Poker Club Ho Chi Minh City

The Pro Poker Club is one of the many casinos in Ho Chi Minh City casinos. It has – of slot, video poker, and multi-game machines, 14 table games. From reel slots to the newest video slot releases the game floor is always up to date. Ho Chi Minh City Poker Room Information Ho Chi Minh City has a total of 0 poker tables spread across 1 poker rooms. You can play a number of poker games, including NL Texas Hold'em, Sit-n-go, Tournaments.

View ScheduleThe first stop of the new season is WPT Vietnam taking place from September 3 to 11 at Pro Poker Club in Ho Chi Minh City.
The event comes with a very ambitious VND 15,000,000,000 (~US$ 641,000) guarantee. The Main Event will be quite special. It features a structure that is usually reserved for the main tour. Buy-in is VND 55,000,000 (~US$ 2,400), the largest buy-in of the WPT Asia Pacific season. The Main Event runs from September 6 to 11.

The WPT Asia Swing gives poker players of all levels the opportunity to compete on the World Poker Tour stage in three consecutive Asia-Pacific poker events in the incredible cities of Tokyo, Seoul, and Ho Chi Minh. The WPT Asia Swing started in mid-September and lasts 20 days.

I have been fortunate enough to have visited all three cities, and I cannot tell you how excited I am for the trio of World Poker Tour that will be taking place. As I understand many players will be new to these regions, I’m here to provide a few tips for those looking to play all or some of the WPT Asia Swing. For this blog, I’ll tackle WPT Vietnam, the final stop in the WPT Asia Swing, taking place September 26-October 4.

Vietnam Has a Thriving Poker Community

WPT Vietnam takes place September 28-October 2 at Pro Poker Club in Ho Chi Minh. Poker is thriving in Vietnam, and the Pro Poker Club in Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) leads the way with some seriously big numbers for poker tournaments this year.

The World Poker Tour is making its first-ever trip to the venue for the WPT Vietnam series that starts September 26. The poker tournament festival lasts nine days and includes a solid variety for tournament poker. Headlining the schedule is the VND 8 billion guarantee (approx. $350,000) WPT Vietnam Main Event, with a buy-in of VND 22 million (approx. $950). I will be shocked if the field does not eclipse 500 entries. As I said, poker is thriving in Vietnam and it’s only going to grow from here.

WPT Vietnam side events start at around $100 and highlights outside of the Main Event are the VND 44 million (approx. $1,900) High Roller, the three-day VND 11 million (approx. $475) Pro Poker Club SuperStack Classic, and the WPT Vietnam Ladies Championship with a buy-in of VND 5.5 million (approx. $238).

To get a feel of the poker in Vietnam, check out the leading Asian poker portal www.somuchpoker.com, co-founded by our Vietnam licensee Denis Pham and Loic Miller. Somuchpoker will be following all the action at WPT Vietnam.

Vietnam Travel Tips: Currency

The currency used in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (VND). The conversion rate for US dollars is that $1 equals approximately VND 23,300.

Be careful not to get currency notes mixed up, too. It’s all paper currency, comprising of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000, and 500,000 notes, so it can get tricky. Familiarize yourself with the currency when you first receive it and don’t be shy to double check the notes before paying for something. The US dollar is the best foreign currency to bring to Vietnam, with rates at the virtual market rate changing at banks. Pro Poker Club has very competitive exchange rates for the US dollar.

Vietnam Travel Tips: Transportation and Traffic

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh is blessed with a multitude of direct flights globally, including from Seoul Incheon Airport if you happen to be playing WPT Korea that takes place before WPT Vietnam.

There is no Uber, unfortunately, but download the Grab app as a cheaper option to taxis. Grab cars are not plentiful, however, so at times you will need to wait. Taxis are in abundance throughout the city, but as many drivers speak little English it’s ideal to carry the business card or Vietnamese name of where you are traveling to. As for arriving in Ho Chi Minh airport, I recommend arranging airport pick up via your hotel for the most efficient service. That should cost around $10. You can order a private car pick-up as you pass customs, but they don’t appear to have fixed prices. Avoid taking any cars from private people approaching you at the airport, as is always the case when traveling.

