10 dollar minimum on casino tables on the MAGIC

[Honolulu Blue]

I've only taken one cruise on the Emerald Princess. There were no (as in none) blackjack machines. Are there any BJ machines on Carnival ships or any other ships for that matter? I especially like the Shufflemaster (or similar) machines where up to 6 people could play. Seems you can have fun with them without losing too much too fast and you don't have to tip them for taking your money.

 

When I was last on the Valor in June, they had two BlackjackPro machines. They're not from Shufflemaster, but they're multi-station machines that would hold six people. I agree they were nice to play, especially when they had $3 minimums.

 

I did not see any of them on the Conquest or Triumph.

 

Blackjack was a $10 minimum unless you played , I forget what they called it but there were no queens and it was a $5 minimum. Maybe they called it "Fun BJ?"

 

I think it's called Super Fun 21.

[manmachine]

Last Jan on the Freedom. $6 table of BJ paid 6/5 on BJ, the $10 table paid 3/2

 

Betting $6.00 at 6:5 is about the same win/lose theoretical as playing $45.00 at 3:2.

[cruzecontrol]

Glad to see they now have upped the minimum bet

 

Why does this make you so happy?:confused:

[splintz]

Aw theres still $5 tables all over Vegas. Strip, Downtown, off Strip, everywhere.

 

i was thinking the same thing. i have never had a problem finding a $5 table anywhere in vegas, especially on the strip. Atlantic City now that is a different story:mad:

[jwalk03]

My last cruise the Blackjack was all $6 minimum bet and was 6:5 instead of 3:2. I played for like 20 minutes because it was raining and a sea day, made a few dollars and never played again. 6:5 BJ is such a terrible dis-service to the player!

 

I rarely visit the casino on board because they have no competition and very little gaming regulation, so everything is stacked even more in the casinos favor than it normally is. Just not a good way to spend my vacation time to me.

[birdlgs]

Glad to see they now have upped the minimum bet

 

Why would you want them to up the minimum? You can always up your bet no matter what the MINIMUM!!!!!! :confused:

[Jamman54]

Why would you want them to up the minimum? You can always up your bet no matter what the MINIMUM!!!!!! :confused:

 

So true, plus you need the $6. tables for the novice players. The higher minimum tables will usually be frequented by the more experienced players.

[bchristie1074]

Why would you want them to up the minimum? You can always up your bet no matter what the MINIMUM!!!!!! :confused:

 

Just a guess, but thinking he doesn't like the bad players that typically come with a $5 table. I just let people play and let the cards fall where they may, but many get angry when proper strategy is not followed.

[Max49]

When I was last on the Valor in June, they had two BlackjackPro machines. They're not from Shufflemaster, but they're multi-station machines that would hold six people. I agree they were nice to play, especially when they had $3 minimums.

 

I did not see any of them on the Conquest or Triumph.

 

 

 

I think it's called Super Fun 21.

 

Yea, that was what it was called. I hesitated to play it (with no queens) but , it was fun. This was a $5 min. and BJ was a $10 min. , so what's the reasoning for them to make this $5 and reg, BJ $10.

 

It seems that some BJ " pros" like higher minimums so they have less BJ novices. Can any one explain why the novices hurt the pros chances of winning big? I mean, can you really count cards or figure a strategy with 6 decks continuously shuffling? If I take a hit when you think I should'nt , are the pros so good that they know the card that I got was supposed to be theirs?

So, how can I find out which ships have multi player BJ machines so I don't have to bother the pros at the BJ tables?

[eponym]

Yea, that was what it was called. I hesitated to play it (with no queens) but , it was fun. This was a $5 min. and BJ was a $10 min. , so what's the reasoning for them to make this $5 and reg, BJ $10.

 

It seems that some BJ " pros" like higher minimums so they have less BJ novices. Can any one explain why the novices hurt the pros chances of winning big? I mean, can you really count cards or figure a strategy with 6 decks continuously shuffling? If I take a hit when you think I should'nt , are the pros so good that they know the card that I got was supposed to be theirs?

 

I am no expert, but it does irritate players when BJ newbies hit on 15 and 16 when dealer is showing a 5 or 6 up. Even more flaming to some is when a player breaks up a 20 hand to split it. Some casino rules may not allow splitting 20 hands. But most casino's allow it because a player is breaking up an otherwise 2nd highest (20) winning hand in doing so.

 

In absolute form, players should actually play BJ/21 the house way - draw on everything until they reach hard 17 or above. That is why the house mathematically makes money over time -guaranteed. Everyone *thinks* they have a winning strategy that deviates from that, and certainly may win from time to time playing their special way - but the house way is the mathematically correct, winning way. It may not be very entertaining to play the 'mindless' house way, and it irritates a lot of other players along the way. You would also need a deep bankroll like the casino to play through.

