midgetcoach

After  sailing on eleven cruises from different lines last year alone I stand by my November post NCL had the worst casino slot payout. Be warned.

Went on a NCL cruise this past summer. The slots paid absolutely nothing. No desire to sail with them again. 

23 hours ago, jetact said:

I played some craps also and they took my card but no clue how they add points or if it was just a gesture. 

My wife and I both play. We buy in with the same amount every time we play. She plays slots and I play craps. We have sailed 9 times this year with two more booked on her comp. We always get a balcony. I get basically nothing for my craps play. 

5 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

I'm going to suggest you stop trying to figure this out. Many of us have tried to explain this to you a 100 ways from Sunday and you're not getting it. Since you don't gamble, just don't worry about it! 

Thanks pcakes, that's a lot nicer than I was going to say it.

8 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

This ^^^^ is a concept that people who are fighting over "the math" and casino conspiracy theories just can't seem to comprehend.  It's not that we have figured out some secret winning streak prediction theory to beat the odds and defy "the math."  We just walk away when we've hit the break-even point.  I've been on 10-day cruises where I only played the first three nights because the slots were terrible and I played out my budget. 

Yes being able to walk away is a big part of playing. Whether it's quitting when your hit your loss limit, leaving with your winnings or walking when you get back to even on a choppy game. It's one of the big parts of playing.

My wife and I were playing on the NCL Jewel a few weeks age. By the third day it was obvious the slots were not paying at all. We decreased our daily buy-in by 60%. Day four we just quit playing. I will say this was the worst paying slots I have ever seen land or sea. We did not see or talk with a single winner or break even player. Yes walking away is very important.

10 hours ago, tetleytea said:

Then what do you say about the other gambler who said there is such a thing as advantage players, but that they don't really play on the cruise lines?

I think this is a good explanation of a AP:  Someone who practices advantage gambling is often referred to as an advantage player, or AP. Unlike cheating, which is by definition illegal, advantage play exploits innate characteristics of a particular game to give the player an advantage relative to the house or other players.

Advantage Players normally prefer land based casinos because of the higher slots payouts and table limits. 

10 hours ago, tetleytea said:

Or the other gambler who said you don't play for comps (which I thought was you)?   I believe the exact reason given was that the cruises use infinite shoes.

No it wasn't me. We (my wife and I) play to take advantage of the comps.

I am not a card player at all. But from what I have seen the amount of cards used in the "shoe" varies by that particular tables minimum.

24 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

I'll take it.   What is your strategy?  (or you can you post it publically?)

It's just to much to try and write and explain here. 

47 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

By "a lot of work," I assume you don't really view it as "work", but entertainment.  If you found a way to come out ahead and have fun doing it, then that's what it is all about.

Yes, you got it now. 

2 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

The Casino Comps System Explained – How to Make It Work For You (gamblingsites.org)

I read this thru and it is a good explanation of comps and how they work.

Moving to the conclusion it reads...

[Casino and gambling comps are really cool, but they’re also a tool that casinos use to get you to lose more money than you’d otherwise lose. Understanding how those comps work is the first step in making sure you don’t get taken advantage of.

Some people learn how to take advantage of the comps system in such a way that they gamble practically for free. It’s even theoretically possible to come out ahead because of the comps program. That’s too much work for most people, but it’s nice to know that it’s possible.

The bottom line about comps is that the casino doesn’t have your best interest at heart. They want your money.]

My wife and I fall into the second part of this paragraph. We do come out ahead, but it is a lot of work. 

2 hours ago, tetleytea said:

My offer to listen to anyone more experienced than I at consistently beating the house remains in place.   At this point I will settle just for someone who has consistently lost less than they got in comps.

 Hello !  My wife and I do just that.

             PS. We actually make money at it too.

15 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

Non-players not knowing how it works is like non-crack users not knowing how crack works.   The drug pushers give out comps, too, and as a matter of fact it IS a big conspiracy.

drug pushers........      a big conspiracy........        This was a constructive rational post, its now become just plain stupid.

I personally try not to use any electronics while on a cruise. The phone is off and  in the safe. 

7 minutes ago, UKstages said:

no, if you think you can recognize a streak as it is happening, you don't agree with me at all.

I think I miss understood.  I was thinking "trend"

I use trends as part of my game to help determine my play. 

1 hour ago, pcakes122 said:

I don't think free cruises are in your future anyway, so believe what you want. I just responded to clarify your misinformation for others.

Well said pcakes

10 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

I don't think you really understand how it works if you think you need to pay yourself for the time you spent playing on your vacation LOL.  People who gamble on vacation do it because it's entertainment for them.  Some people like watching shows, some people like scuba diving,  some people like gambling. It's fun for us, and we would do it whether we were getting comps or not

This is what I have been trying to say. My wife a I play because we enjoy it. Along the way we have found a way to use it to our advantage. We still do other  activities aboard and excursions.

10 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

As far as how to be assured that you don't lose more than your comps worth? Just don't. (And if you can't stop yourself, that's a whole other problem and you probably shouldn't be gambling at all.)

This  is a part of good money management.

10 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

People who don't gamble always want to to generalize and say that gamblers always lose (overall.) What we're trying to tell you -- FROM EXPERIENCE --  is that it's not always the case. 

We began cruising in 2018.  I never played or was in a casino before then. I saw the potential and decided to learn how to play. Started with $500. Put it in an envelope, wrote the amount and date.  As of today we keep it in a safety  box and could purchase a new car (not a cheap one) with it. It still grows....

10 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

Personally, I don't gamble at all on land (I don't even buy lottery tickets.)  My entire gambling budget for the year is dedicated to cruising.  I know exactly how much $$$ I'm willing to risk and I know exactly the value of my comps (including cruise fares, OBC and other onboard perks.)

