Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, and Tom Dwan Attend Poker King Club Macau Grand Opening
Back in September, the Poker King Club (PKC), which plays host to the famed Macau Big Game, relocated from its long-time home inside StarWorld Casino to The Venetian Macau. However, the club had to use a temporary space as they waited for a newly renovated poker room to open.
On May 22, PKC unveiled that spectacular new poker room and played host to over 100 distinguished guests from around the world including poker pros Phil Ivey, Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Johnny Chan.
They were joined by such luminaries as Winfred Yu, President of Poker King Club; YM Choong, President of Marketing Strategy of Suncity Group; Ciaran Carruthers, Senior Vice President & Director of Venetian & Plaza Operations, Sands China Ltd.; and Harold Tsakmaklis, Vice President of Casino Operations, Venetian Macau Limited.
"The Venetian Macau is no doubt one of the most prestigious integrated resorts in Macau. This move allows us to take advantage of its upscale entertainment, dining, shopping and hotel options, as we continue to deliver the best in player experience," Yu said during his opening speech. "We are never satisfied with status quo and I am confident that Poker King Club will become every player’s venue of choice."
Yu, who has $1,347,238 in lifetime tournament winnings including a third-place finish in the 2013 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific Main Event for $442,917, hasn’t been shy about promoting the Macau Big Game. During last year's WSOP Asia-Pacific, he revealed to PokerNews that the move, which came after their contract with the Galaxy Group expired, was an opportunity to expand.
“Our contract actually ended at the StarWorld with the Galaxy group,” Yu said. “Also, it’s a great expansion for us to move because we’ve got the support of the Venetian. They are a Vegas-based casino, so they understand poker a little bit more as far as the [Asia-Pacific] community, what they can do for the casino, marketing tools, and also they’re willing to support a lot of events that we’re going to do over the next year.”
The new non-smoking room is located in the Phoenix Hall of The Venetian Macao’s main gaming area and features a mix of the property's signature architecture. Players will also be treated to USB chargers at the table, adjustable plush seating, around the clock food and beverage service, table side dining and multiple television screens throughout the room.
As part of the grand opening, PKC also featured a Charity Poker Tournament to benefit the Caritas Macau group. Among the eight participants were Yu, Ivey, Chan, Stanley Choi, Takeda Tsuneaki, Raymond Chow and Yong Wai Kin.
The event created a prize pool of MOP 300,000 – all of which was presented to the local charity, Lar De Nossa Senhora Da Penha. As a token of appreciation, PKC presented each guest with a gift box containing a portable cardholder, a customized money clip and a bottle of fine spirits. Chan eventually emerged victorious in that event after defeating Ivey in heads-up play.
Here's a look at some photos from the PK Macau Grand Opening:
PKC, which also expanded into the Philippines last year, is the only club in Macau that offers a Membership Rewards Program to players.
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