Note that nearly all the traffic is motorcycles, and while these motorcyclists travel at normal speeds, most don’t stop at red lights or pedestrian crossings and often ride on footpaths to beat the long traffic queues. Don’t worry, you will get used to them quite quickly. Here is how you cross a major road in Ho Chi Minh.

Vietnam Travel Tips: Sights to See

I first visited Ho Chi Minh two years ago and quickly immersed myself in the history around the Vietnamese struggle for independence over many decades. The War Remnants Museum is a must, as is Independence Palace and maybe even a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels and surroundings.

If you want to experience parts of Ho Chi Minh City in one day, here is my recommendation. It’s very walkable, although you can take a taxi or a Grab car if you are not so inclined to exercise. Assuming you are staying at the recommended Sila Urban Living hotel, take a morning stroll to the War Remnants Museum (pictured) first.

The museum was a total eye-opener for me, as it portrays the Vietnam War from Vietnam’s perspective. I found it fascinating to read about the history of it all and also check out various planes, tanks, and more on the grounds. You could easily spend three hours there, as there’s that much to take in.

The next stop I recommend is the close-by Independence Palace. First, take a stroll around the perimeter to get an appreciation for the property and then make sure you visit all the floors of the main palace, including the bunker area below and the rooftop.

From there, walk a few hundred meters to take in Notre Dame Square (pictured) where you can see the beautiful church and the historic Post Office Building (pictured below).

By now it will be well into the afternoon, so walk or taxi to Saigon Tower in the heart of District 1. The World of Heineken has recently opened and is part of Saigon Skytower. Going late afternoon, you will experience both the day and night lights of Ho Chi Minh. Don’t take the standard VND 200,000 (approx. $9) Skytower visit.

Instead, look to the left for the World of Heineken door (pictured) and pay VND 250,000 (approx. $11) to experience both the Skytower plus a great Heineken museum tour. Here you will be given some great history about the beer, a VR experience, some fun games, pour your own ice-cold beer, and then enjoy two more beers and nibbles as you watch the sun go down and night lights come alive. Before you leave, make sure to collect your own personalized Heineken bottle of beer. It’s a tremendous value, especially if you’re like me and enjoy a beer, or two.

Now you are on the home stretch, so take a walk up the wide walking promenade of Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street towards City Hall. You’ll probably want to take a short diversion to see the Opera House on the right and then take a picture under the large General Ho Chi Minh Statue (pictured) in front of City Hall.

Enjoy dinner at one of a huge variety of restaurants in the area or head back to Pro Poker Club for some evening poker action. Whatever you fancy, it’s hard to go wrong!

Vietnam Travel Tips: Food

Memories of the best-ever banh mi and pho soups ever tasted stay strong with me from my first visit. When I recently returned last month for a WPT-focused visit, all of the delightful smells and flavors quickly returned and I was not disappointed. The quality and prices of both Vietnamese and international cuisine will delight you, I promise.

For a special dinner close to Sila Urban Living, make sure you pre-book Chopsticks Saigon (pictured), set in a beautiful property just 250 meters away. Two courses, three beers, and a cocktail came to a very reasonable $55 for two people.

Alternatively, you can get a great pho or banh mi at many street cafes for just $2 or $3 dollars.

Pro Poker Club Location and Accommodation

Pro Poker Club has a great setup for poker, with space spread out across two floors that can easily fit up to 40 poker tables.

Pro Poker Club (pictured) is located at 147 Trương Định, P9, Q3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which is just about a 3km walk from the heart of Ho Chi Minh. The venue has ample food and beverage options in close proximity, plus its own kitchen.

If convenience to the venue is a must and you are not too fussy on accommodation, around $50 will set you up at New Pacific Hotel just a two-minute walk away. I will be staying there with a couple of my fellow staff members for the event, but do note this hotel is old school and the only persons allowed into rooms are those people with their passport noted against the room. Rooms are a little dated but sizeable and clean.

For an excellent mid-range accommodation, you should look at Sila Urban Living. It’s located just over 1km from Pro Poker Club and quite close to the War Remnants Museum. This is where WPT event staff and talent will be staying. You can choose from a studio, one-, or two-bedroom apartments starting from $80 per night and there is a great pool and large gymnasium on site, plus a variety of bars and restaurants within 100 meters.

