Star City Hotel & Casino (Sydney, Australia)

Any updates on Sydney? Are games running every day without crazy long lists?

To answer my own question.. played some 2/3 at Star last night. 3 hour wait for a seat. 10% to $15 rake, including pre-flop. I had a couple of hands where I took it down with a pre-flop re-raise and they took $3.

Decent action, at least.

Does this Cashless Play include poker? Years ago at Crown Melbourne they had PokerPro computer tables and you stored money on a PokerPro card. I used to keep about 5k on the card, withdraw a buy-in from the cashier then deposit back on to the card. It was very convenient to not have to carry cash but also not have to sign money in and out. The card used a PIN and was more efficient than keeping money on account at the cage.

Hi fellas

I'm travelling from the UK to Sydney for a few nights for a wedding, and would like to play a bit of cash at the Star whilst there. Will be in Sydney on the nights of Monday 25th Nov (though probably ****ed from the flying) to Wednesday 27th Nov inclusive, so sadly not weekends.

How are the games on these weekday afternoons or nights? Am thinking of AU$2/$5, but don't know if it's worth making the trip if games don't really run that much there? Ideally I'd play in the afternoon, but on a Tues or Wed afternoon it might be empty?

Any pointers from anyone too in terms of getting to the casino from the Darlinghurst area, if uber is cheap or if I should bus it, and any other advice specific to poker at this casino would be handy - thanks!

2/5-10 runs from midday everyday. Multiple tables often by 2 or 3. 5/10-20 usually gets up in the evening

Your only challenge is that the 25th and 26th are the final 2 days of a wsop circuit event which will mean cash tables might be limited during the day depending on how many tournaments are running.

It will mean that the room will be throbbing though

Darlinghurst is a $12-15ish Uber to Star

Ideal news re: the event thing taking place on 26th, thanks. I'll look to head there that afternoon and hope to get in a game, thanks for letting me know! Uber it is too, that's very cheap after our last long foreign trip being New York and seeing how much cabs cost there 😃

my guess is that cash lists will be very long. I've given up and gone home during series before and been called for the game hours later. You might get lucky, but hard to predict. If it was me, I'd probably either go and register as the card room opens at 10, or go later on in the afternoon and evening

just as an fyi, you will also need to sign up for a Members card before you're allowed to play. it doesn't take long but it's now mandatory

Honestly last few times I’ve played on a weeknight the waits haven’t been crazy, especially after like 9pm on a Tuesday/wed/thurs

If the queue is long, go to the sports bar at the star. Great food for a casino sports bar and it’s real close to the poker room.

Agree but this is the final two days of a series. Day 2 of a main event and then day 1 of a closing event. I’d guess cash tables will be very limited

Cheers for the advice, and thanks re: signing up [heard about that somewhere else - had to do the same in Malta at a casino and was fine]. If the wait seems okay I'll go check out the sports bar, if not then probably just faff about at the blackjack or something before returning to the Westfield shopping centre where missus is planning on hitting up some Forever New stores, yawn. 😃

Ended up going on the Wednesday 27th today, quiet room early afternoon but got on a 2/5/10straddle easily enough.

Thanks for the advice, otherwise I might not have been in a position to run KQ into Q8 in a KT8QQ runout in a bomb pot for a massive double up - tourist's luck! Casino is massive, took me by surprise just how big it is and I had to ask 2 separate staff members about how to get out of the place ahah.

Went recently:

1. Member's card + PIN required to buy chips; member's card swipe required to sit down and play; member's card swipe to cash out.

2. Rake cap increased to $20 at 2/3.

3. Game was fine but that rake though.

Yeah, I’ve hardly played for the last few years but had thought I might start playing more but the rake has dampened any enthusiasm for it. It really should mean everyone plays 2/5/10 now but I doubt it will happen

Very few decent pros at 2/5/10 these days too as the best regs seem to have disappeared

Was there on NYE but early (fucked off at 3pm) and there were 4 tables of 2/3, zero tables of 2/5 but there was a 5/10 table running. So I guess the decent players were sitting there.

“cash crush, liquidity pain”
“implosion”
“death spiral”
“brink of collapse”

The share price for the Star Entertainment Group Limited is down 42% in the past week, 80% down in the past year and 97% down in the past 5 years. The current share price is 11 cents.

AFR: Star has six weeks to find financin...

”Star Entertainment could be broke within weeks with NSW and Queensland refusing to bail out the embattled casino operator after it warned it had just $79 million left in its bank account.

“… there was a 50 per cent chance the company would fall into administration, wiping out investors. “At the current cash burn, the company would be lucky to make it to its interim results on February 28 … without a lifeline,”

In the long term, money laundering does not pay.

It’s a testament to how much they’ve ****ed my relationship with poker that the biggest loss for me if the casino goes under will be that I don’t get discounted parking on the days I go to work nearby

How often does PLO run and which stakes? How are the games? Thanks

And then a hero comes along …

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-07/star-entertainment-secures-lifeline-will-sell-brisbane-casino/105008212

abc

Star to hand over Brisbane casino to Hong Kong investors in $53m deal

Embattled casino group Star Entertainment will stay alive, for now, after securing a $53 million lifeline in return for selling off its 50 per cent stake in its new Brisbane casino.

Star shares have been suspended from trade on the Australian Securities Exchange since Monday, after the company failed to submit its half-year accounts.

Before being put on pause, Star's stock was at just 11 cents a share. The company's long-discussed woes have been putting the jobs of 9,000 people at risk, prompting state governments to step in.

I would check with the room itself but I’ve never been at a tourney series when they haven’t had cash games running alongside. But there won’t be many tables and lists will be really long so your best bet is to get there when the room opens at 10. Well, you can get there at 9 or soon after to register and then you’ll be guaranteed a seat

Also remember to get a players card be yE you’ll need that to play

Do you frequent the star? Was wondering how do high stakes player(10/20 and above) transact? I believe they dont bring so much cash with them?
Do they do p2p crypto (usdt/usdc)?

The vast majority just bring cash, even at those stakes. I have always used cash at 5/10/20 and I’ve never seen anyone not use cash personally.

But I only play in Sydney 5-10 times a year

When I was playing a lot, I stored money in an account at Star via my players card. Most of the pros did the same. You just withdraw what chips (or cash) you want at the cage with a signature and your ID and then can deposit back afterwards. To my knowledge you can still do that but I don’t anymore.

My guess is that this is happening less these days after several nosebleed guys got banned from the casino for making large transfers - they got caught up in a money laundering probe. But that was guys transferring 6 figures