Bump for some new info..

Medellin and Bogota must be nice. I am going to visit later on this year. Any info on Colombia would be much appreciated.

Cannot give detailed information about Medellin but my friend did move there and he totally loves it. He says it's super super cheap and good city to live in. Also safer than people think but you won't make it far with English ... speaking Spanish is big advantage.

Costa Rica:
Hey, anyone who can give me some information on where to go (city's/casino's) for good live action in Costa Rica. Looked everywhere now, and I can't really find any advice on the matter. Any help much appreciated.

How about Santiago-Chile any1???

Wonderful place is Ceylon

Country - Peru, Lima
Firsthand Experience? - Yes, lived here for 3 months

Cost of Living - 7.5 - Lima is a really big city and it strongly depends on the part of of the city. I strongly recommend staying in one of the rich areas which are Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco. I stayed in Miraflores and it's the most touristy and at the same time most western and modern one. If you eat out in a restaurant in the center of Miraflores you will pay 10-20$ depending on where. In clubs in the center drinks are quite on the expensive side imo. Ive spent less on drinks in Prague. But also depends a lot on the place. San Isidro is the part where a lot of wealthy Peruvians live and more calm than Miraflores. Barranco is known as the district for artists with some nice bars and clubs.

However if you go to one of the less developed parts which you should strongly avoid during the night you can easily have your lunch for 2-3$. Same is probably true about drinks in these districts but I would recommend to avoid degening there for your own safety.

Recreation - 9 - A lot of things to do in Lima as it is a really big town at the sea side. One day I was on a day trip to Callao where we went out to the sea with a boat and saw penguins and had the chance to swim together with sea lions. A lot of really good restaurants (3 of the best 20 ones worldwide are in Lima), chances to go surfing, etc. .. you won't get bored in Lima.

Drugs are cheap af here. Weed for 1-2$, coke for 4-5$, lol. But especially for coke you will need to know the right people to get the really good stuff. But for this cheap price no matter what you get, you cannot really complain.

Concerning girls. When I was in Lima I really regretted that I had a girlfriend back in Europe and I am too honest to cheat on her. But when I was out in Miraflores, I even got approached a lot by local girls. If you are European looking and over 1,80m you can b*ng so many chicks here. They really just wait for you.

How Scary - 6 - I had only stayed in Miraflores and felt really safe here, even when walking during the streets at night. There is some kind of tourist police which always goes around and takes care of the foreigners. If you avoid the wrong parts nothing will happen to you. However in other parts it might be scary and there are people who would kill you for 20$. So it really depends on the district but if you're a smart and stay in the good ones, you dont need to be scared at all. Also Uber available in Lima which is a really good thing.

Poker Playing - 8 - Online worked fine and didn't need VPN. Not sure about taxes, legislations, etc.

For live there are 2 casinos in Miraflores with daily cashgame. One is located next to Marriot hotel and has friendly atmosphere with daily 0,75/1,5$ games running. Not very attractive tho, lot of nitty regs. But friendly ones, I always felt very welcome here.

The biggest one (Atlantic City) has almost every day (except for Sundays) running a 1,5/3$ game. Also some weak tight regs here but also some very passive bad players. For grinders this place is probably more interesting.

Rake is moderate in both casinos but with annoying jackpot. Drinks and food (even from a menu) is free for players. Non-smoking. Bit annoying for smokers that they always post your blinds even if you're not on the table. Games are 10max.

How Easy to Get There and Stay There? - 8 - Up to 90 days is no problem for EU citiziens. But make sure you have a return ticket once you enter Peru.

To sum up Lima is a really nice city which worths visiting. The traffic is messy and the constant and loud honking of the cars seems like the sound of this city. Its of course a bit third world but if you stay in Miraflores much less than you might expect. Without Spanish skills its a bit hard, however, because only some students or very well educated people speak English.

Anyone know about the process in Mexico about setting up a stars account or establishing residency through a lease?

Particularly in San Migeul de Allende it seems beautiful there.

Dont go to Prague/Czech republic. It used to be popular destination for many Spanish/UK/other regulars, but new law passed and poker rooms are pulling out of the market. See this article for details: http://www.pokerarena.cz/rubriky/zak...ion_12312.html

I didn't notice anything for Edinburgh. Thought I'd chip in:

Edinburgh, Scotland
First-hand experience: I live here

Cost of Living - 9 - It's the most expensive city in Scotland and numbeo.com has it listed as 12% cheaper than London. So yeah, it isn't like Switzerland or Scandinavia but it's still quite expensive.

