Texas Hold 'Em in Macau

When I was last in Macau in August, 2009, live poker could only be found at two casinos the Wynn and Grand Waldo. Here is what I know about casinos that have dealt poker, offer it now, and plan to have it in the future.

• Grand Waldo: I was told at the Wynn that the Grand Waldo also has poker.

• MGM: In early August I was told at the MGM that their poker room would open in about two weeks.

• Starworld: They had electronic PokerPro machines when I was in Macau in 2007. When I re-visited in August 2009 they had poker tables set up on the third floor. A waitress told me that they planned to officially open the poker room soon, but she couldn't be more specific.

• Venetian: I heard they used to have poker, but when I visited on August 7, 2009, it was nowhere to be found.

• Wynn: They have poker. When I was there in August, 2009, I believe they had six tables.

When I played at the Wynn in August 2009 100% of the tables were no-limit. In the morning, when I played, three tables were open, with blinds of $5/$10, $10/$25, and $25/$50, if I remember correctly. As usual in Macau, the chips were in Hong Kong dollars. The change rate at the time was $US 1 = $HK 7.75. The players were about 90% Chinese and 10% white. Compared to Las Vegas, there was a lot more banter at the tables. Acceptable languages at the table are Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.

Based on one sitting and some time observing, the style of play was very fast and aggressive. It was common for the betting to be small before the flop, with the most players still in by the flop. Then the betting got a lot bigger, with most players folding before the turn. In the $5/$10 game that I played the average pot was about $500. While extremely aggressive, I wouldn't say the other players were bad players. Everybody at least knew the rules and procedures.

For more information on Texas Hold 'Em, please visit my companion site, Wizard of Odds.

Posted by James K.
Oct 23 2015