Macau Texas Holdem Poker Rooms

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.