Gambling in Macau

Gambling in Macau has been legal since the 1850s when the Portuguese government legalized the activity in the colony. Since then, Macau has become known worldwide as the Monte Carlo of the Orient.

Gambling tourism is Macau's biggest source of revenue, making up about 50% of the economy. Visitors are made up largely of Chinese nationals from the mainland and Hong Kong. With the entry of large foreign casinos from Las Vegas and Australia, Macau overtook the Las Vegas Strip in gaming revenues in 2007.

Until Western-style casino games were introduced in the 20th century, only Chinese games were played, the most popular being Fan-Tan. Generally, gambling in Macau can be divided into three different categories: casino games, horseracing and greyhound racing. There is also sports betting and a number of lotteries. At the present time, Macau does not license online gaming operations.

Macau has 33 casinos, of which the biggest is The Venetian Macau. They all operate under a government franchise and under a common set of rules.

Many forms of gambling are legal there, such as blackjack, baccarat, roulette, boule, Sic bo, Fan Tan, keno and slot machines.

Poker was introduced only in August 2007, in an electronic table format at Galaxy Starworld casino. The first live poker tournament was the Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau event in November 2007. Shortly thereafter, in January 2008, the government of Macau published the official rules for Texas hold 'em poker games in Macau. In February 2008, Grand Lisboa Casino added the first live-dealer cash game tables in Macau. In May 2008, 'PokerStars Macau' opened at Grand Waldo Casino. In November 2008, Texas Holdem' Poker opened at Wynn Macau and the Learn to Play table is available. 'PokerStars Macau' moved to a new location at the Grand Lisboa Casino in March 2009. Today, Wynn Macau, Venetian, Hard Rock Casino , StarWorld and Grand Lisboa Casinos offer live-dealer cash game poker tables, and only Grand Lisboa Casino has live poker tournaments every weekend.

Gambling has been legal in Macau for a long time beginning in 1851 where there was a licensing system for gambling houses until 1863. Beginning in 1934, casinos' ownership and operation was centralized where through private negotiations, some franchises monopolized the operation right of all casinos. The casino industry has been controlled by the STDM monopoly for 39 years but, this changed in 2001 when casino licenses were offered to other casino operators, including American companies such as Las Vegas Sands Sheldon Adelson and Wynn Resorts Steve Wynn and then later on May 18, 2004, the Sands Macau casino opened near the Macau Ferry Terminal.

Bastra

 

Bastra, the Greek deformation of the Arabic word Basra, which is also a similar game played in Egypt, Lebanon and other Middle-Eastern countries, is a popular fishing card game similar to Cassino very popular in Cyprus.

The game was probably introduced to the Cypriots through the Turks during the Ottoman occupation. There are also variations of the game played in Greece, such as Diloti and Kseri. The game has been exported by both the Cypriot and Turkish diasporas and is played in Cypriot communities in Australia, Canada, England and the United States, usually passed on by the first generation of immigrants to their children and grandchildren. Despite this, the game is virtually unknown in these countries outside of the Cypriot and Greek communities. In Turkey the game is still very popular.

The game is played with a 52 card deck and can involve two, three or four players, although the game is most interesting in the two or four player versions. In the four player version, the players can play for themselves or in two player teams. The first team or player to score 100 points is the winner.
The play

The dealer starts by dealing 1 card to each player, starting with the player on the dealer's left, until each player has 4 cards. The dealer then places 4 cards in the middle of the table, called the board. If 1 or more of the 4 cards is a jack, the dealer returns the jacks to the bottom of the deck and replaces it or them with the next cards from the top of the deck. The play begins with the player to the dealer’s left until all cards are played out. The players either collect fish cards from the board or add a card to the board if they cannot fish any cards. After the cards are exhausted, the dealer then deals each player 4 more cards from the remaining deck. The dealer, however, does not deal 4 cards onto the board as done for the opening hand. The hands are played out until there are no remaining cards to be dealt.