For those that want a little luxury, the highest rated are the Intercontinental, located on the right side of District 1, and the Park Hyatt, located in the heart of District 1. You’ll be about 4km by taxi from the Pro Poker Club.

For options and competitive prices on where to stay, go to Poker Tour Bookings.

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Poker, poker, poker – I love poker! It is my favorite game to play with family, friends, and strangers. I love all sorts of games, but I have a strong passion for poker. It’s in my blood; I come from a family of card-playing action lovers. In this post, I will tell you how amazing it was to discover the new poker rooms in Vietnam and how each room differs.

To give you a sense of my knowledge on the subject, Here are a few facts:

• I was certified as a poker dealer in Las Vegas when I lived there for 14 months in the mid ‘00’s. (Though I never dealt in an actual casino)
• I’ve cashed in a World Series of Poker event. Finishing 138 out of 2,315
• I won my way to the PartyPoker.com Million Cruise where I played with the top players in the world and took out actor James Woods in the tourney – you can see me sitting next to Woods at the 1:16 mark of the World Poker Tour Episode in my then long hair, white hat, and stoic focus 😉
• I’ve gambled on 5 continents
• I might have a tattoo or two that represent my love for cards

If you would like to hear all about our times in Vietnam, check out our episode Podcast 11: Vietnam Travel (and Location We Hated during our World Tour).

Da Nang, Vietnam

Okay, so here we are in Da Nang, Vietnam enjoying the beauty of the waves and strolling the walkways along the coast when I spot a Win Poker sign. Now, poker has its different forms of translation around the world. In my world, it represents you playing against other players with a dealer, but the casinos like to call it poker when you are playing against them (the house) sometimes. That’s not poker. That’s pure gambling. Poker is a game of skill, and I like to test my skills against the other players. That is what I am looking for when I see poker signs. I had to see which version of poker it was…

The Win Poker Room in Da Nang, Vietnam is on the 15th floor of the Holiday Beach Hotel and Spa. This beautiful hotel is just steps from the ocean. The team in the lobby was very helpful in guiding us up to the floor to check it out.

As the elevator doors opened, we were greeted by a cheerful host who spoke broken English but did a great job in giving me all of the handout information that detailed the games, and she connected me to her bilingual coworker who explained it all very well. Investigating the room, I found that it was very well organized, clean, and built for growth.

It was a true poker room. The players were playing in tournaments only which I found odd. I would later find out that it was how the casino licensing works in Vietnam – cash game rooms or tournament rooms, but not both in the same room.

I played in a couple of tournaments in Da Nang making the final table both times but not cashing.

The Win Poker Room has big tournaments that they list on their Facebook Page.

Poker Club Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

Listen to why we love Vietnam in this Podcast Episode.

Nha Trang, Vietnam

A week or so later we were in Nha Trang, Vietnam – another beautiful coastal city that is a common tourist destination in the region. Similar to Da Nang with the fun nightlife, tasty food selection, and friendly hospitality but with one big difference – there was a CASH room poker game. We just happened to book our Airbnb (see the gorgeous view from our 41st floor) in the apartments that connect to the Mường Thanh Luxury Hotel where the Nha Trang Poker Room is part of the mini-casino they offer there.

You walk through a security metal detector, they check your ID, and then you are free to play the electronic roulette/ blackjack tables or slot machines. The bartenders are ready to serve you at the bar while you play. Like all of Vietnam, hospitality is very personal and eager to please.

The small poker room with one table is like walking into your buddy’s basement and rounding up your friends to play a Saturday night game. It is clean, comfortable, and organized. The dealers are extremely knowledgeable and run the game very well. I was impressed with how they handled a couple of tough situations – players taking too long to decide on bets and a drunk guy from Europe that wouldn’t shut up.

They kept the games moving fast and the action continuous. The manager in the room was excellent at making sure the players were comfortable by offering free beer, presenting food options, or getting more playing chips.

While I was there, they offered $1/2 and $2/5 No Limit Hold Em on different nights. I did hear that they had an Omaha game a few nights before. The game started around 8:00 or 9:00 pm each night but that changes in demand. They accepted US dollars and paid out in USD if you wanted as well. They took a typical rake from the hands played.

