King of MGM reigns over Macau

This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine.

Some years ago WGM predicted that baccarat and slot tournaments would become an important part of the Macau gaming landscape. That premonition has become a reality with MGM leading the charge in the development of this form of gaming.

Tournaments offer one great thing to any casino player – a chance to turn a very small investment into a very large payday. No matter where you come from, every gambler is interested in this proposition. Those crazy 18th century French aristocrats may have invented baccarat, but China now owns the game. Baccarat is very suited to tournament play, and tournament baccarat is a proven product that has been played throughout the world for decades. Internationally though, its impact has been dwarfed by poker tournaments, and even blackjack tournaments to a lesser degree.

Macau, on the other hand, will prove to be the lifeline of the baccarat tournament. Don’t be surprised if this form of tournament eventually becomes just as large as poker tournaments in this part of the world. Even though cash game baccarat is a game predominantly based on luck, the baccarat tournament is an environment where strategy and skill play a major role.

MGM Macau has always been a leader in gaming development in Macau. The Golden Lion isn’t the biggest property and it has never claimed to be a “mega-resort”. Where this property thrives is that its hundred-year-old MGM brand name is one that people trust and respect, and one that delivers products that continue to stand the test of time. A few years back there was an opening in the tournament market in Macau and it comes as no surprise that MGM had the foresight to pounce on this fledgling idea.

Not only did MGM realize that there was an opening in regards to baccarat tournaments, but they rightly saw a golden opportunity with slot machine tournaments. And so, back in 2010, the “King of MGM” was born, comprising “King of Baccarat” and “King of Slot”. MGM saw these tournaments as a way to provide extra value to their top players, demonstrating the property’s commitment to rewarding player loyalty. The King of MGM concept was consolidated and built upon in 2011 and 2012, and now King of MGM is firmly entrenched on the Macau gaming calendar as an annual highstakes event that all baccarat and slot players can aspire to.

While other Macau properties have since jumped on the tournament bandwagon, MGM has led Macau with the amount of prize money it offers for its tournaments. In 2010 and 2011 the total given away was HK$10,888,888, but that figure was raised to HK$13,888,888 in 2012. Don’t be surprised if we see an even higher number in 2013.

Entry to King of MGM is absolutely free, but it is restricted to invited MGM Golden Lion Club Members, so it is yet another way MGM rewards its loyal members. As we have said many times before at World Gaming, you should always sign up for the casino loyalty program wherever you play. All players should be taking advantage of the free money and rewards on offer. Ask any casino employee and they will point you in the right direction to sign up. The King of MGM’s eight-figure prize pool is yet another reason to join MGM’s Golden Lion club and start accumulating points.

The King of MGM tournament is typically split into two instalments, the first in July and the second in November. In 2012 it was no different, with “Battle for the Throne” being held in July this year, and “Victory of the King” to be held in November. The winners of each of the two “Victory of the King” tourneys (King of Baccarat and King of Slot) will walk away with a cool HK$1,088,888 apiece!

King of MGM Honor Roll

King of Baccarat sees players start on qualifying tables and then win their way through to the semi-finals and eventually the grand final. King of Slot, played in the luxurious MGM ballroom, sees players betting with tournament credits, again working their way from qualifying sessions through to semi-finals and then the grand final. The players who made it to the two July “Battle of the Throne” grand finals gained automatic entry to November’s “Victory of the King”.

So get down to MGM Macau, join the Golden Lion Club and learn how you could be playing in the King of MGM tournaments. If you would like to learn more about how to win baccarat tournaments visit wgm8.com and search for the series of articles entitled “How to win a baccarat tournament” by our tournament guru Andrew W Scott. Knowing and understanding these articles will give you a serious edge over your opponents!

King of Baccarat – how it works

• Maximum 240 players, split into 40 qualifying tables of no more than 6 players
• The 40 qualifying table winners plus 8 invited players proceed to the semi-final
• The 48 semi-finalists play 8 tables of 6 players
• The winners of each semi-final table play the grand final: 1 table of 8 players
• Each table session consists of 18 coups (rounds), the first 3 of which are betting-optional
• A no commission squeeze game form of baccarat is played
• A “first bet” button is used and players must bet in order
• Each player gets one “MGM Lucky Die” per session which multiplies winnings on one hand by either 2 or 3 depending on the roll of the die
• Maximum 30 seconds to act
• One player to a hand, no coaching allowed
• No handwritten tabulation, calculators or mobile phones are allowed
• All chips must be on view at all times

 King of Slot – how it works

• Each player starts with 88,888 credits in each session
• The final credit meter score after 15 minutes (20 minutes for the grand final) determines the winners
• Any player who fails to play for more than 5 seconds is disqualified
• Maximum 200 players, split into 10 qualifying sessions of no more than 20 players
• The following players proceed to the semi-finals:
  • the players with the top 3 credit meter scores of their sessions
  • of the remaining players, the 30 with the highest credit meter scores
  • 20 other invited players
• The 80 semi-finalists play 4 sessions of 20 players, and those with the top 20 credit meter scores proceed to the grand final
• The credit meter scores of the grand final determine the prizes from 1st to 20th