Texas Hold ‘Em in Macau

(Last updated: November 3, 2023)

In 2022, gross revenue for Texas Hold ‘Em was just 10 million Patacas, which made it the second least profitable casino game, only in front of War.  Post-Covid it’s enjoying a bit of a revival, with new games popping up in MGM Cotai, MGM Macau, and Grand Lisboa Palace.

No matter where you play, blinds start from $50/$100 and can go all the way up to $2000/$5000, although those limits can be exceeded if everyone at the table agrees. 

The rake around town is a standard 5% although casinos do differ with their rake caps.  The Wynn Macau is the most generous, capping it at $300 on the $50/$100 games and $400 at all other limits. 

From what I’ve seen, the only rooms to get crazy busy are at the Venetian and Wynn Macau, where players sometimes have to wait for a couple of hours to get a seat.

Texas Hold Em in Macau: What to Watch Out For

Regarding poker tournaments, the City of Dreams used to own the monopoly on daily tournaments and major regional tournaments alike, thanks to their alliance with Poker Stars Macau.  It didn’t prove very profitable however, leading them to pull the plug on that partnership in 2018, simultaneously killing all tournament play in town.  As of 2023, only cash games are available, with the Wynn Macau said to have the nicest poker room and the most experienced players. 

If you know anything about online poker, you’ll know that Chinese players have the reputation of being extremely tight, and the same is true of the action in Macau.  Money is not being haphazardly thrown around the table by misguided Baccarat whales the way it was a decade ago, so you’ll have to grind quite a bit and have Lady Luck on your side to make any kind of significant profit.  

If Omaha Poker is your game instead, it’s available at both the Wynn and Venetian as well.