Casino Questions???

[heatherandjerad]

I love slot machines, but I have heard nobody wins anything on a cruise ship. I am not a big spender. So are we talking nobody wins big? I just need alittle something to keep me having fun. What have you won?

[PattyG12]

I broke even on my last cruise and played each evening. I've seen people win but more than not, they don't. We aren't HUGE gamblers but like having fun.

[nccruzencouple]

Slots seem to be a little loose towards the beginning of the cruise and tighter at the end of the cruise. I don't play slots much though, prefer card games here, but my SIL and BIL love them. She won $1,000.00 on a wheel of fortune machine in Decemeber on the Navigator.

[heatherandjerad]

I have heard alot about Wheel of Fortune do you have to bet alot to win $1000?

[BigBoatsForMe]

I won about 60 bucks a couple weeks ago on the Majesty!

[massfriends]

Saw a guy win 17 thousand dollars last week on Freedom of the Sea's. Last day of the cruise. He was playing one of those multi line, 9 lines I think, for 25 cents per line, max bet.

[massfriends]

I have heard alot about Wheel of Fortune do you have to bet alot to win $1000?

 

$3 max bet per spin on the $1 machine's....they have a new one for 25 cents, max bet 15 coins. If you get the bonus spin you have a chance to win 3 spots on the wheel.

[sutuz]

I came out over $300 ahead from our 8 day Indy cruise in December - and that is on penny or nickel machines, never betting more than 45 cents per spin and never more than $50 invested on any one night. I was pretty excited. :)

[sandyy456]

A few years ago my mom won $600 on a slot machine.

[pltag]

Slots seem to be a little loose towards the beginning of the cruise and tighter at the end of the cruise.

The loose >>> tight theory is one of cruisings better "urban myths". It's just not possible to reprogram machines that easily and that often.....and as far as the casino operators are concerned , just not necessary! The odds for the house are already good enough! Without a governing body (like the Nevada Gaming Commission) slots on cruises can pay whatever casino operators want them to pay. The odds on table games, on the other hand, cannot be changed. Certain payouts can (like a 3:2 Blackjack, or a 6:5), but the actually odds of winning the game don't change.

 

Bottom Line in ANY casino, but especially in a cruise casino. Gamble ONLY to have fun and know that the "cost" of this fun will most likely involve you losing.

 

Sorry to be "Johnny Rain Cloud" here! :) :D :)

[tpaananen]

Does anyone know what the limits are on the table games on the Mariner? Do they have 3 card poker? What is the minimum bets?

 

Thanks

[Gonzo70]

I have heard alot about Wheel of Fortune do you have to bet alot to win $1000?

 

Depends what you consider a lot. It takes about $1100 in bets to win $1000 on a cruise ship slot machine.

[dixieva]

Just go and play and don't expect to win. It does happen though. I only play nickels or penny slots and have won on them. The most I've won was on a nickel machine betting 45 cents a spin and won $1200! It didn't take $1,000 for me to win $1200. I never never lose that much in the casino!

 

I budget a certain amount for gambling and try to make it last the length of the cruise. I love playing so it's entertainment for me.

[golfer1966]

We usually play Blackjack or Three Card and my DW will sometimes play the slots. She was playing one night and she said she was all around the triple stars. I said, ya ya they do that so you dump more money in it. The next morning as a sea day and she went to get our ice show tickets so I decided to sleep in. Well, the phone rang and I saw it said " casino bar" on the caller ID, so I answered and she was like...I hit I hit the jackpot...I told you it was gonna hit....wooohooo !! So she ended up winning 1500 bux. :D

[BluEyed445]

We've played the slots on our cruises, and I"ve never brought anything home, but the money I put in keeps me going most of the cruise.

[heatherandjerad]

So whats the norm you usually spend playing the penny and nickle slots?

I say I love to play slots but I have only done it in small casinos a few times. Can't wait to play in 30 days!

[nancronin]

So whats the norm you usually spend playing the penny and nickle slots?

