I am a poker player who turned pro in 2013. Since then I have travelled around the world and played in casinos earning money and travelling at the same time. I am currently based in Manila, where I can be found at the poker tables across the city at various casinos. I am staying in Manila and am interested in building some business' to diversify my income streams.

My curiosity and fascination in different cultures lead me to leave my job and potential career in Logisitics and International Trade in 2010. Having already played poker for 10 years, up to that point, made it an easy transition. It certainly came with much struggle in the beginning, but I knew I would one day make it.

Although I still play for a living I am increasingly becoming more interested in entrepreneurship. I am excited to start a new chapter in my life and pursue a new challenge. I am interested in meeting other like minded indivduals to share and discuss ideas.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I first started on Couchsurfing in 2009, I heard about it while I was backpacking and on the Hostel trail. I thought it was a great idea to meet like minded people while saving a few bucks. After couchsurfing and hosting a few times I realized that I was less interested in the sharing experience, but still enjoyed the meeting of like minded people. A few of my closest friends to this day, I met through CS meet-ups.

Interests

My current interests revolve around fitness, poker, travel, and business, but I am also really big on personal development and growth. I have a dream of building/creating a facility where I can operate my business while at the same time having all the tools I need to work on my personal development. My dream home, would include a personal gym, outdoor steam room, cold tub, obstacle course, virtual reality room, etc, all nestled somewhere high up in the mountains where the air is at its freshest.

• fitness
• meditation
• poker
• combat sports
• videogames
• personal development
• mma
• personal growth

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I think the biggest and most amazing thing I've ever done, was to recognize that I was on a path that was not going to lead me to be who I wanted to become, or have the life that I wanted. Leaving a career that I had spent 3 years in school and borrowed a pile of money for, was a scary thing to do. But if you know it's not for you, you just have to cut your losses.

Teach, Learn, Share

You know, people always say to me " Hey Tom, you are so lucky that you are able to travel the world just playing poker etc etc..." And they are right, I am lucky. But the reality is this: I created that luck. I decided that this was something that was a) something I wanted to do and b) POSSIBLE!

Listen! It doesn't matter what it is. If you have the passion to do something and it is not impossible to do, you CAN find a way! So dig deep, understand that you will fail along the way, and it will be a tough road ahead. But just keep the goal insight and I promise you will get there.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share a lot of stories from the road and a promise to return the favor. Also, I may not be able to turn you into a winning poker player over-night, but I can certainly offer to answer any question you might have involving poker or how to reach your own personal goals.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, Mexico

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