Recreation - 10 - It doesn't matter what you're into. Edinburgh has just about everything in spades. History? You bet. Architecture? Yup. Night clubs and pubs are everywhere. The Fringe Festival goes on throughout all of August where there are some fantastic performances ranging from cabaret to stand-up comedy (I have a ticket to see Frankie Boyle). The Edinburgh International Film Festival ended about a week or two ago. My nerdy edge is hit perfectly by the multiple board game clubs meetings. Nice to follow that up with a couple of pints at a pub with live music on a daily basis with no cover. Mountains and beaches aren't too far if you dig the outdoors either.

As for girls, you'll find loose girls wherever you go but British girls aren't particularly attractive to me in general when compared to other nationalities. Not saying they're ugly by any means but my interaction with girls has been with expats who have settled here full-time rather than local girls.

How Scary? (1 = least scary) - 1 - I have absolutely no fear of property or violent crimes committed against me regardless of where I am in the city. To be fair, I don't get hammered on a regular basis and wander around drunk at 4 AM. So, I'm rarely in situations where I have to even think about being scared.

Poker - ? - There are 5 casinos within the city limits. I don't know if all 5 offer poker but even if they don't, they'll offer tons of machines and other table games. There seems to be a sports betting parlor every other block as well. So gambling doesn't appear all that taboo here.

How easy is it to get there - 9/TBD - Right now, EU/EEA/CH nationals can walk right in without a problem. A good chunk of South American citizens along with all of North America and Australia can travel visa free for 6 months. So, it's pretty easy right now. But Brexit negotiations have created a lot of uncertainty with regards to immigration, citizenship, and the economy in the future. The UK must have a package deal negotiated with the UK by March 30th, 2019 that must cover all of that plus more. Before then, enjoy.

bump for some Cartagena, Colombia and Indonesia news / taxes laws

thanks to all the posters btw, very interesting thread.

Country - Cambodia, Phnom Penh

Firsthand Experience? - Yes, stayed here for 1.5 months

Cost of Living - 8 - Not as cheap as I expected tbh. Rented a very modern flat with 2 bed/bath rooms and paid almost 1k$ for a month. Found it through Airbnb. Probably cheaper alternatives possible since I booked quite late but it doesn't seem that you get a baller flat for 2-300$ a month.

Restaurants/clubs in the center also have Western price level. You can also have your meal for 1-3$ but not in real restaurants and less quality/choices if you go for the cheap option to one of the food places where locals go.

Groceries in supermarkets are VERY expensive. At least 25% more expensive than in Germany. The reason why is because literally everything has to be imported. The supermarkets have decent choices and European standards, but yeah, indeed very pricy. However you can also buy your groceries on street shops and have it much cheaper. So it's up to you basically.

As you can see you can easily spend 2k$+ per month and have reasonably Western standards but you can also live on low budget if you buy your stuff on the streets like locals do. By the way, transport is super cheap. I strongly recommend a taxi app such as "Passapp". You can get anywhere for 1-5$ per ride.

Recreation - 5 - Not too much stuff to do in Phnom Penh actually. That's also the reason why most tourists only stay for a few days in Phnom Penh and then travel through the country and visit different places.

This definitely does not mean that Phnom Penh is boring but the options are somewhat limited. Havent checked out nightlife enough to make a proper judgement but from what I've heard it's decent and especially as a Western looking guy you will have an easy time hooking up with chicks.

There are also really good restaurants/bars in the center where you can spend a good time.

But sea/beach you won't have in PP. Elsewhere in Cambodia you can do nice stuff however. There are some islands such as Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloen with amazing beaches or for example you can visit Siem Reap with its historic temples. Siem Reap is btw the 2nd or 3rd biggest city and more wealthy than Phnom Penh. Maybe an option to live, too.

How Scary - 7 - I felt that Phnom Penh is a super friendly city and I never felt any scared here. However street smarts are of course helpful and just don't behave dumb. But you can just travel around by Taxi app and maybe avoid the very bad areas and I really can not imagine that something bad will happen to you. And the locals do all seem so friendly and warm-hearted, I really cannot believe they could hurt anyone :-)

Well, but maybe I was just lucky however from my impression Phnom Penh is a safe place to be.

Poker Playing - 9 - Not sure about legislation/taxes situation, etc. Also haven't tried playing online so I can not provide information about that... can share with you some information about the live poker scene however. There are two "official" places to play in Phnom Penh. One is the poker club Riverking which starts its cashgames at 12 in the noon and then there's the massive entertainment complex Naga World who usually start their cashgames at 7 in the evening.

