No one cares if you wear shorts and thongs, but Wynn Macau has got to be one of the coldest casinos I've ever set foot in and the poker room is probably in the coldest part of the casino so you might not want to do that.

One of the things often overlooked when taking into account the Wynn games as well is that the 100/200 @ both Nlh and PLO are extremely deep and thusly they often play much bigger. It wouldn't be unheard of for people to put together a 1mil month @ 100/200 etc. Personally during my time @ the Wynn Macau I had several PLO 100/200 sessions where I won 300k plus. Like 663366 says if there was no money to be made those 100/200 NLs wouldn't run and they do daily, often with long waitlists.

good post Big Asia, glad to hear you're doing well out there

Without going into too many details, comparing Macau anything to Vegas in general is a mistake. Like BigAsia said if the games weren't profitable, even with rakes where they are then they shouldn't exist for very long. Given that poker still survives (over 7 years now?) in an extremely difficult environment that only a small percentage of people can possibly understand (let alone be from the area) is testament enough that poker is arguably doing well in Macau. Of course it can obviously be much better from the player's POV but if players had it their way (low rake) then poker would definitely cease to exist in the current Macau infrastructure.

I'm not saying a profit can't be made, but compared to comparable stakes in Vegas and elsewhere with non-gouging rake, I think the profits are much lower, to the point where you could probably attain similar profits playing lower stakes in the US than you can if you play twice to four times as high in Macao. The 25/50 game at Starworld runs everyday with long lists and there's no way you'll make a comparable amount there with the rake as you would playing 2/5nl or maybe even 1/3nl anywhere in the US. I wouldn't be surprised if it's unbeatable or hard to break even in that game.

Most places that have 10/20nl in the US are uncapped. There are also plenty of uncapped 5/10nl and 2/5nl games. So you can play deep, with *far* less rake, and make way more per hour. I remember 663366 also said that playing less than USD50/100nl equivalent is barely (or maybe not even) worth it in Macao as well...I'm assuming that's because of the rake and the abundance of nitty regs.

So maybe a living with lots of variance could be eeked out at 100/200nl at the Wynn, but with a lesser or comparable hourly than a 2/5nl reg in Vegas you'd be subjecting yourself to far more stress at 4 times the stakes and breathing in poisonous air the entire time you're there. That's just my take after 100 hours of playing in these games a few months ago, so not a massive amount of hours, but I've been playing off and on in Macau regularly for week-long stints over the last three years when I'm in Asia.

^ of course given the high rake it's not worth it playing lowstakes eg 25/50.. which means since rake stays the same, playing higher means it's more profitable and worth the while.

I'm not going to go into specific playing styles that can achieve very good winrates even in nitty games with high rake but it can be done end of story. And Vegas is also pretty nitty at the higher stakes at the core of it too.. you can go to any major Vegas casino and I can guarantee you the guys who beat the 5/10 or 10/20 if it runs, year in year out, are not doing it playing LAG.

If you're strictly comparing 25/50 in Macau with a very good 2/5 game in U.S. then yes I would agree U.S. is better, but once again it's not so much due to the game itself but the fact that accommodation is far cheaper and also you don't need to renew your visa-free stay every 30 or 90 days with forced travel which adds to the cost in Macau.

I'd say though, one disappointing thing about Macau compared to Vegas casinos is that, while Macau runs a lot of tournaments through the PokerStars venue at City of Dreams, during tournament time the players that come into Macau tend to be pretty good tournament players that are also decent at cash. In Vegas we all know what kind of players show up for WSOP every year..

Shorts are fine. Wynn casino/poker will not allow tank tops (singlets for you Australians). Also, some restaurants do not allow shorts.

Pack a sweatshirt or pullover though, it can sometimes get chilly in the poker room like 663366 says.

Champion. Thanks for the heads up.

When will this GOOD thing happen? I'm deciding on coming to Macau in either Oct or Dec

That I don't know... From what I heard there should be some news out within several months...

What is this GOOD thing? Throw us a bone

You are absolutely correct. All the Macau regs should goto Vegas where they will win more money.

From one of the more knowledgeable people about poker in China I heard 'something' was going to happen. I don't want to make a exact statement here, as it's still China/Macau and a lot of things won't happen + I don't want people quoting me on it! I talked to him again yesterday, but he had no updates... Guess you all just have to be patient

Agree that it's not a sure thing. If it does happen at all, it'll be after phase 2 for galaxy.

are you talking about 100/200 usd or hkd

hkd

I don't think 50/100nl would be profitable either. I'm not saying you can't win money, but I really don't think 100/200nl in Macau (the game I mostly played) is much more profitable than 2/5 in the US at the end of the day given 1) rake and 2) expenses and 3) long-term/future health costs associated with breathing in the air. So, you essentially have to play a lot higher (and endure more risk) to achieve a comparable winrate at low stakes. Maybe if you play higher than 100/200nl, it begins to make sense. Anyways, iirc, that is what you said earlier. Think you said playing less than 300/600nl is barely worth it given the rake.

They almost definitely would if they're playing 100/200 and under.

How many non-Chinese dudes have been living in Macau for years playing 100/200nl and under? If the games were good, they would be there. Most people just play in Macau and try it out, see it's not that good, and leave. So, yes, you have to play much higher to even survive the rake.

four

Is it possible/worth it to stay in Hong Kong and catch the ferry to Macau daily?

You'd be better off staying in Macau if you were doing daily ferry. It's doable but what's the reason for staying in HK if you went to Macau daily? It'd be much cheaper just staying in Macau even without the ferry costs.

HK apartment to Macau casino back to HK apartment even without playing would take 4-5 hours minimum.. having said that there *are* HK regs who do this daily or 4-5 times a week.

After a week you would want to jump off the tower. You could make two trips a week though and overnight in a cheap hotel or sauna for one night each time. That's doable.

Hi guys - does anyone know of any short-term rental (30-50day) in Macau, or is there a pokerhouse/apartment looking to fill a room?

Thanks.