 

PS: I don't play blackjack/21.

Edited March 15, 2015 by eponym

[piper28]

With 6 or 8 decks in a continuous shuffle machine I think a lot of the arguments from the "pros" that people playing a bad strategy is hurting them are iffy at best. At that point the cards should pretty much be random enough that it doesn't really matter (I suppose if you're far enough down the table it might make a *slight* odds difference, but it's going to be pretty small). I can certainly understand people getting annoyed with it at a table that uses a smaller number of decks.

 

Of course, if we truly want everyone to play perfectly, then everybody should have a machine making their decisions so they make a perfect decision, there's no point in having the humans there to make those decision. Kinda would defeat some of the purpose, wouldn't it? Ultimately my opinion is that it's not my responsibility to worry about whether I'm playing a system someone else at the table is happy with, and if they don't like that, they're welcome to get up and move somewhere else, because it's there problem, not mine. (That said, my system is pretty standard, although I've been known to go with the non "correct" decision at times because I felt like it. It's gambling dammit.)

[Jana60]

I hope the tables are still $5 on the Pride as we also are going on 3-29. It is a premier cruise as well!! :D Can't wait!!

 

I cruised several times a year and I have not seen a blackjack minimum less than $6 in at least a couple of years so I'm impressed that you were able to find a $5 minimum.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Jana60

[Jamman54]

It seems that some BJ " pros" like higher minimums so they have less BJ novices. Can any one explain why the novices hurt the pros chances of winning big? I mean, can you really count cards or figure a strategy with 6 decks continuously shuffling? If I take a hit when you think I should'nt , are the pros so good that they know the card that I got was supposed to be theirs?

 

In the long run, a poor player or players really has little or no impact on the rest of the players at the table. I can't tell you how many times I have seen poor plays that have resulted in the table winning a hand that they would have lost if everyone had played perfectly. Conversely, I have see poor play result in the table losing a hand that it should have been won. It all evens out. if I wind up losing a couple of hundred during a session, I feel better about it if everyone played nearly perfect and I still lost, then if there were a bunch of wacky plays.

 

You really can't count the cards with a continuous shuffling machine because you don't have a starting point, so you can never have a true count. That's one of the reasons they use them, plus with no shuffle break they are dealing more hands an hour, therefore making more money an hour.

 

However, there is a certain way to play your cards against the dealers up card, and it's called Basic Strategy. Play this perfectly, and you can significantly reduce the house edge against you. But the most important thing is money management, which is knowing when to get out.

[Nic6318]

Just a guess, but thinking he doesn't like the bad players that typically come with a $5 table. I just let people play and let the cards fall where they may, but many get angry when proper strategy is not followed.

 

 

But with that thinking, where does he expect novice players to play if the minimum is $10....They will play at the $10 table...This would be the table that he could always have moved to if he wanted to avoid the novice. Now he would have to move up to an even more expensive table to avoid them. It will now cost him more as well. I'm just going on the premise that in the long run most people are going to lose. So the only difference would be how long it takes for you to lose your limit.

[Tutontow]

I have been sitting on the sidelines for a couple of days reading these posts. Here are my thoughts.

 

I hope they keep the $6.00 minimum tables. I like to play $10.00 and $25.00 tables. The newbies need some place to get their feet wet but I don't want to be around them when they are learning to play the game.

 

With computers and the internet it is so easy to learn how to play craps or Blackjack there is no reason to not learn basic strategy before you play for real money.

 

As mentioned above money management is the key factor. Set a loss limit for every session and stick to it. If you get on a roll and get ahead put some of it aside so that no matter what, you walk away a winner. It is better to walk away $5.00 up rather than $500.00 down.

 

Flat betting, betting the same amount every time bores me to death. I like the anti-martingale system. Basically it is a progressive betting system where you increase your bet when you win two in a row. There is more to it. Look it up if you are interested. I am not dumb enough to think a progressive system will make me win but it is the most conservative betting system out there and it breaks up the monotony.

 

People really should research the games they want to play rather than go in blindly, your money will last so much longer and you have a much better chance of winning.

 

Bad players have no effect on the table over the long run. I have played more Blackjack and have studied the game more than I care to admit and you will remember when the jerk at third base "costs" you a big hand. You will never remember when he saved the table by splitting tens.

 

If anybody is so inclined check out the Wizard of Odds website for more information and you can learn how to play for free. You can also print basic strategy cards for free.

[Tutontow]

I am no expert, but it does irritate players when BJ newbies hit on 15 and 16 when dealer is showing a 5 or 6 up. Even more flaming to some is when a player breaks up a 20 hand to split it. Some casino rules may not allow splitting 20 hands. But most casino's allow it because a player is breaking up an otherwise 2nd highest (20) winning hand in doing so.

