Ncl slots - do any ships pay?

[Tiggertastic]

Been on 6 NCL cruises and lost everytime on the slots and the video poker

 

Been a great couple of hours of fun though

[wikkle jan]

Hi and sorry to go a bit off topic :o but do they have a craps table as my fiance and i want to learn how to play (we watched a bit in Vegas) and do they do lessons ? (before they take our money):D Im a black jack girl at heart but would love to throw the dice...;)

[tel2]

I pretty much play only video poker, and I play at least several hours every day on cruises. We were on the Pearl in June, and I stuck to ultimate poker, which because of the multipliers has a big upside potential. I hit 2 $4000. jackpots and 1 $2000. jackpot so it was a terrific week. On the other hand, we were on the Jewel in March and played the same game for many many hours and am embarassed to say how much we lost. If you play long enough, the casino always comes out ahead. Just set a limit and stop when you hit it, and have fun!

 

terry

[BeneClone]

"Free Cruise" from casino marketing? Does this mean that if you play enough the cruise line gives you a boarding pass?

 

Sent from my SPH-M900 using Tapatalk 2

[Kaboochi]

This will be my ninth NCL cruise, but I have never been on the Gem! Yes, I am talking about that monkey machine! LOL:D They had it on the Spirit and I love dit, but was hoping to find out if the Gem has it. I have been getting free cruises from Casino marketing, so yes, I do use a card! ;):p Thank you

 

Thank you everyone for your responses. What is the monkey machine?:(

[bluebeachbum]

I think the monkey machine is "Banana King". It's a penny machine & it was paying off on the Dawn several weeks ago.

[Angelsea57]

Just off Gem and it was THE best cruise because of the staff. I would sail with them again in a heartbeat. But the casino had THE worst payouts of any I have been in. The Pearl, last year was not much better. We are on the Sun in Oct. Please someone tell me they at least let you play for awhile before taking it all back. We do not expect to pay the mortgage with the winnings but it would be nice to get a few white tickets to cash in on the last day. Please - only advice posts, no tisk tisks? Thank you

I feel your pain.

We have cruised with Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian, and they are all a rip off

as far as the casino goes. To me they do not follow any kind of regulations at sea.

So they can take your money however they want. Specially toward the end of the

cruise you have to watch it, that's when i noticed a lot of people loosing big money.

[Kaboochi]

Well, I will be on the Gem in a couple of weeks and it sems like I may loose a whole lot of money in the casino! :o I stay in there pretty much most of the time and I was hoping to do the same on this ship, but I guess not! Can ya'll tell me if they have some penny machines that have a monkey that randomly pops up? I can't think of the name of the machine, but I love it! What are some of the penny machines they have, if you can help with a few. Thanks so much for your help.

 

Check out the quick hit machines. There is a bank of 4 in the middle of the casino. Don't play those. Across from them are 4 machines, 2 on one side, 2 on the other: 7 columns I believe and three rows. I found them the last day, wish I had discovered them on day one. They were generous to me. Good luck and report back:D

[davesgirl51]

Also, that 85% payback is an average, some might be higher, some might be lower. I could help you find all the ones that pay lower. I'm very good at it.

 

lolol ;)

[NJGem]

All of this is complete misinformation, at least as it regards modern slot machines in casinos. The only programming that is done on slot machines is to set the denomination of the minimum bet and set the payback percentage. After that, each and every pull of the lever, or push of the bet button, is completely random and completely separate from the pull before it and the pull after it.

 

Excellent post. The payback percentage on cruise line slots have never been as good as the percentage on regulated, land-based casinos. The idea that cruise line casinos change the percentage mid-cruise is totally false. Most of the ships casinos have a mix of older and newer machines, but none have a server based system that would allow them to change the percentage easily. I have seen some ship casinos that place the machine in the out of service mode and I have seen where the power is turned off to the machines, but believe me that if they were changing the percentages you would notice. I never anticipate winning anything in a casino, I just use it as a form of entertainment. If I get to play for a while on their money, that is just a bonus. If you want to be a knowledgeable slot player, research "random number generator" as it pertains to slot machines. But the most important thing of all is to cruise and enjoy yourself.

[Cruisin from Utah]

"Free Cruise" from casino marketing? Does this mean that if you play enough the cruise line gives you a boarding pass?

