Sailesh Verma doesn't have much to do on weekdays; he sleeps until late afternoon, watches television and exercises. On weekends, the 29-year-old heads off to work in Macau, armed with HK$200,000 in cash. But despite making an average HK$300,000 a month, Verma hasn't told his family in India what he does for a living.  What he does isn't illegal; in fact, it's celebrated in the US and Europe. Just not in Asia, at least not yet.

Verma is a professional poker player and his game is Texas Hold 'em. In this form of poker, players try to make the best five-card hand from seven total cards - two per player and five shared cards that are turned face up on the table.

While most people here play recreationally, a regional poker boom - with gaming rooms opening in Macau and poker houses surfacing here - has led to a rise in the number of professional players.

"Poker has been around Asia for a while, but it was originally mostly an expat game," says law student Justin Fung Luong, 25, who plays semi-professionally for extra income. "A few years ago if people such as myself wanted to play, we'd have to play in mahjong houses or at the back of restaurants. It wasn't illegal, but it just felt shady."

To succeed as a professional, players need strong mathematical and analytical skills, discipline and a knack for reading people. Yet the perception remains that most poker professionals are degenerate gamblers.

That mindset has made explaining the nature of his job to his family a hassle for Verma.

"Poker is a sport everywhere else in the world but Asia," says Verma, who taught English at a local language school before taking up poker full time two years ago. "They haven't accepted it because the game hasn't reached a wide audience yet. People think it's gambling. They think it's all luck, but I'm proof that it's a game of skill."

Other players echo his sentiment. "Those who associate poker with smoke-filled rooms in pubs full of shady characters watch too many movies," says Bryan Huang Di-wei, 24, a Singaporean who moved to Macau recently to play poker professionally. "I graduated in accountancy and had a job offer from one of the big four accounting firms, but turned it down for poker."


With several top finishes in major tournaments in Macau over the past year, he has pulled in more than HK$1 million so far.

While Huang and Verma may be more highly educated than many professionals, the stereotype of poker players as a bunch of reprobates is outdated.

"Successful poker players are usually very smart," says Kelly Flynn, 34, a gaming industry veteran from the US. "In Hong Kong, the regular players are bankers, traders and lawyers. It's a thinking man's game."

Many frequent venues around Central, including Japanese restaurant Bankroll. "With the growth of the game, it was only a matter of time until a proper place would be needed, and Bankroll provides a place for players to socialise," says Flynn.

Although gambling is restricted in Hong Kong, a lawyer, who declines to be named, says gaming can remain within legal parameters if conducted in a food and beverage outlet that makes no profit from the games. It's the same framework that allows mahjong to take place nightly in many Chinese restaurants.

For professionals such as Verma, games in Hong Kong are for practice. "I play here to hone my game and to socialise," he says. "It's a nice break from the weekend [in Macau] when I'm making real money."

Winning consistently at poker is hard work. Observing opponents' betting patterns, calculating the odds in a pot, and making timely bluffs are key skills. During their free time, most professionals read poker literature and watch instructional videos to stay on top. And if they hit a losing streak, many spend hours analysing their play.

"Playing poker for a living takes a lot of dedication," says Raymond Wu Siu-kong, a Taipei-based professional.

Wu, 24, turned to poker after graduating with a psychology degree from the University of California, Irvine. He made a sizzling start, but hit a bad stretch and nearly lost all his money about 18 months ago. Instead of despairing over the loss, he visited a monastery in Taipei for enlightenment. "Once I found inner peace and was able to control my emotions, I became more successful in the game," he says.

Poker began to enter mainstream culture more than two years ago when the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) invited poker website PokerStars to introduce the game to the city. The result was the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, the first tournament in the region, and the opening of the first poker room in Macau.

"The poker room has helped raise awareness of the game," says David St John Jung, regional director of PokerStars Asia. "In this game, you're not playing against the house, meaning you're not guaranteed to lose."

Recreational players are more likely to look to the Hong Kong Poker League, which hosts weekly free poker tournaments at Volar, Prive, and other Central nightspots.

"There's no money involved," Jeffrey Ng Ka-chun, the league's managing director. "We play for prizes and it's really a social event for players who love the game and [novices] who want to learn the game in a zero-risk environment."

A telling sign poker is catching on here is that the local film industry has jumped on the bandwagon. Production company China Star announced in April that it would begin shooting Poker King, a movie based on Texas Hold `em. "There have been many movies involving poker before, but Hold 'em poker is a game of skill," director Chan Hing-ka told the press conference.

With a cast led by Lau Ching-wan and Louis Koo Tin-lok, the film may push poker further into the consciousness of Hongkongers. (Me: let's say the movie could've been better)

That would be a good thing for Huang, who plays eight to 12 hours, six nights a week at the poker room in Macau's Grand Lisboa (Me: hey, I should keep a lookout for him next time). "Because there's still an element of luck to the game, long hours are required to minimise the variance," he says. "If you play 10 hands, any player can beat you due to luck. But if you play 1,000 hands, the more skilful player will come out on top every time."


Instead of camping at a table for long hours, some players go online.

Peter Chen Kin-long, 42, a former Lehman Brothers trader made redundant last year, has made his living from online poker for the past six months. He plays multiple tables at once - an advantage of the online game - for anywhere between four and six hours a day.

"Being laid off wasn't so bad after all. There are so many parallels between poker and trading," says Chen, who started playing recreationally in New York in the 90s. "It's all about studying people's betting styles and risk calculations."

Still, online poker is on much shakier ground with the law.

Wu, who plays online in Taipei, argues that it's technically within the law because the money transaction takes place overseas.

But Verma isn't taking the risk. "I stopped playing online because I'm not sure if it's legal in Hong Kong," he says, adding that there's no need to play online as there are live games in Hong Kong and Macau.

Industry organisers such as Jung reckon the stigma associated with poker in Asia will fade over time. "We know poker is a hit worldwide, it's just a matter of time until it catches on here," he says.

But until then, Verma will have to put up with banks not acknowledging his occupation.

"I'm going to buy a flat soon and I know I'm not going to get a loan," he says. "I'll just have to pay for it with cash."

(July 10 2009, SCMP)

Took a "fleeing/life-forgetting minibus" (亡命/忘命小巴) today from Shatin Racecourse to Mongkok.  It was $25 but we Octopused it when it was wrong and reading only $4.  =P  Well, they made us pay in a different way.

Speed bump?  No problem!  Bump the speed up!

Turn?  No sweat.  Turn it to the max!

Watched the useless speed LED display break 100km/h and beep desperately.

Poor drunk guy on board.  He threw up around the corner after we got off, can't blame him.  Almost stepped in the very fresh orangeness too.  Whew.

All in all, a fun 15 min.