poker macau
It looks like the Poker craze that hit America about five years ago is starting to catch on in Macau. Ok, that may be an overstatement since you can only play Texas Hold’em at one casino in Macau - The Grand Lisboa. It is interesting though to see that it is doing well there and the casino is expanding its number of poker tables. Plus, it looks like Galaxy has also applied to get approval to offer poker at Starworld.
The casinos really don’t make much money at their poker tables, but it is so popular in the US that gamblers demand it. I wouldn’t bet on this trend to spread to some of the older SJM casinos, but mark my word, in three years when the Cotai Strip fully opens, there will be poker tables at every casino along the Strip.
The Macau government issued the rules approving the popular poker variation earlier this week, which will allow the house to collect a commission of 3-5% of the betting pool for each game.
The first casino taking the plunge into offering Texas Hold'em is the Grand Lisboa, the flagship casino of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) owned by Stanley Ho. According to a spokesperson, the casino has inaugurated four new tables dedicated to Texas Hold'em. Texas Hold'em is the most popular of all the poker games on the planet. It has become somewhat of an institution in today's societies around the world. The craze for the game has grown into something bigger than just the latest fad. Players are getting attracted towards this particular game because of the poker bonuses offered by it.
Macau has become the gambling capital of the world. It wrestled that title away from long time champion Las Vegas in 2006. Macau surpassed Vegas in gambling revenue for the year. Now, for the first time, Macau and Texas Hold'em will come together. The Associated Press reported earlier in the week that major casinos in Macau have received permission from government to offer Texas Hold'em. Interest in Texas Hold'em poker has exploded over the past few years in the United States and in Europe. Interest has also been growing in China, and the APPT, sponsored by PokerStars, hosted a leg of its tour in Macau at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino in November. The event drew in 352 poker players from around the world and resulted in an $809,600 prize pool for players.