Macau Poker Low Stakes

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How Low do Low Stakes Go?

Low stakes poker can be played as low as the 5-cent level, which would fit into an area that has become known as 'micro stakes' poker. There is no set range to classify micro stakes, but most experts consider anything from 5 cents to around $2 stakes to fit into the micro category. Low stakes in a real casino might be $20 a hand in Las Vegas, but things go a lot lower when you're playing online.

What Poker Games Can You Play?

This second installment in my poker capital series will focus on up-‘n’-coming poker capital Macau, long-time holder of the title for gambling capital of Asia. MACAU LOW ROLLER GUIDE The city of dreams may be better known for being a high stakes paradise, which you can read all about in my Macau high roller guide. Macau Billionaire Poker Room. Location: Babylon Casino, Macau; Hours: 24 hours, 7 days; Tables: 5; Games: This poker room currently offers no limit holdem cash games at various stakes. While they are aiming to offer higher stakes you will most likely be able to find HK$50 / $100 and $100 / $200 games running more frequently. Below is the info about the stakes available for play, minimal and maximal buy-in amounts for entering the table. Now it is easy to find cash poker games in Macau in 2020 – regular data update allows players quickly find a place for the play.

Texas Hold'em is the most popular poker format available for low stakes real money play online. If you're not familiar, Hold'em is a game of two hole cards (face down) and five community cards (face up). The aim is to make the best possible hand of five cards using your two and three from the community.

Many other poker formats are also available for low stakes play online. These include Razz, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud, Draw, and many subtle variations on a theme besides. If it's low stakes poker you're wanting, you'll find excellent variety at the sites listed above.

Can I Enter Tournaments?

Yes you can. There are myriad online low stakes tournaments you can enter every day, with a huge range of formats ranging from Sit N Go tournaments, to Multi-table tournaments, Heads Up tournaments and beyond.

By low stakes tournament play we mean online real money poker tournaments with very low buy-in fees. You'll even find some real money tournaments that have no buy-in whatsoever, with the pot funded by the online casino.

Can I Win Big Money Playing?

Entire books have been written on this subject, such is the trend for online poker players to chase a healthy return on playing low stakes poker in high volume. You're not going to become a millionaire playing 5 cents online poker, but it is possible to rack up thousands in winnings if you're a smart enough player and prepared to put in the hours.

The biggest reason for this is the fact small stakes poker undeniably attracts a large pool of weak players. It's an obvious entry point for newbies and thus you're always going to find small stakes games and tournaments flooded with what the poker community terms as fish.

Some players will develop small stakes poker strategies that apply to the big picture. There are lots of opinions out there on which strategies work best, but it's unquestionably possible to make some good cash from small stakes online poker.

Is Playing Poker Online Legal?

That depends entirely on where you're playing. Some parts of the world deem it completely legal to play online poker for real money, while others deem it illegal. As the law applies specifically to the U.S., the legality of online poker differs from state to state. We would always advise you consult with a legal professional if you require clarification in this area.

How Do I Register to Play Online Poker?

The first step is to set up an account at a real money poker website (see the sites listed above). From there, you'll need to make an initial deposit into your online poker account to activate it. Once that's done you should be instantly eligible to enter all small stakes poker games the site has currently available.

Can I Play for Free?

If you're not quite ready for small stakes poker, there is an even gentler entry to the game available. All the major real cash poker websites offer a free play area, where you can get to grips with the formats on offer and grow in confidence. You won't get the rush you'll get from playing for real cash, of course, but when the times comes to play small stakes poker you'll be ready.

Is it Safe to Play Poker Online?

It's 100% safe to play online small stakes poker if you stick to the sites we've recommended. These poker sites have all been thoroughly vetted for their software security measures and they're guaranteed to protect your personal and banking details online.

Poker in Macau is nothing like poker in Las Vegas and the
United States. You’ll struggle to find Texas holdem poker rooms
at most Macau casinos, although they still do exist in some
parts. The experience on the whole will be a lot different to
the United States and you’ll need to adjust your expectations
when looking for a game.

