Casino/Best Time For Slots

What day is better for the slots to pay off...............1st day, middle of cruise or last day? Seems to me if I ever hit anything it was on the 1st day which by the way wasn't much :mad:. I heard that they let you win a little the 1st day so that you will continue to play during the cruise. Right or Wrong?

My completely unscientific belief is it is the first day in order to get people hooked.

This certainly did not hold true on my last cruise though where the machines sucked the money out of my pocket when I just walked by.

Too Funny! Yeah they may up the odds the first day... I rarely play slots, mostly to be next to my wife. A couple of cruises ago I decided to drop $20 in a penny machine and hit bet max.... WOW - for a penny machine max was $4 per pull. So what the heck I pull away and on the 4th pull I get bells and whistles, little creatures run across the machine, flags pop up and I get the "extra" screens... cut to the chase I cashed out at $500 (50,000 points)... best I've ever done on "penny" slots. I guess I will try them next cruise!

What day is better for the slots to pay off...............1st day, middle of cruise or last day? Seems to me if I ever hit anything it was on the 1st day which by the way wasn't much :mad:. I heard that they let you win a little the 1st day so that you will continue to play during the cruise. Right or Wrong?

Well not sure about the casinos on the ships, but my first time playing at a land casino I won a small jackpot ($700 or so) and have basically won nothing since! Ive always wondered if it was to try to get me hooked or at least send me a way feeling positive about the casino on my first day. They can tell when you are new because of the players card.

Too Funny! Yeah they may up the odds the first day... I rarely play slots, mostly to be next to my wife. A couple of cruises ago I decided to drop $20 in a penny machine and hit bet max.... WOW - for a penny machine max was $4 per pull. So what the heck I pull away and on the 4th pull I get bells and whistles, little creatures run across the machine, flags pop up and I get the "extra" screens... cut to the chase I cashed out at $500 (50,000 points)... best I've ever done on "penny" slots. I guess I will try them next cruise!

Yay those penny machines sure are deceptive! My aunt always calls me cheap when I play them or the 5 cent machines...she just doesn't seem to get it when I tell her I am playing more than she is at her 25cent machine!! haha!:D

What day is better for the slots to pay off...............1st day, middle of cruise or last day? Seems to me if I ever hit anything it was on the 1st day which by the way wasn't much :mad:. I heard that they let you win a little the 1st day so that you will continue to play during the cruise. Right or Wrong?

I have won on the last evening on two cruises. Once I won 600.00 on a quarter machine, and on the Freedom, I won 400.00 on one machine and 150.00 on another, and on the last evening.

I have won smaller amounts on various other days of the cruises. I really dont think that they can set the machines to pay out more on any specific day. I believe it is just the "luck" of the draw.:)

Too Funny! Yeah they may up the odds the first day... I rarely play slots, mostly to be next to my wife. A couple of cruises ago I decided to drop $20 in a penny machine and hit bet max.... WOW - for a penny machine max was $4 per pull. So what the heck I pull away and on the 4th pull I get bells and whistles, little creatures run across the machine, flags pop up and I get the "extra" screens... cut to the chase I cashed out at $500 (50,000 points)... best I've ever done on "penny" slots. I guess I will try them next cruise!

My DH plays pennies. Wish he could hit like that :rolleyes: He only did that once in Las Vegas and it shocked the he** out of me since he rarely ever wins'

In my opinion, the best time is when the ship is in port...cause thats when they are closed!!! We might just be the unluckiest cruise ship slot players ever...but it still beats being at work!!:)

Too Funny! Yeah they may up the odds the first day... I rarely play slots, mostly to be next to my wife. A couple of cruises ago I decided to drop $20 in a penny machine and hit bet max.... WOW - for a penny machine max was $4 per pull. So what the heck I pull away and on the 4th pull I get bells and whistles, little creatures run across the machine, flags pop up and I get the "extra" screens... cut to the chase I cashed out at $500 (50,000 points)... best I've ever done on "penny" slots. I guess I will try them next cruise!

Lucky you! I'd be on cloud nine with that. Seems I never have that kind of luck.

My DH plays pennies. Wish he could hit like that :rolleyes: He only did that once in Las Vegas and it shocked the he** out of me since he rarely ever wins'

LOL, I think most of us rarely win....! ( I have been lucky, in a small way, in those rare occasions on cruise ships, that are notoriously tight in their casinos.) That is why the casinos dont go out of business, and they are mostly always the "winners".

