Gambling, Girls and Clubbing in Cebu, Philippines
It had been about a year since I had last been to a casino, this is not something I am proud to say. For the last year wile working in Iraq I had been making do with those late night, thrown together, rag tag poker games with people that no serious poker player enjoys playing with.
Like the guy whose never played before so he can’t figure out when to get out of a hand. Or the guy who won’t play anything so you have to spend the whole night whittling him down to nothing. It is annoying, to say the least. So when the time for vacation came up for me I knew two things: I’m going to Southeast Asia and I’m going to a casino.
Now trying to find a place to gamble in Indonesia is like trying to find a bathroom on Blok M in Jakarta………..you’ll find one, but it won’t necessarily be the cleanest. I wanted a straight game (who wouldn’t unless you’re the one cheating) and I wanted to go someplace I hadn’t been. So why did I chose Cebu when I could’ve chosen Malaysia or Macau? Because there are Cebuano women in Cebu. So I booked a flight and reserved a suite at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino.
The Cebu Pacific flight over was pretty lame and the Manila airport was disorganized and seem to be teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. While I was waiting for my connecting flight I half expected to be sitting next to crates of chicken and a few goats on the airplane. Of course that wasn’t the case, but all and all it was one of the worst airports I’ve seen in my travels (and I’ve been to the Kuwait airport). I’ve heard that they have opened a brand new airport since I was there. Hope they got their act together.
A quick hop to the island of Cebu and it was like a 180 degree switch at the terminal. Much, much nicer. So, I head to luggage to grab up my bags and happen to notice a guy in a monkey suit with a giant sign bearing my name. Wow. That sign looks mighty awesome with my name on it. I liked seeing it so much I let him stand there holding it for a while before I finally went over and acknowledged him (I’m really a lot nicer than you think). He took my bags and drove me about a half hour or so to the Waterfront.
Now the Waterfront isn’t a Vegas hotel, but it isn’t a Motel 6 either. The service is what you would expect at any Asian 5 star, but this one had a casino on the 2nd floor. Right off the bat I met a guy named Anthony at the check in desk. I forget his title, Human Relations something or other. For whatever reason he made a big deal of the fact we had the same first name. I found it rather annoying at first, but Filipino Anthony turned out to be awesome at setting up dates, getting currency changed and taking care of a lot of things I hadn’t thought about.
The bag boys got me up to my room which was a sweet suite. Nice living room, giant bed and a tub big enough for two. I hit the sack for about 12 hours getting rested up for the gambling, drinking and womanizing that awaited me the next day.
Around 2200 I hit the casino on the second floor. Remember Anthony? Here’s where he comes in. I couldn’t use my visa card anywhere (to all you travelers out there, make sure you check with your bank before you arrive in PI to see if you can use your card there). I went to the front desk and sure enough Filipino Anthony was there. I told him my situation and he walked me over to the cashier’s desk and got them to do a bank transfer of a few grand. Yeah, Filipino Anthony was a life saver……………………..but there was more.
Now Filipino Anthony was fluent in English and if I had been a bit dim I would’ve assumed him to be raised in America. But I knew better. So he was looking to kill some time and we went over to the casino restaurant and had a drink. Eventually, I steered the conversation to what I really wanted to talk about: Club NYX. “Club NYX?? Hahahahahhaa sure, sure, I can tell you about Club NYX and the “merchandise”" Filipino Anthony said.
So he goes on with prices and quality of the “merchandise”. Tells me the dos and don’ts and even walks me down to the club and introduces me to the girls. Now this may not seem like a big deal but the ladies on the clock that night thought it was a huge deal. A boss just walked in and told them to “take care” of me…………………………………..they were loyal employees.
So after a few hours a screwing a round (both literally and figuratively) I went back to the casino floor and found a Hold ‘em table. Of course there were a few expats there including an older British gentleman and gnarled old US army vet. The rest were locals. There were three live games going and everyday I was there they had at least one tournament. The games were straight and the people were about as nice as you can get around a poker table. And as strange as it may seem you couldn’t smoke in the poker room! Maybe it’s not strange to stateside gamblers, but being used to smoking just about anywhere in Southeast Asia it was kinda odd to me.
Other than poker there were various table games including Blackjack and variations on that game, slots, pai gow and roulette. Mysteriously omitted from the floor was craps! What the hell? No craps game? I stayed at the table for a full 12 hour session, adjourned to my room and returned around the same time.
The British gentleman I mentioned earlier (lets call him Gandalf from now on) was there again. Around 4AM he decided he wanted to leave and asked me if I wanted to go check out this club with him. I said what club? He said “it’s right down the street. A place called The Pump”. “The Pump”? If The Pump ended up being a gay bar I was gonna put a ring around Gandalf’s eye. We walked outside the club and the whole time I’m thinking “why not take a 2 dollar cab ride if it’s so close?”, but he was right. It was literally a 5 minute walk outside the hotel.
