Drew B 58

Correct. But I notice everything that results from unconventional play, good or bad. If someone does something [I feel] they shouldn’t, I pay close attention to subsequent cards and figure out whether what they did helped or hurt me.

The way you describe it is accurate. Every player’s play affects the rest of the table. You cannot know if playing “incorrectly” will help or harm others. That is why if I see that their “incorrect” play helped save the table, I make a point of thanking them. But if I’m going to thank them for saving the table, it only stands to reason that I will also blame them when their play hurts the table. If they play “correctly”, I neither thank nor blame them. That is simply the default. I don’t know if statistical analysis has been done to show how incorrect play affects the table at large. I’m not sure how it could be done, as there are too many variables. However, it has shown conclusively that correct play maximizes that player’s odds over the long run (millions and millions of hands). On any given hand, it is a toss-up. My advice is actually to help THEM, not me. A good player is likely to do better over the long run than a player who uses bad strategy or relies on “feelings”…

Yes. They could.

Giving advice that you think will help the person is not a bad thing to do. They can either take or reject that advice. If they choose not to take it, it’s not like I’m going to scream at them or punch them… Now, I COULD get up and leave the table if I don’t like how they are playing. Likewise, they can get up and leave the table if they don’t like receiving suggestions…

…much like it wouldn’t be someone’s JOB to stop someone from stepping out in front of a speeding bus. Nevertheless, it would be the kind thing to do! 😉

I’ve seen some complaints about drink service in the casino and others expressing it was no issue (and posting pictures of them with multiple drinks because the server came around so often). I’m guessing it’s a crap shoot and different days and times of day will yield different results, depending upon how busy the casino is and how many people are ordering drinks… Also, people probably don’t think about this, but which drink they order will impact service. A server can probably fill an order of beers and wines and liquors on the rocks or neat pretty quickly. If there are a bunch of complex mixed drinks, though, those take longer to make and will slow down the whole process…

It could always go either way. That’s why it’s called gambling. His poor choice could have saved the whole table. I’m not a statistician, so I can’t say whether playing “correctly” is more likely to harm or help others. I just know it is more likely to benefit the player him/herself in the long run. However, in a case like this where we could all see that it harmed the whole table (including that player himself), it’s only natural to feel upset that he didn’t choose differently…

I completely agree. Every player has a right to play their hand(s) however they like, including poorly. The rest of us, though, have every right to complain when their poor play affects us adversely…

I’ve seen terrible players betting $100+/hand and I’ve seen very good players at a $2 table (back in the day when those were a thing). Having money and having sense are not the same thing! 😉

I think he had $25, the table minimum… edited to add he had $50 because he split…

In reality, it could have gone the other way. His splitting could have saved my $350 bet. And if that had happened, I would have thanked him for doing the “wrong” thing. Because it did hurt me (and him and the rest of the table), though, I blamed him. However, if he had done the “right” thing and stayed, I wouldn’t have blamed him, whether it helped me or hurt me. I can’t fault people for playing smart…

Wine, yes; beer, no.

As I recall, the dealer said something first and I added “she’s right”, or something along those lines…

I believe that both the dealer and I made it clear we thought it was a bad move. He “had a feeling”…

On my last cruise, I had a $70 bet. I had a pair of 8s against a dealer 4. I split, of course, and got a 3. So I doubled and got an 8 for a 19. Next card was another 8, so I split again. I got a face on the first one for an 18 and a 2 on the second. I doubled and got a ten for a 20. So I now had an 18, a 19, and a 20, and I had $350 up. The guy two after me decided to split his tens (!) and got two more tens for two 20s. The dealer had a face underneath his 4 and drew a 7, giving him 21. We all lost (and I lost a ton), when we all would have won if the guy had just stayed…. So he cost me $700! Those hands are literally the difference between leaving the cruise a winner and leaving a loser…

I’ve found it at $25 tables, too. A lot of times, it’s by players who KNOW what they’re supposed to do, but they “got a feeling”. Probably because they’re pretty drunk.,.

I only got DOUE in a balcony once and it was after I hadn’t sailed for six years. I assumed they were “bribing me” to get me back. Since then, I’ve gotten DOUIC in mostly interiors and ocean views…

Are you suggesting Barcelona is going somewhere? Starstruck05, there are a million factors that would go into such a decision, and they will all be subjective. For example, do you like lots of consecutive sea days? If so, a transatlantic could be wonderful. If not, it could be Hell. While I get why you are soliciting opinions, ultimately only you can make the call…

Do you happen to carry your sign & sail card on a lanyard? I find hanging mine in a hook right by the light switch is helpful. Means it won’t get buried in the chaos of the desk and I see it when I’m walking out and I’m far less likely to lock myself out of the room. 😜

I’ve only sailed twice on casino offers (plus my upcoming cruise). First was a “free”* balcony for seven days + $200 fun play plus DOUE for me only. I lost $450. Second was a “free”* interior for four days plus DOU casino only for me and a guest. I lost $300. Upcoming cruise is a “free”* deluxe ocean view for me and a guest.plus DOU casino only for me and a guest. The jury is out as to whether I will win or lose and how much. In each of these scenarios, I was prepared to lose more, but I also could have won. The losses I “suffered” were perfectly acceptable, though, as I believe I got more just in alcohol than I lost playing. The “free” cruises were a bonus! What would NOT have happened would be for me to lose so much that I would have felt the offer wasn’t worth it. I have too much discipline for that! * When I say “free”, that means I paid $100pp + taxes and port fees and got $100pp back in onboard credit.

It’s really not difficult. And you can ask any dealer on any hand and they can tell you what you “should” do. To be clear, every player has every right to play each hand in whatever way they wish, including “wrongly”. I just get personally frustrated when their “wrong” play causes me to lose. Particularly when it causes me to lose hundreds of dollars. It’s MY problem, not theirs…

Yes, they give you those. A lot of people, though, choose to use them in the shower and then there isn’t another by the sink.

They can take as much time as they need and occupy as much of the dealer’s attention as they like! No problem! I’m talking about when they make the “wrong” play. Maybe they hit when they should stay or stay when they should hit or split when they shouldn’t, etc. That changes the cards and while it COULD work out and help the table, more often than not, it seems to make things worse and cause other players to lose hands they would have otherwise won. Also, I can’t stand it when a cold table starts to warm up and players choose that moment to sit out a hand or go to the bathroom or play two hands when they hadn’t been. Blackjack is a very streak-y game, and I never want anyone to do anything to change the cards when things are [finally] going well!

I have always wanted Carnival to add pecan pie to their dessert menu! I guess I just have to sail on X-mas. Unfortunately, I’ll be a few weeks early this year…

Perhaps that’s the case in the fixed-time dining room. In the my-time dining room, all of the tables are getting their main courses at different times, so the show could happen at any point in the service…