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What languages are typically spoken in the casinos of Macau? Are the table-game procedures the same as in U.S. casinos?
Admittedly, neither Anthony Curtis nor Deke Castleman has been to Macau, so we pieced this answer together from reports we’ve received and stories we’ve heard over the years.
Macau is the gaming capital of the world now. Casino revenues dwarf those of Las Vegas. Millions of serious gamblers hit the Macau casinos every year, mostly from the Chinese mainland, but also from all over Asia and the world.
Macau has two official languages: Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese (though the latter is much less common). English is spoken fairly widely, though the most dealers don’t speak it too well, if at all.
Unlike Las Vegas, where the culture is about fun (partying, shows and events, nightclubs and dayclubs, sightseeing and attractions), of which gambling is one aspect, Macau’s culture is centered on gambling almost exclusively.
Also unlike Vegas, Macau casinos are crowded with table games, which take precedent over machines. For example, the Venetian, reportedly the largest casino in the world, has 2,000 slot machines, which you’d expect, but also more than 500 table games, which you wouldn’t. Casino Lisboa is even more extreme, with nearly as many table games (400) as slots (700).
The most popular table game in Macau is definitely baccarat. Every casino offers it; it’s very popular with mainland Chinese gamblers. Other local games include pai gow (tiles), fan tan, sic bo; U.S. and European games include blackjack, poker, and some craps. Table-game procedures for the common Western games are mostly the same.
Limits are much higher than in Las Vegas, upwards of three times as high. For example, last we heard, blackjack minimums at the major casinos were $35-$40, while at craps they were around $12. The blinds in the poker rooms are around $10/$25.
In the high roller rooms at the Galaxy Casino, the table minimums were about $600 and the maximum was about $65,000. One contact of ours reported watching some players go through several hundred thousand dollars in 20 minutes.
Which brings us back to the culture. In Macau, it’s all about gambling. Furthermore, odds mean little to nothing; luck is everything. Many gamblers rely on pure luck, superstitions, hunches, or following streaky players. That’s why you can see one baccarat table stacked 30 deep with players, while the table right next to it is vacant: Everyone is betting on the leading player’s streak.
What does that mean? Gamblers in Macau like to find hot players and bet behind them. Journalist Steve Friess, who lived for a time in Macau, says, “One thing about Macau, especially with baccarat, is that there are rows of people betting on one another. I’ve never figured out how anyone keeps track of it all, but in addition to the players themselves, other people are betting on the hands in a scrum of utter chaos.”
We’ve heard wild stories of Americans sitting at a blackjack table and a Chinese betting big behind them. But when the American makes a playing decision, the Chinese disagrees with it, and a big row gets going between them.
Luckily, especially in such situations, drinking alcohol in casinos isn’t common in Macau. You can get tea or Coke. Of course, you can get alcohol at the bars, but we’ve heard that if you look or act drunk, security is likely to show you to the door.
Smoking, however, is quite common, even if signs forbid it. Customers simply ignore the signs and the staff doesn't seem to care one way or another.
The legal gambling age is 18 for foreigners and 21 for residents of Macau.
Again, this was cobbled together from second-hand reports. Anyone with first-person experience, please feel free to weigh in.