As I'm spending the night in, this might not be my last post of the night. I haven't posted too many pictures of the game itself as using a camera in the room is kind of dicey. But I've managed to take a few here and there. From yesterday the "whale" that Yazzx spoke of in his thread pushed all in on the flop with bottom pair 3's. Turn 3, river 3, ship. I'm fairly certain that he didn't need the river card. The pot was about $600.



From last week these two hands got it all in on the flop but somehow survived an $80 preflop three bet. They ran the turn and river twice and the 92 held both times. BTW I folded 88 preflop to the three bet and someone else folded 99. I'm pretty sure the pot was upwards of $1k.



The whale has been driving the action as of late as he plays nearly every hand and does so for a raise. Yazzx and I got into an interesting debate tonight about whether or not he and some of the other players have been calling the whale down too lightly. But he went out drinking tonight and the last time he went out with us he didn't come in the next day. Tomorrow's game might actually be somewhat "normal" in his absence.


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Any chance "the whale" and dealer are friends? Deck could be stacked... just saying, seen that a lot in home game

When you play every hand crazy things are bound to happen.


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hi _triad. you are the reason I finally got an account on 2+2. have read for many years but I like this thread a lot. I have gone back about 50 pages but I was hoping to get an idea about a few things regarding you playing down in cambodia if you don't mind:

1. how much $ did you have when you moved down there. how much would you recommend.
2. based on that, what is your overall goal in terms of EOY or 6 months from now?
3. have you ever played in any wsop events? do you dream of trying to win a bracelet? if not, what about other people you play with?
4. is cambodia like triple-a baseball? Are people hustling and grinding with the hopes of moving to different location (malta/maccau?)
5. finally, what's the most someone you know has won live down there in Cambodia? Anyone you know taking first in a big tournament? How quick does that money go? Do people buy houses or cars and stuff?

ummm thanks if you can answer any of that....

1. I can't answer this question because I'm in a third world country and I try not to announce what I have for safety reasons. I will say that I now have less than what I came with. The two main reasons for this are the girlfriend I had for about eight months and my stint in Sihanoukville.

2. My monthly goal is always at least to make 1.5x my monthly nut. I try not to put too much stock in whether or not I hit it due to variance, especially when playing a swingy game like I am now.

3. I lived in Vegas for six years and still have many friends there. Having said that I've played in only one WSOP event, a $1,500 PLO event back in the day. And believe it or not I satellited into the event through the Excalibur during a promotion when they had those awful electronic tables. I busted out fairly quickly. I generally do not consider myself a tournament player so I do not play many events. At this point in my poker career a bracelet is not that important to me nor does it get talked about much in Cambodia.

4. For the locals who learned to play here it's more like single A as it's their first stop. Some have moved in to play in Macau through a combination of their wealth and skill. For expats I would say it's more like double AA. It's not their first stop but they're not close to the show either. I would say for many it's their last shot.

5. In a single hand the most I've seen an individual win was $32k. But that was in the old PLO game at the Riverking. In fact the biggest winners I have known here are PLO players or eventually become one since it's the biggest game in town. I don't know what people have won here on a monthly or yearly basis because we just don't share that kind of information with each other. I can say that I have a friend who came here with a certain amount, played poker, bought a business, has a wife and moved up in stakes. He's not the only one so it is certainly possible. For holdem players you're not going to find those who have struck it rich. The most successful ones are those who have been able to stay here for a while and afford themselves a life they could not have had back home. Some I know have been able to cash significantly in APT events in the region and use that to boost their bankroll and play bigger or just generally improve their lifestyle. Ownership of any property and or businesses is tricky for expats. I've seen poker players get involved in business ventures but with mixed results. Those who do well here business wise already had money. The economy down here is sort of set up in a way that makes it difficult for others to move up in this sense.

I hope that answers your questions. I apologize that I have to be vague in certain instances. It goes against my general posting practices but sometimes it may be better to speak conservatively. If you need clarification on any answer feel free to post another question or send me a PM.


