Macau Poker
Macau is a small area on the coast of China just a few miles away from its much bigger sister Hong Kong, and together these represent the two autonomous regions of China. Macau is only about 11 square miles in size actually, but they pack in over 600,000 people into this very small area, making Macau the most densely populated country in the world. (1)
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While Macau is part of China officially, like Hong Kong, they make their own laws here and are self governing, and this definitely applies to Macau’s gambling laws. Gambling is illegal in China, but Macau is not only the gambling capital of Asia but perhaps even the entire world.
Macau is known by some as the “Monte Carlo of the East,” but gambling is way bigger here than it is in Monte Carlo, and they have now even unseated Las Vegas in terms of land-based gambling revenue. Gambling is simply huge here and represents a full 50% of Macau’s overall revenue.
Macau also boasts the world’s highest per capita GDP, at over $142,000, so this is indeed a pretty wealthy region. The gamblers here mostly come from outside Macau though, with Hong Kong and its over 7 million people just an hour away, and the over 100 million people in neighboring Guangdong province in mainland China nearby as well, although people come from all over Asia to gamble at Macau’s many casinos.
Macau was a Portuguese colony until 1999 when it was given over to China, the same year the British gave back Hong Kong, and gambling has been legal in Macau since all the way back in 1850, and gambling has been growing here ever since, where they primarily have catered to Chinese tourists. (2)
So this transition back to China did not involve any changes in the gambling laws of Macau, which was definitely a good thing for Macau since gambling is so central to their economy, and this would have probably destroyed it in fact. Macau is left to make their own laws though and does function as a country which is why they are given their own section here with our coverage of poker laws in countries in Asia.
Internet gambling has affected the live gambling scene somewhat, as revenues have dropped since then, and has really seen a marked decline in 2014 and 2015, but this is still a huge market with revenues in the range of $44 billion a year and the government of Macau gets almost half of their tax revenue from land based gambling operations. (3)
There are a total of 51 casinos in Macau, a massive amount to be sure. (4) Obviously, you don’t have to go far to get to a casino in Macau, with so many packed into such a small space, and many of them have large hotels connected to them, so you really don’t have to go very far to gamble.
Macau also has a horse racing facility where those who like to bet on the horses can take advantage of, but this pales in comparison to the massive size of the casino business done here. Still though, this is no small racetrack, with seating for 18,000 gamblers, and nothing related to gambling in Macau is done on a small scale.
Macau Poker
Poker is a fairly recent addition to the Macau poker scene, with the focus for a long time being solely on casino games, and poker wasn’t even introduced here until 2007, when the Asian Poker Tour finally came to town and some of the casinos started spreading out poker games in addition to their other gambling offerings.
The games started out as electronic poker tables only though, but a year later tables with live dealers were added, before you knew it more tables were springing up here and the game really caught on.
The people who come to Macau do come to gamble though and they also like to play poker and poker is now fairly popular here. There are a total of 10 poker rooms in Macau which offer a total of 109 poker tables, and while the game of poker is dwarfed by the game of baccarat at Macau casinos, and baccarat is by far the biggest table game played here, poker still has more than a respectable amount of followers here. (5)
Macau is home to some pretty high stakes poker though with some huge pots, and a lot of the people who come to Macau to play poker aren’t coming to play small stakes poker, so if you are looking to play for some big money this is definitely the place.
So poker is fully legal here and you can play all the poker you want here as well, both live and online, although the live scene overall is so huge that online gambling these days dwarfs live gambling in just about every location in the world, but due to Macau’s small population and sheer amount of live gambling, the opposite is true here.
Macau does have online gambling regulation but it is limited to horse racing and sports lottery products, and players who wish to gamble at other sites, including poker sites, have to play at non regulated foreign websites. (6)
There is a huge potential market though if Macau ever did want to get involved in regulating online gambling, and that market is of course in China, and if the Chinese government ever relents to loosening their restrictions on gambling, Macau would be the perfect place to regulate it, but this doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon.
There are some online gambling sites in Macau that profess to be regulated by the government here, but this is not the case, and the Macau government does seek to crack down on this and also warn its people about these misrepresentations.
Macau also seeks to shut down unregulated gambling operations that operate in Macau, but since they don’t regulate offshore sites, there’s no attempt to interfere with their access.
