friends. There were players from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, America, and Finland, as well as some locals. Everyone got along well and seemed to be enjoying the poker competition.
The first tournament was a $500 no-limit hold'em event with 62 entrants; I finished 20th. The structure was pretty good and the dealers were adequate. Everyone working at the casino was enthusiastic and energetic, and I think it was run well for a first-time event. Sit-and-gos and satellites started once people started busting out. Jan and I played in a $375 satellite, with first place winning a $2,500 seat and second place getting $1,000. I had to settle for second place after two very bad beats when heads up.
After the tournament, we went to the VIP Room for a snack and a chat with Ernie, one of the casino supervisors. Hiroshi was there with some high-rolling pit players. The casino arranged for transportation back to the hotel. A hot bath was definitely in order, and of course some online poker before grabbing a few hours of sleep.
To be continued in the next issue …
Now, let's play poker!
Linda is available to host seminars, charity events, poker tournaments, and other poker events. She can be contacted through her website at www.cardplayercruises.com.
