韩国之行小记
You may still remember the humorous post on April Fools' day. Although my decision to move to Las Vegas to play poker professionally is bogus, my fixation with it is not. If anything, it has only grown stronger. As a matter of fact, it has grown so strong that I figured a poker tour is justified—both in terms of money and time—hence my recent trip to Korea.
I chose Korea also because I had never visited this familiarly strange neighbor, a land of kimchi, Christians, K-pop, all cloaked in its troubled modern history. Kimchi is a reminder of Korea's culinary tradition as well as its trademark resilience. Christians, accounting for nearly one-third of the population, reflects how this Confucian nation has swung religiously. K-pop reinforces (or rather reinvents) Korea's identity and has put the new Korea on the map, enjoining the world to pay attention to its 50 million souls.
The Lord has come to Korea
My understanding of Korea, however, has not deepened much after a one-week getaway. This is not unexpected in part because my main purpose of the trip was poker and in part because the trip was never fully planned. I have gained most of my impressions from the dozens of Korean movies I have seen over the years, movies that showcase its quest for democracy and freedom and sport bursts of artistic creativity.
My limited exposure was also thanks to the unrelentingly formidable Korean language. I tried to master some survival Korean and learned that it has close ties to Mandarin, but my short stay simply didn't justify immersion or serious language practice. As soon as I left the English/Chinese-friendly airport, I began to get jittery. I could not read or understand Korean. And unlike some international cities, Seoul does not seem to bother to put English alongside Korean. When summoned by a Mexican tourist in Seoul, I replied wryly, "Sorry I am Chinese. Korean is all Greek to me, and I am just as confused as you are, man."
Despite the language barrier, I did manage to make lemonade. Just as I ventured out into Kuromon Market in Osaka and a local market in Bali, I dodged Sanlitun-like Myeong-dong and explored the famous 114-year-old Gwangjang Market in Seoul. It is a paradise for foodies. Rows of food stalls strewn with Korean rice cakes, steaming dumplings, sizzling bean pancakes, and seaweed rice rolls greet local regulars as well as jet-lagged foreigners. You can just point at the interested items and the vendors will show you the price on the calculator. Two friends and I ended up tasting knife-cut soup noodles, kimchi-stuffed dumplings, soy sauce marinated crabs, bean pancakes, and raw beef. Spending time at a local market seeing, smelling, sensing the food and way of life can never go wrong.
photo courtesy of Eric
Traveling apart, I was in Korea for poker. Home to popular poker tours, Incheon, a city adjoining Seoul, hosted the Asian Poker Tour (APT) this month. As its name suggests, APT hops from one Asian country to another and holds tournaments in poker-friendly destinations. Its player-friendly blinds structures (which determine the pace and pleasure of the games) and low-to-medium buy-ins attracted poker buffs from Asia and beyond. Not only amateurish dabblers but also the highest-ranking and committed Chinese and Japanese pros who have been tested in such preeminent events as European Poker Tournament and World Series of Poker.
My poker trip was eventful and fruitful. It was an exposure one, first of its kind, trying to get some first-hand experience about poker. I played four low buy-in tournaments and multiple cash games. I was fortunate to be profitable in the cash games so that I could use the profit to pay for the majority of tournaments. Although I failed to make into money in any of the tournaments, I employed tactics correctly, made as few mistakes as possible, and most importantly, learned from the mistakes.
Playing was only part of the experience. I was able to observe, closely, how the very best Asian pros played their hands. In one tournament, I was at the same table as Guo Dong, one of the best in China, and witnessed how he skillfully and gracefully eliminated two Japanese amateurs within 20 minutes. That is poker at its most beautiful and brutal.
With ten-year Korean visa, I expect to revisit it at some point soon. Travel marrying with poker seemed to work out fine. Next time I will travel farther into the soul of Seoul and kick some ass at the poker tables.
孟庆伟 Justin
个人微信 ID：justinqmeng
现象级英语联合创始人
《经济学人》11 年研究者
雅思写作 8 分，口语 8 分
题图：首尔东大门
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