Gaming Gaming insights

Jackpots galore at Venetian, Sands and Plaza

Written by The Tiger

This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of World Gaming magazine.

Winning a life changing amount of money is something that every casino player dreams of. You might be able to “follow the dragon” at baccarat and get a run of 25 players in a row but how often does that happen? Another way to enjoy a huge payday is to win what we at World Gaming call a “mega-payout”.

Of course most casino players have had the joy of experiencing a big win beyond their expectations. Earlier this year our very own World Gaming gang member, The Eagle, walked away with just over HK$200,000 by picking up a straight flush at Caribbean Stud poker at The Rio casino (see the Jul/Aug issue of World Gaming on www.wgm8.com for our story on The Eagle’s lucky night).

But imagine what it would feel like to win an amount of money that could buy you a car, house or even mean that you may never have to work another day in your life. This doesn’t happen to every gambler, but in Macau dreams do come true for the lucky, and quite regularly. When we talk about a “mega-payout” we are generally referring to a payout over HK$500,000, but they can reach as much as HK$10 million. In the future as Macau grows we will see these mega-payouts becoming even larger.

So how do you walk away with a “mega-payout”?

This kind of lifechanging windfall generally comes in one of three ways:

  • A progressive slot jackpot
  • A progressive table game jackpot
  • A tournament victory

Probably the most well-known progressive slot jackpot in Macau is the famous Fa Fa Fa with its four levels: mini, minor, major and grand. The grand Fa Fa Fa jackpot is usually well into the millions of Hong Kong dollars. Traditionally the big progressive table game jackpot has been on caribbean stud poker, but there are other table games which offer big progressive jackpots. Sands stud has gone off twice this year for approximately HK$5 million each time, and we’ll soon be seeing another big jackpot game in Macau, Progressive Texas Hold’em Bonus. Traditionally the biggest tournament payouts are in poker tournaments but we are also regularly seeing big payouts to players at slot tournaments and baccarat tournaments at The Venetian, The Sands and The Plaza in Macau and at Resorts World Manila in the Philippines.

The Venetian and her sister casinos The Sands and The Plaza have recently been home to some massive mega-payouts and may lay claim to being the luckiest casinos in Macau this year. Luck is not a commodity that can be bought and sold, it is something that shines on a select few and no one can determine when and where it will strike next. Let’s take a look at some of the lucky winners at the three Sand China Limited properties this year and their payouts.

Click the link to view the latest jackpot and tournament payouts.

Venetian, Sands and Plaza jackpot and tournament payouts

The first thing we can see is that luck has shined on players from all over Asia. We have major winners from China, Japan, Korea, Macau and Thailand. This must make gamblers from every country excited about their chances. The other thing is that the luck has not only been confined to the Venetian but has also struck at The Sands and The Plaza. May seemed an incredibly lucky month at The Sands with over HK$10 million paid out in just two days! The Plaza, with only around 160 slot machines, has seen HK$16 million in mega-payouts! The three properties have paid out over HK$50 million in mega-payouts so far in 2011, and there is another two months to run in the year. It could easily make HK$60 million or even HK$70 million by the end of 2011. Another interesting statistic is that the average period of time between mega-payouts is just 17 days. More than once two mega-payouts have occurred on consecutive days! This really goes to show that anybody can have a huge win at any time. Having said that, no megapayout has occurred on a Tuesday or a Friday so far this year. Does that mean to avoid these days? Or does it mean these days are now due for their fair share of luck? Who knows what jackpots might go off during November and December?

World Gaming magazine is a huge supporter of tournaments. They can change people’s lives. We all play for enjoyment and relaxation but we also want the chance for the gambling Gods to shine on us, and tournaments provide a wonderful opportunity to combine that luck factor with some elements of skilful play. All credit to the three Sands China properties (The Venetian, The Sands and The Plaza) for making a commitment to tournaments outside of the traditional poker format. Both slot and baccarat tournaments are going to be the next big thing in gaming and it’s great to see these properties leading the way in this gaming phenomenon. It’s also refreshing to seeing big players in the Macau casino industry actually taking notice of what players want and delivering.

Every single big winner has been a Sands Reward Club member. If you want to emulate these lucky winners then head to The Venetian, The Sands or The Plaza, join the Sands Reward Club, and try your best to add your name to the growing list of lucky jackpot and tournament winners. If you are lucky enough to win a mega-payout and want us to write a story on your good fortune, we’re more than happy to do so! Just email us at info@wgm8.com.