If you fancy combining a great poker trip with the holiday of a lifetime in South East Asia, then Macau could be the perfect solution. Macau has become a premier destination for poker players in recent years, with an alluring year-round mix of tournaments and 24/7 cash games.
Since the first casinos opened here in 2004, Macau has grown to become not only the gambling capital of the Far East but now the world. The tiny former Portuguese colony now generates more revenue from gaming than anywhere else on the planet; it’s already turning over three times the revenue of Las Vegas and last year totalled over $28 billion.
Despite its scale of operation, however, Macau is still something of an unknown for many Westerners. Every poker player has heard of Las Vegas – the World Series of Poker has made sure of that – but Macau has yet to fully make its mark as a first choice poker destination.
There’s no doubt though Macau has a huge amount to offer for the poker playing tourist. Part of its appeal is its convenient location, especially if you want to combine playing poker with a great South East Asia holiday as well.
There are direct flights from Macau to 44 different cities around Asia and the Far East, and Macau is only an hour from Hong Kong airport. This not only makes Macau easy to get to, but it also makes the islands a perfect jumping off point for travel in the whole region.
Poker writer Ben Wilson is a huge Macau fan. He first moved there seven years ago, lured by the cash games and the opportunity to cover poker tournaments as a blogger. He said: “The cash games were pretty good and it was a great place to be based for freelance poker writing in and around the Asia-Pacific region, so that's what I did: played live poker and did my freelance writing and tournament coverage for the rest.
“It’s also a great spot to be based for an Asian excursion; you’re only one hour by ferry from Hong Kong, which is a great city and boasts a bustling and busy nightlife and it’s also great for cheap short hops to Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Korea, Japan – all within 4-6 hours flight.”