Poker In Manila

The Epicenter of Poker in Asia

Manila is rapidly becoming the new epicenter of poker in Asia. With almost a dozen venues in and around Metro Manila, as well as a number of clubs spread out across the archipelago, poker in the Philippines is hitting the big time. Individuals in China, Korea, and Japan have limited legal poker options in their own countries, so they frequently sojourn to Manila on brief gambling vacations. While Macau has traditionally been the home of poker in the Far East, the rake there is high and they completely lack any low stakes games. The rake cap in Macau (the maximum the casino takes out of every pot) is 300-500 HKD. Meanwhile, the rake cap in the Philippines varies from 300 to 500 PHP. Considering the exchange rate is 7:1, this means the rake cap in Macau is 700% higher. It is true that they only take 5% in Macau vs 10% in the Philippines but even still the smaller rake cap makes a big difference.

Okada Manila

Cash Games

Okada has the best poker room in the Philippines. At peak times like Saturday night they will run approximately 4 ₱25/₱50 games, 7 ₱50/₱100 games, 3 ₱100/₱200, and usually some bigger action as well such as ₱200/₱400. Unfortunately PLO only seems to run during tournament series. Games usually start around noon, and will run through the night. Sometiems there is a bit of a dead period between 7 am and noon, but often one or two games will make it until the next day.

The ₱25/₱50 game can be hit or miss. On the one hand, you often get some absolute donators. On the other hand, you usually have to content with a bunch of short stackers who slow the game down to a crawl. So it all depends. In general, the more foreigners the better. As is common in poker rooms, the games tend to be the best in the late evening / early morning. But don't go too late or the game will break shortly after you get there. A note on table ettiquette. The rules of the game are unfortunately not vigorously enforced at Okada. It is probably a cultural thing, but the dealers - who are almost invariably young - tend to be extremely deferential to the players. Blatant violations of the rules occur and nothing will be said. There is also a lot of soft play and people talking in the middle of hands. But this is mostly confined to the ₱25/₱50 and is pretty much harmless and more reflective of social norms than any malicious intent. The best thing to do is just switch tables if the behaviour of some of the players bothers you. Players frequently take their shoes off too.

The ₱50/₱100 game is much more serious. The ₱5,000 minimum buyin keeps out the riff raff, which is good and bad. The level of play is much higher, although there are still plenty of fish splashing around. Actually having a table of 3-4 nits and a couple of fish isn't so bad, because usually the tight players will fold and you get to play heads up against the fish in position with a strong range. It's a nice money making proposition. With a ₱30,000 cap, the game can play very deep. And some of the players there will absolute put you to the test. The nice thing is, if you get deep and are uncomfortable with the table dynamics, you can always switch limits and pocket your stack.

The ₱100/200 game has a minimum buyin of only ₱10,000 and should not be ignored, if only for the temporary thrill of sitting in the VIP section. These games can be reasonably soft as well but there are some very tough regulars. If you are looking for huge pots and big action, this is definitely the game to play. The max buyin is ₱100,000 so the game can get pretty much as big as you want. However I strongly recommend you exercise discretion and only sit when the game is good. If there aren't two or three wealthy tourists at the table, don't walk to the exit - run!

Food Options

Okada shines when it comes to dining options. There is a food court right next to the poker room which is very convenient. As of 3/24/2026 the food court was down to three options. Red Spice, the Ramen Place, and the Korean place. Red Spice is a Hong Kong style restaurant. There are actually two Red Spice restaurants in Okada. The first is a full service restaurant, you can see their google listing with menu and photos of the food here.

The food court location just has a few options. You can get a rice topping (chicken, duck, or pork), a BBQ plate, or a full set which includes soup and a drink. However, if you want to order from the full service Red Spice, the waitresses will process your order and bring it right to the table. Just keep in mind it usually takes 45 minutes to an hour or longer to get your food and you have to pay up front. On the bright side, it is open 24/7. They also provide table service from Kiapo.

The other two food court options are pretty self explanatory. The ramen place serves ramen. The Korean place has a variety of noodle based dishes and rice based dishes. There is a decent variety of options and the price is reasonable. 500 pesos will get you a decent sized meal.

Check out our full review of Okada Manila here.

Tournament Series

Okada runs 10 major tournament series throughout the year, as well as smaller daily and weekly events. You can read all about it here.

Newport World Resorts

Newport World Resorts - formerly Resorts World - is located right next door to NAIA 3, the international terminal. You can literally walk from the airport to the casino through a pedestrian overpass. Newport has two things going for it that Okada does not. The dealers are a little better / more seasoned. And the rake is 5% instead of 10%. These are pretty big factors but Newport is still second best. While the dealers at Okada tend to be a little less experienced, that simply means that Okada is investing in training new poker dealers. And the only way you get seasoned, good poker dealers, is by casinos hiring and training new poker dealers. So while dealing with a neophyte croupier can be annoying as a player, it is something that we have to put up with for the long term health of the game. The lower rake is definitely nice though. In fact, every other poker venue in the Philippines charges 10% rake. Only Newport World Resorts charges 5%. The biggest problem with Newport from my perspective is the air quality. Both Okada and Newport are smoking casinos. But the Okada poker room is non smoking, as are the slots surrounding it. Smokers actually have to take a bit of a hike before they can light up. That keeps the air quality pretty reasonable. In Newport people are smoking just a few feet from the table. And they're allowed to.

