In another article, we talked about how – relatively speaking – the slot machine options in Macau were somewhat limited. However, that’s nothing compared to the scant selection of video poker machines you’ll find spread around Macau. There simply isn’t much demand for the game here, which means there aren’t very many machines here either.
Even worse, the video poker games aren’t generally that good. You won’t be finding any games with returns of over 100%, and some of the pay tables aren’t just short, they’re extremely short, offering returns of 95% or less. According to some reports, a few casinos feature video poker games with returns as low as 91% or so!
With that in mind, if video poker is the only game you want to play, Macau probably isn’t the place for you. Pretty much any other gambling destination around the world
will give you more and superior video poker options. It’s possible that this situation will improve in the near future, but right now, the pickings are slim.
That said, there are a few signs of life for video poker in Macau – if you know where to look. We’ve found the best Macau for video poker, based both on the variety of games available and the quality of the games in terms of returns players can expect. Here are our picks.
Best Video Poker Casinos in Macau
The Wynn Macau Video Poker
It’s a close call between a few different casinos, but in the end, we believe the Wynn offers video poker players the best games in Macau. The Wynn has a decent variety of games, but what we really like is that lower-denomination players can get a fair shake here – at least compared to what you’ll see at other casinos.
The Wynn offers several different games, including classics like Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild. The best deals come from Joker Poker and Bonus Poker, both of which
have pay tables that give back over 98% with optimal play. These pay tables are even available at relatively low limits, meaning that you won’t have to be a high roller in order to get a reasonable return. We also like the Wynn’s progressive video poker machines, which – which the jackpot gets high enough – can occasionally make these games profitable for the player.
City of Dreams Video Poker
Maybe it’s because the City of Dreams is one of the newest places in Macau that it features the most video poker options of any casino here. It’s hardly an overwhelming
selection of games, but there are Jacks or Better machines, Deuces Wild, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus and Bonus Poker machines here in many different denominations.
At lower denominations, you won’t find very generous pay tables here, but at higher levels, the games can at least be considered decent. For instance, the highest limit Double
Double Bonus game offers a 98.9% return, which is at least respectable; other games have high limit machines that pay back 97-98%. It’s not ideal, but for Macau, this is one of the better options for video poker players.
The Venetian Macau Video Poker
The Venetian has a decent selection of video poker machines, but they’re not exactly the most generous when it comes to their play tables. All the classic games are here; in fact, the selection is rather similar to what you’ll find at the Wynn.
The difference is that the pay tables are pretty bad, even for Macau. The best game – a Bonus Poker machine with a 6-5 pay table – offers a return of just under 97%, with several machines paying out 95% or less here. On the bright side, there are quite a few machines to choose from.
Golden Dragon Video Poker
In all honesty, we should probably have limited the “best” video poker casinos list to three here, but there are several other casinos with at least a token video poker presence in Macau, so it’s worth pointing out the best of the rest. The Golden Dragon’s video poker choices probably won’t impress you, but they do offer a few machines. The best choice is their Jacks or Better game, which has a return of over 96%.
The Sands Video Poker
The Sands doesn’t offer much video poker; the last report we saw said that the only game here was a 6-5 Jacks or Better game that returns an ugly 95%. However, the games are progressive, so when the jackpot amount gets high enough, these games can be worth playing.
Dishonorable Mentions
If you’re really desperate to play more video poker, there are a few other casinos that at least offer the game, though we really don’t recommend them. Here are the remaining casinos where we’ve heard video poker is at least offered in Macau:
- Jai Alai
- Floating Casino