Poker

First and foremost, the waiting lists for cash games in Macau
are crazy. It’s not unheard of to wait up to 6 hours for a spot
at the table. Even though most poker rooms only have a few
tables open, they let lists accumulate up to 60 or 70 people and
won’t even open more tables. Poker is a bit of a spectacle here
and isn’t treated like a table game that should be offered for
players on demand. It’s treated more like a service or amenity
that the casino and hotel offers, much like they offer a valet
service or room service. On top of all of this, the number of
table games a casino offers is strictly regulated by the Chinese
government and the fact is poker just doesn’t make as much money
as a baccarat or blackjack table.

The one exception to this is the Pokerstars Live room in
Macau. This is more of a player’s poker room and is the closest
you’ll find to a United States or Europe style poker room.
Closely following this room is the Wynn and Venetian poker
rooms; they obviously run great poker rooms in Las Vegas.
They’ve had to slightly change it up for the different market
though.

In general, the poker play in Macau is quite tough. When
poker arrived on the scene here in the mid-to-late 2000’s the
games were very juicy. Since then the newcomers to poker have
returned to other games and the players that persevered have
become much more skilled and harder to beat. You can still
certainly find good games at a wide variety of stakes; however,
you won’t get the baccarat players basically giving away their
hard earned cash at the table like you did in 2008.

List of Macau Poker Rooms

Here is our compiled list of all the poker rooms you can find
in the state of Macau:

Pokerstars Live Macau Poker Room

  • Location: Level 2, City of Dreams, Macau
  • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Tables: 13
  • Games: You’ll find a good mix of cash games and
    tournament play at the Pokerstars Live Macau poker room. At
    any given time, you’ll be able to find a no limit Texas
    holdem cash game running, usually with stakes of HK$25 / $50
    and HK$100 / $200 and higher when there’s demand from
    players. In US dollars this is about $3 / $6 and $13 / $26.
    These limits are quite high although everything is like that
    in Macau when it comes to gaming. For the tournament players
    out there you’ll find some major events taking place in this
    poker room including Macau Poker Cup “Red Dragon” series,
    Macau Millions, the PokerStars Championship PSC Macau and
    Asia Championship of Poker ACOP. On top of this they usually
    run a major tournament on Saturday’s and Sunday’s with
    satellite entry tournaments to these running all through the
    week. The standard weekly tournaments range from HK$1000
    US$130 buy in up to HK$4000 US$515. Most tournaments are no
    limit Texas holdem with the odd Omaha one running from time
    to time.
  • Ambience: It’s all about the red and black of Pokerstars
    here. The room is huge, open and airy and provides a great
    playing experience. The tables are covered with black felt
    and the black leather chairs clash nicely with the red
    carpet. The room is connected to the rest of the casino so
    some noise and smoke will get through, although it’s pretty
    well ventilated. This is a great place to play poker which
    is no surprise considering Pokerstars is involved.
  • Hospitality: You’ll need to request service while
    playing poker in this room, although water, tea and coffee
    will be provided most of the time free of charge. Alcohol
    wise you will struggle to get complimentary drinks here
    although some report when they asked they did receive beer.
    This seems to be hit and miss and the service certainly
    won’t be anything like you would get in Las Vegas.
  • Players: The players are quite good and competition
    tough in this poker room. The game has certainly reached a
    maturity point where the remaining regulars are of a higher
    skill than in the boom day in the late 2000s. You can still
    find the odd soft table here and there and during major
    tournaments you’ll find a lot of good action. Generally
    speaking the players in Macau will be friendly. We’ve heard
    reports they have been welcoming and the table and room has
    had a generally fun atmosphere.

