Casino Table Minimums

[shawn742]

Does anyone know what the casino table minimums are, particularity for Craps and Blackjack? Also Craps odds if available?

 

I'll be sailing on the Nieuw Statendam, but I'll assume all HAL ships carry the same minimums.

 

Thanks!

[mcrcruiser]

usually $5  on Black Jack & poker tables . Craps back line bets are $5 place for the 4,5,9,10  & $6 for the 6&8 place bets .The line is $5 & only 2 chips behind the line for odds .  The back line  numbers & the pass line are the only true odds bets on craps tables  .Good Cash management  is essential in craps. hope this is helpful for you

[iceman93]

On my NS cruise last summer I never saw a blackjack table with minimum lower than $25.

[fkfad]

On our February 11 Nieuw Statendam cruise, the blackjack lowest minimum was $6 (both normal Blackjack and Fun21), and the craps table was $5.  They also had $10 and $25 Blackjack.

[dockman]

beware the 6/5 pay blackjack tables unless u like donating even more $$ to the house...3/2 pay tables are usually only for higher min bets...

[Colorado Klutch]

53 minutes ago, dockman said:

beware the 6/5 pay blackjack tables unless u like donating even more $$ to the house...3/2 pay tables are usually only for higher min bets...

 

And there's the rub. Years ago I was in Las Vegas with a coworker. He wanted to play Blackjack and so did I. I told him I would go to any casino other than the Hooters Casino. Of course, that's where he wanted to go. I reluctantly agreed. (Turned out he had crush on one of the dealers. He was quite hurt when I noticed this lovely dealer was from Colorado Springs and she was happy to chat with me instead of him.)

Anyway, what sucked is I hit a Blackjack, but the payout was lower than it should have been. Turns out there's a "Tax" for the dealers being young, female and attractive. No thanks. Sounds like cruise ships play the same game. 

I went with my parents to a casino on Oklahoma where I had to pay for every hand if I was playing Blackjack. Again, nope. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Colorado Klutch

[dockman]

6/5 Blackjack offers you a slightly lower payout. This may seem like a small difference, but it significantly affects your winnings. Here’s why it’s a huge difference: in 6/5 Blackjack, the house edge increases by 400%!

[Laminator]

27 minutes ago, dockman said:

6/5 Blackjack offers you a slightly lower payout. This may seem like a small difference, but it significantly affects your winnings. Here’s why it’s a huge difference: in 6/5 Blackjack, the house edge increases by 400%!

I have never really given a hoot about 6/5 or 3/2. I do play the 3/2 though as I play higher limit tables. I had a nice run on the NS a few weeks ago cashing out $14,000 in 2 shoes. I did not get one blackjack. So there the payouts were irrelevant to me. Give me those double downs and splits. 

[dockman]

According to every BJ expert I have read 6/5 blackjack is a horrible deal for players but the casino knows that most people think it is no big "deal" .  Of course if you play long enough you will ultimately get a black jack or several....and of course if you play long enough you will lose no matter what unless you can beat math or are an expert level card counter which is very rare.  The odds are that u will be dealt a blackjack in about one of every 21 hands or almost 5% of the time.

[shawn742]

Thank you for all the replies. Blackjack is secondary to craps for me, but I'm glad to hear about the low minimums for both 🙂

[DCDragonfly]

I was on the NS last week, and I noticed the craps table was never open in the afternoons.

[shawn742]

Craps has been hit and miss on the recent cruises I've been on. Generally the table is filled with the same people, and you don't get a lot of newbies leisurely joining in, so if you don't have a group of regulars, it won't be open. I only play in the evenings though, so I've been pretty lucky finding an open table.

[CruiserN1]

On 3/6/2023 at 3:09 PM, dockman said:

....and of course if you play long enough you will lose no matter what unless you can beat math or are an expert level card counter which is very rare.  

Card counting in BJ is easier than you think. If you're decent at mental math, there are algorithms that increase the odds in your favor based on what cards you have seen. If two players work together it's very doable. I've proposed this to DH as a retirement funding strategy as we are both excellent at mental math, but he's afraid we'd end up "falling" overboard 🤣

[FlaMariner]

On 3/6/2023 at 10:49 AM, iceman93 said:

On my NS cruise last summer I never saw a blackjack table with minimum lower than $25.

 

So on our Thanksgiving Nieuw Statendam cruise, the blackjack minimum was $25 until my two kids (20 somethings) and I walked past an empty blackjack table and said "the minimum is too high" and the head lady behind the counter called us back and opened it up as $10 minimum.  

