Kam Pek

INTRODUCTION

The Paradise Kam Pek is different from most other Macau casinos in that it has no hotel. Owned by SJM, it was formally known as Kam Pek Arabian Nights.

LOCATION

Ideally situated on the Avenue D'Amizade strip, between the Lisboa and Hotel Fortuna. The entrance is in the back right hand side of the building.

Image Gallery

CASINO

The main show at the Kam Pek casino isn't in it's table or slots, but in its 500 or so Live Table game machines. These things are literally everywhere, making most parts of the Kam Pek feel less like a casino and more like an arcade. Outside of one high limit room on the third floor, minimums on these machines are a tiny $20. In the high limit room, minimums soar to $300. Three games are available to be played on each machine: baccarat, sic bo and roulette.

For those unfamiliar with how live table game machines work, let me explain. Throughout all three of the Kam Pek's floors, solitary dealers stand alone at different stations playing baccarat, sic bo, or roulette. No players are near them and no bets are made there. Instead, the game is video recorded and fed live into the Live Table game machines, where players can watch and make bets hand by hand as they normally would as if seated at a table. The only thing players see on the TV screen are cards being flipped or a roulette wheel being spun. They don't see dealers' faces or any of their surroundings.

The first floor of the casino has Kam Pek's 40 tables. 39 of them are baccarat while the other table is sic bo. The tables have a nice range of limits, with table minimums of $50/$100/$200/$300/$500 and $1000. Its high limit table area is made up of seven Baccarat tables, with lows of $500 and $1,000. The second floor has the casino's 100 or so slot machines, with most under 20 cents. The only machines over 20¢ are ten $1 machines, found in the high-limit slot section. Electronic versions of roulette and sic bo are also in the second floor slot area, with minimums of $5.

Even though it's a working class place, the interior of the Kam Pek is pleasantly done up. Red is the dominant color in and among the floors with some sections looking decidedly sharp. I wish I could have snapped a picture of the large fish tank on the third floor. The row of palm trees up there is a nice touch too. The table section on first floor, meanwhile, is spacey and well lit.

The staff's English level is not high but the live table gaming machines have English instructions, so playing them shouldn't pose a problem.

No part of the Kampek is smoke free.

KAM PEK GAMES

Three games are available at Kam Pek.

• Baccarat — Players do not touch the cards at the table. All play is conducted by the dealer.

  Baccarat tables also have a progressive $10 side bet. Players win only when the first five cards dealt form a straight flush. A sixth card, if drawn, is irrelevant. All players involved in the side bet at a table split the jackpot equally.

  The jackpot was just over 1.4 million HKD when I was there.

  Since early January though this feature has been unavailable and no one knows if it will return. For the time being, all the progressive meters are frozen at the same number.

• Roulette — Wheel is single 0. This game is only available through the live table game machines.
• Sic Bo — Minimum bet is $50. 5 different sic bo bets are available.
• Slot machines — Limits from 1¢ to $1.

PLAYER CARD

Players at Kam Pek can amass points playing table games or using the live table game machines. Points amassed can be redeemed for gifts such as key chains, wallets and bottles of booze.

Points can be piled up fast at Kam Pek with their generous point giving policy. A lost $20 wager, for example, rewards players with 20 points. A winning $20 wager, on the other hand, rewards players with 40 points, with players getting credit for both the original bet and the money they won.

A baccarat player wagering $100 a bet, at fifty hands per hour, can amass 7500 points per hour, assuming he/she wins half the hands.

HOTEL

The Kam Pek has no hotel, but rooms are available if you bet enough money or amass enough points in one day. The lady at the desk told me the number for the room comp is 1,360,000 but that seems like an absurdly high figure for such a low limit place. Who knows though. Whatever the number is it's definitely high and probably over 300,000 at least.

RESTAURANT

Kam Pek has two cheaply priced restaurants.

Kam Pek Club — Located on the first floor, I'm not sure I'd eat there even if I was paid to. A dirty looking place with old torn carpet and tables full of leftover food — it's best to stay far far away. Serves rice dishes and fast food noodles, with most meals an even $30.

Long Cuisine — On the third floor, the Long Cuisine is clean and tidy. Their menu serves three western dishes and 10 Chinese dishes. Western meals like steak and fries go from $42 to $48 while the Chinese rice dishes are all $40. Open from 11:45 AM to 10:45 PM.

SUMMARY

With the lowest limits going in town, the Kam Pek is the place to be for budget Baccarat, Sic Bo, or Roulette players. It's also good if you prefer to gamble in peace and solitude. With around 500 Live Table game machines, you can always find your own deserted section and have it to yourself.

QUICK FACTS

• Name — Paradise Kam Pek Casino
• Address — Avenida D'Amizade 197-223
• Tel — 853-2878-6120
• Web site — www.paradise-macau.com
• No of Tables — 41
• No of Slots — around 100
• No of Live Table game machines — 500-600

Posted by James K. James K.