APPT Season 2 - Macau

APPT Macau is a nine-day poker festival, being held at the Grand Waldo Hotel & Casino, September 1-9. The HKD $25,000 (USD $3,200) main event will run for six days, while the High Rollers event will be for three days.

Passport/Visa Information

Residents of many countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and many European and Asian countries do not require a visa to visit China for less than 20 days. Check the official government website before traveling.

Venue

Grand Waldo Hotel
Avenida Marginal Flor de Lotus
Taipa
Macau
Tel : (853) 2 888 6888
Fax: (853) 2 888 6889
Email: customers@grandwaldohotel.com

Casino dress code: smart casual (no shorts, sandals, sportswear, beach clothes or ripped jeans).

Minimum age: 18

How to Enter

Qualify Online

PokerStars satellites for the APPT Macau event are running now, giving you the chance to win an APPT prize package that includes tournament buy-in, hotel accommodation and money for expenses.

To enter, go the PokerStars tournament lobby, click ‘Events’, then ‘APPT’.

Direct Buy-in Information

Players who would like to register in advance for APPT Macau (and be guaranteed a seat) should e-mail registrations@pokerstars.net to receive instructions on sending their payment by wire transfer or bank draft. Players may purchase one or a combination of a main event entry, a High Rollers event entry, or an accommodation package at the Grand Waldo hotel, depending on availability.

The deadline for advance payment by wire transfer or bank draft is generally two weeks before the event.

Please note that players can also buy in directly on-site at the casino.

About Macau

Centuries ago, China gave the colony of Macau to the Portuguese, in exchange for their help ridding the area of pirates. In 1999, the colony was repatriated to China, becoming a Special Administrative Region (SAR), ending over 400 years of Portuguese administration. Today, operating under the Chinese “one country two systems” formula, Macau has been transformed into the “Las Vegas of the East”. Like Hong Kong, Macau has its own government, passports, visas, postal system and currency. The city’s atmosphere is a heady blend of colonial Europe, the Far East, and the glamour of the Sunset Strip.

How to Get There

The most convenient way to get to Macau is to fly to Hong Kong and take the ferry from Hong Kong International Airport Terminal. Ferries depart the airport at 10:50, 12:45, 14:00, 15:30, 17:25, 19:10 and 22:00. Do not collect baggage and clear customs if you wish to board this ferry. A second ferry terminal is located in Hong Kong city if necessary. Ferries leave every 15 minutes during the day, and every hour at night. The trip takes up to an hour and costs approximately USD $23.

If you are travelling from within Asia, the following airlines fly direct to Macau International Airport:

• AirAsia. Multiple flights daily from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.
• Cebu Pacific Air. Daily flights from Manila.
• Tiger Airways. Daily flights from Singapore and Clark Airbase, two hours north of Manila.
• Fly Viva Macau. Operates flights from Sydney, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo.

From the Airport to Hotel

The fastest way to get from airport to hotel is to use a licensed taxi, which are black or yellow in color. Because Macau is a small city, most taxi rides do not cost much. The base level charge is MOP $11.00 for the first 1,500 meters, with an additional MOP $1.00 added for every 180 meters afterwards.

Another option is to take the bus. The AP1 runs between the airport and the Barrier Gate. Its route passes through several interesting points, including the Macau Tower, Hotel Lisboa, the Macau Art Museum, the Sands and the Ferry Terminal. It costs MOP 3.30.

Accommodation

PokerStars qualifiers will be staying at the beautiful Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino. We recommend that all players stay at the Grand Waldo, but the city also boasts many other hotels, from to standard bed-and-breakfast style accommodation.

Useful Information

Residents of many countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and many European and Asian countries do not require a visa to visit China for less than 20 days. Check the official government website before traveling.

Time: GMT+8.
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, with some English.
Climate: Warm and humid.
    Note that most casinos have a dress code, which is casual, but shorts are generally not allowed.
Currency: Macanese pataca (MOP). Exchange rate USD $1 = MOP 8 (approximately).
    Note: Try not to leave Macau with a lot of Patacas, they are quite hard to exchange in Western countries.
Voltage: 220 volts.
Official tourist website: Macau Government Tourist Office.