Macau Trip Report

[standard toaster]

My question young men, all what you write here, you have an disadvantage,
you are splitting hairs.
How could you win over the house ? It would be better don't play
and keep your money.
regards rainer:cool2:

This is true... if its all csm its worthless no matter what the disadvantage its always there

 

[Mr. T]

Sorry for the double post but I have done a lot of thinking about the factors behind house edges. As an economist I find these things interesting.

WHY MACAU HOUSE EDGES ARE LOWER THAN VEGAS: POSSIBLE FACTORS
(note: these are all theories)

1) Labor costs. A Macanese dealer costs less than an American dealer.

2) Shoe vs. CSM. Macau prevents Advantage Play and thus they can rely on a more consistent flow of income from the game.

3) Competition is quite intense since a monopoly (Stanley Ho's SJM) recently lost its priveliges and thus other companies are aggressively carving out market share. It seems fortuitous to note that the BJ house edge at all SJM casinos apart from the Lisboa (and possibly the Grand Lisboa) is higher than the house edges of any of the competitors (see http://www.wizardofmacau.com).

4) Blackjack is not the big game in Macau. Baccarat is. And Baccarat has a house edge of at least 1% on the "banker" hand (the lowest house edge in the game). Baccarat provides a larger and more consistent stream of income than Blackjack.

5) Macau's clientelle is less 'cashed up' than Vegas's (note: this does not stop the Sands casinos from demanding HKD$200 table minimums!!!).

6) Macau is much more gambling-focussed wheras Vegas has a more diverse focus. Thus, the marginal benefit gained by the casino from each gambler must be higher since the average Vegas gambler probably gambles less religiously than the average Macau gambler (ceteris paribus).

All very plausible reasons. But if you do any gambling you have to pay attention to the casino's Comps.

 

[StudiodeKadent]

This is true... if its all csm its worthless no matter what the disadvantage its always there

I think the pleasure I derive from the entertainment I get out of the game is worth the money I paid. My overall loss in Macau was $700 HKD (for both myself and my mother playing). Given the fun we had playing, I think it was more than worth it. Plus, we did win some free drinks (comp'd and spent winnings).

And next trip I'll be playing with a bigger bankroll, so more comps are likely than last trip.

 

[Blue Efficacy]

My question young men, all what you write here, you have an disadvantage,
you are splitting hairs.
How could you win over the house ? It would be better don't play
and keep your money.
regards rainer:cool2:

You can win over the house by experiencing positive variance, which is a very reasonable possibility if you don't play all of the time. A low HE increases this chance.

 

[chessplayer]

Wow Mr T.,Star Cruise ships. I wonder if the BJ tables on the ships have +overunder 13 too.

[ That is why I am a regular on Star Cruises ships, very very regular lately like spending more time on the ship than on land in this past month. Apart from the small lost playing BS in BJ everything else is free except having to pay for the sea port tax.