Macau Attracts Poker Pros to High Stakes Cash Games

Once again, tournament action in the gambling capital of Macau has proven to be a breeding ground for some even larger cash games – ones that dwarf the largest games regularly seen in Las Vegas or online.

According to published reports, as well as information shared on the TwoPlusTwo.com forums, several of the world’s most prominent nosebleed-stakes players have been playing in the biggest games Macau has to offer – games that routinely see players winning and losing millions of dollars each day.

Several major players have been spotted playing in the big games, which were kicked off by the arrival of the APPT in the city. Tom Dwan has been reported to lose over $2.5 million in cash game action, though that may still be a small amount compared to what he has won in the city before. Andrew Robl has gain and lost millions, while other players like Guy Laliberte, Johnny Chan, and more have been trying their luck in games that have gone as high as $10k/$20k (in Hong Kong Dollars – approximately $1,280/$2,560 in US dollars).

According to several reports, the businessmen who truly make the games go have been a little selective with the players they’ve invited to take part in the biggest games. For instance, Patrick Antonius has reportedly been denied entrance into the games on several occasions, possibly because the locals feel that he will not bring enough action to the game. On occasion, players have insisted on adding a large ante – sometimes as large as the big blind – in order to force action.

According to APPT co-founded Tom Hall, some absurdly large pots have changed hands during the course of these games. The largest specifically mentioned by Hall involved a $14 million (US) pot that saw a player catch a gutshot flush on the river to win.

While poker has been offered in Macau for several years now, the large games came to the attention of the poker world as a whole last year, when the first APPT event was held in Macau.