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I'm not Triad, but I can also help with some of the above, especially considering triad's responses (Awesome responses Triad)

1. Money is so subjective in third world countries, you cannot just put a price on how much you need or should make, as it really is personal preference or personal agenda. I always recommend people making the move to have some sort of passive income, that way they aren't heavily reliant on needing X to survive. I posted my place many pages ago of what you can get for $1.2k, Triad posted his place and SamX is always helpful posting a more luxury/local ballpark figure. That's a sample size of 3 people, with wildly different numbers, in the exact same area(s) of PP. Looking at my budget might look like I was a fish, but the place i got was 3 bdrm with private patio a pool, and opposite the presidents compound, providing me peace of mind that my wife was safe etc

going to skip 2/3

4. Having played a ton at RK/Naga/RF and now living in Macau, I can tell you that the games in PP are a lot more loose and questionable when compared to the larger (Sometimes) games in Macau. There is a lot more variance in PP, especially when you start getting reg V reg mind games (Something I'm curious to see Triad comment on in the next few weeks, Triad was the 9-2 hand 2 Regs going at each other?).
I have met up with a few PP grinders coming over to macau for APT/PS tournaments, and they echo the exact same concepts. While Macau has a steady flow of games and less variance, PP is somewhat wild west still, I miss the doctor

5. I have seen the old PLO games at the old RK (pizza shop location) go quite large, with a few players 5-8k deep and straddles, as well as seeing the Old $5-$10 Naga game getting crazy deep with baccarat money, but now days this kind of action is hit and more miss. My best in terms of BBs was a 2800+BB win at red fox, dealers choice 50c ante, crazy night which went into the next morning and ended up taking everyone to the bars.. (At one stage i was in for $600, with other having 1-2k spread)

whats up triad? love the info on poker in cambodia...moving to phnom penh in couple weeks...used to play in minneapolis and los angeles. can u give me your realtors info? and we should meet up sometime so i can pick your brain bout the city....ill be at riverking very soon also.

The hand in question was 2 regs, but I don't think anything funny was involved as the game was just playing that way on this particular day. I'm not going to lie and say such is not an issue as I imagine it would be playing in any underdeveloped country. But when they do they're actually pretty obvious about it and don't try to be covert at all. Personally the issue for me is not whether or not it happens, but how the room it happens in handles the situation. For instance at Naga I once pushed all in vs two local Khmers. The next player to act went into the tank and then said to the other in Khmer that they should both call and split the money if one of them should win it. First I should note that the other Khmer refused to entertain the idea so props to him, but this was said loudly enough that the dealer obviously heard it. But like most other incidents, neither she nor the staff did anything about it. The two shift managers at the Riverking are Khmer, but grew up in America and are familiar with how proper rooms are run. They cannot completely stop such incidents, as no one could, but they at least address it, talk to the various players and try to curb it as much as possible. No room in Cambodia will ever be run exactly like the States as that is a pipe dream. But you accept and choose the best option that is available to you.

I'll send you a PM.

It looks like you're not able to receive messages yet. But since his info is publicly listed, he goes by Mr. Chan. Once you get a Cambodian SIM you can call him at 069 444 062. Hit me up when you get in town or look for me at the Riverking. I'm usually here after 1:00 PM.

Ahh Triad, I think I didn't articulate my message correctly, I meant to express that the regs are a lot more aggressive betting wise compared to Macau (3b/4 bets with interesting holdings).

I never once experienced any high level collusion, rather there was some minor 3 bet folds, but nothing i would complain about (considering i play Ultra loose, this may be the reason) but overall Id say its much better in PP then Macau. Now the rebuy tournaments they hold, are interesting, but i think the general local strategy is to just mass buy in and chip up in the first level to have a chance at the top (some what viable with their blind structures in the past)

Should be back in PP sometime in the new year for a week, will hit you an Yaz up when im heading to RK/RF.