Poker King Club Macao

  • Location: Venetia Casino, Macau
  • Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
  • Tables: 10
  • Games: Both cash games and tournaments are offers in
    this poker room. Cash game wise you will find no limit Texas
    holdem games running almost always. Stakes offered are HK$25
    / $50, $50 / $100, $100 / $200, $200 / $400, $500 / $1000.
    For tournament players you’ll find a wide range on offer
    usually with buy in’s at the higher stakes. They run Asia
    Poker Tour events here and some World Poker Tour affiliated
    events. They once offered a big game tournament which had a
    prize of $50 million, which is crazy high. It’s safe to say
    this hasn’t happened again and probably won’t anytime soon.
  • Ambience: The Venetian is a wonderful casino with bright
    beige filled rooms which are well ventilated and welcoming.
    The poker room is new and is smoke free, which is a major
    bonus considering smoking is almost always permitted in
    poker rooms in this city. The bright blue felt of the table
    contrast well with the beige fittings and plush carpets. The
    chairs in this poker room are leather and comfortable. You
    will also be able to view a TV from most seats at the
    tables, as well as charge your phone via USB charging ports.
  • Hospitality: You’ll get around the clock table side food
    and beverage service in the Poker King Club at the Venetian
    casino. This is another rarity in Macau, as poker is almost
    the second class citizen to other more favorable games.
  • Players: The players here will be quite tough and the
    games usually at the higher limits. Because of casino
    regulations in China they really need to make some bang for
    their buck and that’s why most limits are a little bit
    higher than you would expect to find in poker rooms in the
    United States. You’ll still be able to find juicy tables in
    the Poker King Club during peak times.

Wynn Macau Casino

  • Location: Rua Cidade de Sintra, Macao
  • Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
  • Tables: 11
  • Games: The Wynn poker room in Macau offers cash games
    and tournament play. For the ring game players, you will
    find no limit Texas holdem at medium and high stakes as well
    as pot limit Omaha. Stakes range from HK$25 / $50 up to $500
    / $1000. Remember you get about HK$8 for each US$1. The Wynn
    poker room won’t offer many tournaments. However, they do
    run special events on occasion with a range of buy in’s.
  • Ambience: The Wynn in Macau is very similar to the Wynn
    in Las Vegas. Steve Wynn won’t allow his brand to diminish
    in value or integrity at all and as such the poker room here
    is very nice with great décor and well maintained seats and
    tables.
  • Hospitality: Tea, coffee and water will be free for
    players here. If you want alcohol you may be able to get a
    free beer while you pay, but most drinks must be ordered
    from the menu and will attract a charge. You can also order
    food and eat at the table while you play.
  • Players: This is a wildly popular poker room and as a
    result you will sometimes have to wait hours for a table.
    Book a seat many hours before you plan on playing and you
    shouldn’t have a problem. Because of this, the poker is
    tough and you’ll need to be playing very solid poker to do
    well. The vibe is quite serious due to this but also a lot
    of fun at times, particularly on weekend evenings.

Macau Billionaire Poker Room

  • Location: Babylon Casino, Macau
  • Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
  • Tables: 5
  • Games: This poker room currently offers no limit holdem
    cash games at various stakes. While they are aiming to offer
    higher stakes you will most likely be able to find HK$50 /
    $100 and $100 / $200 games running more frequently. They run
    tournaments on occasion including their Jade series which
    features a HK$2000 buy in event.
  • Ambience: This is a nice poker room which features gold
    and beige colors on the wall with ruby and gold carpet. It’s
    a nice place although it is near and on the casino floor so
    can be quite smoky at times. The blue felt tables are basic
    with gold wrapped simple seating. Regardless it’s still a
    decent poker room.
  • Hospitality: You will get basic drinks provided
    including water, tea and coffee. If you want anything
    further you will need to request for a server to come and
    take you order and you’ll usually be paying full price off
    the menu.
  • Players: The quality of play in this poker room will
    usually be quite good. This is because it’s such a niche
    market now in Macau and as such you won’t get as many
    amateur players trying out poker. That’s not to say you
    can’t do well if you put in a few solid sessions playing
    decent and straight forward poker.

Conclusion

Macau

Macau Low Stakes Poker

Macau is a different experience for players used to poker
rooms and casinos in the United States. But if you’re planning a
trip you can still find some good Teas holdem games. Just plan
well ahead and be prepared for extended wait times in some
rooms.