From South Africa to the Felt: Nikki Chilchik’s First Asian Poker Adventure
South Africa’s Nikki Chilchik captured her first trophy at the 2026 WPT Cambodia Championship in Phnom Penh, taking down the Early Bird Megastack. In the days following her win, she opened up about the thrill and the challenges of playing poker in Asia for the very first time.
From Vietnam to Cambodia
Six weeks ago, my husband and I went on holiday to Vietnam and had no idea there was poker there. We played in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. It was my first time playing tournament poker overseas.
At the beginning, it was extremely overwhelming and intimidating. I walked into this big poker club, there were screams everywhere, no one was speaking English, and I didn’t want to play. I told my husband, ‘I can’t do this.’ But he said, ‘Just focus on your table, all you need to know is raise and fold.’
I’ve only started playing poker again after twenty years. I had a son and he is nineteen now. I only started playing again last year with a club in South Africa. So it took me two days to gather up the courage. There were a lot of women playing and people were very friendly, which was so different and wonderful to experience. It was very different. We really liked it, and my husband won a big tournament.
After that, my husband met a friend who told us about a fantastic tournament in Cambodia. I’ve always wanted to go, and before we knew it, we were on a flight.
On Winning The WPT Cambodia Early Bird Megastack
It was euphoric, absolutely incredible. I made the final table two days earlier and finished ninth, so coming back I wanted that trophy more than anything. I didn’t care about the money. I just wanted the trophy.
Everything was running for me. I was getting amazing cards and knocking out players, sometimes two at a time. Sitting on the final table stage was an unbelievable feeling. I remember at the final table I had pocket eights, and there was a raise and a reraise and I called. The flop came 8-8-6. And I thought I was seeing things, and I actually took my glasses off and looked again. The guy that bet first, he went all in, the next guy went all in as well. I had quads, I went all in, and everyone looked at me like I was absolutely nuts.
One guy had the six, the other guy, just before turning over his cards, said to me, "You haven't got an eight, do you?" I said, "Actually I've got two." He had pocket jacks. Oh. He was so cross and threw them on the table and said, ”you are just so lucky.” It was just amazing. That was just perfect.
When I got heads-up against Nils from Norway, he had more chips, and I kept telling myself that I can’t mess this up. I have to take that trophy home. We played heads-up for two hours. I stayed calm, humble, and just focused on every hand. I had huge encouragement from my husband and the South Africans were amazing. They were constantly supporting me, telling me, ‘You’ve got this.’
When I won, everyone was clapping across the room, and it was completely overwhelming. The next thing I knew, they were stacking the chips and I was taking photos with my first trophy ever. Nils was such good sportsmanship. He said, “I don't want to hang around for this, but you truly deserved it.” It was so special for me.
Poker Experience As a Woman
It’s tricky playing at a table when you’re the only woman. It’s very easy to be bullied. The men think they can but I just don’t stand for it. If you’ve got the cards, that’s the only way to talk. You play your game and they quickly see you know what you’re doing, and then you won’t be bullied.
I’m a bit older, and I think that makes a difference. I’m friendly, but I’m also very outspoken. If something isn’t right, I can be very feisty. I’m not frightened, I can hold my own. If I were younger, maybe I would care more about what people think.
What often happens when you sit down at a table full of men is they look at you and assume you’re useless because you’re a woman. But when you win a big pot early, everything changes. Suddenly they sit back in their chairs and their eyes go wide, and you lean forward. That shift in dynamic, when the respect turns in your favor, it is the best feeling.
I think if you’re easily intimidated, something as simple as wearing glasses can help, you don’t have to look directly at people. But for me, it wasn’t about being scared of anyone at the table. I don’t get intimidated like that. What intimidated me at first in Vietnam was the environment and the atmosphere. I just found it overwhelming.
The women can be intimidating too. The women in Vietnam are very confident and stylish. They dress up, they wear glasses, they’re perfectly groomed and very professional. They carry themselves strongly and don’t tolerate anyone invading their space. If someone tries to reach for their cards, they’ll immediately shut it down. That was very different from South Africa. Completely different. In Vietnam, the players are very serious and don’t interact much at the table. I actually found that fantastic and very professional.
On the other hand, I recall an incident at a tournament in South Africa where another player accused me of bullying him. He said I was bullying him the whole time, which was ridiculous. I didn’t even know how to use the chips properly at that stage. But I speak up when something isn’t right.
Playing In South Africa
I regularly play at a local poker group called Concept Club. They run small tournaments and there are a few ladies as well, it’s really good practice. I can honestly say I’m not the same poker player that I was six months ago, especially after returning to the game following a long break. I only learned from my husband. I’ve never, ever had any lessons. The club runs regular live games and so I get to play quite often.
The “Killer” Image
I think the one thing I lack as a player is that I get too excited about my hands. I’m very impulsive as a person, I don’t always think things through and my poker is the same. I already know what I’m going to do before the action even gets to me. I know if I’m going to fold or call, so when it’s my turn, I feel like, ‘Why should I think about it?’
But as my husband always tells me, other players can read that. They see how I lean forward or how I’m already ready with my chips. I might be stone-faced, but they can tell I’ve already decided. That’s something I really need to change. I try to remind myself to slow down and think, because I know my impulsiveness is something I need to control. Winning is good, but afterward you start thinking, ‘I should have done this’ or ‘I should have done that,’ and those realizations help you grow as a player.
I also believe you have to stay even-tempered at the table. That’s hard for me. I’m not a sore loser, but it’s difficult to stay calm all the time. Sometimes you find yourself constantly up against the same player, and it can feel personal. Today, for example, I felt like one player was bullying me — maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t, but that’s how it felt. He kept looking at me and at my chips, trying to intimidate me. If I were younger, that definitely would have tilted me. Even now, it’s still annoying. You just have to learn to play through it.
On the positive side, I’ve discovered that being a woman at the table can actually give me an edge. When you sit down with a table full of men, they often assume you’re weak. Then you win a huge pot on the first hand, and suddenly everyone sits back and pays attention. That feeling, when you take control of the table, is incredible. At a final table, four different men told me, ‘You’re a killer.’ I never set out to be a killer, but I had the cards, and I’ll take that compliment.
As for bluffing, I have to admit I’m not naturally a great bluffer, but I’ve improved. When I first started, I never bluffed at all. At my club, a player I really respect once told me, ‘You have amazing gameplay. If you learned to bluff, you’d be brilliant.’ That stayed with me. I’ve since learned that bluffing is an art. It’s not just about having a poker face. People think poker is all about looking expressionless, but that’s not what the game is about. It’s about understanding timing, psychology, and knowing when to make your move.
I’ve also learned how dangerous it is to become overeager, especially near the bubble. That’s when players make big mistakes, when they become overconfident or too proud. What I’ve realized is that even if my decision doesn’t change, how I act at the table changes how others see me. Table image is extremely important, maybe the most important thing. But changing that image is difficult because it means changing parts of my personality.
That’s the biggest challenge for me: being consistent and controlling my natural instincts. Sometimes I think, ‘I have aces, why wait? I’m going all in.’ But poker requires patience and discipline. You almost have to change your personality for the game, and that’s not easy. It’s something I’ve been struggling with for a while, but I’m working on it.”
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