I would agree with your assessment in that the money for even a $1-$2-$4 or $2-$4 game doesn't mean much to some of the locals. And they love to one up each other so they'll play back at each other with very marginal holdings. If you can catch a big hand in one of these spots then you can potentially have a profitable day. Yesterday one of the local regs came in and dropped nearly $2k in less than an hour. Of course I got none of that. I would say that you are also correct about the tournaments. In the first few levels all you hear in the room is "rebuy!" Just this past week it was two tables but the prize pool was over $1k for a $25 rebuy tournament. And definitely hit us up when you're in town.


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Cashed out a profit of just under $200 yesterday. I convinced the table to play $2-$4 instead of $1-$2-$4. I just wanted to try something different and the other players didn't seem to mind. No real big hands, just a grind for a few hours where I picked up a pot here and there. After the game I left Yazzx in the poker room as he was still playing PLO. They tried to get me to play but I just don't see an edge for myself in that game. I instead went out with one of the local regs who treated a group of us out to drinks. This guy is known in all the bars so it wasn't that hard to get the VIP treatment from the girls. I think the bad weed from the other night is still in my system as I only had a couple of drinks but passed out by the time we go to the second bar. I ended up sleeping in some ladyboy's lap and when I came to she was jerking me off underneath my shorts. I admit it took me a bit to gather my wits about me, but I asked her to stop as soon as I gathered myself 20 minutes later. I didn't get to take many pictures, but I got a couple in the first bar (no ladyboys in the shot).





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Hahahahahaha, it took you twenty minutes to ask her to stop? Great TRs Triad.

Took a break from $2-$4 game after a couple of hours to eat. It's my second meal in three hours. Something about a free meal; leave it to me to gain weight in a third world country. The nuggets here are like crack. As soon as anyone orders one at least one player will descend out of nowhere to snag one. Up $200 so far in a pretty good game. I'll jump back in as soon as a favorable seat opens up. Right now the only seat available is to the right of the table whale.




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Got back into the game and my $200 profit turned into a -$116 loss. I'm not too upset as I played well. I just ran into a couple of bad spots and one local fish got hit upside the head with the deck. Now I'm just waiting for some friends as we're heading back out to the riverside. Maybe I'll pull a girl today.


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good looking. just waiting on my renewed passport. ill introduce myself to u at riverking when im in town. thks again.

Damn triad you need to introduce me to her, I'm definitely in love.

Good ladyboy story, we appreciate your honesty. So many got trap by ladyboy but so few are saying it.

Traid is making the thread

Hows the the local beef/steaks in cambo? it was generally pretty terrible in thailand.

Steak and French cuisine are really good in Cambodia

Great piece of news

Sounds good. Let me know if you need any further assistance.


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We'll definitely hit up some spots the next time you're in town.

If you live in SEA long enough, you're going to grope or get groped by a ladyboy or two.


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I don't really have too much experience with French cuisine here, but the quality of the beef has vastly improved even in the 2+ years that I've lived here. This is especially the case for those places that get Australian beef and also Japanese steak houses. Khmer beef is hit and miss but there are places that cook and serve those well too.


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Played about 5 hours yesterday and finished about even. I wasn't too disappointed as I had played terribly the first couple of hours and was just happy to make a comeback after being down 100 BB. The game has been $2-$4 the last few days. It's kept the game big but I much prefer a two blind game. A group of us had gone out practically every night this week so only two guys went out to Pontoon while the rest of us hung out at Riverking. We ordered some meals and drinks and just hung out for what must have been four hours. Yazzx had a big day but that didn't stop him from taking advantage of his free meals and drinks. Yesterday was a new record though as he ordered four meals and three whiskeys. I know he tips for the meals and he did so for one drink, but still $5 for all that wasn't bad. We've both been able to reduce our daily costs to virtually zero since we spend so much of our day there. Speaking of Yazzx, I'm trying to convince him on the merits about starting a podcast about our lives here in Cambodia and the general poker scene. He thinks it would be good and funny, but has never done anything like that and isn't sure how good he would be at it. I haven't either but am trying to convince him that we pretty much do it anyway and would just be transferring our medium from the written word to audio/video.




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