There are not many famous gamblers born in Malaysia. Partly since Malaysia is a religious country governed by Islamic laws, gambling is one of the sins. But for the Chinese, luckily, there is Genting Highlands casino that is built for leisure and gambling. Some of them enjoy stories about the land-based casino experience, and some might prefer sites like Slotoro Online. So, we have also uncovered much of Paul Phua’s story for our audience to enjoy.
The Beginning of a Gambling Legend
Born in a coastal city in Sarawak, he had a passion for sports like badminton, football, softball, and many others. His opportunity arose when he was bowling and becoming involved in the Macau casino junket business.
But rather than stopping, his career had a huge improvement, and became a VIP junket operator in Macau. This was rather good for Paul, but he didn’t stop there. He also took the chance to become more worldwide with him being the newly appointed ambassador for San Marino and Montenegro. Being an ambassador for two countries is no easy task.
Gambling Career Peak
During 2006, he also helped another friend of his to expand his casino business. His name is Steve Wynn, and he opened the Wynn Macau. It was there that he started to host high-stakes gambling games where he met all the important figures and learned the game at the high-end tables.
Back then, Paul Phua started his poker and gambler journey after he reached his 40s. Here are all his games and achievements around the year:
| 2010 | In 2010, as high-stakes cash games started relocating from Las Vegas to Macau, prominent players like Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, Chau Giang, Patrik Antonius, and John Juanda began participating in Macau. |
| 2011 | By 2011, additional professional poker players had joined the Macau games, and Phua engaged with and learned from these players. In 2012, Phua made his debut in the 2012 World Series of Poker’s $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop event. |
| 2012 | During the same year, Phua secured victory in the Aspers £100K High Roller event in London, besting Richard Yong in a heads-up battle and pocketing his largest prize of $1,621,297. In 2016, he triumphed in the One Drop Extravaganza €100,000 Super High Roller competition by defeating Mikita Badziakouski in a heads-up showdown, earning $827,722 in the process. |
| 2018 | In September 2018, Phua participated in what was then the largest televised cash game pot, ultimately winning $2.35 million against Tom Dwan. |
| 2019 | On August 8, 2019, Paul Phua secured a second-place finish at the Triton Series 2019 £100,000 Tournament and walked away with £2,558,305 in winnings |
| 2020 | As of March 2020, Paul Phua’s cumulative live tournament earnings had exceeded $19,330,992. |
Paul Phua’s Fight With FBI
After all these years of coming in and out of high-stakes games, The FBI has been keeping tabs on Paul Phua and his son during his prime time. They suspected that Paul was giving out illegal wagering information to the masses to earn money and had been operating an illicit casino business in Las Vegas during the FIFA World Cup.
Another suspected criminal activity of Paul is that he has been one of the high-ranking officials of 14K, thus making him a prime target for the FBI in the USA. But during the trial with Paul and his room, there were many points that the FBI had done wrong.
It was reported that the FBI acted prematurely when acquiring evidence. They posed as cable technicians to access Phua’s apartment for evidence, even though the standard procedure mandates obtaining a warrant before searching for evidence on a premises.
Malaysia Minister Backs Up Paul Phua
Out of the blue, Malaysia Minister Dato’ Seri Zahid Hamidi wrote a letter to the deputy director of the FBI to tell them that Paul was not part of the 14K triad and was helping Malaysia in fighting crime with the involvement of national security.
This has successfully garnered the attention of all Malaysians, and the country’s top leaders are also finding the reasoning behind the home minister’s action. People also began speculating on different reasonings. The report that was given to PDRM and the contents that the home minister mentioned are contradicting, therefore more government bodies demand a clearer explanation.
Final Thoughts
A US judge dismissed the evidence against Paul Phua’s alleged illegal betting ring due to the FBI’s disregard for his constitutional rights. Specifically, the FBI collected this evidence without obtaining a proper warrant; they disconnected Paul Phua’s internet and posed as maintenance personnel to gain access to his hotel suite. Consequently, the US court judge issued an order for the return of Paul Phua’s passport and his private jet, which had been seized by the US government.