Ang Pang Leng InterviewTourneyBlog: Joshua Ang, congratulations on your fantastic finish at the very first Asian Poker Tour!
Joshua Ang: Thank you.
TB: Thanks to a perusal of the Singapore Sunday Times we know that you are 31 years old, you are an Ex Navy, Ex Currency Trader, Full time poker player with three years of playing under your belt- right so far?
Ang: Absolutely.
TB: Your given name is "Ang Pang Leng" but you prefer to go by "Joshua Ang"- is there an interesting story behind your preference? If not, can you make one up?
Ang: Hmm..i think I can do a bluff on the table better than making up a story.
TB: How did you make the transition from currency trader to full time poker? Did your understanding of market trading (knowing when to get out of an investment, knowing when to be aggressive, reading the market, sticking with a promising trade) help with learning poker?
Ang: To me, poker is like doing business and trading. You can't make money all the time, neither can you win all the time. The most important thing is to maximize your profits and minimize your losses.
TB: You took second place at the BAPT, along with a $233,200 payday, and received the Merlion trophy from the winner, Tony G- and you were one of only two Singaporeans at the final table, and not many in the event as a whole. How does that make you feel?
Ang: There are 11 Singaporeans taking part in the main event. Having 2 on the final table is quite an achievement for us. I felt great to have come so far and make it to the 2nd place.
TB: How was the BAPT over all? It was heavily advertised and promoted as a very special event- did it live up to the hype?
Ang: Oh yes. The organizers definitely did a great job. We have lots of coverage from the media. It had definitely created a great awareness for Poker in the region. Poker is no longer deem as pure luck and gambling. It is one that requires skill.
TB: Tell us what it was like facing Tony G at the table. Did you need an anchor to hold on to your seat in the face of the Australian Windbag? Was his table banter as bad as his reputation?
Ang: I actually enjoyed my conversation with him at the final table. In fact, it was kind of relaxing to have him around.
TB: We recently interviewed Tony, and from that interview and acts like his donating half his winnings to charity, it seems like he is really a nice guy under all that bluster- what was your impression of him?
Ang: It seems?.... I would say that he is really a nice guy. It is really a generous gesture to donate half his winnings to charity. As for his blustering, I guess we kinda complement each other…otherwise we would have a long quiet night…..lol.
TB: Now that you are the first holder of the Singaporean Merlion trophy, is your new poker name going to be Joshua "Merlion" Ang?
Ang: The "Merlion" in Singapore has water pouring out of its mouth all day. And I told Tony, we Singaporeans have jokingly used it to describe someone who get drunk and start vomiting. I definitely do not want to be called a Merlion.
TB: The final hand at the BAPT- you are all in with Ace Jack pre flop, and Tony catches a Ten on the flop to pair his holding of Ten Six, and you don't improve. Tell us about that hand- was he that far ahead of you he could make an easy call with Ten Six, or was that just a Tony G play?
Ang: Actually I did a 200k raise Pre Flop and Tony called. The flop came KT*, he hit the ten. I was on the gun, raise another 200k and he went all-in. I had about 500k left and I put him on a draw or medium pair when I called. He did many calls with weak hands and he hit so there wasn't much I can do.
TB: You had a great deal of success already before the BAPT- did you have a lot of confidence on day one? Did your strategy going through the event change much, and how?
Ang: My main focus on the first day is to survive and try to build up my stack. It works real well for me. I had about 63k at the end of the first day.
My strategy did not change much throughout the competition until the final table. I was more defensive in day 1 and 2 as my main aim then was to survive. At the final table I grew more aggressive and get involved in lots of pots. Since I was already there, I wanted to win it.
TB: How was Lee Nelson as an opponent? You felted him, right?
Ang: Lee was definitely a strong opponent to play against. I tried to avoid getting involved in a pot with him. We did not play against each other much until the hand we went all-in. I had AK diamonds and he had JJ. I got lucky and hit Ks on turn and river.
TB: You have something of a reputation yourself on the Ladbrokes Poker site- tell us about your experiences there.
Ang: I played a lot on Ladbrokes poker. Mostly on NL Holdem and PL Ohama cash games. I do participate in some of the major MTT games and I get a few good results. Ladbrokes provides good rakeback and nice MTTs. I won a few satellites to play in live tournaments from Ladbrokes too.
That was how I gained my seat to the WSOP main event and the London EPT . They helped me register for the BAPT as well. That was why you saw me with the Ladbrokes WSOP team jacket for 3 consecutive days in the BAPT. I was offered by another poker site to remove the jacket and have 5k in their poker account. I rejected the offer. (In the previous 2 events that I had played, I took it off and I was out lol)
TB: You were asked to bring the Merlion back to the next BAPT- are you going to do so, or are you already too attached to it?
Ang: I would definitely bring it back and try to bring one more home.
TB: So what is next for Joshua Ang?
Ang: The Aussie Millions. I won a seat on Ladbrokes before the BAPT.
TB: Joshua thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, and once more congratulations on all your poker success!
(Editor's Note: Ang is known as X_Angel on
Ladbrokes Poker- stop on by and say congratulations!)