Trying to become Prime in the Casino

[John&LaLa]

On 11/9/2019 at 12:07 AM, fla gang said:

Took me a 7 night and a 4 night this year to make Prime. On the 4 night I had two machines that kept me playing for probably 3 hours each night. Ran about $300 of my money through them each night and everything they hit went right back in, so between the two cruises I dropped probably $3k. Some nights I spent less than $300, some more. Prime last year took an Alaska cruise as my freebie and get offers every month for shorter cruises. Probably go through $100 a night in free drinks in the casino.

 

The President's Cruise last week was Laura's Prime freebie. 

 

She had her own bottle of B&B in the casino 🤣

[John&LaLa]

On 11/9/2019 at 12:38 PM, proggieus said:

mathematically, assuming a 80% payback on slots it would cost ~$2300 cash in to reach prime if you replay any winnings.

 

that of course is if the math "works" for you. you can get lucky and win a major for $2500 on pull one and prime wont cost you a cent out of pocket,.

 

on the other hand, I have friends that had horrible luck on the machines and didn't get near the points we had expected for their cash in amount,

 

I suspect the payback percentage is closer to 90% as, both times I have made prime it has cost me considerably less then the math suggested it would, although it cost me almost the exact same amount each time. although again that just may be me being "lucky"

 

Personally, I would not play the tables if Prime status is your goal. In my experience it has cost me far more per point on the tables then the slots.

 

Luckily I enjoy both slots and craps so play i slots for points and craps for fun.

 

 

 

People forget that those 80-90 percent payback numbers have to include the jackpots.

 

An average gambler often ends the day at 100% loss. 😉

 

In my observations 

[EDiamond22]

On 11/9/2019 at 5:18 AM, soremekun said:

$250 of your own money for $100 off a future cruise...

Gotcha.  Now I see why they treat the gamblers so well.  No doubt Royal always comes out on top. 

all casinos are structured like this.. even if you go somewhere on land, put in 50 bucks and win 3k they will give you all sorts of free stuff, rooms, food, drinks basically anything you want. They know if you bring that money back there is a good chance they will get it back.. they win alot more than they lose...but hey entertainment value am i right 😄 

[Milwaukee Eight]

If your not playing slots, I found Craps much better to rack up points than Roulette or Table games. On a good night, you can play for hours without losing your shirt and rack up points. Besides, time flies when have a good game and alcohol. 

[proggieus]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

If your not playing slots, I found Craps much better to rack up points than Roulette or Table games. On a good night, you can play for hours without losing your shirt and rack up points. Besides, time flies when have a good game and alcohol. 

this is not true in my experience, it has cost me far more per point on craps then on the slots.

 

craps has the lowest expected house advantage of anything in the casino and therefore the lowest comps., in fact none of your odds bets counts towards comps at all since there is 0 house advantage on the bet.

 

i played craps for several hours one night and ended up getting something like 25 points, I ended the session down $300.

 

that same $300 even if I lost on every single spin would have earned a minimum of 60 in a slot machine

[Milwaukee Eight]

5 minutes ago, proggieus said:

this is not true in my experience, it has cost me far more per point on craps then on the slots.

 

craps has the lowest expected house advantage of anything in the casino and therefore the lowest comps., in fact none of your odds bets counts towards comps at all since there is 0 house advantage on the bet.

 

i played craps for several hours one night and ended up getting something like 25 points, I ended the session down $300.

 

that same $300 even if I lost on every single spin would have earned a minimum of 60 in a slot machine

Did you really read my post?  Please read it in it’s entirety. 
 

First sentence says, “if not playing slots”. 
 

The house always has the advantage. Craps offers many alternative bets. You can even bet with the house.  On a hot table, one can play an extended game with multiple varieties of bets. It’s all about luck but a skilled craps player does better normally than an unskilled in the long haul. 
 