 

In absolute form, players should actually play BJ/21 the house way - draw on everything until they reach hard 17 or above. That is why the house mathematically makes money over time -guaranteed. Everyone *thinks* they have a winning strategy that deviates from that, and certainly may win from time to time playing their special way - but the house way is the mathematically correct, winning way. It may not be very entertaining to play the 'mindless' house way, and it irritates a lot of other players along the way. You would also need a deep bankroll like the casino to play through.

 

PS: I don't play blackjack/21.

 

Mimic the house is bad strategy. You give the house almost a 5.5% edge when you do this. If you play perfect basic strategy the house has less than a half a percent edge. Here is a link http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/basics/

 

The house makes their money over the long run because when the player bust (goes over 21) they take your money and don't give it back, even when the dealer goes over 21.

 

One of the biggest advantages the player has is he or she doesn't have to hit until they get 17. One third of the deck is 10 valued cards, 10's, Jacks, Queens and Kings. If the dealer is showing a 3,4,5 or 6 the odds of he or she having a stiff hand is pretty high. The odds of drawing a card big enough for a bust are pretty high.

 

Conversely if the dealer is showing a 7 or higher the odds are pretty high that the dealer has a good hand.

 

The cards can only fall so many ways and basic strategy is based on mathematics and odds. It is proven to cut the odds way down. The problem is most people, myself included, play too long because they are having fun.

[Frank12]

I cruised several times a year and I have not seen a blackjack minimum less than $6 in at least a couple of years so I'm impressed that you were able to find a $5 minimum.

That is exactly what i was thinking. Have not seen a 5 dollar table on any Carnival ship for several years.

[Whenisdinner]

Conquest was 5 in the mornings this last week.

[poppadaddycruiser]

Why?

[poppadaddycruiser]

Some have Tablemaster video blackjack. $3 on first night sent to 5 the rest of the cruise. Paid 3:2

[poppadaddycruiser]

No it's not. The house edge on a continuous shuffle 6:5 game is aprox 2.1%. The house edge on a 6-8 Deck shoe game is only 0.5-0.6%. Theoretically you will lose 1.5% more of your money. Keep in mind this statistics are only valid if you play STRICT Basic Strategy with ZERO deviations. If you start standing on 15vs10, 16vs10, not correctly doubling down on soft aces, not correctly splitting pairs, splitting 10s the edge soars up to 4-7%.

[poppadaddycruiser]

A real pro doesn't care what anyone else does. They know the MATH proves another players "bad"play can help them the same percentage it can hurt them. The "pros" (and I use that term VERY loosely) you are referring to are what is Advantage Players refer to as "ploppies". They'll also get mad if someone sits out a round because it messes up the "flow of the cards" etc.

[poppadaddycruiser]

That is NOT how to play Blackjack and it's a good thing you don't. If a player used your strategy, they would give the House a 9.8% advantage. Use your Basic Strategy card at a 3:2 table and it's just a .05% edge. BTW there is not a single casino in the US that "doesn't allow you to split 10s". Granted using Basic Strategy you never do, but you can if you want. At times when the count is at a +4 an Advantage Player will split against a six and against a 5 at a +6 count

[tkportersat]

Yeah, I wonder when the change was made. I found out really quick when I laid down $50 and only received a few chips and I am like hello??? They are now $2 chips instead of $1 chips. I don't necessarily mind the $10 min as much as the chip change. I ended up betting more per spin just to cover the normal numbers I play. It goes much quicker....

 

Just back from the Magic on a rare 4 day. I was very disappointed that all the table games had a 10 dollar minimum bet. Not sure if they jacked it up because the Magic doesn't do 4 days normally. Roulette 10 dollar minimum, Blackjack and Poker 10 dollar minimum bet. That priced me out of spending much money in the Casino. Is this the case on any other ships?

[eponym]

Mimic the house is bad strategy. You give the house almost a 5.5% edge when you do this. If you play perfect basic strategy the house has less than a half a percent edge. Here is a link http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/basics/

 

The house makes their money over the long run because when the player bust (goes over 21) they take your money and don't give it back, even when the dealer goes over 21.

 

One of the biggest advantages the player has is he or she doesn't have to hit until they get 17. One third of the deck is 10 valued cards, 10's, Jacks, Queens and Kings. If the dealer is showing a 3,4,5 or 6 the odds of he or she having a stiff hand is pretty high. The odds of drawing a card big enough for a bust are pretty high.

 

Conversely if the dealer is showing a 7 or higher the odds are pretty high that the dealer has a good hand.

 

The cards can only fall so many ways and basic strategy is based on mathematics and odds. It is proven to cut the odds way down. The problem is most people, myself included, play too long because they are having fun.

 

That may be. If it's so basic, so available and so easy, the players would win the majority of time, which isn't so.

Edited March 18, 2015 by eponym