Macau Poker Chips
In terms of online poker though, the only sites worth playing at are the large international sites anyway, and none of this applies to poker. In spite of gambling being wide open here, there still are some larger online poker sites who do not take players from Macau, for whatever reason, considering this to be a grey area when in fact it’s as far away from being grey as you could possibly get.
Top Online Poker Sites Accepting Players from Macau
There are a couple of very good online poker sites who do take players from here, we’re happy to say, and it’s far better to play at a top online poker site than some lesser site where the traffic levels may not even make it worth your while to play at all.
Online poker sites don’t really come any better than 888 Poker, and both players and critics agree, as they have been recognized several times as top online poker site in the world. They also have some nice bonuses waiting for you as well, even if you aren’t prepared to make a deposit yet. New players at 888 get $88 in free bonuses just for registering an account, so they’re worth checking out (review here).
References:
1. Macau
2. Gambling in Macau
3. Macau Gambling Revenue Continues To Drop
4. Macau Casinos
5. Macau Poker Rooms
6. Online Gambling in China and Macau
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Poker in Macau is nothing like poker in Las Vegas and the
United States. You’ll struggle to find Texas holdem poker rooms
at most Macau casinos, although they still do exist in some
parts. The experience on the whole will be a lot different to
the United States and you’ll need to adjust your expectations
when looking for a game.
First and foremost, the waiting lists for cash games in Macau
are crazy. It’s not unheard of to wait up to 6 hours for a spot
at the table. Even though most poker rooms only have a few
tables open, they let lists accumulate up to 60 or 70 people and
won’t even open more tables. Poker is a bit of a spectacle here
and isn’t treated like a table game that should be offered for
players on demand. It’s treated more like a service or amenity
that the casino and hotel offers, much like they offer a valet
service or room service. On top of all of this, the number of
table games a casino offers is strictly regulated by the Chinese
government and the fact is poker just doesn’t make as much money
as a baccarat or blackjack table.
The one exception to this is the Pokerstars Live room in
Macau. This is more of a player’s poker room and is the closest
you’ll find to a United States or Europe style poker room.
Closely following this room is the Wynn and Venetian poker
rooms; they obviously run great poker rooms in Las Vegas.
They’ve had to slightly change it up for the different market
though.
In general, the poker play in Macau is quite tough. When
poker arrived on the scene here in the mid-to-late 2000’s the
games were very juicy. Since then the newcomers to poker have
returned to other games and the players that persevered have
become much more skilled and harder to beat. You can still
certainly find good games at a wide variety of stakes; however,
you won’t get the baccarat players basically giving away their
hard earned cash at the table like you did in 2008.
List of Macau Poker Rooms
Here is our compiled list of all the poker rooms you can find
in the state of Macau:
Pokerstars Live Macau Poker Room
- Location: Level 2, City of Dreams, Macau
- Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Tables: 13
- Games: You’ll find a good mix of cash games and
tournament play at the Pokerstars Live Macau poker room. At
any given time, you’ll be able to find a no limit Texas
holdem cash game running, usually with stakes of HK$25 / $50
and HK$100 / $200 and higher when there’s demand from
players. In US dollars this is about $3 / $6 and $13 / $26.
These limits are quite high although everything is like that
in Macau when it comes to gaming. For the tournament players
out there you’ll find some major events taking place in this
poker room including Macau Poker Cup “Red Dragon” series,
Macau Millions, the PokerStars Championship PSC Macau and
Asia Championship of Poker ACOP. On top of this they usually
run a major tournament on Saturday’s and Sunday’s with
satellite entry tournaments to these running all through the
week. The standard weekly tournaments range from HK$1000
US$130 buy in up to HK$4000 US$515. Most tournaments are no
limit Texas holdem with the odd Omaha one running from time
to time. - Ambience: It’s all about the red and black of Pokerstars
here. The room is huge, open and airy and provides a great
playing experience. The tables are covered with black felt
and the black leather chairs clash nicely with the red
carpet. The room is connected to the rest of the casino so
some noise and smoke will get through, although it’s pretty
well ventilated. This is a great place to play poker which
is no surprise considering Pokerstars is involved. - Hospitality: You’ll need to request service while
playing poker in this room, although water, tea and coffee
will be provided most of the time free of charge. Alcohol
wise you will struggle to get complimentary drinks here
although some report when they asked they did receive beer.
