I’m typing this on the ferry heading to hong Kong after a week in Macau playing poker, taking my son swimming, eating far too many oily carbs and constantly being amazed at the wealth I’ve witnessed at the casinos in Macau.

I venture to Macau on a fair regularly basis to play Poker, although I haven’t been for a while since having my boy, I thought now is a great time to share what’s it’s like visiting Macau as a tourist, as a family and the main draw; the no limit hold’em cash games games.

Getting to Macau

Getting to Macau couldn’t be easier. You can either fly into Macau’s international airport, get the Sky Shuttle Helicopter from Hong Kong or get a boat from one of the free ferry ports in Hong Kong; Kowloon, Sheung Wan or from Hong Kong’s international airport (If you opt for the later, don’t leave immigration as the ferry check-in is done from inside the airport terminal).

On this trip I opted for the boat ride from Kowloon in Hong Kong. The journey takes an hour and immigration at both ends is super fast and efficient, taking 5-10 minutes at each end max. There are 2 companies you can choose from; Cotai Water Jet and TurboJet. Both have regular departures and similar pricing.

The VIP poker room is said to be the only large Texas Hold'em Poker Club in the world that offers top-level watch appreciation service. The company is working in collaboration with the Swiss Time Group from Switzerland to create the Macau poker room. According to MegStar, the poker room has transformed the entire mass casino part of the hotel.

If you opt to arrive in Macau by ferry, you’ll either end up at Macau Outer or Taipa. The difference is only 10 minute’s drive away so I wouldn’t fuss over this too much (I’d rather sit on a bus for 10 minutes than wait 50 minutes for a ferry going to the closest port).

In fact, Starworld was the first casino in Macau to offer any form of poker, though originally, it utilized electronic PokerTek tables. There has been one complaint against the Starworld that we’ve seen a lot of: apparently, the casino reeks of smoke. If the smell of smoke bothers you, this is probably a place to avoid. Galaxy Waldo Hotel. Best poker room in Macau. Teresa Chiang March 6. Star world hotel macau (china) 澳门. star world hotel macau china 澳门. starworld casino 澳门.

Casinos» StarWorld Macau. The third floor, meanwhile, is notable for its ten table poker room. Blinds begin at $10/$25 and max out at $200/$400. Limit Hold 'Em is. There are 2 poker rooms in the Macao area, and we at PokerAtlas provide complete and up-to-date information about every room in every location including Cotai Strip and Macao. Click on any of the poker room listings below for more information including poker tournament schedules, cash games, player reviews, contact information, amenities.

If you plan to stay in a casino (which I’ll come to in a moment), you’ll most likely be able to catch one of the regular shuttle buses to and from each ferry port (and I assume the airport) to the hotel you’re staying at. They are free of charge and as mentioned above, either take 5 or 10 minutes depending on what port you arrive into and what part of Macau you are staying at.

Where to Stay

If you’re visiting Macau to play Poker, it’s hard to beat the Cotai Strip – which is a collection of hotels that are linked to each other via walkways, restaurants and shopping malls.

What’s great about choosing one of the hotels on the strip is that you’ll be within walking distance to 2 of the 3 spots where you can play no limit texas hold’em in Macau; the Venetian and the Poker Stars room located at the City of Dreams.

On this recent trip I stayed at the Sheraton, simply as it’s on the strip (where I wanted to stay) and it looked like a great spot for a family to hang out. It was a good choice – the rooms were huge (especially compared to Hong Kong standards), the swimming pools great and the buffet breakfast was huge.

Poker in Macau

There are 3 spots in play Texas Hold’em in Macau:

1. The Wynn

The Wynn hotel and casino is generally considered the best spot in Macau for high-stakes cash games, and it’s also considered to have the best facilities, chairs and comfort. I played here on my previous trip but did not visit on this trip, but I hear the stakes are 50/100 with a minimum 50,000 buy-in (HKD). If you’re interested in playing high-stakes, The Wynn would be a great place to check out.

