Poker in Phnom Penh - All You Need To Know

WPT just announced the WPT Cambodia (Nov 16-25) and recently the poker crowd has grown significantly here in Phnom Penh I thought I would write a "all you need to know / don't get scammed" post for those of you considering coming here.

First of all Cambodia is really a beautiful country. The people are surprisingly different from their Vietnamese neighbors. If you have the time, plan a 2-3 day trip to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat and the other temples/palaces. But avoid Sihanoukville like the plague.

Beautiful night view of Phnom Penh

The currency is the Cambodian Riel (4000 Riel to 1 USD) but USD is accepted and preferred everywhere so bring dollars and also prepare small change. All cash games and tournament buy ins will be in US dollars and you can really live without any local currency here. However they do not use coins, so whenever they make change that's less than a dollar it will be in Riel. I usually keep them for tips or for the tuk-tuk drivers.

Nagaworld is the only casino here in Phnom Penh and has a decent poker room. Right now it is usually 6 tables and runs USD 1/3 up to sometimes 10/20 games. But I would suspect come WPT time they will have many more tables and plenty of action. It's a great place as it's in the casino and occasionally you get the curious cat that wants to try poker for the first time. Most drinks are free including beer and orange juice.

There are a few private poker clubs in town that are worth checking out. But some of them are by invitation only. So if you are interested in joining those, you can send me an email at happyriverpoker@gmail.com (if you're travelling in a group and would like my services as a guide, we might be able to arrange something.)

One of the private games

When you first reach the airport, you will need to take a taxi or tuk-tuk to town. At all times it is wisest to use a booking app like Grab, or PassApp to get the cheapest, safest and most direct routes to your intended destination. However when you first arrive, the airport layout is new to you, you might not set the correct pick up spot, you might not have a SIM Card yet, blah blah. It might just be easier to take the airport taxi/tuk-tuk at a higher price to save you the hassle. But when you're in town, be sure to use the apps because tuk-tuk drivers will charge you way more if you haggle. Don't forget, the average salary is about USD 150 per month, so 1 or 2 dollars more means a lot to them, even if it is small change to you. Don't mess up the market for the rest of us.

There are a few SIM card vendors at the airport. Usually around USD 5 for 5 days or something like that. If you can wait a while, you can get USD 8 for 1 month in town. That being said, you need to find a way to get to the mall without mobile data and you need to bring your passport to get that SIM. So if you don't mind it, the airport SIM card is not the worst.

Be careful when and where you are using your phone. There has been stories of people snatching your phone while you are on a tuk-tuk. These motorbike drive-bys will snatch them in mid traffic and you have no way of chasing them down in your small tuk-tuk. So keep your valuables safe even in the comfort of your tuk-tuk. Don't flash around your new Huawei or iPhone by the street and never flash your money in or when leaving the casino. You're just asking for trouble. Imagine if they are making $150 a month, how much would $2000 mean to them. I always carry some small change in my pocket for tuk-tuks or buying stuff. My big notes are kept safely elsewhere.

Like my post about scams in Vietnam (https://happyriverpoker.blogspot.com/2019/04/dont-get-scammed-in-vietnam.html) same thing applies when it comes to getting massages. Don't be the dumb tourist that got the world's most expensive massage.

Food is pretty good in Phnom Penh, but it's not local food. You can get almost any international cuisine here except their own. My favourite restaurants here are so far are Mexican and French. Typically Khmer food is quite similar to Thai and not very unique. Overall food will cost you about USD 5-10 per meal.

Overall I think it is one of the cities you definitely should check out. It's not as scary or archaic as you think. It has grown and changed a lot in the last few years. It has a sad history that is good to understand about and acknowledge as many are still affected by it. The people are generally friendly and nice and deserving of our help if we can afford it.

Happiest losing hand I ever had

Have you ever felt happy losing a hand? I was so happy how this hand went down. I was playing 5/10 and preflop I had AK utg. I opened to 30, big boss called, fish called on the button, blinds folded.

Flop was Qd Jd 5c. I had the Kd but I knew these two were sticky so I just checked. Boss checks, fish bets 75. I called boss called. Turn was the T! Jackpot! For deception I checked, turn should not be a scare card so I assumed the fish would bet. But to my surprise and dismay both checked. River came another 5 but no flush. I thought I would check as the boss always stabs at a checked pot. Indeed he did, he bet 50. But here's the kicker of the story. Fish puts out a 500 chip but didn't say raise. Dealer ruled it as a call. In my mind I was like, darn it. Make it a raise man! But when dealer said it's just a call fish agreed and thought the action was over and flips over T5o for a full house! Had he bet on turn, he would have called my check raise for sure. Or if I led turn or led river, or if he didn't flip it over and I raised behind..... I only lost 105 on this pot where I could have lost my entire stack. Maybe this is some good karma rubbing off.