Oh and what a place The Pump was! Chicks everywhere, also, a mob of Koreans outside of the club just hanging out. We went in and had a few drinks and bullshited. He told me he’d been in Cebu a few years and loved it. Only thing he didn’t like was the food. Said he’d lost a few “stones” since he’d gotten there. I don’t know what the hell a stone is. Speak English Gandalf! Anyway, after a few drinks I found a few chicks and bid farewell to Gandalf. Told him I wasn’t up for slaying any trolls tonight. I had a few Cebuano elves I was gonna bed down.
The entire time I was in Cebu I pretty much never saw daylight. And there I was on an island and I never saw the beach. Now that may seem sad to some, but trust me I had more fun than any schmuck who would’ve went there to hang out on the beach and watch sunsets. The poker was good and the ladies were hot and plentiful. Filipino Anthony took care of the stuff I couldn’t and Gandalf showed me The Pump. And Id have to agree with Gandalf………..the only thing I didn’t like about Cebu was the food.
Club Pump Location : Grand Convention Center, Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City 6000
Venue Type : RNB & HipHop
Club Venue Hours : Monday - Sunday 10:00 PM - 5:00 AM
Club NYX Location: Basement of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino Salinas Drive, Lahug Cebu City, 6000 Philippines Tel. : (6332) 232-6888 Fax. : (6332) 232-6880 www.waterfronthotels.net/cebu/
Read All Articles by: Anthony Otomo
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Anthony Otomo is an IT contractor living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle (traveling wherever the money takes him). He is currently working in Iraq and plans to put down roots in Jakarta, Indonesia in the near future. He is happily divorced with a daughter.
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Man I miss gambling, I have been thinking about putting together a hold em game here in Bangkok and one in Jakarta for years, I need to get off my tail and just do it.
Hey Anthony, do you have any clay chips? If you do bring them with you when you come to Jakarta next month bro.
I’m not bringing anything unless you have have two slores waiting on me when i get there.
What is a “slore”?
Is that slang for “Lady Boy”?
I saw you in Pattaya walking on the beach wearing a fake moustache and holding a Thai boys hand.
This is an AWESOME website, guys!
Nice work!
One question, though: I read that in the Phillipines most chicks are Catholic, so if you wanna have some fun, you´re gonna have to go into pay for play with pros.
Is that true or did you manage to pick up regular chicks at the clubs?
Thanks!
Youd have to ask Mr. Grey for the in-depth on that, but my experience is that most chicks here are just about as “Catholic” as any Catholic chick youd meet in the states. For sure you can pick up chicks at the clubs, but you better have some good game. The odds are kinda stacked in your favor here because EVERYBODY’s looking for a rich foreigner to get them that blue passport. Initially when I was making plans to go I was gonna stay a bit longer than I did and I set up some regular girls before I even got there. Plans changed and I decided I didnt want to waste my limited time STUCK with some regular chick (another thing I’ve heard from multiple guys is that the Filipina chicks can be very, very, VERY clingy). Hey man “pay to play” is the way to go sometimes.
Glad you like the site. We’ve got a few new clubs we want to hit up this month and a party to throw in Indonesia for New Years. All of which will be updated to the site. Make sure you keep checking back. Be Easy.
You can meet regular girls in the PI no problem
We have a 6 part article on “Meeting Women Overseas” coming up this month that will tell you exactly how to do it, so look out for it
Next time you go to Cebu, check out “Sunflower” disco, its the #1 disco there and largest. Pump is considered #2, I believe, and gets quite crowded. Sunflower is huge and more fun, although I never made it to Pump as Sunflower fulfilled all my desires for the most part. Cebu is pretty fun city, I’m stuck living in Manila and would prefer to be in Cebu any day! And yes if you’re just visiting you don’t need to get caught with just being with one chick, spread yourself around, it’s quite easy to do. Check out Mango ave also…
I was planning a trip to Eastern Europe in 2009 but after this site I´m giving SE Asia a serious thought!
Have to find cheap flights to the PI though. Here in Brazil they charge about U$D 2500 for a one way flight!
Such a shame Mr. S. I’m gonna be flying through Manila in about two weeks. Just flying through really on my way to Jakarta. If I’d had a bit more time I wouldve made it a point to stay for a bit so we could have a few drinks and party a bit. We’ll have to do that next time I’m in PI (or the next time youre in BKK).
nice site and great articles
I enjoy reading your articles. I wish I had a talent for writing that matched my enthusiasm for reading . Anyway , not sure if I fit in here . I’ve been the ” Tourist rock star ” many times before . Now , I’d like to settle down with a traditional Catholic girl . From your observations , is it still possible in this day and age ? I am especially interested in the Philippines , Colombia , maybe Peru . Take care