As for the games, Newport runs 50/100 and 100/200. They are actually active on social media, so you can get updates on their games whenever you want. They are also getting 50/100 PLO and 25/50 games going. So they might be worth checking out. Newport Telegram Ground

The area surrounding World Resorts - known as Newport - is actually quite nice. You can get some reasonably priced studios there on a month-to-month basis starting at around 25,000 or 30,000. This is a great option for international travellers who are looking to stay and grind poker at Newport. You get a condo within walking distance with decent amenities like gym and pool. And you are right by the airport. Another good thing about Newport is that they have a cab stand right outside the casino, so any time you want to bounce you can just hop in a cab.

Dining Options

While there are limited choices directly within the casino, the Newport region is a rich culinary tapestry. For table service while you play, there is the Silk Road, an Asian fusion restaurant that is quite reasonably priced. The casino also has access directly to the Sheraton Hotel, which has a phenomonal but raher expensive buffet. There is an app called 'Eatigo' where you can get up to 50% off on select restaurants and buffets, including the one at the Sheraton, making it much more reasonable.

The Newport World Resorts casino is located within a sprawling five story mall with dozens of dining options, including restaurants belonging to celebrity Chefs Gordan Ramsey and Wolfgang puck. For fast food, both McDonalds and Subway are just a few minutes away by foot.

Newport also shines when it comes to places to stay. We mentioned earlier condos that are available on a monthly basis. You can also rent these places at daily rates if you want to check them out first. And there are a number of hotels in the vaccinity, ranging from affordable to expensive.

Prime Poker

Across the street from Dampa Seafood Market, nestled in the corner of H.K. Sun Plaza sits Prime Poker. A mostly deserted strip mall, H.K. Sun Plaza can definitely give off a dystopian, "Mad Max" feel as you drive up, but don't worry the armed security guards are there to ensure your safety. Dampa Seafood Market is actually worth checking out if you have some spare time. It isn't only the carcasses of marine animals on offer there, you can also purchase fruits and vegetables, or get a hot meal. You can also take the fish that you buy next door to one of the many restaurants, and they will cook it for you. Now that's fresh.

Prime's biggest strength might be its dealers. They are generally really good. However, some of them are a bit stubborn when it comes to correcting dealer errors. Filipinos have this tendency, whenever you bring up a fault or they did something wrong, they just instantly deny it. Anyway, they spread a variety of limits based on interest. Mostly 25/50 and 50/100, or 100/100. The difference between 50/100 and 100/100 is the higher minimum buyin and the ability to purchase insurance. Insurance is the worst it really slows the game down to a crawl. They also have a VIP room if you want to play 100/200/500 or higher. Unfortunately they charge a lot of rake at higher stakes.

Prime has a dedicated restaurant with an international theme. They have Korean, Filipino, Chinese, and Western offerings. Personaly I'm a big fan of their Bulalo, which is a beef-shank soup with potatoes and herbs. The bone marrow is to die for. As you can see, the menu items are fairly reasonably priced, but if you don't like it, you can always order something off Grab and eat it right at the table. They will even let you use their plates and cutlerly for free.

Masters Poker

Located on Bocobo St, just moments away from Remedios Circle, Masters Poker is nestled in the heart of Malate, Manila's historic entertainment district. The surrounding area is actually perfect for a boozy night on the town, with countless bars, KTVs, casinos, massage parlours all desperate to relieve you of your hard won pesos.

The unassuming setting in which Master's is located makes it easy to miss. The entrance is little more than an alley way, with a Korean grocer (Jin Mart) on one side and Club ZZYZX the hooker disco on another.

Actually, Masters Poker isn't a bad little room. It is reasonably popular, with 25/50 running starting in the early afternoon (around 3:00) and going into the wee hours. It is actually walking distance from another poker room, Poker Bros, and there are actually a ton of amazing restaurants in the area. For example, Tanabe (one minute walk) which is an upscale Japanese restaurant where you can get an order of sashimi for around 400 pesos. There are also a ton of Korean BBQ places in the vacinity which are quite reaosnable - all you can eat for 400 or 500 pesos. And you have some street food or pares places. And 7/11. You also have a lot of bars and KTVs and different entertainment venues nearby.

Aside from the 25/50 game, they do also spread low stakes Omaha, and then also some higher stakes action like 50/100, 100/200 and sometimes bigger games too. The rake is 10%, with a 300 cap at 25/50. I noticed at 50/100 they had a 500 cap, which is worse than other places where the cap is only 400. They also have a bad habit of removing you from the 25/50 list if you get seated in 50/100. Often I will play 50/100 if that is open, while waiting for 25/50. But it gets annoying when they keep taking your name off the list and you have to keep asking to go back up.

