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Hong Kong man scoops largest baccarat tournament winnings with $12m prize in Macao

By Kevin Lynch
Published

An incredible grand prize of HKD100 million ($12,890,500 / £8,565,880) ensured the World Series Baccarat Championship organised by the Suncity Group at the Sheraton Macao Hotel made gaming history earlier this month.

The huge winnings, which were landed by Hong Kong card king Lin Haisan, set a new record for greatest prize money for a baccarat tournament – individual.

Meanwhile, the overall prize pot for the tournament of 119,000,000 HKD ($15,339,600 / £10,193,400) also set a record for greatest prize money for a baccarat tournament.

A staple of casinos, Baccarat is a card game which sees players hold two- or three-card hands, the winning hand being that giving the highest remainder when its face value is divided by ten.

Suncity’s tournament was held over two qualifying events at Crowne Plaza Melbourne in Australia and at Sands China’s Venetian Macao, ahead of a two-stage semi-final and the eventual final showdown at the Sheraton Macao.

Lin Haisan wasn’t the only winner during the final leg of the competition however. As part of Suncity’s commitment to the future of Macao, the gambling and entertainment group donated HKD1 million on the night to Macao Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society and Cradle of Hope Association to support their comprehensive social services for the needy.