In the two player version, each round has six hands, in the three player version, each round has four hands, and in the four player version, each round consists of three hands.
Scoring

The scoring is as follows:

    The aces, which have a numeral value of 1, are worth 1 point each.
    The jacks are worth 1 point each.
    The two of clubs is worth 2 points.
    The ten of diamonds is worth 3 points.
    The player or team that collects the most cards in a given hand receives 3 points. In the event of a tie, each player or team receives 3 points.
    The player or team that collects all the cards in play without benefit of a jack receives 10 points, or a bastra.

Collecting cards

The object of the game is to collect total cards and cards that are worth various points. Cards are collected as follows:

    Pairing: Any card may be used to take another card or cards of the same denomination, i.e. a 7 takes a 7, a king takes a king, a 6 takes two 6s, etc.
    Combining: Multiple cards may be collected through adding the numeral value of the cards together. For example, the board shows 2, an ace, 5 and 4. A player with a 3 could take 2 and the ace 2+1=3, or a player holding a 9 could take 5 and 4 5+4=9, or a player holding a 7 could take 2, the ace and 4 2+1+4=7.
        A player may also collect combinations of the same sum. For example, if the board shows 5, 4, 2 and 7, a 9 would take all 4 cards, i.e. 5+4 and 2+7=9.
    Pairing and combining: Taking cards through pairing and combining can occur on the same play. For example, if the board showed 3 6 5 4 and 9, a 9 would take all the cards, i.e. 3+6 and 5+4=9, plus the 9 would be paired with the 9.

On the last hand, there are often uncollected cards left on the board. These cards are awarded to the last player or team to collect a card.
Jack

The jack is the most powerful card because it can collect all the cards on the board. However, if a jack is played onto an empty board, it is lost and remains in play until one of the players can collect it, usually with another jack.

 

The bastra is the most important scoring play of the game since it is worth 10 points. A bastra occurs when a player succeeds in clearing the board without benefit of a jack. For example, if the board shows just a 7 and a player collects it with another 7, that player or team receives 10 points. In another scenario, if the board shows 3 and 2 and a player collects them with a 5, that player or team also receives 10 points. In the rare event that a jack takes a solitary jack, a 50 point bastra is awarded.

 

The players place the collected cards close to their position at the table. To record bastras, the player places the bastra card face up, sticking out of the player's pile of collected cards. The dealer should be careful to place his or her collected cards away from the deck, so as to avoid confusion. Players are not allowed to look at their collected cards until the end of the hand. At the end of the hand, the players count their total cards and points.

 

The game ends when one player or team reaches 100 points. In the rare event of a tie 2 players or teams finish even beyond the 100 point mark there are various tie-breaking options, determined by the players by mutual consent. The game can be declared a draw, or an extra hand or hands can be played until the tie is broken. Or the players can extend the game to a fixed number of points 20, 30 or 50.

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Poker Omaha Hi-Low Split

Omaha Hi-Low Split

Omaha Hi-Low Split (8 or Better)

Omaha Hi-Low Split is a community card poker game that is played with a standard 52-card deck. In order for a hand to qualify for the low hand, it must contain an 8 or Better (lower) at showdown. The game starts to the left of the dealer button. The blind bets are made from the positions left of the dealer button and are forced bets which must be made before the cards are dealt.

Each player is dealt four cards, one at a time, in turn and face down (hole cards) as their initial hand. A round of betting occurs for players who are continuing to contend for the pot. Three board cards are turned face up (flop) in the middle of the table (community cards). The community cards are available for all players to use. The second round of betting occurs. The fourth community card is turned face up (the turn), followed by a third round of betting. A final community card (the river) is turned up and a fourth and final round of betting occurs. After the final round of betting has been completed, each player may use any two hole cards with three community cards to make the highest five-card poker hand, and any two hole cards with three community cards to make the lowest qualifying five-card poker hand. The lowest qualifying five-card poker hand is Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. Players must qualify for the low hand with a hand containing an 8 or better (lower). The pot is split equally between the players with the highest ranking hand and lowest qualifying hand. If no player has a low qualifying hand, the player with the highest ranking five-card poker hand wins the entire pot. In the event of a tie, the pot, or portion of the pot, if the tie is for high or low hand only, is split equally.