Grand Lisboa Macau - 10/23

This is my first trip report so I hope I do a good job! I was in Zhuhai, China for business trip and decided to drop by Macau on the way back to Hong Kong. Zhuhai is directly north of Macau and you can walk through the customs to get there. After passing through the customs there are many shuttle buses to all the major casinos that you can take for free. I decided to visit the Grand Lisboa which is one of the most famous buildings there. Did not have to wait long for the bus to arrive and took around 15 minutes to arrive. You can check in your luggage at the cloak room at the underground level and pick up from there later. From what I saw, the main casino is split into 4 floors. The older Lisboa is across the road and is connected via a walkway. I was mostly at the 1st and 2nd floors. Signed up for the players card, and there is an ipad at the desk that show you gifts that you can exchange your points for. I saw 3 levels of cards, mines was green, not sure how you get the others, the higher level of cards can exchange for the gifts with less points than the beginners green.

On gambling, the casino is dominated by baccarat, I would guess 70% of the tables was baccarat, 2nd most popular was the dice game sicbo. Saw some blackjack and other games there. Tried to find a craps table but saw none, found 4 roulette tables on the 2nd floor, all had single zero wheels. Lots of various slot machines located at the sides. I played mostly baccarat, the minimums started from $500 and up to $2000, table max was usually $500k. Then there are quite a few VIP rooms on the 1st and 2nd floor at the sides of the main floor. All the money was in Hong Kong dollar. The majority of the baccarat games I saw were non-commission were the banker wins half on a 6. There are some free water bottles at the tables and if you have a players card you can order some drinks and snacks, all non-alcoholic. There is also a bar on the 1st floor, I ordered a beer and it cost me HKD80! Also, there is a performance on the 1st floor called the Crazy Paris Show. Several very tall and beautiful looking girls come out and start to dance or do some acrobats etc, quite entertaining. Gambling Macau is very different to Vegas, everyone is very serious and not much talking, but sometimes I see many people crowding around some tables where it gets more noisy. You are not allowed to take any pics inside so I had to sneak in a few. After staying for 4 hours, I left to take the shuttle to the ferry terminal on the underground floor. I gained only 165 points in total on my card, which is not a lot considering you need 900 points for a $100 gift voucher! No idea how they calculate it but I was averaging $2000-2500 per bet. Played a little roulette at the end, the outside bets minimum were $200 and inside number $50. Did not see many foreigners betting except a few on the blackjack and roulette tables. I did walk into the VIP rooms to have a look, not sure if anyone can just start playing there or not. But saw some big time gamblers there betting over $100k a hand! All playing baccarat.

There are many ferries going back to HK, one to HK island side and one to Kowloon. My ticket to Kowloon was $153 on normal class. You can also get super class and VIP cabin on the ferry. Ferry is about 75 minutes journey time. Or if you are a baller, there is a helicopter there that only takes 15 minutes but costs $4300. I actually heard and saw the helicopter land when I was there so it does get used!

I saw a lot of advertisement for Studio City casino, opening next week. From the photos that I have seen of it, it looks amazing with the big ferris wheel on the building! I will try and visit this place if I have time.

How do I upload photos to here? I need to upload to a website first?

 

How much is $2000 in American money?

 

About 250-260USD

 

My favorite memory is the "Grand Lisboa Racetrack".

Those who have seen it, know about it. For those that haven't, we can't discuss it in the public forum.

 

how do I add pics to my posts?

 

Go Advanced - - > Manage Attachments

 

Did I read this right? No free drinks in Macau??

 

Free hot tea is all I remember getting.

 

Sounds like a more expensive Midwest experience. I spent $22.25 on four beers on Thurs. at Hollywood STL. Free drinks are a big reason why I go to Vegas and drive to Tunica to gamble.

Nice report shafted!

 

Nice report!