The banter at the table was mostly in Vietnamese which is expected, but it can be a tad lonely for a few hours. That said, there was a professional player there that spoke good English, and I had great conversations with him. He educated me on how the Vietnam poker rooms operated and translated for me throughout the night.

Yes, there seemed to be 4-5 players that played there often which can be a turnoff because they know each other’s playing styles but you get the same thing in any good poker room around the world. That said, the action on the night I played was pretty wild. Big hands, very often.

Tons of raising, re-raising with junk hands. It was a dream table with a few high rollers, but you have to come with pockets of money which I didn’t have. So I sat, waited, and played minimal hands but I had a blast. I even witnessed a nutty hand that ended with a royal flush!

From what I saw on the Nha Trang Poker Room Facebook Page, they continue to add in new games so check that out if you plan on visiting. I highly recommend this poker room if you vacation in this beautiful city.

UPDATE: It appears that this Poker Room is no longer. If you have any inside information on other rooms, let me know.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A week later we wrapped up our awesome month in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. From the tip of my Nha Trang professional buddy, I looked into the poker room in Ho Chi Minh because it offered good tournaments. I found that the Pro Poker Club was only about a 40-minute walk (12-minute drive) from our District 1 apartment. During the time we were there, I was lucky enough to find that they had one of their bigger multi-day events happening.

I decided I would test my luck in the Micro Million tournament with the 1.2 Million Dong buy-in. Now, this is one of the cooler things about playing in Vietnam, the potential payouts can be nine figures! With the current exchange rate being 22,675 Dong to 1 USD, it can be pretty funny to think about the massive payouts.

The Pro Poker Club is in a box looking building with frosted windows and thick red border. There is plenty of parking out front for cars and scooters. When you walk in, the bar area is immediately on the right side with bartenders and staff ready to serve. There are several couches in this room, and I believe it is a smoking area. The check-in manager was at the podium ready to get my cash for a players card.

Yes, this sucks to have to pay the fee for a membership that I only needed for a day or two, but those are the rules, and I planned on winning this tournament 😉 After getting through this process (be sure to have your passport), I entered the big poker room which looked like a Las Vegas-style room but newer and cleaner than some I have played there.

Buying into the tournament was an easy process. The cage cashiers took the payment and gave out a typical buy-in receipt. I did have to pay an extra fee that went towards Tip Coins which I thought was unfair. The coins are guaranteed food/beverage credits you pay with the coins each valued at 50,000 Dong.

You can decide to buy off of their menu or tip the dealers with the coins. The food menu was deeper than I expected and the drinks were fun and lavish. Much more expensive than typical Vietnamese food you find walking the streets but outstanding quality.

This particular tournament ran pretty fast with the 20-minute blinds. It was extremely well organized with the floor managers moving players to fill empty seats as new tables filled and broke. The all-female dealer crew was experienced and knowledgeable. They were great at separating pots in those all-in moments with multiple players. I am not sure why all the dealers were female, but that was all that I saw while playing in Da Nang and HCMC.

As the tournament played on and the field shrunk, it got louder and louder. The emotion that came with the all-in action was exciting and fun. I thought I was going to be able to make a run with two tables left but ran into pocket Aces and sadly exited the tournament. I decided to drown my sorrows in a coffee mocha smoothie with a couple of tip coins.

The Pro Poker Club in Ho Chi Minh has a ton of games of all values running daily – check out their Facebook Page for the latest details. They posted a few photos of me from the event that I posted here. Ho Chi Minh is a world-class city that is worth visiting and, if you have enough time on your visit, go check out this poker room if you enjoy tournament style poker.

Poker Club Ho Chi Minh City Weather

Wrapping up, the gambling climate in Vietnam seems to be in a transition so the rules of each room could change rapidly. I believe all three of these poker rooms opened in 2017 so they will continue to learn and improve. That said, I think they already have a great handle on how to treat their guests to feel welcome even if the cards don’t run their way. I was told that, as of the time we were visiting, there are only four legal poker rooms in the whole country and I visited three of them. Lucky me!

Poker Club Ho Chi Minh City Vn

Best of luck in your adventures!

Ho Chi Minh City Weather

Traveled December 2017, April 2018, January + February 2019