Thing is, when you do make one of those rare wins, to put that win away, and dont put back into the machines, and dont exceed your casino funds/budget. I always have a gambling budget, and I try to keep to a daily amount. When it is gone, it is gone, no more gambling! Sometimes hard, but it just doesnt pay, to keep trying to make that big win. If you budget 100.00 per day, when it is gone, just go do something else. Lots to do on board a cruise ship besides playing slots. :)

It doesn't matter what time of day, what day of the week, or where you are. Slot pay outs are totally random and it pretty much is dumb luck. The best strategy is to play the max bet. We were in Vegas last summer; checked into the hotel, dropped the bags in the room, and went to get a drink. DW put $20 in a penny slot machine and won $1197, we hadn't been in town an hour. :eek::eek:

I've had the best luck early in the cruise....

it seems the payout is better earlier in the cruise...but that is probably just an illusion (or delusion in my case :p )

I agree it's totally random, but my experiences have been best on the last day. :)

There is no difference in the slots. The more play, the more payouts. They do nothing to change the payouts. Some people think there's some kind of hot button, but there's not. And they don't change the chips. If they did, that would mean they are fixxed or rigged. The pay tables aren't that great so over time you'll probably take a hit.

On our last 2 cruises the last night seemed to pay the most. On our last 2 cruises I have won enough to go and clear my sail and sign account, which has been over $1,500 (that is our total bill not just gambling), but it sure is nice to see your statement in the morning with a $0 balance. So I say and have been told by some of the waiters the last night is the best night. Don't know if it is true but it has worked for me twice so will probably try again in April.

What day is better for the slots to pay off...............1st day, middle of cruise or last day? Seems to me if I ever hit anything it was on the 1st day which by the way wasn't much :mad:. I heard that they let you win a little the 1st day so that you will continue to play during the cruise. Right or Wrong?

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO CRUISE4JANE: There is no correlation as to the first day, the middle, or the end of a cruise that a slot machine will hit. It could hit at any time. You should be lucky and be sitting in front of a slot machine when the R.N.G. hits.

If you would like some unsolicited advice from a person that likes to play in casinos, learn to play a couple of table games. It will stretch your money to last longer, and you may enjoy the game. An added bonus is you would meet some more of your fellow cruisers.

If you like to play slots though, learn to play video poker. The payback depends on your skill as a card player. You choose the cards to keep and/or to draw. Learn which are the winning hands and which ones you could get to from the hand you were dealt. It is an interesting and fun game. This II believe is better than a traditional slot machine.

As an owner of several fully functioning "retired" slot machine (it's legal in NJ to own used professional casino equipment). I can tell you that there is an odds button in each video slot machine. Each level has a "random number" algorithm assign to it that set the possiblility of wins on a sliding scale base on the total bet. On our machines when set at level one minimum bet is set to a pay something 66.3% of the time and if changed to level 6 maximun bet is set to pay something 97.6% of the time. This does not mean that a third to most of the time you will win back your bet it just means that you will win at least one credit back for 2/3 to 97/100 "pulls" on the machine.

We have talked to technicians that service our collection and they have told us they can reprogram the odds button to higher or lower payout amounts on a win (ex 5 credits instead of 1 for a cherry on a win line) but they can not change the algorithm for the frequency of payout. So for those of you that say the machines are completely random you're only partially right, and the same to those of you that say the games can be changed to a looser payout. Any casino mechanic can change the odds level just by pushing a single button when they open the door, but this only controls the frequency of the payouts it does not increase chance of hitting the jackpot payout amount. Just remember the algorithm is tested out over 1 million pulls so it is still possible to get a run of 24,000 losing pulls before hitting a run 976,000 small wins at max play on the best odds setting. Even playing for that incredibly extended time on 1 machine will still not guarantee that what you win will equal or be better than the amount you put into the machine.

I have won on the last evening on two cruises. Once I won 600.00 on a quarter machine, and on the Freedom, I won 400.00 on one machine and 150.00 on another, and on the last evening.

 

I have won smaller amounts on various other days of the cruises. I really dont think that they can set the machines to pay out more on any specific day. I believe it is just the "luck" of the draw.:)

the last night on our Panama canal transit our Grandma ended up being the last person in the casino..She was hitting like she had not on the previous two weeks!! Ended up cashing out over 500.00..she was dancing back to the cabin lol

Sailing between ports seem to give better odds than sea days. They have a captive audience then. I've gotten some pretty good pay-outs when they open the casino for the night.

We went on a little cruise to nowhere for 2 days. The first night I hit $800 on a dollar machine and 4 hours later I hit $400 on a quarter machine. It paid for our cruise with extra money for the next one. I still managed to play with the original $100 I started with the rest of the time.:)

Last week we spent about $100 on the first day and that play lasted for two days. Up and down but we got the unlimited free drink card essentially on the winnings. Ended up down at the end but had about 20 drinks that would have been $8.95 otherwise. It was fun.

As an owner of several fully functioning "retired" slot machine (it's legal in NJ to own used professional casino equipment). I can tell you that there is an odds button in each video slot machine. Each level has a "random number" algorithm assign to it that set the possiblility of wins on a sliding scale base on the total bet. On our machines when set at level one minimum bet is set to a pay something 66.3% of the time and if changed to level 6 maximun bet is set to pay something 97.6% of the time. This does not mean that a third to most of the time you will win back your bet it just means that you will win at least one credit back for 2/3 to 97/100 "pulls" on the machine.

