Just back from Macau

I am just back from 5 reasonably successful days in Macau
If anyone needs any up date info about the place. please ask

Why don't you tell us what kinds of games you found, where you stayed, what costs were, etc... For example, do they have craps or is it all baccarat and blackjack? Is there a comping system in place? If so, what was your average bet and for how long, and what did you get?

A few weeks ago I read through a very comprehensive overview by this forum's host on his visit to Macau. Not that I'd ever go there because long plane rides aren't my thing, but aren't those places so crowded that it makes it uncomfortable playing there? Did you go on business, which seems the only sensible reason to go over there?

Also, do you speak Cantonese or Mandarin? Regardless, how well would an English speaker get around in your opinion? Same question as regard to craps.

Quote: ahiromu

Also, do you speak Cantonese or Mandarin? Regardless, how well would an English speaker get around in your opinion? Same question as regard to craps.

In general you can get along well enough in English in most major cities in the world. In my experience, English served me well enough in Israel back in the 80s.

Regarding Macau, how prevalent is Portuguese? I don't speak it, but when I hear it spoken slowly enough I can understand perhaps 70% of what's being said. Written I understand a bit more. It's very close to Spanish.

I've never been to Macau but I'll take a wild stab at it. They're in China. They were populated mostly by Chinese before the handover, and it's populated mostly by Chinese today. Therefore they speak Chinese, and port-a-geek is quickly being forgotten. Re: English, They were basically part of Hong Kong prior to the handover, Hong Kong was controlled by the British, and the British speak English!

Are there any Blackjack 6/8 deck shoe games in Macau? I was there about a year ago and I couldn't find any.... all Blackjack dealt from CSM's. If there are shoes which casinos are they at and what are the conditions? eg. penetration, table min/max etc.

just write us a review like the wiz and croupier do ontheir trips.

Thanks guys

I spent my 5 days mostly at Sands with a few visits to The Venetian, and one to Lisboa. My observation was that Sands was less busy than on previous visits of the past 3 years, but The Venetian seemed about the same. The slots were certainly less well patronized than I had ever seen before.

The major casinos of Macau are dominated by Baccarat (about 80% of the total revenue I believe) and this seemed to be the case this time around. Sic bo is still very popular, and Caribbean Stud and Black Jack were quite busy. There are no craps in Macau that I have seen.

My personal preference is for the version of single zero roulette where the wheel and ball are real (not of the video kind) and the bets are recorded on the customers touch screen. The pace is fast with only 45 seconds from payout of the previous spin to the closing of bets for the next spin. This has advantages and disadvantages. Tables of this kind were always quite busy in The Venetian but less so in Sands. At Lisboa, they were not busy at all with the baccarat drawing the customers.

My personal way to bet is to look for patterns, such as one sequence of spins with winning numbers 14,19,4,2,19,21,4,4,20,31. These are all in one segment on the wheel, or directly opposite that segment. On that occasion I started with HK$1000 and cashed in HK$3120. (One $US = HK$7.7) The casinos in Macau accept only Hong Kong dollars.

I usually start with a deposit of HK$1000 and cash that in (just by printing the ticket from the machine) when I get above HK$2000. Then I start again. It’s my way of introducing a discipline to my wagering. If things are not going well, then I move to another machine, or another casino which is very easy to do in Macau.

I have yet to fully analyze my betting but I did much better at The Venetian than at Sands for some reason.

Macau generally was very busy due to an International Dragon Boat regatta. We had nice new rooms at the Hotel Royal for HK$500 (= US$65), and I would recommend that hotel as a good and reasonable place to stay. The only small downside is that it tasks a little time to find a taxi, but the hotel runs a shuttle bus to the main ferry terminal every 30 minutes, from which all of the casinos run free shuttle buses to their respective casinos.

Macau is a cheap place to visit, with great food of every kind at reasonable prices. The Sands buffet dinner is HK$288pp (US$37pp) which is expensive for Macau but its worth every cent. Outside of the casinos, the food is very cheap.

Macau is a very small place, and it takes only 15 minutes from the airport to any of the hotels or casinos you are likely to stay at. I have stayed at The Venetian on previous occasions and that is luxurious by any standard. But I personally prefer a lesser standard, but still comfortable hotel for my visits.

I do not speak Cantonese or Mandarin but its not needed in hotels, casinos or restaurants where English is widely spoke. However it is wise to carry your hotel card to show your taxi driver as most of them do not speak English.

I went to Macau only to play the casinos, but I am only 3 hours away by plane so its not far for me. None of the casinos have ever been over-crowded in my experience, busy sure, but not packed out. If they were, its easy to move to another as there are a dozen major casinos operating 24/7.

I've been to Macau twice and the number of times I heard Portuguese being spoken is zero. The signage, however, is in both English and Portuguese. The vast majority prefer Cantonese there, but everybody seems to understand Mandarin as well. Staff who come into contact with a lot of tourists usually know enough English to communicate. The nicer the hotel/store/restaurant, the better your odds. The dealers and cab drivers seldom know English. My best results finding English speaking dealers was at the Venetian. If you're looking to just chat with average citizens in English, it will be difficult in Macau. Your odds would be better in Hong Kong.