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.