 

Sent from my SPH-M900 using Tapatalk 2

 

Based on your play they will provide offers for "free" cruises. All you need to pay is the taxes. My next cruise would have been 900.00 pp for the week but ended up costing 270.00 so it isn't too bad of a deal.

[mitsugirly]

I have to say that I seem to be one of the lucky slot players. I have yet to walk away from any of my NCL cruises with less money than I came there with. I have my "own" personal strategy though. I only go with a certain amount of money each time. If I ever double that money, I cash it out. Then continue to play with other money that I brought for that day to the casino.

 

I have won a jackpot on the Epic (at least to me it was a jackpot) on one of the machines that was progressive (won enough to cash out after hitting and walk down to the jewelry store and buy my husband a nice black diamond ring he had been eyeballing since the cruise first started. :D

 

I've been really lucky with at least doubling the money (if not more) than what I've come on the ship with. I have those certain games I play and I always do well. When I tend to deviate away from those machines and try something different...I lose money. :(

 

I'm hoping my "winning streak" will continue to our next cruise on the sky.

[VideoTech]

.....Specially toward the end of the

cruise you have to watch it, that's when i noticed a lot of people loosing big money.

 

While it's true that casinos on ships are not regulated in the same way as casinos on land, it is not true that the machines are somehow "altered" to make people lose more towards the end of the cruise.

 

What you're seeing at work there is a combination of the inevitable, slow nibbling at your money that is the work of the casino, and human nature: the cruise is almost over, we haven't won that big jackpot, so maybe we'll just play higher $ and hope we'll hit before the end of the cruise. It takes a disciplined gambler to stop when his or her bankroll is exhausted!

 

Think about it this way: What purpose would it serve the casino if it became generally known that they DID alter their machines to make you lose more at the end of your trip? Well, then everyone would stop gambling about mid-trip.

 

Casinos have absolutely NO need to engage in anything like changing the payback percentages from day to day or hour to hour. Believe me, they are setup to make money, and lots of it, simply from the 1% to 8% they take out of every single bet. They do that steadily, all through the cruise, and have no need of changing that on the last day or the last night.

[VideoTech]

I think the monkey machine is "Banana King". It's a penny machine & it was paying off on the Dawn several weeks ago.

 

"Banana King" is the monkey machine I was trying to think of. You'd think I would have remembered, given the amount of money my DW put through them!!

[VideoTech]

Hi and sorry to go a bit off topic :o but do they have a craps table as my fiance and i want to learn how to play (we watched a bit in Vegas) and do they do lessons ? (before they take our money):D Im a black jack girl at heart but would love to throw the dice...;)

 

Yes, all the ships have craps tables, and I think most ships have at least one "learn to gamble" session per cruise - usually in the morning when the casino is not busy.

 

For that matter, if you find the table not in use and the staff standing around bored, just walk up and tell them you want to learn, and have no idea what to do. I suspect they'd be more than happy to show you the basics.

 

If you'd like to learn more about craps before your cruise, just go on the web. One good source of information on any gambling game is Wizard of Odds.

[Angelsea57]

While it's true that casinos on ships are not regulated in the same way as casinos on land, it is not true that the machines are somehow "altered" to make people lose more towards the end of the cruise.

 

What you're seeing at work there is a combination of the inevitable, slow nibbling at your money that is the work of the casino, and human nature: the cruise is almost over, we haven't won that big jackpot, so maybe we'll just play higher $ and hope we'll hit before the end of the cruise. It takes a disciplined gambler to stop when his or her bankroll is exhausted!

 

Think about it this way: What purpose would it serve the casino if it became generally known that they DID alter their machines to make you lose more at the end of your trip? Well, then everyone would stop gambling about mid-trip.

 

Casinos have absolutely NO need to engage in anything like changing the payback percentages from day to day or hour to hour. Believe me, they are setup to make money, and lots of it, simply from the 1% to 8% they take out of every single bet. They do that steadily, all through the cruise, and have no need of changing that on the last day or the last night.

I know what we have experienced on past cruises for a fact.

We have learned to play with what we plan to spend and

stay away when we need to stay away from the casinos.

Nothing will change that for us. We know who wins at the end..

