What’s the best Macau casino for playing baccarat? The short answer is: all of them! Baccarat is the game of choice in Macau, dominating every single casino and taking up half or more of all the tables in each casino. Unlike in many Western casinos, the popularity of baccarat isn’t just contained to the high-limit areas; here, it is a game for the masses, attracting big crowds to the tables. It’s not unusual to see more than a hundred tables full to the brim, with rows of people standing behind watching.
One large difference between Macau and other gambling destinations is the serious demeanor of players at the tables. Where Vegas is full of high fives, casual conversations, drinking and general fun, the Asian gamblers in Macau (especially the Chinese) take their gambling much more seriously. There’s very little if any banter to be had and its rare to see any of them with a drink in their hands while at the tables.
In most casinos the lowest bet that can be made per hand is 200-300HKD during the daytime. At night time most casinos increase the min bet to 500HKD, with some places even going as high as 1000HKD (about $130). A good example of this is the Venetian where during the evening time it can often be impossible to find a table offering 500HKD min bets and those that do offer it are often full.
For those on a very tight budget, the second tier hotels in Macau such as the Babylon and other less glitzy hotels have 100HKD min bets. However, the low betting stakes are also a reflection of the general decor and everything else in these properties as they are well below the standards of Macau’s super casinos.
Of course, there’s plenty of ultra high-limit baccarat to be found too. In Macau’s many VIP rooms, there’s baccarat, baccarat, and more baccarat. Many of them feature only baccarat tables, and even when other games are offered, they’re almost an afterthought. Alot of these rooms have limits of more than 1 million HKD per hand and you’ll often be able to pop in, have a look around and see just why Macau is the world’s highest earning gambling destination.[1]
So, how do we differentiate between the many different choices in Macau? Honestly, it’s not easy to do. We’ve decided to go with a few different factors: the amount of swanky VIP rooms on hand at each casino, the presence of some of the popular variations of the game (such as Three Card), and the overall casino quality. Here’s our (certainly not exhaustive) list of the best Macau casinos for Baccarat!
Sands Macau
The Sands Macau was designed for VIP guests, and in Macau, that means big money baccarat players. Originally, you couldn’t even get a room here unless you were an invited guest of the casino; today, there are a few hundred suites available for guests, though for the most part, it’s still marketed as a day-trip destination for most gamblers.
Of course, the VIP treatment doesn’t stop in the hotel. The casino features a VIP area known as the Pearl Room, where you’ll find 40 table games, most of which will be playing baccarat at any given time.
Somewhat unusually for Macau, there is also a designated non-smoking area on the ground floor of the casino. These are for guests who aren’t part of the group of 350 million smokers in China.[2]
With great food, amenities, suites and plenty of action for high-stakes players, the Sands is our pick for the best place to play baccarat in Macau.
Golden Dragon
The Golden Dragon may not seem like the ideal destination for a big money baccarat client; after all, it’s older than the new resorts that have been built in the past decade, and it simply can’t compete with them on looks or amenities. But the Golden Dragon was once one of the swankiest casinos in Macau, and it still knows how to treat high-stakes players like royalty.
Along with a sizable standard casino, the Golden Dragon offers plenty of extra benefits for VIP players. There are 15 different VIP rooms spread throughout the casino, allowing the whales to play in peace.
Grand Emperor Casino
This luxury hotel-casino just screams class – and wealth – from the moment you step into the front door. The rooms are magnificent, the atmosphere is intoxicating, and the casino is designed with whales in mind. The Grand Emperor is mostly marketed towards Asian gamblers, but Westerners who are up for some baccarat action certainly won’t be turned away.
We love the way VIPs are treated here. While in other casinos, VIPs have private rooms, the Grand Emperor is thoughtful enough to give high rollers two entire floors devoted to them. If you’re a big spender who wants to play without going anywhere near the main gambling floor, this is an awesome feature.
Galaxy Waldo
Where’s Waldo? Probably in the Premium Baccarat Room, an area designed just for players who want a superior gambling experience. On the whole, the Galaxy Waldo is one of the pricier casinos in Macau and we love the idea of a room specifically designed to cater to the needs of baccarat players.
There are also some of the more standard semi-private VIP areas spread throughout the casino too, in case you’d also like to try some other games (don’t worry, these rooms have baccarat, too). One thing to keep in mind if you decide to play here, though, is that it is definitely marketed heavily to Chinese tourists; you won’t see many Westerners here. However, the casino is absolutely incredible to see and is worth a trip for sight-seeing alone, even if you don’t want to gamble any money there. The decor and tables, as well as the layout of the casino is bright, modern, spacious and screams luxury like no other property in Macau, let alone those on the Cotai Strip.
Casino Grand Lisboa
The Grand Lisboa has been around since 1970, but it remains an excellent choice for getting some high-limit action. There are eight VIP rooms, all of which feature high stakes baccarat for guests who want to gamble their money in semi-privacy. They’ve also recently expanded their hotel, making it an excellent all-around destination for baccarat-playing tourists.
Honorable Mentions
As we said earlier, there really isn’t anywhere in Macau where you can’t get in on a great baccarat game. It’s essentially the local pastime, with more money being spent on baccarat than all other casino games combined! However, there are a few other places worth singling out for their offerings. Here are a few more picks to check out the next time you’re in Macau:
- Wynn Macau
- Grand Waldo
- Rio Casino
References
[1] Macau is the gambling capital of the world – The Guardian
[2] Smoking in China – Wikipedia.org