 

[SRF]

On 11/10/2019 at 9:05 AM, Mikew0805 said:

I have a fantastic spread sheet for wins/losses, with actual cost all the way down to per day cost/out of pocket...so I always know where I am at. Everyone is not always winning/ahead, but when those wins occur, that is usually what people share. I have spent lots of money in the casino, but I don't tell stories about the losses, I tell the stories that are fun, about the winning... especially about the cruise that I spent RCI's $2 promo money, and ended up winning a jackpot, and continuing to play the whole cruise, earning enough points for two free cruises (cert & prime) AND walked off the ship with $700, without pulling $1 out of my pocket to play. THAT was fun!  Luck happens, and that is the fun stuff to share. Overall in cash, I am down a bit for the year... but then when I look at the cruises I took, it does not feel like I am down. 

 

 

But look at the reports and comment from people.

 

They ALWAYS seem to be winning. 😄

 

If you are getting free cruises, maybe you are ahead, even if you lose.

 

I play for fun.  And I budget $100 per day.  If I lose that I go do something else.  I base the $100 as the price of a Disney day ticket. 😄

 

[Milwaukee Eight]

25 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

But look at the reports and comment from people.

 

They ALWAYS seem to be winning. 😄

 

If you are getting free cruises, maybe you are ahead, even if you lose.

 

I play for fun.  And I budget $100 per day.  If I lose that I go do something else.  I base the $100 as the price of a Disney day ticket. 😄

 

I always play for fun and only bet money I can afford to lose. 

[bouhunter]

28 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

 only bet money I can afford to lose. 

That's the key to gambling

[NJ&Ozzie]

Just a comment on those certificates you get for points, eg. $100 for 400 points.  Our experience is that they can't be used on just any cruise you want because of certain conditions put on them.   Certificate has to be used within 30 days of date earned to book a new cruise, can not use them for "group" pricing rates, have to use RC's cruise fare rates which are often higher than TA rates.   Kind of a hassle to actually use them sometimes.

NJ 

 

[dodgestang]

Play your game, have fun, enjoy the night/day/night/day....etc.....

 

Win or lose in the casino....you are on a luxury cruise being catered to.

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, NJ&Ozzie said:

Just a comment on those certificates you get for points, eg. $100 for 400 points.  Our experience is that they can't be used on just any cruise you want because of certain conditions put on them.   Certificate has to be used within 30 days of date earned to book a new cruise, can not use them for "group" pricing rates, have to use RC's cruise fare rates which are often higher than TA rates.   Kind of a hassle to actually use them sometimes.

NJ 

 

 

Yep, I'm finding that to be true lately

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, dodgestang said:

Play your game, have fun, enjoy the night/day/night/day....etc.....

 

Win or lose in the casino....you are on a luxury cruise being catered to.

Lol not sure Royal is exactly a "luxury" cruise.

[Mikew0805]

7 hours ago, SRF said:

 

But look at the reports and comment from people.

 

They ALWAYS seem to be winning. 😄

 

If you are getting free cruises, maybe you are ahead, even if you lose.

 

I play for fun.  And I budget $100 per day.  If I lose that I go do something else.  I base the $100 as the price of a Disney day ticket. 😄

 

Personally, I think that is just what they share. I posted my handpays from my last cruise to FB, because they are fun. I didn't post anything like.... "$200 in Buffalos andddddd nothing." It's just not fun, and I think most people understand that anyone who enjoys gambling (me) will likely never be ahead overall. I just have fun.

[itsmeagain]

On 11/10/2019 at 2:48 AM, SRF said:

It is strange how everyone always seems to win/be ahead, but the Vegas Strip, Atlantic City, and all the Indian casinos are built with the players always winning.

 

But very few times have I seen anyone ever give a critical accounting of the money that actually spend gambling, versus what they got back.

 

Yes, people do win, but MOST do not.

 

When you hear people bragging about all their big win’s, ask to see their annual win loss statement.  While yes, some do but as stated before, they don’t keep the lights on with us winning. 

[itsmeagain]

7 hours ago, SRF said:

 

 

I play for fun.  And I budget $100 per day.  If I lose that I go do something else.  I base the $100 as the price of a Disney day ticket. 😄

 

I think you can increase your daily budget, Disney tickets are more than 100 these days.  😇

[PigsCanFly]

My experience has been that , on a 7-day RC cruise, I earn 800-1000 pts on slots and 7000-10000 pts on tables.  I usually play slots only when the tables are full or closed.