 

We had a blast playing...It did not take us long to loose our money but it was very cool sitting at the black jack table with my adult kids.  I was most appreciative for them opening up the table to take our money.  LOL. 

[Colorado Klutch]

3 hours ago, CruiserN1 said:

Card counting in BJ is easier than you think. If you're decent at mental math, there are algorithms that increase the odds in your favor based on what cards you have seen. If two players work together it's very doable. I've proposed this to DH as a retirement funding strategy as we are both excellent at mental math, but he's afraid we'd end up "falling" overboard 🤣

 

I know casinos ashore have become very wise about Blackjack card counters. Card counters are now  quickly identified, kicked out and banned for life. Their faces are entered into a large database shared by multiple casinos. If they enter a casino, facial recognition software immediately identifies them and security quickly escorts them out. (Yes, there are ways to fool facial recognition software, but security can tell when people are doing it.)

 

So, this has me wondering what cruise ships do with card counters. (??)

[shawn742]

Cruise ship card counting is generally made unachievable by continuous shufflers, or 8 deck shoes that are cut about 3/4 in.

[Laminator]

20 minutes ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

I know casinos ashore have become very wise about Blackjack card counters. Card counters are now  quickly identified, kicked out and banned for life. Their faces are entered into a large database shared by multiple casinos. If they enter a casino, facial recognition software immediately identifies them and security quickly escorts them out. (Yes, there are ways to fool facial recognition software, but security can tell when people are doing it.)

 

So, this has me wondering what cruise ships do with card counters. (??)

There was a card counter at the BJ table on my cruise 3 weeks ago. The staff had no clue. He did not get greedy.

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Laminator

[Colorado Klutch]

17 minutes ago, Laminator said:

There was a card counter at the BJ table on my cruise 3 weeks ago. The staff had no clue. He did not get greedy.

 

 

Well, there you go!

[CruiserN1]

2 hours ago, Laminator said:

There was a card counter at the BJ table on my cruise 3 weeks ago. The staff had no clue. He did not get greedy.

That's the key, don't get greedy. Card counting isn't illegal in the U.S. as long as you don't use any tools other than your brain. It will get you kicked out of casinos in Vegas if they figure out what you're doing and you will be banned. Not sure what a cruise line would do other than ban you from the casino. I haven't tried it because DH is unwilling to work with me and it's less successful when you're working alone.

[dockman]

11 hours ago, CruiserN1 said:

Card counting in BJ is easier than you think. If you're decent at mental math, there are algorithms that increase the odds in your favor based on what cards you have seen. If two players work together it's very doable. I've proposed this to DH as a retirement funding strategy as we are both excellent at mental math, but he's afraid we'd end up "falling" overboard 🤣

Ever read bringing down the house or the movie version 24?  Doesn't look so easy but i guess with enough practice, a high math IQ, and the right team it can be done...good luck.

[HALcruiser2001]

On 3/6/2023 at 2:09 PM, dockman said:

According to every BJ expert I have read 6/5 blackjack is a horrible deal for players but the casino knows that most people think it is no big "deal" .  Of course if you play long enough you will ultimately get a black jack or several....and of course if you play long enough you will lose no matter what unless you can beat math or are an expert level card counter which is very rare.  The odds are that u will be dealt a blackjack in about one of every 21 hands or almost 5% of the time.

 

You nailed it.

 

You cannot beat math.

 

Counting deck is just memory, right?   I am pretty good at it and still don't play.  Expert?   Nope.  Laugh at gamblers?   Yep.

 

Amazing terms on this thread... obviously I know nothing about gambling 

[Colorado Klutch]

Even if you're not counting cards, the odds when playing Blackjack are WAY better than playing slot machines. I think it's fun to play using only basic strategy. 

[lakedweller64]

Not sure how you could count cards with an 8 deck shoe? 

[Laminator]

1 hour ago, lakedweller64 said:

Not sure how you could count cards with an 8 deck shoe? 

It's more difficult as so many cards are cut out of the shoe but it is still the basic plus minus system. 

[CruiserN1]

9 hours ago, bdd123 said:

Counting deck is just memory, right?   

No, it's almost impossible to do it from memory with 6 or more decks. There are algorithms that help you decide whether to hold or hit. You still have to have a good memory and be good at mental math, and a partner makes it much easier to do it successfully. There's a documentary called Holy Rollers that I learned about this method from.