Texas Hold ‘em is undoubtedly the most popular form of poker available today.

The hysteria surrounding this game is mainly due to the high level of publicity it receives in televised live poker games and its status as the official game in events such as the World Series of Poker tournament.

It comes as no surprise, then that Texas Hold ‘em has finally made its way to one of the world’s most intense gambling regions – Macau. 

Indeed, many may wonder why Texas Hold ‘em has not been played in Macau before. After all, this tiny Chinese enclave 40 miles out of Hong Kong, which was once a Portuguese colony, is said to be raking in more revenue than the up- until-now unbridled Capital of the Gambling World – Las Vegas. However, it was only this week that the Chinese government authorized local casinos to offer Texas Hold ‘em on their premises. New rules have also been issued with the game, allowing casinos to collect a commission of between three and five percent of the betting pool for each game. 

The first casino to offer Texas Hold ‘em will be Grand Lisboa, the flagship casino of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM), owned by the legendary gambling industry personality, Stanley Ho. Until 2002, Ho held a monopoly on casinos in Macau, however the Chinese government, realizing the massive financial benefits of encouraging competition to the peninsula, soon offered licenses to other casinos, attracting a huge building boom and the creation of one of the fastest-growing gambling strips in the world. 

Four new tables dedicated to Texas Hold ‘em will be offered at the Grand Lisboa, and a spokeswoman for the company said that the staff has been specially trained in the game, to assist newcomers who had any questions. Mr. Louis Ng, chief operating officer for SJM said,"We are confident that Texas Hold 'em will become very popular here. It is popular in Europe and in the U.S. and there are international Texas Hold 'em Poker tournaments every year."  In recent yeas, the game has also grown immensely in popularity among Chinese mainland residents who make up the main bulk of the business in Macau. 

It is not sure when – or if – other main casinos in Macau will offer Texas Hold ‘em. Operators such as the Las Vegas Sands, Wynn and MGM Grand did not immediately respond to the media’s requests for comments on the new poker legislation in the region.   

Author:  Renee Kingsley