2. The Venetian

The Venetian has many cash games, from 25/50 with a buy-in between 2,000 and 15,000 to 100/200 if my memory serves corrected. The chairs here are especially comfortable, and it was mainly a Chinese/Asian crowd when I visited with about 6-8 tables in play.

3. The PokerStars Room

The Poker Stars Room is situated in the City of Dreams complex, a stone’s throw away from the St. Regis and the Hard Rock Cafe hotels. The starting rake here is also 25/50 with buy-ins from 2,000 to 5,000 – which I personally really liked. This is also the only spot where I had to queue, albeit only 20 minutes (I hear this can easily extend to 60 minutes).

It’s also worth noting there were many more tables in play (10-15 when I visited) compared to The Venetian and it had a much more of an international vibe. The Poker Stars Room is also the only spot in town who host daily tournaments, many of which are satellites to the Asian Poker Tour circuit.

Visiting Macau with a family

This was my first time visiting Macau with a family and it was a breeze. The huge boulevard type walkways outside the hotels meant it was a pleasure walking outside to gett some fresh air, while the staff in the multiple hotels we visited and walked through we’re happy to greet and meet us. We also had no problems in dining at some of the best spots in town.

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Back in September, the Poker King Club (PKC), which plays host to the famed Macau Big Game, relocated from its long-time home inside StarWorld Casino to The Venetian Macau. However, the club had to use a temporary space as they waited for a newly renovated poker room to open.

On May 22, PKC unveiled that spectacular new poker room and played host to over 100 distinguished guests from around the world including poker pros Phil Ivey, Tom 'durrrr' Dwan and Johnny Chan.

They were joined by such luminaries as Winfred Yu, President of Poker King Club; YM Choong, President of Marketing Strategy of Suncity Group; Ciaran Carruthers, Senior Vice President & Director of Venetian & Plaza Operations, Sands China Ltd.; and Harold Tsakmaklis, Vice President of Casino Operations, Venetian Macau Limited.

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'The Venetian Macau is no doubt one of the most prestigious integrated resorts in Macau. This move allows us to take advantage of its upscale entertainment, dining, shopping and hotel options, as we continue to deliver the best in player experience,' Yu said during his opening speech. 'We are never satisfied with status quo and I am confident that Poker King Club will become every player’s venue of choice.'

Yu, who has $1,347,238 in lifetime tournament winnings including a third-place finish in the 2013 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific Main Event for $442,917, hasn’t been shy about promoting the Macau Big Game. During last year's WSOP Asia-Pacific, he revealed to PokerNews that the move, which came after their contract with the Galaxy Group expired, was an opportunity to expand.

“Our contract actually ended at the StarWorld with the Galaxy group,” Yu said. “Also, it’s a great expansion for us to move because we’ve got the support of the Venetian. They are a Vegas-based casino, so they understand poker a little bit more as far as the [Asia-Pacific] community, what they can do for the casino, marketing tools, and also they’re willing to support a lot of events that we’re going to do over the next year.”

The new non-smoking room is located in the Phoenix Hall of The Venetian Macao’s main gaming area and features a mix of the property's signature architecture. Players will also be treated to USB chargers at the table, adjustable plush seating, around the clock food and beverage service, table side dining and multiple television screens throughout the room.

As part of the grand opening, PKC also featured a Charity Poker Tournament to benefit the Caritas Macau group. Among the eight participants were Yu, Ivey, Chan, Stanley Choi, Takeda Tsuneaki, Raymond Chow and Yong Wai Kin.

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The event created a prize pool of MOP 300,000 – all of which was presented to the local charity, Lar De Nossa Senhora Da Penha. As a token of appreciation, PKC presented each guest with a gift box containing a portable cardholder, a customized money clip and a bottle of fine spirits. Chan eventually emerged victorious in that event after defeating Ivey in heads-up play.

Here's a look at some photos from the PK Macau Grand Opening:

PKC, which also expanded into the Philippines last year, is the only club in Macau that offers a Membership Rewards Program to players.

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