Having received his poker education from his days as a rounder in Toronto, Canada, along with the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Winfred Yu can certainly claim to have graduated from the school of hard knocks. He got his big break following a chance meeting with the Sun City Entertainment Group, and was promptly installed as Director of Table Games at the Poker King Club in Macau’s StarWorld Hotel and Casino. These days, he is also a regular at the exclusive HK$5,000/$10,000 cash game which he hosts, a game which he claims is the biggest cash game in the world.
Winfred pits his wits against some of China’s richest men on a regular basis, while at the same time ensuring that their stringent needs are met. “These guys are influential businessmen; they are not so easy to please. They expect a certain level of service and I am here to ensure that they get it.” Indeed, many of these players used to play HK$3,000/$6,000 at the Wynn, but relocated to the Poker King Club en masse following a series of disagreements with the management.
Hosting a nosebleed cash game is one thing, but playing in it is something else altogether. How does Winfred cope with the pressure?
“It’s true that the stakes are way above the comfort zone of most professional players, but to these guys it’s just pocket change. They have no qualms about sticking in a million or two to try and catch a flush draw,” he says. “They may not be technically strong poker players, but all of them are very shrewd and have very sharp intuition. They would not have achieved the kind of success that they have in business otherwise.”
“It would be a mistake to underestimate them. My approach is to play very tight and very aggressive. I bet very strongly when I have a big hand. They will try to intimidate you using the sheer power of their money, so you have to be alert. I try and play very solid poker and not try and get too creative.”
But the Poker King Club isn’t just about nosebleed stakes – it tries to cater to players of every level, including complete beginners. “We are also committed to educating people about poker,” Winfred explains. “We have a free Learn to Play table, where complete beginners can learn the rules of the game from one of our very beautiful hostesses. After the Learn to Play session, the players are usually confident enough to try their hand at one of the real money tables, usually starting from HK$10/$20, although some of them are willing to play slightly higher.”
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