How the Macau Poker Scene Compares to Las Vegas

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Wednesday, April 19th, 2017 | Written by Charles Washington

The landscape of the gambling world is changing all around the globe, as casinos branch out and refine their focuses in order to attract players and increase profits. In today’s gambling landscape, where is the best place to play poker? Turns out the answer might depend on what time of year you’re discussing.

Las Vegas Now Resort Oriented

In the past, Las Vegas was undoubtedly the gambling center of the world. Individuals who wanted to place wagers at the poker tables came to Sin City in droves, and could have their pick of dozens of casinos on the Strip and beyond. Today, Las Vegas has become a full-fledged resort destination. Casinos are actively expanding their business models to provide more entertainment, dining options and attractions in hopes of attracting not just gamblers, but vacationers and convention goers as a whole. With gambling no longer the main focus of the Las Vegas casinos, the door has been opened for other gambling hot spots to emerge.

Rise of Macau

As Las Vegas casinos have downsized or shuttered their poker rooms entirely, Macau has emerged as a top destination for poker enthusiasts. PokerStars has also helped make the resort area a major center for poker with its branded poker room found at the City of Dreams Casino. Throughout the year, PokerStars hosts large events at the venue, including the Red Dragon, the Macau Millions and the Asia Championship of Poker, while small daily tournaments are also held on site, giving avid poker players the chance to face off against other skilled players anytime they wish.

Macau has a long history of catering to high rollers, and their poker tables are no exception. At the PokerStars LIVE card room, players can make huge wagers, and rumor has it that some VIPs play consistently at the $50K/$100K level. With high stakes games encouraged, Macau has become a favorite spot for world famous pros like Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan.

WSOP Still Major Draw

Even though Las Vegas is no longer the mecca for poker, the World Series of Poker still brings thousands of poker fans to the city each year, and during the months of June and July, Sin City remains the premier destination for poker enthusiasts to take to the tables. The statistics from the 2016 WSOP also help prove that fact, with the 2016 having broke several attendance and entry records.

At the 2016 WSOP, for instance, a record-breaking 107,833 people entered its 69 events schedule, up by 4% from the 103,512 players who took part in 2015. A total of $221,211,336 in prize money was subsequently awarded, representing the third highest tally in the WSOP’s forty-seven year history, Furthermore, while 78% of the participants, or 84,027 people, hailed from the United States, overall, players from 107 countries made their way to Las Vegas, including those from Canada (4,586), United Kingdom (4,388), France (1,293), Russia (1,280), Germany (1,169), and Brazil (970). Interestingly, just 5.12% of competitors were women, or 5,522 players, but each year organizers are continuing do their utmost to encourage more female poker to take part in the world’s most prestigious poker tournament series.

USA Offers a Varied Market

The rest of the year, Macau offers more for the devout player to experience, which is why so many American and European players are now booking trips to Macau rather than returning to Las Vegas again and again. American players that don’t want to make a trip abroad can find other destinations in the United States to play poker outside of Las Vegas. Card rooms in Los Angeles have gained fame for offering tournaments and high stakes play. Casinos in Florida, Pennsylvania and Maryland have upgraded their poker rooms in hopes of attracting enthusiasts that no longer are getting the experience that they desire in Las Vegas. As Sin City continues to become more of an all-around resort destination than a gambling hot spot, you can expect to see even more casinos following suit, though it will be a long time before any U.S. casino is able to offer the same perks as Macau.