We also play land based casinos. Travel, resorts, entertainment come from that.

10 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

I'm ahead. 👍🏻 And I turn down tons of free cruise offers (from more lines than just NCL) to stay that way!  (If I went on every free cruise I was offered, I would probably be in a deep hole lol That said, I do see alot of people get pulled in that way.)

We get multiple offers from all the major cruise lines and casinos daily.  This year alone we have taken 7 cruises with two more booked. The Caribbean, Bermuda, and Alaska were a few. Also resorts. 

All added expenses including travel (air), all food, entertainment (excursions), anything involved in the cruise or retort stay are calculated in.

Bottom line...We are enjoying ourselves in retirement without using and draining any of our home accounts. 

5 hours ago, UKstages said:

as for "hot" games and "winning streaks," we make those determinations as human beings after having played. in legitimate random games, there is no way to predict a streak or a trend in advance.

I agree with UK. Your decisions determine your out come of the game your playing. There is no way to predict a up coming streak or trend but realizing it when it is happening makes all the difference. 

5 hours ago, tetleytea said:

This sure complicates the math.   I would also budget in the At-Sea time playing in the casino, unless that is something you enjoy a lot.

The math is easy. Take a bank envelope for every  day (session) you plan to play. Write the days on each Mon,Tues, etc. that you plan to play. Example 7 day cruise, 7 envelopes of $300 each (buy-in).

Total bank roll $2100.  Everything goes in the safe. Each day use the daily envelope for you buy-in. When the session is over put "all" the money back in the envelope an safe. Winnings or loss everything goes back in the envelope for that session. You never spend any of this money for anything else, its your bank-roll ! The total at the end of the week tells the story. 

See no complicated math. Keep it simple. Remember we are playing for the comps.

4 hours ago, DrSea said:

I see. So the buy in at 300/night x 7 nights = 2100. But you aren't losing all 2100. You may lose 20-30% of that depending on luck or whatever the machine programs the payout is. So you maybe losing like 400-600 of that initial 2100. Is correct?

Yes,  you have your bank-roll which is your over all amount of gambling money. Your buy-in is the amount you take when going to play a session. If your planing on playing once a day on the cruise it would be seven sessions. On sea days it may be two sessions. Each trip to the casino is a session.

Determine your buy in then how many sessions to play is your bankroll.

4 hours ago, tetleytea said:

This sure complicates the math.   I would also budget in the At-Sea time playing in the casino, unless that is something you enjoy a lot.

The math is easy. Take a bank envelope for every  day (session) you plan to play. Write the days on each Mon,Tues, etc. that you plan to play. Example 7 day cruise, 7 envelopes of $300 each (buy-in).

Total bank roll $2100.  Everything goes in the saf 

57 minutes ago, DrSea said:

Wow, I cannot imaging gambling 1-2k per week. My hats off to you. 

It is kind of misleading. If your playing with 1-2K per week then your buy-in should be around $300 per session. You should have a loss limit and also a win limit (when its time to walk).  You are playing to run your money thru  machines or across the tables for comp and points. Knowing when to move on to a different slot or table is part of it. At the end of the week look at your seven $300 buy-ins and add them back together. You will be up, down or even but never should you lose the whole $2000 bankroll.  As always good money management is one of the keys. 

5 hours ago, Inveterate Cruiser said:

When you say $500 each a session is this like $500 a day for a 7 day cruise? 

Our buy-in per session is $500 each. We use the envelope system.

  We play for the comps !  we don't lose the $500. It is run thru the machines or across the tables.

Our bank roll is used just for play and never any thing else. All wins and loses are in it. We don't take any profit from it, remember we're playing for the comps.

I track all our play, at all casinos  land or sea. I have records from the past 3 years on every session played. This year alone we have taken 7 cruises on different lines, all comped. To date we are a little ahead on cruise ship play. Our land base play is much better and generates a lot of interest and offers from the sea.

One of the most important key things is good money management.

On 8/3/2022 at 7:36 AM, DrSea said:

By a few dollars, do you literally mean <$5? I want these free inside offers but I HATE to gamble.

My wife and I buy-in every time we play a session at a casino for $500 each. She plays slots and I play craps. All our comp comes from the slots. That gets us ocean view or balcony.

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

The casinos must LOVE you!!!  😍

Well I don't know if they love us but we are definitely on their list..LOL

We get offers almost daily.

8 hours ago, DrSea said:

You sir have cojones of steel. I wish I could gamble like you and not neurotically go insane from all the lost money.

It's not having balls of steel.....but sometimes that can help..LOL

Casino games are just that, games, adult games that have a negative expectation meaning you are not expected to win. It doesn't mean you can't win its just harder too. 

Everyone has luck and can win on any day with just luck but if you want to play to win you need two things. First you must fully understand every detail of the game you are playing. Second is how to gambler on that particular game.  Now you can turn it into at least a 50/50 game.

1 minute ago, tetleytea said:

Card-counting is playing to the math? 

NO, not talking about anything like that at all.  A trend in a casino would be the direction a game is going. At times there could be a downward trend, a upward trend and you may refer to when a game is going back and forth as choppy. Its knowing how to read these trends. Being able to stay in the game and take advantage of the upward ones. 

7 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

The slots pay, what?  40 cents on the dollar? 

Normal slot pay out is around 90%.  Not sure about cruise ships, but I would think the minimum would be around 85%.

11 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

I am interested how that is not how it works, too?

Casinos are based on the math. Playing to the math will always end with a loss.  Winning at the casino is being able to read and follow the trends.

8 hours ago, UKstages said:

in the interest of full disclosure, i should mention that i also get a casino comp

Hi UK, just wondering what game or games are you getting comped on ?