Sihanoukville: New Destination for Poker Grinders in Southeast Asia

Live poker tournaments in the Kingdom of Cambodia date all the way back to 2012 when the Asian Poker Tour visited for the first time. Since then, things have been somewhat quiet until the World Poker Tour paved the way in 2017. Last year, a total of seven poker festivals took place with three of them held in the capital of Phnom Penh, while another four emerged in the up and coming coastal destination of Sihanoukville.

Sihanoukville Poker Events In 2024

The year 2024 kicked off with the Huione Cup, which took place at the Sihanouk Blue Bay Casino, guaranteeing a total of US$ 1 Million in prize pools. What followed was a new home-grown series which debuted in May, as the Jin Bei Cup emerged in the scene. Hosted at the lavish Jinbei Palace, the tournament set a new record for a Short Deck Event in Asia outside of the Triton Poker brand with its jaw-dropping US$ 5 Million guarantee.

Soon after, another new brand debuted with the Won Poker Cup at the Won Majestic Hotel, highlighted by the US$ 500,000 Main Event guarantee. A more ambitious second edition was held in November with three events guaranteeing a combined US$1 Million. The inaugural Main Event attracted 361 entries, the US$ 5,000 High Roller reeled in 42 entries, and the US$2,300 Single Day High Roller capped off the festival with 68 entries.

These local tournaments added more competition to the international brands, as both the World Poker Tour (WPT) and the PokerStars sponsored Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) once again visited Cambodia. All three festivals took place at the NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh, which has been the home to live tournament action in the country for the last couple of years.

Cambodia Ripe For Major Poker Tournaments

While live poker in Asia has been thriving ever since pandemic days concluded, the landscape has changed throughout the last decade. In the early days, the “Las Vegas of the East” appeared as the crown jewel for all things gambling and the PokerStars Macau poker room held the distinction as the leading hub for international events in the region. Running a glorious five years from 2014-2017, the brand hosted iconic events such as the PokerStars Red Dragon Cup that guaranteed seven figures.

The highest prize pool back then was the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) with more than $3.6 million in prize money. However, just one year later the room closed and it suddenly became an open race for various competitors to claim the crown. Several contenders emerged but no city in Asia has had the extraordinary conditions, causing a temporary decline in numbers.

Cambodia is hoping to be the game-changer. During the various live festivals these past two years, it has drawn large contingents of international players. Similar to the leading casinos on Jeju Island in South Korea, where locals are restricted by law to participate in gambling activities, Sihanoukville, in particular, has seen a lot of European and American players relocate to the city. With Vietnam in close proximity, it is also slowly becoming one of its largest emerging poker markets. Additionally, Sihanoukville has the support of other Southeast Asian and Chinese players, and has great potential of becoming an international poker city.

Poker Rooms Increasing In Sihanoukville

As of right now, Sihanoukville has more than 30 poker tables throughout the city. With poker growing in popularity, it has the potential to reach 100 tables by the end of 2025. This is a significant increase compared to 2023 when there were no more than 10 poker tables available.

In addition, the XiHu Honor Poker Club, the largest poker club in Sihanoukville, opened on January 3, 2025. The poker room can accommodate nearly 100 poker tables for large scale competitions. This is unprecedented for the city and boosts the potential for major live poker festivals.

Poker Players In Sihanoukville

 As an estimation, there are more than 2,000 poker players in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, this includes poker tourists as well as expats. Most of the amateur players are local businessmen such as Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese. As a general rule of thumb, some 300-500 players can be found at the tables every day.

In Sihanoukville, the largest batch are European and American players, making up around 50%. The second batch of players are from Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. They account for approximately 40%. In particular, the proportion of Vietnamese players is constantly increasing.

Last but not least, the most important yet smallest proportion of players, at less than 10% of the overall poker population, are mostly bosses from China and South Korea. These players have plenty of money to spend at the tables for entertainment purposes. Even the lowest 1/1 stake can result in a profit of $5,000 a night. The continued expansion of this particular player group has led to the prosperity of poker in Sihanoukville. 

Low Cost Living For Poker Players In Sihanoukville

Cambodia is visa-free for most countries. While European citizens can pay US$36 to enter the country, Chinese people can now enter Cambodia rather smoothly. It only costs around US$65 to take a taxi from Phnom Penh International Airport to Sihanoukville and the journey only takes approximately two hours thanks to the new modern highway. There are many affordable hotels in Sihanoukville in case you are coming only for a short visit.

Additionally, the airport has direct flight options to many major Asian cities to give incoming poker enthusiasts more flexibility for travel arrangements. This makes the potential planning and hosting of any international poker festivals a whole lot easier.

Like many countries in Southeast Asia, the general expenses in Sihanoukville are low. The cost of living is very affordable for low to medium stakes regular poker players from abroad. It is easy to find an apartment in the city for around US$300 per month and the food options are vast wherever you look.  On top of that, most of the already established poker rooms provide complimentary meals around the clock.

Thriving Chinatown and Strengthened Security In Sihanoukville

The influx of Chinese business owners has brought prosperity to this city and created a Chinatown of sorts. More than 50 restaurants are open day and night on Sihanoukville Beach Street alone, and the lights are still on at three o’clock in the middle of the night.

But the topic that cannot be avoided in this regard is the criticized public security problem in Sihanoukville. The Cambodian police has implemented a strict inspection system in the city with robbery inspections being carried out on the roads almost every day. In recent years, there have been very few serious criminal cases. In addition, Cambodian locals are very friendly to Chinese people. This is a reflection of the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Without a doubt, live poker in the coastal city of Sihanoukville is on the rise. While cash games used to be the main option to earn your bread and butter, tournaments have become increasingly popular as well to give poker enthusiasts another option to pick from in Southeast Asia.