UGADoc

Of course this is the basis for all casino comps. They are not given out of the goodness of their heart 😀

I seldom play slot machines but if I had been on that cruise I would have made an exception!

If the table is a one deck table, 3:2 blackjack where dealer hits on soft 17, player can double after a split, can double on any 2 cards, can resplit 4 times, except on Aces, and player cannot hit split Aces, The house edge theoretically is -0.18% based on player playing basic strategy AND the dealer shuffling after every hand, which benefits the player. With the same table rules, one deck, where a the dealer uses a cut card and the player plays basic strategy, the house edge theoretically jumps to -0.03% because the use of a cut card favors the dealer. With the same table rules, but with the dealer using a continuous shuffler and shuffling after every hand the house edge theoretically would be -0.14%. But I cannot recall any single deck games in NCL casinos without 5:6 blackjack and continuous shuffle (which gives the house a 1.25% edge!). Most of the time you have to go to $25 or above to get even a six deck game. Assuming the continuous shuffle table dealer is using at least 4 decks the house edge jumps to 1.72%. That is why I avoid those tables like the plague.

Unfortunately a lot of casinos are giving lousy odds and nefarious shuffling machines for lower stake blackjack. As a rule NCL Casinos at Sea have about the same odds for table games and video poker but slots are not required to post their odds so let the buyer beware! My experience is that if you take advantage of their player club you have a 50/50 chance to break even. About like any casino.

:mad:Good luck on any blackjack tables using the continuous shuffle machines.

I haven't seen those on NCL but I haven't been on a cruise since December.

Yes, I need a good attitude about dropping my money.

 

Which I do well.

Don't think of gambling as dropping your money, think of it as a preparing to be frugal!

Attitude is everything when it comes to enjoying gambling!

:d:d:d

Like any casino the house wins overall but that doesn't mean that there are no winners. If that were true, soon there would be no casinos. Casinos at Sea (NCL) give nice comps to good players such as, on my last cruise, premium drinks for me and house drinks for my wife anytime we were in the casino, $250 in food and beverage credit, $300 in spa credit, chocolates or other goodies each night of the cruise and 1 premium cigar per day of the cruise. Additionally, they comped our balony stateroom (we paid $360 each for an 11 day cruise for taxes and port fees). As at any casino I take this into account when tallying up my win/loss for the trip. So if I am down a couple of thousand dollars I consider myself even. Last trip I played in 4 poker tournaments and netted $2,000 in winnings. The only slots that I play are video poker and while the odds are not optimal they are about what you find in any Caesars/Harrahs casino. I hit a couple of jackpots totaling $6,000 and netted another $2,000.

Of course, I have had cruises where I lost and lost but that is why they call it gambling. The bottom line is: if you enjoy casino gambling you will enjoy it at NCL/Casinos at Sea. My wife and I are going on two cruises this summer and one in December - all comped. Take advantage of offers like these from your casino host/hostess and even your losses can go in the plus category.

Ok great! Thank you! I am a Platinum TR member so I know I can get 10% off with NCL. We have never cruised with them before so I have never seen the offers. I will definitely give them a call and see what kind of deals we can get. :)

I am a Diamond TR member and I started cruising on NCL through Harrah's. I echo that the way to go is contact casinos at sea through NCL regardless of whether the cruise you want is on your Harrah's offer. I haven't paid anything but port fees and taxes for any cruise since 2010. Give Casinos at Sea a call.

Does anyone know if blackjack on the Escape has $5 tables?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

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Sometimes they do but if so it will be a table using a continuous shuffle machine and lousy odds. Sorry, but that has been my experience.

Yes

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