Macau Poker
Macau poker is the latest craze in international live poker. Poker players from Asia and the rest of the world flock in the old Chinese coastal town to enjoy both. Starworld Casino Source Once home to the Poker King Club, Starworld Casino is now known for its low-key and local games. The room is located on the third floor of the casino and offers ten tables. If you are new to poker in Macau, the casino room offers a short training session for playing Texas hold ’em. Poker has become one of the most popular casino games around in the last decade. Much of the new found fame of the game can be attributed to the World Poker Tour and the other televised poker broadcasts. Regardless, poker is the game and you and everyone else are the players. One of the most ubiquitous names in poker runs the City of Dreams poker room in Macau. There are daily tournaments and regional competitions, but Pokerstars also offers cash games, including more modest limits than you'll find at rivals.
November 28, 2016I’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.
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).
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.
Macau Poker Rooms
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.
| Paul Phua | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Macau |
| Born | Wei Seng Phua 29 April 1964 (age 56) Miri, Malaysia |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| Information accurate as of 26 February 2018. | |
Wei Seng 'Paul' Phua (born 29 April 1964) is a Malaysian Chinese businessman and poker player. Phua is a casino VIP junket operator who regularly hosts high stakes gambling in Macau. Phua has been called 'A Legend in the Gambling World' and the 'World's Biggest Bookie'.[1][2]
Early life[edit]
Phua was born in 1964 in Miri, Malaysia, a coastal city in northeastern Sarawak.
As a child, he had a passion for sports, he played badminton, football, basketball, softball and table tennis.
At the age of 15, Phua was sent to attend school in Singapore. There, he played bowling before becoming involved in the Macau casino junket business.
Career[edit]
Phua has a career as a VIP junket operator in Macau and was an ambassador for San Marino to Montenegro.[2]
In 2006, he worked with Steve Wynn who opened Wynn Macau and expanded Wynn's business.
He regularly hosts high stakes gambling where he allegedly built up a net worth of USD$1 billion.[3]
Poker[edit]
Phua did not start playing Texas hold 'em until he was in his 40s.
In 2010, Las Vegas high stakes cash games began moving to Macau, players such as Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey, Chau Giang, Patrik Antonius and John Juanda started playing there.
By 2011, other professional poker players had joined the games in Macau.[4] Phua played and learned from these players. In 2012, Phua entered the 2012 World Series of Poker $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop event.[5]
In 2012, Phua won the Aspers £100K High Roller in London after defeating Richard Yong in heads up play, earning him his largest cash of $1,621,297.[1] In 2016, he won One Drop Extravaganza €100,000 Super High Roller after defeating Mikita Badziakouski in heads-up play, earning $827,722 in the process.[6]
During a cash game at the 2014 Aussie Millions, Phua was involved in a AUD$991,000 pot against fellow Macau poker player, Lo Shing Fung. Fung (8♣7♣) put Phua (10♠10♣) all in on the turn with the board reading 2♦9♥10♦6♣. The two elected to run the board only once, the river came the A♥, giving Fung the pot with his turned straight.[7]
In September 2018, Phua was involved in the biggest televised cash game pot of all time, winning $2.35 million against Tom Dwan.[8]
On August 8, 2019, Paul Phua finished second at Triton Series 2019 £100,000 Tournament and won £2,558,305.[9]
As of March 2020, Paul Phua's total live tournament cashes exceed $19,330,992.[10]
Paul Phua Poker[edit]
Macau Poker Chips
In 2016, Phua started his own poker strategy website Paul Phua Poker. Players such as Phil Ivey, Timofey Kuznetsov, Dan Colman, Daniel Cates, Tom Dwan, Sam Trickett, Lauren Roberts and others have contributed videos and tips for the site.[11] The site also promotes six-plus hold 'em, a newer variation of Texas hold 'em where the cards valued 2 through 5 are removed.
Phua is close personal friends with many of these stars who often give interviews on his YouTube channel. He has the closest relationship with Tom Dwan.
Personal life[edit]
Phua and his son Darren Wai Kit Phua both play poker. He currently resides in Macau.
References[edit]
- ^ abForrest, Brett (2015-11-12). 'From The Mag: How the world's biggest bookie was snared at last year's WSOP -- and walked a free man'. ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^ abSim, Johannan (2015-09-01). 'Meet Malaysia's 'God of Gambler', Paul Phua [Update]'. CILISOS.my. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^'Malaysian believed to have made millions from high-stake poker games'. The Star Online. 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Holloway, Chad (2011-12-05). 'Big Game in Macau: Antonius Welcome, Hall Speaks, & Trickett Up $1.8 Million'. PokerNews. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Holloway, Chad (2012-10-25). 'Deconstructing the Macau High-Stakes Cash Games'. PokerNews. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Fast, Erik (2016-10-17). 'Paul Phua Wins 2016 One Drop Extravaganza €100,000 Super High Roller'. cardplayer.com. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^Pempus, Brian (2014-09-15). 'WATCH: Crazy $1M Poker Cash Game Hand'. Card Player. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^'Paul Phua's Life: Biggest Profits, Losses and Net Worth'. Somuchpoker. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- ^'Triton series 2019 £100,000 Tournament Results'. casinowinners.asia. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^'Hendon Mob Database: Paul Phua'. Pokerdb.thehendonmob.com. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^Pete (26 April 2017). 'Phil Ivey In Conversation With Paul Phua'. HighstakesDB. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
Macau Poker Cash Games
External links[edit]
- Paul Phua on Twitter