Hard Rock Poker Lounge shuts doors at high noon In a blow to Asia’s poker players, City of Dreams have decided to close the Hard Rock Poker Lounge in Macau. While rumours of the closure have persisted for weeks, management have refused to make any official comment, preferring instead to let one of Macau’s most-loved poker rooms go out with a whimper rather than a bang.
A few of the regulars were there last night for the room’s last hurrah. Only two tables were running, however, with blinds at HKD $10/$25. The only sign perhaps that things were different was the free pizza being passed around between players. When I visited the room at 2pm today, all the tables were still set up and they had both entrances roped off with a sign telling players to prepare themselves for the arrival of a “new Hard Rock gaming experience”.
After finding a pit manager on the second level gaming floor where the poker lounge was located, I asked whether I could get a game and he told me that as of 12 noon today there was no more poker being played at the Hard Rock. He was very apologetic but was unable to tell me what exactly the casino was replacing the poker lounge with.
The Hard Rock Poker Lounge only opened on June 23, 2010 and featured seven main area tables plus two VIP ‘High Stakes’ tables. It was one of the more stylish venues offering poker in Macau, with plush leather surroundings, large LCD screens, bar and lounge area, and scantily clad waitresses delivering free drinks to poker players.
In a sign that perhaps foretold of the closure, four of the tables were recently decommissioned and diverted elsewhere in the casino. Macau’s government imposes a cap on table numbers at casinos so there is pressure on poker from higher-earning tables like baccarat and black jack. This brings the total number of venues offering poker in Macau down to four – The Venetian, Casino Grand Lisboa, StarWorld Casino and Wynn Macau.
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