Poker in Nagaworld

The country's capital is safer than one might imagine and is comparable to living in Ho Chi Minh City.  The city thrives on a dual-currency system where both the USD and Cambodian Riels (KHR) are accepted. Getting around will be the least of your concern as there are Tuk-Tuks available at any point in time. To avoid getting into pricing scams, I will recommend downloading Grab (Similar to Uber) and book directly from it. 

Food in Phnom Penh is great and they have restaurants that serve cuisines from across the world - You will be spoilt for choices!

The people of Cambodia are one of the most respectful and polite group of people I have ever met in my life although there are some "bad-reps", you should always still exercise some form of caution when travelling abroad.

Accommodation

1. Long Term Stay in Nagaworld 2 -  Get in touch with their sales team to make a reservation. It cost roughly $50 a night and includes breakfast. For enquiries you can drop them an email at hotelreservation@nagaworld.com.
2. Airbnb apartments - There are plenty of apartments near Nagaworld and are within walking distance - The Bridge and The Peak are some worth mentioning.
3. Promotional Stay in Nagaworld 2 - At the time of writing, the poker room runs a promotion where you can redeem a free night stay for every 6 hours of game time on the cash game tables. For more information you can visit https://pokerrooms.crd.co/.

As much as the city has to boast, the state of the poker room is paramount to a full-time poker player. As such we will be ranking them based on our top 5 most crucial factors that will make or break your trip!

Volume
Nagaworld's Poker Room has a maximum capacity of 10 poker tables with about 8 tables running on average across different stakes.

On an usual night, there will be around 4 $1/$3 tables running, 2 $2/$5 tables and 1 $5/$10 table. Occasionally they will also be running the $10/$25 depending on the crowd. 

Level of Play 

$1/$3

Players at the $1/$3 level are not well studied but have a basic understanding of the game. Most of them are recreational players or not so competent regulars. The average stack sizes are around $300. The overall dynamics of the game are considered to be tight and passive.

The minimum buy-in for a $1/$3 game in Nagaworld is $100 (~35BB) while the maximum buy-in is $500 (~160BB). 

$2/$5

Players at the $2/$5 level on average have done some studying but most of them still has obvious leaks. There are still a fair number of recreational players around in the evening but during the day it might just be a regular fest. The average stack sizes are around $1000 (200BB). The overall dynamics of the game can be considered on the tighter end and the games usually runs after 2pm. 

The minimum buy-in for a $2/$5 game in Nagaworld is $300 (60BB) while the maximum buy-in is $1500 (~300BB).

$5/$10+

Players on the $5/$10 level on average are for-profit players and most of them are considered well-studied. The number of recreational players during my time there was minimal, each night we could be waiting for that 1 whale to join us while grinding out each hand. The average stack sizes are around $2000 (200BB). The overall dynamics of the game can be considered tight and aggressive and it is important to note that the games usually runs after 7pm.

The minimum buy-in for a $5/$10 game in Nagaworld is $1000 (100BB) and uncapped.

Rake

$1/$3: 5% capped at 5BB
$2/$5: 5% capped at 4BB
$5/$10: 5% capped at 2.5BB

Nagaworld also practice a No-Flop-No-Drop policy - If someone takes down preflop, no rake will be taken.

However, one thing to note is that the poker room allows you to run it twice but charges you an additional flat fee of $5 from the pot across all stakes.

Services

The F&B service in the poker room is efficient and convenient and they have a team of service crew to cater to your needs at all times. 

Benefits
Nagaworld runs a lucrative complimentary (comps) program where players are awarded food and service vouchers for each hour spent on the table. You could use them almost anywhere within the casino compound. 

$1/$3: $1 per hour
$2/$5: $1.50 per hour
$5/$10: $2.50 per hour

Most beverages are free while $5/$10+ players will get to enjoy an additional variety of complimentary beverages from the special menu (Latte, Cappuccino, etc.) 

Additional Information 

• Nagaworld's poker room partners with PokerAtlas which makes the waiting list system efficient and convenient. You can pre-list your name on the app and turn up once you are ready to grind within an hour. 

OUR VERDICT
Volume: ★★★☆☆ (You can get games within 15 minutes, not too shabby!)
Skill Level: ★★☆☆☆ (Not the most action-filled poker room, could be a fold-fest at times..)
Rake: ★★★☆☆ (Still alright compared to other poker rooms in the region!)
Service: ★★★★☆ (Love it, absolutely no complains!)
Benefits: ★★★★☆ (Great! Something to look forward to after punting off the session!)

Overall: 3/5

At ThePokerExpat, we have rated Nagaworld 3 out of 5. We feel that as amazing as the city and the people are, it might not the best place for grinders to make a good living unless they have a huge skill edge.

Disclaimer: Our opinions are based on experiences during our stay and our competency in the game. This is also not a paid article. Good luck at the tables!