Casino Tournaments on Escape

[HeartwiseBonus]

I am interested in the Texas Hold Em tournament on the Escape. NCL rep confirmed there would be one with an $80 entry fee but couldn't tell me when it would be held or what the pot would be. I looked over dailies and didn't see any type of Poker tournament. Any ideas?

 

I did see Blackjack & slots tournaments listed as well as Hot Seat promotion - how do those work?

[pokerpro5]

Don't bother with casino tournaments.

 

The rake (house fee) they take is horrendous -- usually about 50%.

 

I am a professional gambler and won't touch these even though I have a big edge over the average player in both blackjack and poker. That's how bad the rake is.

[Saltney]

I am interested in the Texas Hold Em tournament on the Escape. NCL rep confirmed there would be one with an $80 entry fee but couldn't tell me when it would be held or what the pot would be. I looked over dailies and didn't see any type of Poker tournament. Any ideas?

 

I did see Blackjack & slots tournaments listed as well as Hot Seat promotion - how do those work?

 

There is a weekly blackjack tournament with qualifying rounds held on the days at sea and top 6 players going through to the final on last day at sea.

 

similar with poker tournament $80 entry usually again later that day on days at sea. winnings very much depends on number of entrants and number of rebuys made. 1st 2nd and 3rd had prizes last time. with split I think 50, 30, 20 after house had taken a cut. if you want to join a poker table privately house took a 25% cut i heard.

[BirdTravels]

From the Escape in May 2016

 

[el820]

I was on the Escape Aug. 20-28 sailing and watched the final hand of the Texas Hold'em tourney. The took $1170, and the runner up took $700 some odd dollar. I wasn't there from the start so I couldn't tell you the number of buy ins and rebuys.

[vtroper]

I was on the Escape Aug 14-20 and actually won the Blackjack Tournament for the week. The entry fee was just $20 and 1st place was $500, so I recommend it. :-)

 

The tourney works just as the one I tried on Royal Caribbean did. For your $20 entry you get $2000 in fake chips and get to play 7 hands of BlackJack. The person with the most money after 7 hands advances to the final table. The last day, the top 6 scorers from the week start fresh with a new $2000 and the person with the most money after 7 hands wins the $500. I had some good cards and good luck and was able to turn my $2000 into more than $11,000. Too bad I wasn't able to keep that ratio the rest of the week.

[easyboy]

I was on the Escape Aug 14-20 and actually won the Blackjack Tournament for the week. The entry fee was just $20 and 1st place was $500, so I recommend it. :-)

 

The tourney works just as the one I tried on Royal Caribbean did. For your $20 entry you get $2000 in fake chips and get to play 7 hands of BlackJack. The person with the most money after 7 hands advances to the final table. The last day, the top 6 scorers from the week start fresh with a new $2000 and the person with the most money after 7 hands wins the $500. I had some good cards and good luck and was able to turn my $2000 into more than $11,000. Too bad I wasn't able to keep that ratio the rest of the week.

That would be fun if you won't lose more than the $20 entry fee.

Congrats for winning the week's tournament.

[SullytheBFG]

For profitable poker cash games are better, lots of Grandads with happy feet!

[cdngooner]

For profitable poker cash games are better, lots of Grandads with happy feet!

 

Do they actually run cash games?

[pokerpro5]

Again, you do NOT want to play these tournaments.

 

The house takes 50% or more of the entry fees for itself!!!

 

For example, I played a blackjack tournament onboard. $20 entry, they collected $1080.

 

There was just 1 prize of $500, while the house kept $580.

 

Terrible!!!

 

Poker cash games are also terrible because the house keeps a large percentage of each pot.

Edited September 2, 2016 by pokerpro5

[SullytheBFG]

Yes, there were cash games. My OH who is a good player came back after an hour with nearly $1k up.

 

The rake is not great but it's always good when you are sitting at a cash machine donation table :-)

[Saltney]

Again, you do NOT want to play these tournaments.

 

The house takes 50% or more of the entry fees for itself!!!

 

For example, I played a blackjack tournament onboard. $20 entry, they collected $1080.

 

There was just 1 prize of $500, while the house kept $580.

 

Terrible!!!

 

Poker cash games are also terrible because the house keeps a large percentage of each pot.

 

 

The blackjack tournaments are always fun as you get the people that wouldn't usually play having a go.