Nice sunrise seen from inside the poker room

Anyway these last few days has been really interesting. Was up 1500 on 5/10 but saw my entire stack disappear when I jammed J5 on an A55 flop against 53 and how did I know boss limped AA on the sb in a 6-way pot. Haha got trapped good that hand.

Played the highest stakes I have ever played so far, 10/20, another 6-way limped pot. Flop Q92hh sb leads I raise with Q9 and he jams 2k on me. Of course I call and he shows QQ. Another sb limp multiway by a different person! It was a very interesting 10/20 game. On one stretch there was a guy who would open 500 every hand and get 2 callers. I didn't win but it was fun to watch.

10/20 game

For those who are following, I did not spend my entire donation budget on the last orphanage. I still have quite a bit to give. I would consider giving it to an internationally backed orphanage or random strangers in need. On my way to the casino everyday I would walk by this old lady who sleeps on the sidewalk. I don't want to directly give her money but last night I took a couple bottles of water from the casino and dropped it next to her while she slept. Next time I'll bring her some food. Doing charity does not always mean giving money. Sometimes it just takes effort to care, to extend a helping hand, to be friendly and kind, to smile, make someone's day. I believe good things happen to good people. But even if they don't, it makes you feel good inside.

Phnom Penh Orphanage

As part of my pledge for June's profits (even though I think I am still having a negative year), I wanted to do something for the locals here. I found an orphanage that houses 30 kids and I thought it would be nice to show up bringing them some food and snacks. 

Oh yes you saw right, I bought 32 toothbrushes

Off to the supermarket and bought fruit, biscuits, chocolates and cookies for the kids to snack on, hand wash, 32x toothbrushes with toothpaste, vitamin C, malt drinks, 60 eggs...... I was pretty excited to go there. I even thought that I could play with the kids, maybe even teach them Chinese or English, or a song. It was pouring hard and it was wet in the little tuk tuk but braving the elements, we headed to the orphanage. It was about 25 minutes away in the rain-caused traffic.

Longest receipt of my life

On the website it says we could play with the kids, they love the company. I was imagining seeing kids run around and jump for joy when they saw the goodies we brought. I would assume they don't get snacks and chocolate that often. Was contemplating buying instant noodles for them but I thought better not spoil them.

NACOPCA official website

When we got there it was raining cats and dogs, and the place was pretty secluded in a small alley. There was a banner overhead with their name and logo but the place looked so dodgy. No kids, only a few barking dogs and an old man in a sarong. I didn't feel good about it. I just dropped the stuff and left. I should have taken a photo but it was raining so heavily I didn't want to get my phone wet.

Go Tuk Tuk

I've read somewhere not to donate to any orphanage. Now I guess I know what that means. There was another one run by a UK based charity. I think that one would have been more legit. Problem was it was 20km away and I thought a local orphanage with no international funding would be more needy. Anyway, I hope the stuff got put to good use anyway. If they were a scam, good luck using 32 toothbrushes with toothpaste. 

What Happened in June

I played 24 sessions of live cash games in June. Overall I did okay. Close to the end of the month I was doing well. Then came this two fateful sessions where I dropped close to 50% of my June profits. It hurt more by the way I lost and who I lost it to. The player was obviously a fish but he was just feeling lucky, calling down every single pot he was in.

As much as I hate 99, it's not going to lose this time, right?

Yes I was 95% favourite on the flop. It came Qd, Jd for the turn and river. Oh by the way, remember how I hate 99? A few days before this I had 99 on a J669T board where villain had JJ. The next day I had this hand below. River 5.

Not 95% favourite but 84% is still pretty darn high

Taking bad beats is part of life. But to have 2 days in a row running like this was so devastating. I guess at least it wasn't on the bubble of a big tournament. Just a bit of spoiler for July, I had a monster session and won it back. This time my sets and two pairs held and I was playing a higher stake. Thank God redemption tasted sweet and reassuring.

Starting to get into the rhythm of this city, had some time to go out and explore. Nothing much really but the food scene is decent. Found this gem of a burger place in town. Food is one of the comforts that makes me happy.

Self taken photo. Not bad right?

I started grinding cash games full time end of May so after about 1.5 months I can see it being something long term. I have tweaked my game a bit in this 6 weeks, set myself some rules to help me control my bankroll better. Overall I had a profiting month in June so as pledged I am giving 10% to charity. I wanted to donate a bunch of stuff to a local orphanage but the supermarket person did not cooperate with the delivery instructions. I will update you guys later with another post. Because I believe it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Left stack - bankroll, right stack - donation money for June