The Prime circuit of the World Poker Tour has already passed through Paris this year and is currently playing Down Under in Gold Coast, Australia. Now it is the turn of Southeast Asia with the WPT Prime Cambodia, which will be played from March 9-21 at the Nagaworld Resort.
The Festival
The festival will feature 30 events with buy-ins ranging from $200 to the $10,000 Super High Roller Single Day event. There will be $1,000,000 guaranteed in prize pools in the top tournaments. The WPT Prime Main Event will feature a $1,100 buy-in and will have three starting flights, along with a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
WPT Prime Main Event Schedule
- Day 1A: March 16 at 1 PM (play until field is ITM)
- Day 1B: March 17 at 1 PM (play until field is ITM)
- Day 1C: March 18 at 1 PM (play until field is ITM)
- Day 2: March 19 at 1 PM (play until final table)
- Day 3: March 20 at 1 PM (final table)
Our #WPTPrimeCambodia Festival kicks off in just SEVEN DAYS from @NagaWorld! 🇰🇭
Festival Dates: Mar 9 – 21@TheBradOwen @AndrewNeeme #MUG: Mar 15
Main Event Dates: Mar 16 – 20Rooms are almost sold out! See here for More Info & Full Schedule: https://t.co/NziYuPEad5 pic.twitter.com/J3F9ueAlH5
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) March 1, 2023
WPT Prime Main Event Structure
- Buy-In: $1,100
- Starting stack: 30,000 chips (150 big blinds)
- Re-entry: Unlimited during late registration
- Blind levels: 40 minutes during Day 1 and then 60 minutes
- First level: 100/200 with 200 Big Blind Ante
- Ante Format: Big Blind Ante
- Late registration: Closes at the start of Level 7
- Guaranteed Prize Pool: $500,000
- Action Clock: During Day 2 and final table
- Payouts: 12.5%
Below is a chart of some events that will surely be festival highlights:
| Event | Day | Time | Buy-In | Stack | Levels | GTD |
| Nagaworld Millions | March 9 | 5:30 PM | $550 | 25K | 25 mins | $150K |
| Mystery Bounty | March 12 | 1 PM | $550 | 40K | 30 mins | $100K |
| Mini High Roller | March 12 | 2 PM | $2,200 | 40K | 40 mins | – |
| Super High Roller | March 14 | 3:30 PM | $5,300 | 250K | 40 mins | $250K |
| Ladies | March 15 | 7 PM | $200 | 15K | 20 mins | – |
| WPT Prime Main Event | March 16 | 1 PM | $1,100 | 30K | 40 mins | $500K |
| SHR Single Day | March 16 | 2 PM | $10,000 | 200K | 30 mins | – |
| High Roller | March 19 | 4 PM | $3,000 | 100K | 40 mins | – |
| Closer Turbo | March 21 | 4 PM | $550 | 20K | 15 mins | – |
You can see the complete calendar with all the WPT Prime Cambodia events and their structures at this link.
The Venue
Nagaworld is one of the largest 5-Star hotels with 1,658 luxurious rooms and the only luxury premium casino in Cambodia. The complex includes restaurants, nightclubs, a spa, and a theater. Shopping lovers can enjoy the China Duty Free Group, the first underground shopping center in the country, selling luxurious international brands.
You can reserve your place at the hotel by clicking on this link.
MUG with Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen
The famous vlogging duo of Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen will once again hold a Meet Up Game during the festival and this time it will be on March 15. The MUG is set to commence at 1:00 PM with a minimum of 12 tables that will run a combination of $1/$3 and $2/$5 No Limit Hold’em cash games. Following the action, the pair of WPT ambassadors will hold a Meet & Greet from 8:30–10:00 PM, which will include a spread of complimentary food and drinks.
📢 We've got a BIG announcement! 📢#WPTAmbassadors @TheBradOwen and @andrewneeme are headed to Cambodia 🇰🇭 for our #WPTPrimeCambodia Festival @NagaWorld and hosting a #MUG on March 15th!
Festival Dates🎉: Mar 9 – 21
More Info: https://t.co/nojARN1JMO
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) February 16, 2023
Neeme “had the pleasure of traveling to Cambodia last year, and it was an unforgettable experience with great food, great people, and great poker. I’m happy to have the opportunity to return and excited to run back the Meet-Up Game.”
Owen added that “After hearing about Andrew’s time in Cambodia, I really wanted to make the trip as well. I couldn’t let him have all the fun. The MUG is going to be a great time and I’m also pumped to play some tournament poker in Cambodia for the first time.”
Cash Games Bonanza
Up to $13,000 will be given away to cash game players in daily draws during cash games at WPT Prime Cambodia. $1,000 will be given out in daily draws (10 draws between 7 PM and 9 AM) from the March 9-21.
How does the promotion work? $100 to be given away every tournament day at each of the 7 PM, 9 PM, 11 PM, 1 AM, 3 AM, 5 AM, 6 AM, 7 AM, 8 AM & 9 AM lucky draws. Players can qualify by dropping their same-day tournament receipt into the lucky draw barrel.
The City
Cambodia is a sovereign state located in the south of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is inhabited by some 16 million people, 95% of whom practice Buddhism as their religion. In the last 10 years Cambodia has experienced great economic growth thanks to the good performance of sectors such as textiles, agriculture and tourism, which have attracted foreign investment and international trade.
What to visit in Cambodia? We highlight the ruins of Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Beng Mealea and Preah Khan. You can also go to the Angkor Archaeological Park, Pub Street, Phnom Kulen National Park, Angkor National Museum and Tuol Seng Genocide Museum.
WPT in Cambodia
The World Poker Tour visited Cambodia twice. First it did so in 2019 as part of the WPTDeepstacks circuit. That tournament had 750 $1,100 entries and handed out $727K in prize money, nearly tripling the $250K guaranteed pot. The champion was Brian Douglas of the United States, winning $131,430.
Last year the WPT returned with its brand new Prime circuit and was record breaking, gathering 1,050 entries of $1,100 with a prize pool of $1M. The grand champion was David Erquiaga from the Philippines, who won the biggest prize of his career: $137,008.
Who will lift the trophy this time, and can the number of entries for 2022 be surpassed? We will see soon enough.