I am currently in master tier (although I am pretty sure I did not make 100000 pts in the last earning period).  My points currently for the current period are ~47000 with 4 more cruises planned.  I do not expect to reach the 100k this period either, but I will be signature at least.  The benefits of the master tier were a free grand suite , drinks in the casino, and 2-device internet access.  I am a fan of gambling, and a cruise allows for having a few drinks and not needing to drive home.  I enjoy the crew on Royal ships, the entertainment, most of the dining offerings and there is always something going on to enjoy.

[Merion_Mom]

11 hours ago, NJ&Ozzie said:

Just a comment on those certificates you get for points, eg. $100 for 400 points.  Our experience is that they can't be used on just any cruise you want because of certain conditions put on them.   Certificate has to be used within 30 days of date earned to book a new cruise, can not use them for "group" pricing rates, have to use RC's cruise fare rates which are often higher than TA rates.   Kind of a hassle to actually use them sometimes.

NJ 

 

 

You can apply them to an already-booked cruise, but if the fare has increased, the certificate may (probably won't) make up the difference.  😞  They always reprice to current prices.

[Ourusualbeach]

15 hours ago, NJ&Ozzie said:

Just a comment on those certificates you get for points, eg. $100 for 400 points.  Our experience is that they can't be used on just any cruise you want because of certain conditions put on them.   Certificate has to be used within 30 days of date earned to book a new cruise, can not use them for "group" pricing rates, have to use RC's cruise fare rates which are often higher than TA rates.   Kind of a hassle to actually use them sometimes.

NJ 

 

 

4 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

You can apply them to an already-booked cruise, but if the fare has increased, the certificate may (probably won't) make up the difference.  😞  They always reprice to current prices.

Smart marketing by the folks in the casino.  With all the terms and conditions attached to the certificates the only way they have value is if they are applied to a new cruise that is most likely close to the sailing date.  They want this to be an extra spur of the moment cruise and not a discount off an already planned trip.  It’s really an enticement to get you to spend extra money rather than a reward for your play. 

[SRF]

9 hours ago, itsmeagain said:

 

When you hear people bragging about all their big win’s, ask to see their annual win loss statement.  While yes, some do but as stated before, they don’t keep the lights on with us winning. 

 

That is my point.

 

Actually, I AM ahead overall. 😄

 

[SRF]

9 hours ago, itsmeagain said:

I think you can increase your daily budget, Disney tickets are more than 100 these days.  😇

 

It depends on how many days you buy for.  🙂

 

Dec 17, 4 days tickets were about $425.  8 day tickets were $495.  😄

 

$100 is a nice round number

 

[NJ&Ozzie]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

Smart marketing by the folks in the casino.  With all the terms and conditions attached to the certificates the only way they have value is if they are applied to a new cruise that is most likely close to the sailing date.  They want this to be an extra spur of the moment cruise and not a discount off an already planned trip.  It’s really an enticement to get you to spend extra money rather than a reward for your play. 

Yup, we're finding a lot of the promos the casino offers are kinda like an empty promise.  Sounds good but....  

NJ

[dodgestang]

20 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Lol not sure Royal is exactly a "luxury" cruise.

I suppose it does depend on several factors.  I think of it that way because....I don't have to do anything for a week...in a big floating hotel that takes me to different places.

 

[John&LaLa]

18 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

Personally, I think that is just what they share. I posted my handpays from my last cruise to FB, because they are fun. I didn't post anything like.... "$200 in Buffalos andddddd nothing." It's just not fun, and I think most people understand that anyone who enjoys gambling (me) will likely never be ahead overall. I just have fun.

 

The lady on Symphony is up $300 every night and even won bingo😀

[John&LaLa]

13 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

You can apply them to an already-booked cruise, but if the fare has increased, the certificate may (probably won't) make up the difference.  😞  They always reprice to current prices.

 

I never had any issues applying them to existing bookings until I started booking group rates.