06.11.2015 Views

WGM#38 NOV/DEC 2015

The Macau gaming industry is synonymous with junkets. First started by none other than Stanley Ho in the 1960s, these junkets and the VIP gamblers they provide have played a vital role in Macau’s rise over the past decade. However, the recent downturn has changed the landscape in this unique part of the world with the junket business suffering more than any other and a number of VIP rooms being forced to close in Macau over the past 12 months. So what does the future hold? In this issue of WGM, we speak exclusively to the Chairman of one of Macau’s biggest junket operators Tak Chun Group, Mr Levo Chan, about the current gaming climate, his expectations for the coming years and why Tak Chun has expanded while other junkets have slowed right down. Poker fans will enjoy our lengthy and intriguing interview with World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament Director Jack Effel who explains just how much goes into organizing the world’s biggest tournament series each and every year as well as regaling us with some of his favorite stories from the past. We tackle the smoking debate as Macau’s legislators decide whether to allow smoking in specially designated smoking lounges or ban the habit altogether, while our responsible gambling series sees us visit one of Macau’s main problem gambling treatment centres. In sport, we look at Manchester United’s big gamble on teen star Anthony Martial as well as examining which of the world’s major sports would benefit most from cracking the lucrative Chinese market. And our resident party animal tells us all about one of Macau’s newest trendy nightspots – Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge.

The Macau gaming industry is synonymous with junkets. First started by none other than Stanley Ho in the 1960s, these junkets and the VIP gamblers they provide have played a vital role in Macau’s rise over the past decade.

However, the recent downturn has changed the landscape in this unique part of the world with the junket business suffering more than any other and a number of VIP rooms being forced to close in Macau over the past 12 months. So what does the future hold? In this issue of WGM, we speak exclusively to the Chairman of one of Macau’s biggest junket operators Tak Chun Group, Mr Levo Chan, about the current gaming climate, his expectations for the coming years and why Tak Chun has expanded while other junkets have slowed right down.

Poker fans will enjoy our lengthy and intriguing interview with World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament Director Jack Effel who explains just how much goes into organizing the world’s biggest tournament series each and every year as well as regaling us with some of his favorite stories from the past.

We tackle the smoking debate as Macau’s legislators decide whether to allow smoking in specially designated smoking lounges or ban the habit altogether, while our responsible gambling series sees us visit one of Macau’s main problem gambling treatment centres.

In sport, we look at Manchester United’s big gamble on teen star Anthony Martial as well as examining which of the world’s major sports would benefit most from cracking the lucrative Chinese market.

And our resident party animal tells us all about one of Macau’s newest trendy nightspots – Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge.

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杰 克 的 扑 克 旅 程 The house that Jack built<br />

