Casino: Do not play slots~!! Unregulated

[navybankerteacher]

Some absurdly incorrect comments posted here. Casino tech people can now reprogram all their slots with a touch of a mouse button.

 

There are numerous articles on line explaining the recent technology.

[DirtyDawg]

If you want the best chance of winning anything in a casino ("regulated" or not), play with the house in craps (don't come/don't pass). Ultimately, due to simple math/statistics, and being sucked in by the intermittent reinforcement, you will lose. But, at least you won't lose as great a percentage of the time (perhaps even lose less money) as will happen with the mindless activity of slot machines.

 

I thought the best way to win at a casino is to own one!:)

[NMLady]

We played penny slots when we could just walk over to the slut machine, put a dollar or a fiver in, and walk away. We never expected to win, we were just having fun on those interactive installments.

 

Now that one has to register and use that machine with almost as much knowledge as using a computer, we walk by. Which is a pity as we'd love to lose some more there, but being on a cruise ship is not about gambling for us.

 

You do not have to register to play. You can plat slots without having a Players Club card in the machine.

 

You do not have to even understand the machine to play since after pushing the button, wins/losses are automatically shown.

 

So, enjoy.

[calliopecruiser]

They are manufactured with certain odds and cannot be changed by the buyer.

 

Nope - it used to be that they could changed at any time by changing out the chip (a read-only chip so it had be physically changed), but these days they can simply be changed from the office with a computer.

[pntnnc]

We usually come out ahead when we play and one time I won 2000.00 on a chili pepper game on the first spin. We allocate a certain amount and if we start losing we stop awhile and pick it back up the next day. You have to be smart...some people stay on machines just dumping money because they think it will eventually hit. If you play like that you will lose money. We usually have better luck on cruise ships then at Harrahs when we go and we go there several times/year.

Edited June 19, 2016 by pntnnc

[makeda]

I have never assumed that any casino - on land or sea- was 'fair.' Their objective is to make money by making your part with yours!

 

EXACTLY!!!!! I don't expect to win more than a few and then play it all back, on land or on sea...maybe some people don't exactly understand the whole idea of "gaming"....

[navybankerteacher]

We usually come out ahead when we play and one time I won 2000.00 on a chili pepper game on the first spin. We allocate a certain amount and if we start losing we stop awhile and pick it back up the next day. You have to be smart...some people stay on machines just dumping money because they think it will eventually hit. If you play like that you will lose money. We usually have better luck on cruise ships then at Harrahs when we go and we go there several times/year.

 

If you "usually come out ahead" you must be that one in a billion who wins more than he loses. Actually, it's not a matter of "if you play like that you will lose money"; the fact is: if you play much you will lose money.

[MicCanberra]

 

Missing the point.... it's regarding the absolute lack of cruise industry's casino accountability, not just that "the house always wins"...I.E. Cash cube machine where a robotic hand is directed and dropped on stacks of $$.

 

The pneumatic squeeze- pressure can be adjusted higher or lower, depending on cash payout desired...The owners of such machines aren't in it to lose, but of course to profit...It should be of concern that greed has no outside oversight!!

 

We are led to assume that the cruise lines are fair;)

 

 

I have never assumed that any casino - on land or sea- was 'fair.' Their objective is to make money by making your part with yours!

 

Agreed, they are there to take money from people chasing the big payout (which rarely eventuates).

[NLH Arizona]

Some absurdly incorrect comments posted here. Casino tech people can now reprogram all their slots with a touch of a mouse button.

 

There are numerous articles on line explaining the recent technology.

Actually there are some new machines where this can be done, but they are not widely used as of yet.

[MicCanberra]

We played penny slots when we could just walk over to the slut machine, put a dollar or a fiver in, and walk away. We never expected to win, we were just having fun on those interactive installments.

 

Now that one has to register and use that machine with almost as much knowledge as using a computer, we walk by. Which is a pity as we'd love to lose some more there, but being on a cruise ship is not about gambling for us.

 

If that is a typo it is still very apt.:p

Edited June 19, 2016 by MicCanberra

[MicCanberra]

We usually come out ahead when we play and one time I won 2000.00 on a chili pepper game on the first spin. We allocate a certain amount and if we start losing we stop awhile and pick it back up the next day. You have to be smart...some people stay on machines just dumping money because they think it will eventually hit. If you play like that you will lose money. We usually have better luck on cruise ships then at Harrahs when we go and we go there several times/year.

