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casino, and the minimum wager is high – MOP$1000 at some casinos. Two hands are dealt simultaneously: a player hand and a bank hand. Players can bet on either (neither is actually the house hand), and the one that scores closest to nine is the winner. The casino deducts a percentage if the bank hand wins, which is how the house makes its profit. If the player understands the game properly, the house enjoys only a slightly better than 1% advantage over the player.

Blackjack

Also known as 21, this is an easy game, although it requires some skill to play it well. The dealer takes a card and gives another to the players. Face cards count as 10 and aces either one or 11. Cards are dealt one at a time – the goal is to get as close as possible to 21 (blackjack) without going over. If you go over 21 you ‘bust’, or lose. Players are always dealt their cards before the dealer, so if they bust they will always do so before the dealer does. This is what gives the casino the edge over the player. If the dealer and player both get 21, it’s a tie and the bet is cancelled. If players get 21, they win even money plus a 50% bonus. Dealers must draw until they reach 16, and stand on 17 or higher. The player is free to decide when to stand or when to draw.

Boule

Similar to roulette, except that boule is played with a ball about the size of a billiard ball, and there are fewer numbers – 24 numbers plus a star. The payoff is 23 to one on numbers. On all bets (numbers, red or black, odd or even) the casino has a 4% advantage over players.

Daai-sai

Cantonese for ‘big little’, this game is also known as sìk-bó (dice treasure) or chàai sìk (guessing dice) and remains popular in Macau. Three dice are placed in a covered glass container, the container is then shaken and you bet on whether the toss will be from three to nine (small) or 10 to 18 (big). However, you lose on combinations where all three dice come up the same (2-2-2, 3-3-3 etc) unless you bet directly on three of a kind. For betting daai-sai the house advantage is 2.78%. Betting on a specific three of a kind gives the house a 30% advantage.

Fàan-tàan

This ancient Chinese game is practically unknown in the West. The dealer takes an inverted silver cup and plunges it into a pile of porcelain buttons, then moves the cup to one side. After all bets have been placed, the buttons are counted out in groups of four. You have to bet on how many will remain after the last set of four has been taken out.

Pàai-gáu

This is a form of Chinese dominoes similar to mah-jong. One player is made banker and the others compare their hands against the banker’s. The casino doesn’t play, but deducts a 3% commission from the winnings for providing the gambling facilities.

Roulette

The dealer spins the roulette wheel in one direction and tosses a ball the other way. Roulette wheels have 36 numbers plus a zero, so your chance of hitting any given number is one in 37. The payoff is 35 to one, which is what gives the casino its advantage. Rather than betting on a single number, it’s easier to win if you bet odd versus even, or red versus black, which only gives the house a 2.7% advantage. If the ball lands on zero, everyone loses to the house (unless you also bet on the zero).

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GRAND LISBOA CASINO Map

2838 2828; Avenida de Lisboa, Macau Peninsula

Connected to its little sister (Lisboa Casino) by a footbridge is the plush Grand Lisboa, with its glowing golden-bulb exterior and a truly kitsch flaming-torch-shaped towering structure. The interior ventilation works much better than Lisboa Casino and people are gaming with slightly more manners here. The famous Crazy Paris Cabaret ( 4.30pm-12.30am), featuring a multitude of leggy women onstage strutting around in a couple of beads and a feather, is also held here.

LISBOA CASINO Map

2837 5111; Hotel Lisboa, 2-4 Avenida de Lisboa, Macau Peninsula

With cigarette smoke for ambience and little effort at decor, this once-monopolistic old-timer nevertheless is still the best-known casino in Asia for its faded ‘60s glamour. Those