Would you mind posting a calendar when you get a chance? I don't wanna show up at lunch only to have the side tournament not start until dinner

APL Shanghai has been cancelled.

Nobody played the Beijing Poker Cup?

Anyone using Chinese characters in their signature? I was considering doing it (either my Chinese name (维特 )　or some characters I like) to have a more authentic autograph while in the process making it much harder to copy it correctly.

Anyone doing this already?

You mean signing a legal document with an alias your girlfriend/teacher gave you because it sounded cute?

No, I haven't and not should you but I'm also no lawyer but just don't see the upside especially given it'll just add that much more time to signing docs and unless you learn to write your alias in script it's going to look pretty silly.

Last time I was in Macau all casinos had huge waiting lists for 25/50, apart from the City of Dreams, Is this still the case?

Still the case except for crystal palace at hotel Lisboa

No, I meant implementing Chinese characters as part of a signature. I might have not thought this through, but it seems much harder to forge a signature which has chinese characters, than just a normal name with some curls around it. And also it might be more original.

Perhaps it's a silly idea, I was more spitballing here than anything else. Thanks for the reply

I wouldn't worry about signature forgeries, the people who are good are going to get it right either way. My signature is just a squiggly line that vaguely resembles a heart rate monitor and used to kind of outline my actual name in script. Just to get it done fast as possible. Most people never actually look at your signature anyway, they just want to see if there is ink on the dotted line.

Also I think adding in characters would make it more in their wheelhouse for forging. Whenever I sign up for a waitlist in Macau the chances they enter my name correctly on the list even with me spelling it out is maybe 25% and it's only four letters and pretty common around the world.

Are you like... a Chinese culture fanboy?

Does such a thing exist? I have been living and travelling in China for a year now learning the language and getting a grasp on the people and traditions.

China started as an adventure and a career choice. It definitely offers things that interest me though, otherwise I would have left a long time ago.

I think if you did it most Chinese would find it cute and most westerners would ridicule you if they found out, especially if you do it outside China. Keyword is "cute" none of the foreigners you see are taken seriously, more like oh that's cute he knows our language. Where has Dashan been last few years - he milked that career as long as he could then bounced.

Please don't be that guy who uses his fingers in the air the to mimic the tones as he gives free language lessons to people at a bar - the only person that guy impresses is himself

I've been here ten years, more or less fluent, I still hate the people that air draw tones.

Haha dont worry the furthest I might go is sharing the Chinese one-hand finger counting system simple because it's too good not to share.

10 years is quite a long time. What brought you to China?

Question that's probably been addressed in previous posts and/or theads: is there a good place to exchange USD to HKD? I was hoping if anyone knows if the casinos could exchange them bc that's mainly where I'll need cash the most. Thanks!

PS: might be a stupid idea but was thinking about buying 1-2 ounces of gold here and selling it back to a jewelry store in Hong Kong/Macau. My thought process here is that gold has a worldwide price and I won't lose in exchange fees. Probably not as good of a plan as I see it in my head lol

Haha you killed it by staying politically correct

Anyways all know what that "cute" really mean. Speaking Chinese is so mainstream nowadays that I try to avoid speaking it

Why bring USD? If you're balling transfer to the casino by wire, if you aren't use the ATM. They probably accept foreign currencies though, as I always see exchange rate tables at the cashier.

Sorry, should have clarified: bringing USD bc I'm from the US going to Hong Kong/Macau for the Macau Cup in February

Go to a mainland Chinese Bank like Bank of China, China Merchants Bank and ICBC. They exist in Macau but easier to find in Hong Kong. I assume rates of exchange at Hong Kong banks is solid too but unsure. The one thing Chinese banks are good at is exchanging limited amounts of money at fair rates.

Your own Bank in states should be able to exchange a decent amount for you at a decent rate as starter cash.

Never change money at the airport, professional money changers also rarely a good idea but some can be reasonable - just do the math ahead of time to know what you should get - more than a few times I've been handed a smaller amount, asked them if they are sure and then they're like "oh whoops I must have hit the wrong button" - that's where most their profit comes from when they do fee-less transactions like any good bank. Airports will often charge about 10 bucks just to do an exchange and then do really bad rates. Western Union and other wiring services often give a ****ty rate and don't even let you know.

You should also be able to use your ATM card at some atms there but being on the china side I haven't done this first hand and can't vouch for rate of success but know plenty of people that have done it (with lots of complaints).

I could be totally wrong but I'm pretty sure even when dealing with a proper vendor and not treating a jewelry shop as a pawn shop, you still never get fair value reselling gold because they need to make their profits when they try to turn around and resell that later that day.

Came here on vacation & by sheer luck found a really juicy poker game that played several times a week so stayed and did that for a year. It dried up but then decided to get a job and stay. Currently on my way out.

Do the 25/50 games at the city of dreams run all the time? Even 9-10am?

city of dreams doesn't run that much unless they have a tourney crowd - been there during ACOP and had lots of tables, other times showed up an hour before a tourney and no games running then only one once enough people busted from weekly tourney

really about what else is going on but likely no

wynn is really only place that spreads 24/7 and they're moving away from 25/50

honestly though, if you're rolled for it, I think 50/100 is an easier game because waitlist for 25/50 makes most tourist play there more often - the regs are a little better but there are more whales - then again i just downswung 120k there so...

I know this is China thread, but if anyone in Taipei at all, give a holler for a beer, JD trip, or other fun activities of sin. Since Taiwan thread not too happening and technically it's called the Republic of China, thought I'd throw it out there.

-Boris

Anyone know about any good games in Beijing?

There's a purely recreational turbo style tourney each Sunday around 6:45 at XL bar near sanlitun north. I've gone once, more chilling and drinking than real poker and low stakes. If I weren't leaving china I'd keep playing in it for fun.

Booked my holiday to china! arrive morning of 26th dec and it goes like this

Beijing - 4 nights
Shanghai - 4 Nights (inc NYE)
Macau - 3 Nights
Xian - 3 nights
HK - 4 nights

I'll need to buy some warm clothes when i arrive in beijing. any good shopping centres i should head to for some decent gear ?

if you think theres anything i must do i am all ears too!