You are either very skilled or very lucky or both.

However, we also come out ahead (in our eyes anyway) as we turn Non refundable OBC into Casino promo money, we then have fun over several days and pull out any winnings as we go after each playing session.

Last cruise we turned around $300 NOBC into around 10 hours of entertainment and $280 Cash (very useful for excursions).

 

The expectation is that we will lose it while having fun but any winnings are a bonus.:D

Edited June 19, 2016 by MicCanberra

[Flatbush Flyer]

You are either very skilled or very lucky or both.

 

However, we also come out ahead (in our eyes anyway) as we turn Non refundable OBC into Casino promo money, we then have fun over several days and pull out any winnings as we go after each playing session.

 

Last cruise we turned around $300 NOBC into around 10 hours of entertainment and $280 Cash (very useful for excursions).

 

 

 

The expectation is that we will lose it while having fun but any winnings are a bonus.:D

 

 

Duh! There is zero "skill" involved in playing a slot machine. Just suckers giving in to intermittent reinforcement at varying degrees of persistence.

Again, if you've got to gamble, learn how to play craps and cover the house. In the long run, odds are still that you'll lose, albeit not as much. But, at least you'll have gained an evening's entertainment (?) while demonstrating that you actually understand simple statistics.

 

In all honesty, there are few things sadder in a casino than watching someone feeding a slot machine.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[Donray]

I disagree. I think they are all programmed to be changeable by the casino.

 

Since you know so much, explain to me what determines the odds/payoff on slot machines.

[calliopecruiser]

But, at least you'll have gained an evening's entertainment (?) while demonstrating that you actually understand simple statistics.

 

In all honesty, there are few things sadder in a casino than watching someone feeding a slot machine.

 

While I don't like craps at all, I find a lot of the newer generation of slot machines (in the last 7-8 years) are very entertaining. The themes, augmented by audio and video, can make for a very entertaining way to spend a little money, IMO. When I play slots, I only play the machines that have the right audio and video energy, a little humour, and sometimes good technology (the new 3D is pretty amazing).

 

Personally, I prefer a slower paced card game, like Pai Gow Poker or 3 Card Poker, at a table with laid-back people who aren't too stressed about the money.

[calliopecruiser]

Since you know so much, explain to me what determines the odds/payoff on slot machines.

 

Supply and demand, coupled with the law (depending on where they are). For instance, in Nevada, I think the Gaming Commission sets the minimum payout.

[payitforward]

I'm not understanding the point of this post. Do you think that, until we read it we thought the odds were in our favor? The odds are NEVER in our favor -even in casinos that ARE regulated and have oversight. Are you suggesting that the cruise lines are so unscrupulous that, without oversight, they will misreport/represent the odds? If you feel so strongly about a company's lack of integrity, perhaps you shouldn't be giving them ANY of your business and not cruise at all. People who play slots do so because it is entertainment to them. If the odds were ever in the consumer's favor, they wouldn't call it gambling; they would call it "work." Personally, I prefer craps or blackjack because if I play correctly my odds improve. But, even if I play flawlessly, they are STILL not in my favor.

Edited June 20, 2016 by payitforward

[Flatbush Flyer]

...People who play slots do so because it is entertainment to them...

 

 

IMO, you are being overly generous in your suggestion that there is any entertainment involved. I'd venture to say that many (if not most) of the slot players believe that things like "mojo" (rather than understanding/analyzing more sophisticated games or, better still, horse racing [where there is at least a remote chance that a devotee of the sport might make a buck or two]), will make them a winner and then they'll get money for no real work. Folks like PT Barnum (and even WC Fields) are chuckling in their graves (as is Bill Harrah).

Edited June 20, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[iheartbda]

Duh! There is zero "skill" involved in playing a slot machine. Just suckers giving in to intermittent reinforcement at varying degrees of persistence.

Again, if you've got to gamble, learn how to play craps and cover the house. In the long run, odds are still that you'll lose, albeit not as much. But, at least you'll have gained an evening's entertainment (?) while demonstrating that you actually understand simple statistics.

 

In all honesty, there are few things sadder in a casino than watching someone feeding a slot machine.

 

 

Don't watch.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Don't watch.