 

I'd say go for it $20 entry to win $500 not bad...Its only a bit of a fun :p

[pokerpro5]

The blackjack tournaments are always fun as you get the people that wouldn't usually play having a go.

 

I'd say go for it $20 entry to win $500 not bad...Its only a bit of a fun :p

 

If you don't care about the $20, then that's fine.

 

I'm just saying that the house taking OVER 50% is totally NON-STANDARD for casino tournaments. Like, it's beyond awful.

 

In this particular tournament, I finished 3rd, so I barely fell short of the $500. I got no prize, except for some worthless bottle of cheap champagne.

 

Never again.

[Saltney]

If you don't care about the $20, then that's fine.

 

I'm just saying that the house taking OVER 50% is totally NON-STANDARD for casino tournaments. Like, it's beyond awful.

 

In this particular tournament, I finished 3rd, so I barely fell short of the $500. I got no prize, except for some worthless bottle of cheap champagne.

 

Never again.

 

Again its only a bit of fun. I was second a few weeks back and all I got was a lousy t-shirt and casino at sea lanyard hey ho.

[JohnIreland]

It's 25% for the house on the poker tournament.

[gkbiiii]

BUT: if you win, you get a comped cruise for two, 7 nights,balcony, for a chance at $100,000. I was on the Allure cruise, where the finales were held.

[skeeter195]

Don't bother with casino tournaments.

 

The rake (house fee) they take is horrendous -- usually about 50%.

 

I am a professional gambler and won't touch these even though I have a big edge over the average player in both blackjack and poker. That's how bad the rake is

 

The rake for poker is 25% in the tournaments and 10% up to $25 in the cash games. That is a far cry from 50%. Is it good?, no but it is the only game in town. At home I would never play a cash game with up to a $25 rake. On the ships though the smart player will know how to make this work to his advantage. The 25% for the tournaments is high, but it is not that much more than on land for this type of low entry fee tournament. If you play for fun than you will have it. If you know how to play and how to beat this rake you will make more money than at the traditional vegas games.

 

The best strategy for the BJ tournament is to wait until the last few rounds on the last day so you will know exactly how much you will need to make it into the finals. Yes, the rake on the BJ varies and can be over 500%, but for $20 any smart gambler knows it is a good play.

[pokerpro5]

Don't bother with casino tournaments.

 

The rake (house fee) they take is horrendous -- usually about 50%.

 

I am a professional gambler and won't touch these even though I have a big edge over the average player in both blackjack and poker. That's how bad the rake is

 

The rake for poker is 25% in the tournaments and 10% up to $25 in the cash games. That is a far cry from 50%. Is it good?, no but it is the only game in town. At home I would never play a cash game with up to a $25 rake. On the ships though the smart player will know how to make this work to his advantage. The 25% for the tournaments is high, but it is not that much more than on land for this type of low entry fee tournament. If you play for fun than you will have it. If you know how to play and how to beat this rake you will make more money than at the traditional vegas games.

 

The best strategy for the BJ tournament is to wait until the last few rounds on the last day so you will know exactly how much you will need to make it into the finals. Yes, the rake on the BJ varies and can be over 500%, but for $20 any smart gambler knows it is a good play.

 

I didn't realize the rake for the poker tournament was 25%. I will admit that I always assumed it was the same as the blackjack tournament (which is 50% or higher, and which I actually played.)

 

I will agree that 25% rake for a poker tournament, while high, is not terrible for a low-limit poker tournament. I will also agree that there can be some "value" in this for a skilled poker player, as poker players on the ship tend to be among the worst poker players you'll face!

 

With this knowledge, I might actually take a shot at the poker tournament this year, provided I have time (there are 5 port days on my 7 day cruise, and I will be getting off for all of them).

 

However, I must take issue with the rest of your conclusions.

 

10% rake up to $25 is very bad for a low limit poker game, and is unbeatable in the long term, even if you're an excellent player and your competition stinks. This is exactly the rake that was being taken on the electronic machines I played on Princess.

 

For example, in one session, I faced 6 opponents in a cash game, and busted every single one of them, until I was left sitting alone. Did I win money? Sure. But guess what? The house actually won substantially more than me, due to the rake!

 

Now, you might say, "Yeah, but you won, so that still made it a good spot to play!"

 

No. Even though I was much better than the other 6 opponents, I was also lucky enough never to get into any bad spots where I would lose a lot of chips. Most sessions I wouldn't get as lucky as I did there, and yet STILL I only won a moderate amount, due to the rake eating up about 60% of the starting chips on the table!