The action is generally pretty good, however the 25/50 game is dominated by Filipinos, and there is a bit of an 'us vs them' feel. I don't think there is any outright collusion, but there might be some opportunistic slowplays or things like people agreeing to check it down when you are all in. That is hardly unique to the Philippines though. The best part about the games is when a Korean boss comes in smashed at like 2 am and starts going wild. It happens actually quite often.

The bottom line, is Masters is worth checking out, if just for the experience. But I would avoid playing for serious money there.

Poker Brothers

Also in Malate is Poker Brothers, Manila's newest poker room.

Bros is located on Mabini St. just a short five minutes walk from Masters. The nice thing is if you don't like the action at Masters, you can just switch over to Bros, and vice versa. They most just spread low stakes games like 25/50 and 50/100. Frankly, I don't know how they will stay in business, because the poker market in Manila is already saturated, and they face a lot of competition. But the room is nice enough anyway.

The nice thing about Poker Bros is that they are active on social media. You can check out their Facebook Page where they post hourly updates on what games are running.

There was also something weird that happened when I was playing there. They brought in a whole group of hot chicks, and they were I guess playing a mock tournament or something at another table. So I believe the owners of the poker room also own a KTV, and they were training the girls to... I don't know, maybe be poker room shills? Dealers? Anyway, like Masters I believe that Poker Bros is worth checking out but I wouldn't necessarily make it my 'poker home'.

There is one cool thing they do at Poker Bros, which you can find in a few other casinos, which is 'early bird' promo. If you come at like 2 pm or 3 pm and them game starts, and you play for 2 hrs you get a free 500 chip.

Red Dragon Poker

Red Dragon used to be located at the Casino Filipino at New Coast Hotel. In case you're not super familiar with the Filipino gambling scene, it used to be dominated by a government monopoly known as Casino Filipino. Then maybe a decade ago they started to undergo privatization. Now most casinos are privately owned, just regulated by PAGCOR and they give a % of their profits to the government. These days the casino in New Coast Hotel is called La Vie Casino and Resort. They do not have any poker just yet.

Today Red Dragon is located just down the street from La Vie at La Nobleza Terrazas.

A quick note, the area surrounding La Nobleza Terrazas is sketchy as hell, especially at night. To be honest you probably aren't in much danger walking around there, but it is a slum area and there are a lot of homeless people who live there. It is also located just a block away from L.A. Cafe, which has actually rebranded to Midnight Haven, and is an infamous Manila hooker bar. There is also a pretty dope Schwarma location located opposite Midnight Haven there which is open late. Don't ask me how I know about it.

I haven't actually played at the new location. I was a regular at the New Coast room for a while, because it is close to where I live in Manila. I also had one wild night there where I won over 100,000 PHP. There was this Chinese player, and he went on crazy tilt, and would open every hand to 500 or 1000 pesos, and then call any jam. This went on for several hours. Just absolutely wild. Overall the action was pretty good at Red Dragon, but they were spreading mostly 50/100 and 100/200. Also they had a bunch of house players there to start games. That was whatever, I mean it is convenient games are always running and they do leave the game as real players show up.

Metro Card Club

Metro is a fun club. The only problem is it is located in Pasig, which can be difficult to get to from other parts of Manila. It is a trek. And because it is more in the business heart of Manila and less in the tourist zones, it is a heavily Filipino crowd. That can be good or bad, I mean it is not like Filipinos are incredible poker players or anything. But they do tend to a short stack style of play where they are reluctant to put any real money into the pot. And they often cheer for each other and against you. Long story short, I would rather play against foreigners.

But Metro does have some good games. And lots of tables. When I lived in Mandaluyong and was just a brief cab ride away, I played at Metro all the time. They are a little strange though. For example, you need to call time at their 50/100 game. And you can't hit and run from the 50/100 to the 25/50. Stupid rules in my opinion.

Soul Poker - City of Dreams

Soul Poker is another Entertainment City based poker room. It is located on the second floor, just take the escalators on the right once you go through security if you are coming from the main doors. Because City of Dreams is such a tourist destination, the games tend to decent. Of course the 25/50 is almost always soft, if you have the patience for small stakes action, but even the 50/100 and 100/200 tend to be juicy with Korean whales stacking off with dubious holdings on a regular basis. The drink service is also excellent, although the washrooms - which are located quite a hike down the gaming floor - leave a lot to be desired. They do have massage girls, which are unfortunately over priced.

If you want to take a break, eat something and recharge, there are no shortage of upscale (for Manila) dining options just outside of the poker room. There is a Wolfgang Puck's steak house, a fancy pizza place, and a bunch of other mid tier restaurants. There are also some cheaper specials available downstairs on the casino floor, like a burger and fries special for 300 pesos they have been advertising heavily.

Soul Poker is active on Facebook.