This seems to be hit and miss and the service certainly
won’t be anything like you would get in Las Vegas. - Players: The players are quite good and competition
tough in this poker room. The game has certainly reached a
maturity point where the remaining regulars are of a higher
skill than in the boom day in the late 2000s. You can still
find the odd soft table here and there and during major
tournaments you’ll find a lot of good action. Generally
speaking the players in Macau will be friendly. We’ve heard
reports they have been welcoming and the table and room has
had a generally fun atmosphere.
Poker King Club Macao
- Location: Venetia Casino, Macau
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 10
- Games: Both cash games and tournaments are offers in
this poker room. Cash game wise you will find no limit Texas
holdem games running almost always. Stakes offered are HK$25
/ $50, $50 / $100, $100 / $200, $200 / $400, $500 / $1000.
For tournament players you’ll find a wide range on offer
usually with buy in’s at the higher stakes. They run Asia
Poker Tour events here and some World Poker Tour affiliated
events. They once offered a big game tournament which had a
prize of $50 million, which is crazy high. It’s safe to say
this hasn’t happened again and probably won’t anytime soon. - Ambience: The Venetian is a wonderful casino with bright
beige filled rooms which are well ventilated and welcoming.
The poker room is new and is smoke free, which is a major
bonus considering smoking is almost always permitted in
poker rooms in this city. The bright blue felt of the table
contrast well with the beige fittings and plush carpets. The
chairs in this poker room are leather and comfortable. You
will also be able to view a TV from most seats at the
tables, as well as charge your phone via USB charging ports. - Hospitality: You’ll get around the clock table side food
and beverage service in the Poker King Club at the Venetian
casino. This is another rarity in Macau, as poker is almost
the second class citizen to other more favorable games. - Players: The players here will be quite tough and the
games usually at the higher limits. Because of casino
regulations in China they really need to make some bang for
their buck and that’s why most limits are a little bit
higher than you would expect to find in poker rooms in the
United States. You’ll still be able to find juicy tables in
the Poker King Club during peak times.
Wynn Macau Casino
- Location: Rua Cidade de Sintra, Macao
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 11
- Games: The Wynn poker room in Macau offers cash games
and tournament play. For the ring game players, you will
find no limit Texas holdem at medium and high stakes as well
as pot limit Omaha. Stakes range from HK$25 / $50 up to $500
/ $1000. Remember you get about HK$8 for each US$1. The Wynn
poker room won’t offer many tournaments. However, they do
run special events on occasion with a range of buy in’s. - Ambience: The Wynn in Macau is very similar to the Wynn
in Las Vegas. Steve Wynn won’t allow his brand to diminish
in value or integrity at all and as such the poker room here
is very nice with great décor and well maintained seats and
tables. - Hospitality: Tea, coffee and water will be free for
players here. If you want alcohol you may be able to get a
free beer while you pay, but most drinks must be ordered
from the menu and will attract a charge. You can also order
food and eat at the table while you play. - Players: This is a wildly popular poker room and as a
result you will sometimes have to wait hours for a table.
Book a seat many hours before you plan on playing and you
shouldn’t have a problem. Because of this, the poker is
tough and you’ll need to be playing very solid poker to do
well. The vibe is quite serious due to this but also a lot
of fun at times, particularly on weekend evenings.
Macau Billionaire Poker Room
- Location: Babylon Casino, Macau
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 5
- Games: This poker room currently offers no limit holdem
cash games at various stakes. While they are aiming to offer
higher stakes you will most likely be able to find HK$50 /
$100 and $100 / $200 games running more frequently. They run
tournaments on occasion including their Jade series which
features a HK$2000 buy in event. - Ambience: This is a nice poker room which features gold
and beige colors on the wall with ruby and gold carpet. It’s
a nice place although it is near and on the casino floor so
can be quite smoky at times. The blue felt tables are basic
with gold wrapped simple seating. Regardless it’s still a
decent poker room. - Hospitality: You will get basic drinks provided
including water, tea and coffee. If you want anything
further you will need to request for a server to come and
take you order and you’ll usually be paying full price off
the menu. - Players: The quality of play in this poker room will
usually be quite good. This is because it’s such a niche
market now in Macau and as such you won’t get as many
amateur players trying out poker. That’s not to say you
can’t do well if you put in a few solid sessions playing
decent and straight forward poker.
Conclusion
Macau is a different experience for players used to poker
rooms and casinos in the United States. But if you’re planning a
trip you can still find some good Teas holdem games. Just plan
well ahead and be prepared for extended wait times in some
rooms.