Riverking runs NLHE 1/3$ and PLO games, too. I only played the NLHE and the game wasn't the best, some lack of fish and many regs. Rake is 10% with 5$ cap I think but I am not sure. Atmosphere is however very chilled and nice here. Competent staff, among others a very friendly American manager ... also free drinks/cigarettes and you can even order for free food from a menu. I always enjoyed being here and it's especially good for people who like to grind during the day.

Naga World runs only NLHE and most of the time just 1/2$. Minimum buyin is 200$ so it usually plays bigger than a regular 1/2 game. Once in a while if there are enough players they also start 2/5$ but not more than once or maybe twice a week. Rake is I think 5% with 20$ cap but again, I'm not sure if I remember this correctly. Drinks are free but you have to pay for food & cigs. However they offer a nice rakeback/comp system that you get a 10$ voucher for 2 hours of consecutive playing, 20$ for 6 and 30$ for 10 hours. You can use these vouchers anywhere in Naga World. Naga World is by the way one of the most impressive buildings I've ever visited. It's like a city in the city with at least 10 great restaurants, dozens of shops, etc. Concerning the stuff: The dealers are clearly less competent than the ones in Riverking but the poker manager Chris is doing a great job so it's not a big factor.

In terms of live poker Phnom Penh is a good place but all in all just too many regs and too small games, imo. You can certainly make your 10-20$ hourly but more isn't realistic at these games I think.

How Easy to Get There and Stay There? - 8 - You can stay 30 days without visa I think. If you stay longer you can extend it and pay something for that but it's not too expensive. Don't know more details because my hotel managed that for me but if you are interested in that the Cambodia thread here on the travel forum can help you for sure.

anyone looking for a roommate or know of an area i can move to play poker online. Im from texas and looking for poker friends in another country. I would like to try mexico or canada but im open to other things.

Since the regulation how it is for poker player there?

Any live grinders willing to give a detailed report of Poker life in the Philippines?

Thinking of doing dominican republic for 6 months, any expats living and playing poker there?
Been going to SE asian for long stints but I'm looking for a new flavor of women.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

any poker players in DUBAI ???

Not sure if it has been mentioned before, so here goes:

Country - Croatia
City - Zagreb (capital)
Firsthand Experience? - Yes, born and raised

Cost of Living - 7/8 - A Central/South/Eastern European country (nobody knows for sure), part of EU, but prices are still moderately low.

Average salary around 600/700 EUR. Food is slightly more expensive than you'd expect at first, and the rent prices are rising in the past year or two (averaging around 400 EUR for a small apartment). Still, more than doable with a solid income of 1000 EUR or more. Pays off to cook and eat at home instead of eating out most of the time, though restaurants aren't that expensive either.

Recreation - 9 - After all, Croatia is known for its beautiful coasts and beaches. You won't see it in Zagreb, though, but travel to the seaside is always an option.

As for Zagreb, it's a clean, compact city, offering lots of recreational activities - several decorated lakes, movies, theatres, casinos... Nice historical architecture with several nice cultural monuments and pieces, worth to check out.

How Scary - 2 - Crime is really low, except if you're a part of the government, then crime is your occupation. Streets are really safe though, even after nightfall. Far eastern parts of the city are said to be slightly more dangerous than the rest, but nothing out of the ordinary. If you really wanna pick a fight for some reason, scream that Serbia should have won the war. Expect the unexpected.

Poker Playing - 6? - I know lots of people who gamble. Not many of them are successful. However, there are lots of automated and real casinos. The only problem is that recently the government announced that they will tax (or even ban? Not sure) some websites such as bet365, as they "lose a lot of money there". Not sure if it affects poker services as well, though.

How Easy to Get There and Stay There? - 8 - If you come from the EU, the hassle will be minimal. Otherwise, it will also be minimal. It's Croatia, not the United States. I can't imagine getting a visa would be so difficult.

Country -Singapore
Firsthand Experience - I'm a Citizen
Currency USD1 = SGD 1.35
Population 5.5millions (65% Chinese, 15% Malay, 8% Indian, Others)
Default Language English

Cost of Living - 1/10- Ranked #1 Most Expensive city in the world by Forbes for 5 consecutive years. To rent a Condo in city area with 3 bedrooms is about SGD4000-SGD6000, depending on the facilities and location. Studio apartment cost around 1500-2000. There's Free Wifi everywhere but don't expect good connection, it's free. Food and Transport are the only 2 things that are cheap in Singapore. You get a decent lunch box for as low as $2.50 and to travel with public transport is so easy and accessible and really cheap. It cost like $2.80 to take the MRT from the very western side of Singapore to the Changi Airport(extreme East side) which took about 1.5 hours ride. You can buy an Apple for like $0.30 in the wet market/ Fruit stall while the very same Apple might cost you $4 in Cold Storage(Supermarket who claim they are the freshest.....).