 

We have talked to technicians that service our collection and they have told us they can reprogram the odds button to higher or lower payout amounts on a win (ex 5 credits instead of 1 for a cherry on a win line) but they can not change the algorithm for the frequency of payout. So for those of you that say the machines are completely random you're only partially right, and the same to those of you that say the games can be changed to a looser payout. Any casino mechanic can change the odds level just by pushing a single button when they open the door, but this only controls the frequency of the payouts it does not increase chance of hitting the jackpot payout amount. Just remember the algorithm is tested out over 1 million pulls so it is still possible to get a run of 24,000 losing pulls before hitting a run 976,000 small wins at max play on the best odds setting. Even playing for that incredibly extended time on 1 machine will still not guarantee that what you win will equal or be better than the amount you put into the machine.

Makes total sense to me. I find that early mornings..on Sea Days..are the days I hit a lot of jackpots. I never make money. Sometimes I get back enough to keep playing for a while. Take that back...I did bring home the same amount I took on board the Princess Crown last Dec. So..I played with their money. Loved it. I am not a big better. Carnival has the tighest slots at sea.

We booked the NCL Epic for next Feb. Just because the casino is so mean to me. My husband plays roulette and always has good luck. Plus..we have not sailed on NCL in a long time....the casino is said to be really good..and while Carnival is always my first love..it is good to go on a different cruise line..every once in a while. AND the DREAM..has the tightest slots in history. they would make more money if they loosened up. I got to where I avoided the casino. it was like standing on a corner and giving them my money..as someone already said.

Not knocking Carnival...Love it..but..their casino slots...the worst at seas. I think.AND the casino staff..at least on the last ship we cruised..the Freedom ..last month.....could not have been better. Nice. funny. They did a prize spin of a wheel..randomly selecting folks from the slots they were playing. I was picked twice. With lovely prizes..I won a Tee Shirt! on the Second day..I did win a free photo at the photo shop. Dinners in the steak house..$100 bills.....other nice gifts were given. It was fun. and Again..the young lady doing it...just totally charming. She made me smile..even though I was not winning. Have to give them a shout out!!!!

I would love to win a nice amount on a cruise. I have won quite a few jackpots ($1200 mostly, and couple of $2200) on land based casinos, but never on a cruise ship. I only won $40 on the first night of one of my cruises and THAT was THAT. Would be nice if I could win just a little to keep me going or at least CARNIVAL "do you hear me, give me a PRICE DROP", then I can be a happy little cruiser :).

The outcome of each spin of any Slot machine is dependent on a Random Number Generator (RNG). The RNG is a computer that generates thousands of numbers per second. When the reels spin, they land on numbers that correspond to characters or pictures on the reels. If the combination on the reels is a winning one, you will get paid a certain number of coins based on the combo. If the combination is not a winning one, you lose your bet.

Although Slots have a Random Number Generator, they really aren’t that random. Slot machines are preset to pay out at different intervals and over a period of time. Payout percentages for Slots, as with Video Poker, are normally in the high 90s range. This doesn’t mean that if you play on a slot machine at any given time you will receive 90% of your wagers back. Wouldn’t you Slot lovers just love that! What it really means is that, over a period of time, 90% of all the coins entered into a Slot machine will be paid out. It also means that the machine needs to collect a certain amount of money first before it will pay out at the pre-programmed percentage. When a payout does come, it may come in the form of a JACKPOT but, more often than not, it comes in a random, fluctuating fashion.

Another interesting thing about Slots is that they are pre-programmed to tease you. Let’s say you’re playing Triple 7s on a 3 line Slot machine. At certain times, you may get two 7s on two reels while the third reel has a different character or number. This is a teaser and the machine is pre-programmed in this way so that you become inclined to keep on playing in the hopes of hitting three 7s. And, of course, the more you play, the more money you are likely to lose.

If you think about these facts, you will see that Slots are not random. There is no skill involved. You are playing in the hopes that the pre-programmed machine will pay you more than you put in or that you hit a Jackpot. Bear in mind that one (or very rarely both) of these will only happen IF the machine has already acquired a certain number of coins and the payout percentage has been reached.

Tooooo funny. The slots are regulated by the NGC and they are programmed to pay out, well, whenever they do! Morning, evening, Monday, yesterday, cloudy, sunny....it doesn't matter. They are set to pay a certain amount over a certain amount of time.

You can read stories about the tourist that puts in a dollar and wins a million on her first day but how many times did you read about the people that literally put in thousands in the same machine and came away from it broke?

Your best bet when playing slots is play MAX BET every single spin. If you don't then why play to begin with? You have zero chance of hitting the jackpot WITHOUT playing max (for the most part). Always play max if you really want to hit the jackpot.

Drives me crazy when the wife thinks a slot is 'hot' and it's 'about to pay'. Kiss of death for slot players. Oh and those penny machines....well, to win big you have to play max and that is generally $2.50 per spin, not .01.

However, love us some slots! :D