Poker rooms get round curbs on gaming

Gambling is heavily regulated in Hong Kong, with the Jockey Club having a near-monopoly on most forms of betting. But in a large room on Hollywood Road, Central - and at a number of other places in the city - people are openly playing poker for money thanks to a grey area in anti-gaming laws.

At the Hong Kong Poker House on Hollywood Road - one of five such establishments in Central and Wan Chai - up to a dozen players play no-limit Texas hold 'em around six poker tables. And no-limit means no limit - some big pots have been won and lost.

The loophole is that the club doesn't take a commission on each pot (the sum of money that players wager during a single hand or game) and that as a private club it has a food and beverage licence which also allows gambling to take place legally - the same framework that allows mahjong to be played nightly in many restaurants.

In contrast to Hollywood's vision of seedy, smoke-filled rooms of poker players, as seen in films such as The Cincinnati Kid and The Sting, Hong Kong Poker House is clean and smoke-free.

One club-goer, a Mr Lee, said he had been attending the club nearly every week for the past 18 months. He wagers around HK$2,000 each time he visits and once won more than HK$10,000. The minimum bet is HK$5 and the dealers are long-term, trusted club members.

'You can get 50 to 60 people in here some nights,' he said. 'Most people who play are from the financial sector.