Some of you may know that I have been living in South East Asia for the most part since 2018, rotating between Thailand, Vietnam and, more recently, Malaysia. I've been here for the past 8 months, exploring the burgeoning poker scene live and online.
Here's my guide to everything poker in Malaysia.
Let's start with the live poker scene in Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia. Poker or any gambling in Kuala Lumpur is generally considered illegal by the Malaysian government. However, if you dig hard enough or meet the right people, you can get access to private games hosted by friendly poker players. I have met many new friends by joining these games, mainly in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya (PJ), Malaysia. Joining the home games isn't risk-free. As mentioned previously, it's illegal to participate in any gambling activities here. Hence, you'd need to be very selective in the games you join; ensuring the host is reputable is perhaps of utmost importance.
Gambling in KL and PJ might not seem like such a wise choice, but we poker players are natural-born risk takers aren't we? So if you don't mind driving about an hour from KL up the mountains to Genting Highlands, you will end up in Malaysia's only fully licensed and legal Casino. Genting casinos offer every game you'd expect from a world-class casino. In addition, they recently added our favourite poker game No-Limit Hold 'em. So if you're willing to take a cooling drive up the hills to Genting, you'd be rewarded with a good game of worry-free poker.
To celebrate the reopening of Genting's poker room after the lockdown, they're hosting Malaysia's very first tournament poker series 'Poker Dream Malaysia 2022'.
As you can see, the live poker scene in Malaysia is still in its infancy. As a result, games are hard to come by in KL and PJ unless you are in the inner circle of certain groups. Frequent drives up to Genting may not be convenient for many people. Here's where online poker fills the gap for Malaysians craving poker games.
Online poker in Malaysia has grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to the sudden rise of top professional players such as Paul Phua, Richard Yong, Wai Kin Yong, Michael Soyza, Webster Lim, Ivan Leow and more. These players have set the bar for what Malaysians can achieve in poker. As a result, many young players aspire to be like them.
Malaysians are spoilt for choice as they get to play on countless clubs across all apps such as Pokerbros, PPpoker, Xpoker, ClubGG, Suprema Poker, Upoker and more. Playing on these apps is simple. You just need an agent or a referrer to start playing.
As with the live poker scene here, choosing a reputable and trustworthy agent is crucial. Unfortunately, there have been many cases of agents refusing to payout winnings to players. Players should also know the standard Rakeback deals for each club, union and app. Any good poker player knows you can't win long-term without a good Rakeback deal.
Here at World Poker Clubs, funds are guaranteed. We also promise to give you the best Rakeback deals possible so you can win and play with us long-term. So contact us here to start playing.
After weighing the pros and cons of live and online poker in Malaysia, I've concluded that playing online is much more convenient. Although sometimes I need to scratch that live poker itch, I will most likely stay a night at Genting Highlands and grind my day away.
Contact us here for more information!
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