Home / Poker News September 2008 / A word or two about Macau, the center of the poker universe these days
A word or two about Macau, the center of the poker universe these days
Posted by: James Carter. - Fri, 2008-09-05 14:39
Macau is an island province which currently belongs to China. It used to be a Portuguese colony from the 16th century onwards, all the way to 1999. It still retains some independence, and that is probably one of the many factors that set it apart from mainland China. If you haven’t ever heard anything historically relevant about Macau, you probably still know it for one thing: poker.
Indeed, Macau has always been a hotbed for more or less legal and fair gambling, as well as for card-games, but it has only recently emerged as one of the prime locations for live
Texas Holdem in Asia.
Why is Macau such a hotspot for poker in Asia? For one thing, it’s within a flight’s distance from a number of key locations. Local airlines fly to Macau from a wealth of destinations, but the truth in the matter is, Asian live poker has so far relied heavily on the presence of European and U.S. players to make things happen at the tables.
Airlines connecting in Taiwan fly players in from the U.S. and players from other parts of the world can always fly into Hong Kong and take the ferry to Macau, a trip that will not only provide more opportunities for sightseeing, but will also circumvent the customs. The climate is hot and extremely damp, so if you do decide to take a trip to Macau make sure you know what to count on.
China’s own take on Las Vegas hosts three important poker events these days. The APT’s Macau stop has just wrapped up with the victory of Yevgeniy Timoshenko, and it featured buy-ins of $5,300, with a prize-pool in excess of $1.5 million. The APPT’s Macau Stop is under way right now, featuring buy-ins of $3,200. It is sponsored by PokerStars, and it has just broken the record for the largest starting field and biggest prize-pool in a live poker event in Asia.
A high roller event is also in the books, following the APPT’s stop, and it will feature buy-ins of abut $20k. The Grand Waldo, which is the scene of most of the above named events, is also host to PokerStars’ first live poker room.