 

How did I get 60%? Because raking every pot 10% over and over eventually led to 60% of the money being gone.

 

There have been many studies done related to low limit cash poker, and at what point the rake becomes unbeatable to where EVERYONE is an expected long loser, even if certain people get lucky and win in some sessions. There is some disagreement where that threshold is, but it's FAR BELOW 10%.

 

So if you wish to play cash poker on the ship, have fun, but know that even a highly skilled player like myself would be a long term loser (due to rake) if he played every day.

 

 

I also must disagree with your conclusion about the blackjack tournament. Again, a skilled blackjack tournament player can utilize certain strategies to gain a nice edge. However, that edge won't be big enough to overcome the 50%+ rake. Again, that rake is just way too high.

 

 

Since I won't be playing, I will be happy to share some blackjack tournament strategy tips if anyone is interested. Your one strategy tip to "wait until the last day" of the prelims is one important thing to do, but there are other tips I can share here, as well as expanding upon that one. If anyone wants to know, reply here.

Edited September 6, 2016 by pokerpro5

[snakehunter]

Poker Pro, I would appreciate any advice you are willing to give me about the blackjack. I will be unable to play any poker because of the rake.

[skeeter195]

Poker pro you are still off the mark here as far as the cash game. Yes, long term the game is unbeatable. On a ship though you will be hard pressed to get in 30 hours of "good" poker. Now 30 hours is not long term, heck that is one session for me a lot of times. If you are the type of player you say you are then I am sure you know what I am talking about when I say that this rake is beatable, think about it. Think back to all of the $60(min)-$100 buy-ins at the table that come and go at the NCL $2/5 game. What happens if they get lucky? They either leave(not likely) or they will give it back to the better players. This and few other tips that I do not really want to expose here. If you still doubt what I am saying check out 2+2 and look around a bit.

[pokerpro5]

Poker Pro, I would appreciate any advice you are willing to give me about the blackjack. I will be unable to play any poker because of the rake.

 

If the rake for the poker tourney is actually 25%, then it's not that bad, and you might want to play that, as well.

 

Anyway, here is my blackjack tournament strategy advice. Note that this is based upon the last time I played it, which I think was in 2014, so if anything has changed, some of this might not apply. I believe it's still the same, though.

 

 

Qualifying for the Final Table

 

The blackjack tournament has only ONE real prize -- usually $500 for first place. You win this prize by making the "final table", and then beating everyone at that table.

 

Therefore, your first (and honestly most important) goal is to make the final table while spending as little money as possible getting there.

 

I say "while spending as little as possible" because you can enter multiple times. However, each time you enter, you are reducing your return on investment if you win! If you win on one entry ($20), then you're getting 25x your money upon winning. If you win on two entries, you are getting 12.5x. If you enter 5 times and win, you are only getting 5x. So you really want to shoot for making the final table in one, or at most two, tries. Otherwise, it's just not worth playing, because the odds of winning are too small to justify spending something like $100 to attempt to win $500.

 

The most important thing you can do in the blackjack tournament is to wait until the final preliminary day to enter.

 

This is because the final table is determined by a "leaderboard" of previous entrants in the prelims, based upon how many chips they finished with.

 

It is important to know the bottom spot on the leaderboard, and then shoot for it. You will only have a good picture of what the leaderboard looks like if you wait until the second-to-last or last prelim round.

 

Why? Because the leaderboard is constantly changing. They select the top 6 people in chips from all the prelims. When a new person finishes above one or more of the top 6, the previous #6 falls off. There is a huge edge to playng the last or second-to-last prelim round, as you know exactly how many chips you will need.

 

It does not matter much if you finish #6 or #1. The only advantage to finishing #1 on the leaderboard comes from picking your seat at the final table.

 

You can find out the second-to-last and last round times by asking the tournament director. If you are willing to enter two times to attempt to make the final table, then start with the second-to-last round. If you are only going to take one shot, start with the last round.

 

Once you have the number of chips you're shooting for (say, #6 on the leaderboard has 2900 chips), you need to size your bets accordingly.

 

I forget how many chips they start you with, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is getting to the point where #6 is on the leaderboard and beating him, while also making sure nobody else at your table also beats #6 and finishes ahead of you! However, if you BOTH finish ahead of #5, then it's fine if another player at your prelim table finishes ahead of you. You just need to make sure that, when it's all over, you are at least #6 on the leaderboard.