I say I love to play slots but I have only done it in small casinos a few times. Can't wait to play in 30 days!

 

There's a thread for casinos on CC :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=586 :)

[BGCruiser85]

Does anyone know what the limits are on the table games on the Mariner? Do they have 3 card poker? What is the minimum bets?

 

Thanks

 

I would think it would depend on the ship, but in general, the ones I've been on have 3 card. My wife and I played for the better part of one night when we were on the Liberty. I'm pretty sure it was $5 min since I won't play higher than that. Had a lot of fun and didn't lose much.

[travelgrl1278]

Well a couple of years ago we paid $260 a person on Majesty...the 3rd night of the cruise I won $350...woo hoo! Also had a bad cold/allergy problem at the time so I wasn't drinking at all...the only thing the cruise line made money on from me was buying Cough drops in the shop & pictures...lol

[Soxfan04]

Three card poker on Majesty last year was 5 min bet. Did VERY good there. As the slots go people were hitting the (like other posts said) wheel of fortune. Saw a couple win 1000 on the spin one night then hit it again the next night. IMHO cruise casinos are just like Vegas casinos. But just spend what you can afford to loose.

[The Nation of Why Not]

The loose >>> tight theory is one of cruisings better "urban myths". It's just not possible to reprogram machines that easily and that often..... The odds on table games, on the other hand, cannot be changed. Certain payouts can (like a 3:2 Blackjack, or a 6:5), but the actually odds of winning the game don't change.

 

Agree and disagree. There is no backroom switch that the pit boss throws to "loosen" the slots. Each machine has a mathematical algorithm and as soon as you hit the button to spin it knows what payout you get. It's the gambler's fallacy that there are good/bad machines and that a machine that hasn't paid out in 20 spins is "due". It's just as likely to hit a jackpot as the same machine that just hit a jackpot.

 

As far as the tables, you can change the rules to actually win the game. Example: in Craps, you can change the table odds. More specifically in blackjack, there are two types of tables: where the dealer hits all 17's (bad for players) and where the dealer stays on soft 17's (Ace and 6, good for players). A pit boss or casino manager can open/close those types of tables for players and change the chance of winning. On any cruise I've been on, the tables are all "dealer must hit on all soft 17's" but in Vegas I seek out the tables where the dealer must stay on all 17's.

 

(It's quite funny when people think that the dealer hitting on soft 17 is a good thing for players, when in fact it can change your odds of winning by 2-3%)

 

Long story short, go to the casino with the mindset that gambling is entertainment. Realize every game's odds are against you, and there's no such thing as a "lucky machine" or "hot table". Anyone who thinks otherwise, well, I've got a game of 3 card monte for them.

[dommer573]

Agree and disagree. There is no backroom switch that the pit boss throws to "loosen" the slots. Each machine has a mathematical algorithm and as soon as you hit the button to spin it knows what payout you get. It's the gambler's fallacy that there are good/bad machines and that a machine that hasn't paid out in 20 spins is "due". It's just as likely to hit a jackpot as the same machine that just hit a jackpot.

 

As far as the tables, you can change the rules to actually win the game. Example: in Craps, you can change the table odds. More specifically in blackjack, there are two types of tables: where the dealer hits all 17's (bad for players) and where the dealer stays on soft 17's (Ace and 6, good for players). A pit boss or casino manager can open/close those types of tables for players and change the chance of winning. On any cruise I've been on, the tables are all "dealer must hit on all soft 17's" but in Vegas I seek out the tables where the dealer must stay on all 17's.

 

(It's quite funny when people think that the dealer hitting on soft 17 is a good thing for players, when in fact it can change your odds of winning by 2-3%)

 

Long story short, go to the casino with the mindset that gambling is entertainment. Realize every game's odds are against you, and there's no such thing as a "lucky machine" or "hot table". Anyone who thinks otherwise, well, I've got a game of 3 card monte for them.

 

Where? I'm in.