Recreation - 9/10 - If you plan to holiday here, don't come on a short trip. I'm 100% sure you'll regret for not planning anything between 12-16 days. Even though we are a small country(Country name-Singapore, State name-Singapore, City name-Singapore), it's like you can't cover all the tourist attraction in less than 2 weeks. My Ex-wife, she's from Mainland China living here for slightly over 5 years, yet she have not been through everything.
NOTE: We are near the equator and a very tropical humidity. It can reach 95% every now and then. Temperature between 28-35 Celsius in the day and -5 of it in the night. Hot season between March - August. Nov- Jan rain the most.
We have a very different 4 seasons, we called it as
Hot(your winter), Very Hot(your Autumn), Super Hot(your Spring) and F..king Hot(your Summer).

Nightlife 2/10- It cost between $15-$25 for a shot of Whiskey, a bottle would prolly cost about $300-$400. $30-$50 per pitcher of beer.
Very restricted and limited and costly. Bars and Clubs close after 1am. Weekends 3-4am only with special permitted licence.

Boobies and Booties
Unlike 3rd world Asia countries, Singaporean ladies are mostly rich, capable and independent. They have this mentality that they can live without man...WTF...lol
And if you managed to hooked onto one, GOD BLESS YOU! You will find out soon that you are playing your Hooks vs her Rockets.

How Scary - 10/10 - Crime rate is like the Police will put up a Hugh Notice signboard on your void-deck to warn that someone had their bicycle stolen yesterday.
You don't even need to close, let alone lock your front door at any point of time.
You can leave your unlock Ferrari or any supercar unattended and come back a few hours later.
You can leave behind your handbag with like $5000 in a taxi or any restaurant and still get it back with everything intact.
NOTE: The police always say this 'Low crime doesn't mean no crime'.
Just don't make yourself prone to become the next f..king imbecile victim because you asked for it.

Poker Playing - 1/10 - Only 1 venue to get legal poker that is Resort World Casino located on Sentosa Island. 5-10 game to 10-20 usually. Six - seven tables. Rake 5% capped at $200.
Online is really really really a goner. Only manage to get GGpoker and ACR yet to deposit and withdraw is another bigger headache.
No transaction in/out from banks. Most Ewallet forbid transaction too.
ACR can deposit thru BTC, withdraw to BTC
GGpoker can deposit thru Astropay, withdraw to Skrill

There's a quarterly tourney(SPC) on a cruise ship. Check this link: http://www.pokerkaki.com/


How Easy to Get There and Stay There - ???/10 -
This depend on your purpose of visit. For tourist other than China and India, You don't need any visa, you get a 30 days visa free on arrival. You get to extend a further 59 days upon request when you visit the ICA(immigration department) to get your passport stamp. It's still free! Best thing is, when you request again with valid reason and proof of business here, you get another 90 days(that is if you are legit on business).
For Chinese and Indian, you need to apply Visa before arrival. They will usually issue you a 180 days valid visa(that's not your duration permitted to stay, it's the dateline you are permitted to enter the country).
If you marry a local, you can apply for Long term Stay. They will grant you a 1 year multiple entrance which you will have to renew every year if you plan to stay longer. On the 4th year onward, instead of 1 year they will allow 3 years which make things easier.
You can apply for Permanent Residency on the forth year onward(it's like climbing the mount Everest)

For poker player
Forget about coming here to grind, this is like USA. Everybody thinking of relocating somewhere else(including me).

To base but not to play in Singapore
I'm not joking. Unless you have 7 digit cash in your bank account, and that still make you feel very small and poor here.

I agree with DSQ2 (post #482): I love everything you said. Your choice is my ideal place

let me know man im looking too

Hi, Im a pro MTT player, currently living in Prague, looking to move to somewhere else due to lack of online action (most of sites are restricted, and there are some silly limitations)

Is Austria is Tax free for poker player? (I heard some info for both sides) in case its not, does anyone know how much the taxes are?

and about Cyprus, does anyone know what are the conditions there for poker players?

Thanks

Los Angeles live grinder looking to expatriate. I could begin my online poker venture in new location, and I also have a part time remote job to support me as things pick up. Strong internet connection required. Any players out there needing a roomie?

hey! looking for people to set up a grindhouse in mexico playa del carmen from mid january for 6 months. pm me if interested

I am thinking of moving to Montenegro - anyone there currently? Very cheap and nice landscapes - should be a good poker base as well