 

Be aware that if you're playing the second-to-last round, you run the risk of someone knocking YOU out of spot #6. However, don't worry about this. If it happens, it happens. Most times it won't. You can avoid this by simply playing the LAST prelim round instead.

 

Note that the dealer has better odds than you, and will win more hands. I think you play 6 hands (maybe 7, I forget), and then the round is over. The round is also over if you lose your chips.

 

You need to first bet semi-aggressively to get to the #6 spot on the leaderboard, and then bet the minimum possible after that. You will want to shoot for a small amount ahead of #6, both to knock off the current #6 AND fade any lost hands you might have after you make it there (unless it's the last hand of the round).

 

So here's an example.

 

Let's say I start with 1500 chips, and #6 on the leaderboard has 3100. Let's say we play 7 hands in the prelim round.

 

Well, unless I get to 3100, then I've wasted my money, so that is goal #1.

 

You should bet something large right off the bat, like 800. Don't bet the entire 1500, because you might get a chance to double, which is an advantage for the player, so you need chips for it.

 

Ignoring doubling, say you lose the 800. So now you should just shove your entire 700 in, because you're going to need to win a few in a row to get to 3100.

 

If you win the first hand, and are up to 2300, then bet something like 900, so winning will put you above 3100.

 

Let's say you win that, too. Now you have 3200. It's not over! You still have 5 hands to go. At this point, keep betting the minimum (100, I think), making sure to stay at least at 3200. If you lose, you may have to up your bet so your next won hand will get you to 3200.

 

Simply put, the strategy is to bet aggressively to beat the #6 spot on the leaderboard, and then slow down and bet as little as possible to keep yourself just barely above #6.

 

Sometimes you'll get unlucky and bust your stack quickly. Don't worry about that. That's why they call it gambling. You still did the right thing.

 

Why does this work well? Because you know exactly what you're shooting for, and can size your bets accordingly. The people who play earlier than you have no idea what number they're shooting for, so their betting will be too conservative (and finish with too few chips) or too aggressive (and bust their stack too easily).

 

I can compare this to a baseball game in extra innings. The home team, who bats last, has a big advantage here, because they know exactly how many runs they need to win or tie. The visiting team can try to score as many runs as possible, but will never know if it will be enough.

 

 

The Final Table

 

The final table is a different story. There is no longer a leaderboard. You simply need to finish with the most chips to win the $500. Everyone else will get some garbage consolation prize like a shirt or a cheap bottle of champagne.

 

Ignoring the mostly worthless consolation prizes, making the final table is worth $83.33 to the average player, as there are 6 players, but one leaving with $500. This is why it's important to not spend too much to get there!

 

It is important to understand that you are not playing against the dealer. You are playing against the other players! That is, the dealer pulling blackjack can often be a GOOD thing for you!

 

What am I talking about? How can losing be good?

 

Because EVERY player loses when the dealer pulls blackjack, so the person who bet the LEAST in that round has just benefited!

 

Conversely, if the dealer busts (and no players bust), then the player who bet the MOST has benefited the most.

 

Since the dealer tends to win more than the players, you should essentially "be the house" here by starting off betting the minimum, and hope the rest of the players hang themselves.

 

When I say "hang themselves", I mean that these players will bet too much, lose to the dealer, and then not have enough chips to even get back to starting stack.

 

Often the winner of the final table will finish with fewer chips than he started!

 

As long as everyone's losing, just keep betting the minimum, and pray for the dealer to keep pulling those 21s!

 

But what if this doesn't happen? What if certain players are betting big and winning big?

 

Then you need to change course. Give it two hands before taking action, as often a guy who bets big on hand #1 and wins will give it back in hand #2.

 

So if you get to hand #3, and you're already a good deal behind, you need to start betting aggressively yourself in order to catch up.

 

Bet sizing is super important at the final table. Once you're behind from hand #3 and beyond, try to size your bets to where you will be equal or ahead of the chip leader.

 

It is okay, however, to assume the chip leader will lose the next hand.

 

So let's say you have 1300 in chips on hand #3, and the chip leader (who has bet this round before you) has 2800, but just bet 700. It is okay to hope he will lose that 700, and just bet 800 in order to get to 2100 (the amount he will have if he loses).

 

What if you're betting before the chip leader? It will happen about half the time, as a "button" moves around the table, determining betting order. It is always best to bet last, but sometimes you will be one of the early bettors, as everyone has to do it in the order specified.