被 推 出 , 也 就 是 决 战 阵 容 形 成 后 , 比 赛<br />

暂 停 三 个 月 , 剩 余 九 名 选 手 于 11 月 重 返<br />

赛 场 一 决 胜 负 。 尽 管 最 初 宣 布 时 引 来 不<br />

少 争 议 但 取 得 了 巨 大 成 功 , 您 对 此 一 定<br />

很 高 兴 吧 ?<br />

JE: 是 的 。 我 记 得 在 得 知 后 , 我 坐 在<br />

那 里 一 脸 费 解 的 表 情 , 试 图 去 理 解 潜 在<br />

的 后 果 , 可 能 会 发 生 什 么 。 每 个 人 都 在<br />

说 , 这 期 间 可 能 有 人 过 世 , 但 如 果 真 有<br />

人 无 法 回 来 , 他 们 的 筹 码 就 被 盲 注 消 耗<br />

掉 , 钱 会 归 入 其 家 产 或 归 近 亲 所 有 。<br />

这 种 安 排 的 好 处 在 于 , 人 们 有 机<br />

会 去 认 识 这 些 选 手 , 对 于 即 将 发 生 的 决<br />

战 兴 奋 起 来 。 对 我 来 说 , 我 认 为 这 是 主<br />

赛 方 面 我 们 做 过 最 棒 的 事 。 这 要 归 功 于<br />

Ty Stewart(WSOP 执 行 董 事 ), 是 他 的<br />

主 意 。 这 样 每 个 人 都 知 道 决 战 的 九 人 是<br />

谁 , 会 记 得 他 们 , 有 点 像 观 看 你 最 喜 爱<br />

的 节 目 - 关 注 他 们 摘 取 金 手 链 的 这 段<br />

征 程 。<br />

BB:WSOP 的 惊 人 成 长 中 , 举 行 的 比 赛<br />

场 次 以 及 随 之 提 供 的 金 手 链 数 目 不 断 增<br />

加 。<strong>2015</strong> 年 有 68 场 金 手 链 赛 事 ,10 月 在<br />

德 国 举 行 的 WSOP 欧 洲 站 还 有 十 条 。 有 如<br />

此 多 的 金 手 链 , 有 没 有 可 能 会 降 低 它 的<br />

价 值 ?<br />

JE: 我 一 点 也 不 这 样 认 为 。 现 今 有 如<br />

此 多 人 参 赛 , 今 年 所 有 金 手 链 赛 事 的 买<br />

入 次 数 首 次 突 破 十 万 , 仍 在 不 断 增 多 。<br />

如 果 你 想 一 想 ,68 条 金 手 链 对 十 万 人 来<br />

说 根 本 不 算 什 么 。 很 多 人 会 赢 得 奖 金 ,<br />

也 许 有 15,000 人 , 但 那 意 味 着 85,000 人<br />

会 输 掉 。 我 认 为 这 令 金 手 链 显 得 弥 足<br />

珍 贵 , 能 够 赢 一 条 已 经 是 了 不 起 的 成<br />

就 , 令 人 称 奇 的 是 Phil Hellmuth 豪 取<br />

14 条 。 而 且 虽 说 有 68 条 金 手 链 , 但 主 赛<br />

金 手 链 始 终 是 皇 冠 上 最 瑰 丽 的 宝 石 。 我<br />

到 过 世 界 各 地 的 锦 标 赛 , 见 证 过 不 少 经<br />

典 瞬 间 , 但 没 有 什 么 能 和 WSOP 主 赛 相 媲<br />

美 。 它 是 独 一 无 二 的 。WSOP 每 年 赛 程 上<br />

都 有 几 场 特 殊 赛 事 , 比 如 50,000 美 元 的<br />

扑 克 玩 家 冠 军 赛 , 但 没 有 哪 个 能 与 主 赛<br />

相 提 并 论 。 当 你 走 进 主 赛 第 一 轮 的 赛 场<br />

时 , 立 即 能 感 受 到 一 触 即 发 的 氛 围 。 无<br />

论 你 是 一 位 职 业 玩 家 , 已 经 第 十 次 参<br />

赛 , 还 是 积 攒 数 月 只 为 一 生 体 验 一 次 的<br />

新 手 ,WSOP 主 赛 是 每 位 扑 克 玩 家 都 梦 想<br />

赢 下 的 比 赛 。 就 我 而 言 , 它 将 永 远 是 扑<br />

克 界 的 巅 峰 之 战 。<br />

访 问 我 们 的 网 站 www.wgm8.com 查 阅 并 评 论 WGM 刊 登 的 所 有 文 章 。<br />

60<br />

JE: I am. I remember when we were told, I was<br />

sitting there with this look on my face trying to<br />

understand the potential ramifications of what<br />

could happen. Everyone was talking about the<br />

prospect of someone dying in the meantime,<br />

but at the end of the day if someone didn’t make<br />

it back for something like that, their chips would<br />

blind off and the money would go to the estate<br />

or next of kin.<br />

The November Nine really allows people<br />

to get to know the players and get excited about<br />

what’s going to happen. To me, I think it’s the<br />

greatest thing we’ve ever done with the Main Event.<br />

I give Ty Stewart (WSOP Executive Director) credit<br />

for that – it was his big idea for the November Nine<br />

and it’s been amazing. I mean, everyone knows<br />

who they are. You remember the November Niners<br />

and it’s a bit like watching your favorite show – you<br />

follow them on their journey to the bracelet.<br />

BB: The incredible growth of the WSOP has also<br />

seen the number of events and therefore bracelets<br />

on offer grow along with it to the point where there<br />

were 68 bracelet events in <strong>2015</strong> with another 10 on<br />

offer at the upcoming WSOP-Europe in Germany<br />

in October. Is there a danger that having so many<br />

bracelets could potentially devalue them?<br />

JE: I don’t think so at all. With the sheer volume<br />

of people playing now – this year we went over<br />

100,000 entries for all the bracelet events for the first<br />

time and are bringing more people in all the time.<br />

If you think about it, 68 bracelets out of 100,000<br />

people is nothing. A lot of people are going to<br />

win some money, maybe 15,000 of them, but that<br />

means 85,000 are going to lose. I think that makes<br />

a bracelet pretty prestigious. It’s an amazing feat to<br />

win one and even more amazing that Phil Hellmuth<br />

has won his 14th. And even with 68 bracelets,<br />

the Main Event bracelet stands above the rest as<br />

the jewel in the crown. I’ve been to tournaments<br />

all around the world and have witnessed some<br />

incredible moments but there is nothing like the<br />

WSOP Main Event. It’s different to the others. Even<br />

at the WSOP, we’ve got a few special events on<br />

the schedule each year like the US$50,000 Poker<br />

Players’ Championship but none of them compare<br />

to the Main Event. There is something in the air<br />

when you walk in on the first day of the Main Event.<br />

The atmosphere is electric. And it doesn’t matter<br />

whether you’re a professional playing for the 10th<br />

time or just some guy who has saved up for months<br />

so he can experience it once in his life, the WSOP<br />

Main Event is the one tournament every poker<br />

player in the world dreams of winning. As far as I’m<br />

concerned, it will always be poker’s pinnacle.<br />

Visit our website www.wgm8.com to read and comment on every<br />

article ever published by WGM.

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