 

 

No need to. Lived for years in Tahoe- saw plenty of sad sacks throw their money away.

[MicCanberra]

Duh! There is zero "skill" involved in playing a slot machine. Just suckers giving in to intermittent reinforcement at varying degrees of persistence.

Again, if you've got to gamble, learn how to play craps and cover the house. In the long run, odds are still that you'll lose, albeit not as much. But, at least you'll have gained an evening's entertainment (?) while demonstrating that you actually understand simple statistics.

 

In all honesty, there are few things sadder in a casino than watching someone feeding a slot machine.

 

LOL, there is some skill involved, knowing how much to put in and when to pull out to enhance the entertainment value.

Just consider that what may be entertainment for some, may not be for others. Some machines are very entertaining and when doing it as a couple can be a lot of fun. However, I agree that for some it is not much fun but an addiction.

Edited June 20, 2016 by MicCanberra

[payitforward]

IMO, you are being overly generous in your suggestion that there is any entertainment involved. I'd venture to say that many (if not most) of the slot players believe that things like "mojo" (rather than understanding/analyzing more sophisticated games or, better still, horse racing [where there is at least a remote chance that a devotee of the sport might make a buck or two]), will make them a winner and then they'll get money for no real work. Folks like PT Barnum (and even WC Fields) are chuckling in their graves (as is Bill Harrah).

 

IMO, you are being overly critical of people because they don't think and act as you believe they should. We're talking about a cruise ship casino here. The simple fact that they're on a cruise says these people haven't thrown away their life savings and probably aren't taking money from their kids' mouths. So where's the harm?

 

My 78 years-old mother allows herself $50 per cruise and plays penny slots. She's is fully aware that she's most likely going to lose. But, if she wants to believe that "mojo" will help her win a few bucks, let her. She's done MORE than her share of "real work," and is entitled to do whatever she wants with the money earned through that work.

 

Call me a "glass half-full" person, but I tend to believe that many (if not most) people are smarter than you give them credit for. Let them have their fun and focus on you.

[NLH Arizona]

IMO, you are being overly generous in your suggestion that there is any entertainment involved. I'd venture to say that many (if not most) of the slot players believe that things like "mojo" (rather than understanding/analyzing more sophisticated games or, better still, horse racing [where there is at least a remote chance that a devotee of the sport might make a buck or two]), will make them a winner and then they'll get money for no real work. Folks like PT Barnum (and even WC Fields) are chuckling in their graves (as is Bill Harrah).

I think some may feel the way you suggest, but I think many, like me, just do it for fun. I can tell you all about the RNG, I can tell you about the chips to change the odds and can even tell you how long a casino in Las Vegas has to wait to change the chip after going to the gaming commission. There is no such thing as mojo, skill, etc. when playing slots, it is just if that RNG gives you the right spin. It is all about having fun, just like all gambling is, because as we all know Las Vegas wasn't built on winners. Edited June 20, 2016 by NLH Arizona

[Jane2357]

I have never assumed that any casino - on land or sea- was 'fair.' Their objective is to make money by making your part with yours!

 

BINGO! Errr I mean ka-ching. :D

[maryjaden]

IMO, you are being overly generous in your suggestion that there is any entertainment involved. I'd venture to say that many (if not most) of the slot players believe that things like "mojo" (rather than understanding/analyzing more sophisticated games or, better still, horse racing [where there is at least a remote chance that a devotee of the sport might make a buck or two]), will make them a winner and then they'll get money for no real work. Folks like PT Barnum (and even WC Fields) are chuckling in their graves (as is Bill Harrah).

 

I play for the entertainment. I seldom visit land casinos, unless with a group. I never go with the intention of winning. I play my budgeted amount and leave. I have met some other really fun people in the ship's casino. If I win...great, if not...I still had a good time. That has also been the theory of the majority of the fellow cruisers I have sat and played next to.

[MicCanberra]

I play for the entertainment. I seldom visit land casinos, unless with a group. I never go with the intention of winning. I play my budgeted amount and leave. I have met some other really fun people in the ship's casino. If I win...great, if not...I still had a good time. That has also been the theory of the majority of the fellow cruisers I have sat and played next to.

 

Agreed, for me it is like going to the movies, $20 for a couple of hours entertainment. No harm and just like some movies, possibly some reward.