[Angelsea57]

While I rarely play the slots, my wife will. We have sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival and NCL, I heard the same complaint regarding the slots.

 

On Celebrity one of our MDR tablemates claimed that the slots are the loosest the first few days and tighten up as the cruise goes on. Can't say we could prove that theory, as my wife never went back after her first visit.

We experienced the same thing.

Thanks!!

[Angelsea57]

Yes the slots on ALL CRUISE LINES are tight and payouts are a mystery. It is how they make lots of money. Look at the bingo game. People pay hundreds to play and the payouts are like $80 and sometimes split between people.

On the Jewel, they had a wall of winners (something I dont see anymore on ships) and they had pictures of "big winners." There were a few $2400 or $8000 winners but what was interesting was the dates of the wins. The "big" wins were about 1 1/2 years apart from eachother.

Another thing to mention is the "big" $10k or 20k bingo payout. They say you have a chance to win up to $20 k in bingo. What they wont tell you (but you can ask) is the last time someone one the BIG jackpot. On the Sky they told us someone last won about 4 years ago.

 

I would play more at sea if they were like Vegas but the lack of regulations makes me keep some of my money. But this is not just with gaming at sea. The art collections and jewelry contracts are just as misleading. Do your own research of the companies the cruise lines push at sea and you will see how misleading they all can be.

 

Cruise lines are about making money period.

So true..

[johnsak123]

Everyone always knows someone who won big

I want it to be me.

Actually only lost a few hundred on a 7 day cruise and i was pleased.

I even came home with a 5 dollar chip as a souvenir. Well i forgot it was in my pocketso...

[VideoTech]

I know what we have experienced on past cruises for a fact.

We have learned to play with what we plan to spend and

stay away when we need to stay away from the casinos.

Nothing will change that for us. We know who wins at the end..

 

That's fine, I wasn't being critical, just pointing out that you have exactly the same chances of winning on the first day as on the last day. There is no difference. The odds on the game remain the same, and payback percentage remains the same.

 

In the end, everyone gambles the way they want, and that's just fine.

[TVLady3]

Was on the Star this past April (2 nite cruise to nowhere) and hit on the Quick Hits 2 cent machine for $15,000.:D I'll need to visit my photo on the big winners board next year. :) :)

[wikkle jan]

Yes, all the ships have craps tables, and I think most ships have at least one "learn to gamble" session per cruise - usually in the morning when the casino is not busy.

 

For that matter, if you find the table not in use and the staff standing around bored, just walk up and tell them you want to learn, and have no idea what to do. I suspect they'd be more than happy to show you the basics.

 

If you'd like to learn more about craps before your cruise, just go on the web. One good source of information on any gambling game is Wizard of Odds.

 

 

TY for the link...(i will have a look in a min)...:)

[marc b]

JMHO, but I think on the NCL ships, craps are by far the best option. Their minimum is $5, and odds are 3-4-5. Not bad, and comparable with Vegas. The pit boss and croupiers were friendly, rooted for me (tips help), and on our Sky cruise the table was empty most nights. The table will have worse odds on many of the sucker bets (hard ways, yos, 7, etc.), but if you pllay pass line and odds; and/or come and odds,and/or place bets (stick with 6 and 8) you should be fine......

 

Blackjack has those awful shuffle machines, which kill the game. They do have a shoe game, but it only pays 6-5 on blackjack, which more than doubles the house advantage. I think for $ 25 minimum, you can get a "normal" blackjack game on board, but that minimum is way too high.

 

As far as slots go, my guess is they pay about 80-85% I base this unscientifically on the fact that DW and I tend to lose twice as fast as Las Vegas...and they pay 90-95% (or higher) out there.

[VideoTech]

...............As far as slots go, my guess is they pay about 80-85% I base this unscientifically on the fact that DW and I tend to lose twice as fast as Las Vegas...and they pay 90-95% (or higher) out there.

 

I'd estimate the ship's slot machines at a little higher payback percentage, about 85% to 92%. I say this because, as a Video Poker player, the VP machines are mostly in the low 90% region, and they tend to reflect the overall settings of machines in almost any casino.

 

But it doesn't make much difference if you're losing! :(

[cruisinrg]

Does anyone happen to know if they have Let it Ride on the Pearl?