 

If you're betting earlier than the chip leader, try to estimate what you think he'll bet, especially if he doesn't seem to be betting in the strategy I'm describing here (which he probably won't be).

 

A lot of this is an inexact science and something you'll have to feel out. Sometimes, especially in the final two hands, you'll have to make a tough choice. It's similar to "Final Jeopardy". You sometimes win by betting the minimum and watching others hang themselves, and you sometimes win by betting the most possible. You just always need to put yourself in a spot where you CAN win, based upon the outcomes of the hands.

 

I always cringe when I see final table players "cheering" because the dealer busted and everyone won. If you didn't bet the most (or at least the second most), then this is a BAD thing! The chips in front of you mean nothing, aside from keeping score for who finishes with the most by the end of the final table round.

 

The bottom line is that you first want to let everyone at the final table lose while you bet the minimum, and after that you're playing "catch up".

 

If you do become the chip leader, keep betting the minimum until others get ahead of you. Don't get greedy!

 

Luck plays a big part in this. In 2013, I played this tournament and only three of us were left by the final hand. I was the chip leader. Sadly, I lost the final hand and finished 3rd. I bet enough to where I would have won had I won the final hand. So it goes.

 

Feel free to ask me any more questions if there's something you don't understand.

 

Good luck.

Edited September 6, 2016 by pokerpro5

[takeadip]

I am interested in the Texas Hold Em tournament on the Escape. NCL rep confirmed there would be one with an $80 entry fee but couldn't tell me when it would be held or what the pot would be. I looked over dailies and didn't see any type of Poker tournament. Any ideas?

 

I did see Blackjack & slots tournaments listed as well as Hot Seat promotion - how do those work?

 

I was on Breakaway this past March...there was a no limit texas hold-em tourney on every sea day...the cost was $80 dollars and about 40 people showed up...they gave you $6,000 in chips and you could rebuy up till the 3rd blind was over...i think they were 12 minute blinds..

 

the style of play was fast and loose..people were pushing with ACE/Anything...and chasing straights and flushes...they were playing like they were on "vacation" lol...so with the rebuys of (20) or so people...the payouts were the top 4 places...$1200..700..500..100 or such...

 

i actually took 9th place....everyone who made the final table got a gold medal (trinket) for reaching the final table..

 

once the 4th place player was knocked out the last 3 people decided to "chop" the pot and all three guys got $800 each...

 

the casino "rake" was about $2400 about 50% of entries...(40 players x $80) = $3200 plus (20 re-buys @$80) =$1600 so total pool was $4800 but payout was $2500 so it was a large rake...not like a normal land casino...but they were the only game in town..

 

it was fun overall...but peoples crazy style of play was a little unnerving...

 

when you rebought they gave you $4000 in chips

 

good luck..

[easyboy]

Anyway, here is my blackjack tournament strategy advice. Note that this is based upon the last time I played it, which I think was in 2014, so if anything has changed, some of this might not apply. I believe it's still the same, though.

 

Feel free to ask me any more questions if there's something you don't understand.

 

Good luck.

Thank you for the tip.

[firegal2539]

I just got off of the Escape and there wasn't any kind of tournament for a $20 entry fee. They had a Poker Tournament and the buy-in was $100 and you could rebuy. It was on all sea days with the last sea day being the final. I talked to the man who won it and the total win was right at $1000, but he bought in twice so it cost him $300.

 

The blackjack tournament buy-in was also $100 and they had a tournament every sea day.

 

There was also a slot machine tournament every sea day and it was $50 buy-in and the winner made around $500.

 

They don't pay a whole lot.

[skeeter195]

I just got off of the Escape and there wasn't any kind of tournament for a $20 entry fee. They had a Poker Tournament and the buy-in was $100 and you could rebuy. It was on all sea days with the last sea day being the final. I talked to the man who won it and the total win was right at $1000, but he bought in twice so it cost him $300.

 

The blackjack tournament buy-in was also $100 and they had a tournament every sea day.

 

There was also a slot machine tournament every sea day and it was $50 buy-in and the winner made around $500.

 

They don't pay a whole lot.

 

 

 

These figures are way off from what they were my last 5 cruises. I will be on the Breakaway next week and will be playing in the tournaments. I will report back with first hand info. Sometimes info gets mixed up when being passed from person to the next. I hope the figures are wrong, if not I will not be playing in these tournaments.