Slot pull returns ?

[Orangefan]

Although I am a platinum cruiser, I have never done the slot pull. Is it more socializing after the M & G or do they get better returns with that many people and all that money ? I was wondering about your experiences with the slot pull. Thanks.

Sali

[as19111]

It's fun. We had over 40 folks participate. Each invested $15 and an option $1 side bet for top earnings. We used a $1 machine and each participant had 5 $3 pulls. Results: We received $10 each back. What it tells you is that even after 200 pulls with a max bet, the house won...but you still believe that the next pull is going to be the BIG ONE! It's nice to invest $15 and play vicariously with over $600.

[jeno]

We used same amount and method. Probably 80 people played. One hit $1000. We each got about $19 back. Lots of fun!

[Griller]

I have been told that cruiseship slots pay out better the first day or two of a cruise, then when the word has got around that the payouts are good - they reduce the payout percentage. Maybe true, maybe not.

 

SO having the Slot Pull early on after a Meet'nGreet MAY be a good time to do it?

 

I have an older electronic slot machine as a curio in my office and it is simple to adjust the payout (averaged over 10,000 pulls according to the manual) to between 72% to 96%. Don't know if they are all like that.

 

Generally for what its worth in my experience I do better in Vegas than on a ship.

[jeno]

My DH, not a gambler, says they pay more early in the cruise and on the machines that are very visible to those that pass by. Who knows?

[fathercop]

I have been told that cruiseship slots pay out better the first day or two of a cruise, then when the word has got around that the payouts are good - they reduce the payout percentage. Maybe true, maybe not.

 

SO having the Slot Pull early on after a Meet'nGreet MAY be a good time to do it?

 

I have an older electronic slot machine as a curio in my office and it is simple to adjust the payout (averaged over 10,000 pulls according to the manual) to between 72% to 96%. Don't know if they are all like that.

 

Generally for what its worth in my experience I do better in Vegas than on a ship.

 

 

Having a relative who works for a slot machine company, he has said that the odds for each machine are set when the machine is built and the computer board is placed in the machine. If a machine is used for a tournament, there is a switch to set the machine for tournament mode, but when the machine is in regular service, the odds for the payout are preset for the machine. He said that it is a constant rumor among many who believe that the machine's odds can be set at will. He also has said that he has mostly given up on trying to tell people otherwise, because people will simply believe whatever they want to. Also, from what he said - he does not gamble at all, by the way - that slot machines on cruise ships are not regulated by a gaming commission, but that they voluntarily adhere to Nevada gaming regulations.

 

Most people think that the casino's are closed while the ship is in port so that they don't compete with land based casinos, but they are closed so that they don't have to follow the differing gaming regulations from country to country. I learned that a few cruises ago from a casino host.

 

At any rate good luck to you while cruising or playing slots and enjoy your cruise.

[Orangefan]

Thank you everybody for responding with all this good information. I learned a lot.

Sali

[Casey12]

Having a relative who works for a slot machine company, he has said that the odds for each machine are set when the machine is built and the computer board is placed in the machine. If a machine is used for a tournament, there is a switch to set the machine for tournament mode, but when the machine is in regular service, the odds for the payout are preset for the machine. He said that it is a constant rumor among many who believe that the machine's odds can be set at will. He also has said that he has mostly given up on trying to tell people otherwise, because people will simply believe whatever they want to. Also, from what he said - he does not gamble at all, by the way - that slot machines on cruise ships are not regulated by a gaming commission, but that they voluntarily adhere to Nevada gaming regulations.

 

Most people think that the casino's are closed while the ship is in port so that they don't compete with land based casinos, but they are closed so that they don't have to follow the differing gaming regulations from country to country. I learned that a few cruises ago from a casino host.

 

At any rate good luck to you while cruising or playing slots and enjoy your cruise.

 

Thanks for the explanation! It makes sense.

[jeno]

Glad to have an educated explanation! Thanks!

[paddingtonbear]

Glad to have an educated explanation! Thanks!

 

It is true that the on board computer payout percent is set at the time of manufacture. But it can be reset at anytime. In Australia the big casinos have all their machines linked by computer and the can change the ratio at anytime to maximize profits or recover from a bad run.

 

I am sure this practice is not restricted to the big guys. :cool::cool::cool:

[as19111]

I have to say based on personal experience and not any statistical research, I feel the ship slots are looser on the first couple of days than they are the rest of the cruise. I also do much better in Vegas than I do in Atlantic City, and the Pennsylvania slots are the most tight fisted machines I've ever met!

 

That said, I'm not a big player, so they get my $100 max and off I go.

[triple7tahoe]

In my "Man Cave" and at my cabin at Lake Tahoe I have over 15 slot machines ranging in age from 90 yrs old to almost brand new. You can say I love playing slot machines. While it is possible to change the odds on the newer machines by changing computer boards/chips it is not done on the ships during a cruise. If they are to change the random number generator it would be done while the ship was going through an overhaul. To do otherwise to all macines would take longer than would be available. On my most recent cruise, Golden Princess, in March I sat and chatted with the Casino manager while the slot tech (from IGT) installed 8 new machines. We got talking about the odds and he told me that they were set at the factory. We also talked about the "odds being better" at the beginng of the cruise and he told me that passengers had a tendency to play the "max coins" early in the cruise and slowed down after awhile. He reminded me of something I already new-With RNG's they are just as likely to hit the big award with max coins as they are with minimum bets-Only with minimum bet the TOP jackpot is not paid. Now the RNG has to go through the cycle again to pay the jackpot.

Play what you can afford and enjoy. They do not build those fancy buildings in Las Vegas because the casinos lose money. Same for the ships-Casinos and alcohol (bars) are where the profit margin comes from.

[grandmaa]

Just off the Sapphire Princess where we had a slot pull for those who wanted to participate from our M&G roll call. We put in $15 and played the $1 machine each person getting

5 pulls for $3..biggest winning was a $60 pull..most when it hit were $15. We played until we lost it all in hopes of winning the big one. The casino manager was very nice and gave the two highest winning scores Princess Player bags and the rest of us baseball caps. It was fun even if we did not win!!

[Kenosha Cruiser]

Just off the Sapphire Princess where we had a slot pull for those who wanted to participate from our M&G roll call. We put in $15 and played the $1 machine each person getting

5 pulls for $3..biggest winning was a $60 pull..most when it hit were $15. We played until we lost it all in hopes of winning the big one. The casino manager was very nice and gave the two highest winning scores Princess Player bags and the rest of us baseball caps. It was fun even if we did not win!!

 

Good information, our roll call group is planning a slot pull, sounds like a lot of fun, win or lose. I hope our Princess ship hands out bags or baseball caps for trying. Whatever, it will be fun just getting to know our roll call group better and having some good conversations about our cruise.:)

[cormike1]

We had a slot pull after our M&G and had a ball. We did not notify the casino ahead of time as people thought the odds of choosing our own machine would be better. Some figured that if the casino gave us the machine they could rig it so we wouldn't win big!!! We chose a "Wheel of Fortune" machine. We put in $15 each and had 41 people. We all took 5 pulls. The rule was that whatever was won/left would be divided equally and what was left over after dividing equally went to the person who spun the largest amount. In our case out of 205 spins, 2 "wheel of fortune" tabs came up. One spin landed on $50 and one landed on $1000. We ended up with $41 and the extra $27 went to the person who spun the $1000. We did get a few items from the casino and just drew names for those prizes. We made so much noise cheering each other on that we just about cleared out the casino. They are alot of fun and I would join another again.

[mintjulip123]

We had a slot pull after our M&G and had a ball. We did not notify the casino ahead of time as people thought the odds of choosing our own machine would be better. Some figured that if the casino gave us the machine they could rig it so we wouldn't win big!!! We chose a "Wheel of Fortune" machine. We put in $15 each and had 41 people. We all took 5 pulls. The rule was that whatever was won/left would be divided equally and what was left over after dividing equally went to the person who spun the largest amount. In our case out of 205 spins, 2 "wheel of fortune" tabs came up. One spin landed on $50 and one landed on $1000. We ended up with $41 and the extra $27 went to the person who spun the $1000. We did get a few items from the casino and just drew names for those prizes. We made so much noise cheering each other on that we just about cleared out the casino. They are alot of fun and I would join another again.

 

I am organizing a slot pull in a couple of weeks. I have made some notes from your post above. We have almost 40 and we will also put in $15. each. I hope we get something from the casino and I will make a list for the draw (just in case). We participated in a slot pull on a Transatlantic last year and it was a great time, I hope this one will be as good.

[cormike1]

I am organizing a slot pull in a couple of weeks. I have made some notes from your post above. We have almost 40 and we will also put in $15. each. I hope we get something from the casino and I will make a list for the draw (just in case). We participated in a slot pull on a Transatlantic last year and it was a great time, I hope this one will be as good.

 

If you do a search of the threads, there is a post about a spreadsheet that someone made up to keep track of what everybody spins and you can put all the names down, etc. The person that organized our pull used it and it really worked well. The person who did up the spreadsheet will e-mail it to you if you give her your e-mail address. It is a huge thread and has been running for quite awhile.

[toberman]

Slot pulls are lots of fun, but we do it for the socializing more than to win money. An hour or two of fun for 15-20$ is great, and you get to know your fellow passengers a little more. What's really fun is all the 'other' people coming by and seeing everyone around one machine laughing and cheering.... they assume someone is winning big!! The casino likes it too because it makes the 'other' people think you can really win here.

 

Our results have been like has been posted - break even (or close).

 

As for gifts from the casino - we used to get them but last year on the Emerald we were told that had been discontinued... so it probably depends on the ship whether or not they will give them out.

 

Go for it, and have fun... you will !! :)

[mintjulip123]

If you do a search of the threads, there is a post about a spreadsheet that someone made up to keep track of what everybody spins and you can put all the names down, etc. The person that organized our pull used it and it really worked well. The person who did up the spreadsheet will e-mail it to you if you give her your e-mail address. It is a huge thread and has been running for quite awhile.

 

Thanks for the tip, I did get the spreadsheet which was pretty much what we used last year. The tip I think will be the most useful is the one about paying the "extra" to the big winner. I won't want to hurry to get to the slot pull though because it is the "sea day' which is the last day.