Carnival Players Club/OPC blackjack question

I have read the requirements in a few different places on how to get rated (to get the drinks on us perk) if you're playing blackjack, and I wonder if anyone who's sailed recently has the correct answer. One site said that you must play $20 a hand for at least 3 hours per day, and the other said you must play $25 a hand for 4 hours a day. Which one is it??? Last time I sailed on Carnival, back in '08, it was only $20 a hand for 2 hours a day.

Also... When you have the drinks on us sticker or whatever, can you get free drinks at the casino bar even while you're not playing?

I have read the requirements in a few different places on how to get rated (to get the drinks on us perk) if you're playing blackjack, and I wonder if anyone who's sailed recently has the correct answer. One site said that you must play $20 a hand for at least 3 hours per day, and the other said you must play $25 a hand for 4 hours a day. Which one is it??? Last time I sailed on Carnival, back in '08, it was only $20 a hand for 2 hours a day.

Also... When you have the drinks on us sticker or whatever, can you get free drinks at the casino bar even while you're not playing?

...In order to be rated at the BJ tables, Carnival requests that you play an AVERAGE of $25 per hand for an AVERAGE of 4 hours a day. As most gamblers already know, your rating has nothing to do with winning or losing. It has to do with bets and time spent at the table.

...Your "Drinks On Us" card is only valid while playing in the Casino. It will not work at the Casino Bar or any other bar on the ship. ...Hope this helps...

Thank you, Doug. Looks like I may not get a lot of sleep on this cruise!

I'm sure there are some guidelines on who gets a drink card but I got on on my last cruise and I only bet the minimum or slightly above if I got on a winning streat. I did however spend a lot of time in the casino.

And many times, I didn't provide my card to get rated but I was very social with the dealers and the pit bosses which I think had something to do with it also.

Thanks, Vitality. I am known to be quite social with the *pit bosses* and the dealers, and I do spend quite a bit of time in the casino. I tend to play two $10 hands at a time, most of the time. We'll see what happens. I'm pretty sure I'll get my drinks comped while playing, as I have already received a call from CPC/OPC, telling me what other gifts I have coming.

Also they will give you a " Drinks On Us Card" if you are winning big...The last cruise I went on, i was up 3k in the first 2 hrs of play on Craps....I left and came back later and they gave me a card...And every night in the MDR they sent me a complimentary bottle of wine...I guess their theory was if I kept drinking I would lose it all back lol...I was on a roll that week and made out Awesome..

Almost forgot that the players club also sent cookies to my cabin for me and an invitation to the blackjack tournement. I was hoping to get a free cruise offer but no such luck.

I know some people get gifts during their next cruise based on casino play but does anyone know how soon you have to cruise to get them? I don't have a carnival cruise booked right now and unless I get a great last minute deal it probably won't be until February 2016 before I cruise with them again.

Also they will give you a " Drinks On Us Card" if you are winning big...The last cruise I went on, i was up 3k in the first 2 hrs of play on Craps....I left and came back later and they gave me a card...And every night in the MDR they sent me a complimentary bottle of wine...I guess their theory was if I kept drinking I would lose it all back lol...I was on a roll that week and made out Awesome..

They also take note of people who keep cashing in $100 for chips or getting money from their S&S card. For example, if I sat down and changed a $100 chip for nickles, I barely got a glance from the pit boss. If I changed a $100 bill, they reached for the clip board and made note. So I think if someone is winning they may do better rating wise if after completeing a "session" to cash in their chips at the cage and begin their next session with cash. It appears to give the impression that you are gambling with your money as opposed to theirs.

I haven't cruised with Carnival since '08, and paid next to nothing for my upcoming cruise, with OBC included. The rep that called me, actually asked if I liked wine, and what kind I might like for sailaway. She also asked me what kind of wine I would like with the steakhouse dinner they are gifting to me. Vitality's recommendation to cash in your chips when you leave the casino, and start with cash when you return to the casino, is good advice. The more CASH you pull out of your pocket at the table, the better :). Only time I don't do that is if I have 20 bucks or less in chips.

How much does the average person lose to get all this free stuff?

Seems to me if I was betting heavily last thing I would want to do is drink alcohol.

Our last couple of cruises we had "casino cash" waiting for us when we checked in at the cage in the casino. They also had "drinks on us" cards waiting for us the first day. The previous cruise to that they gave us drink cards on our second day.

I checked with the Players Club for any perks we might be getting for our upcoming cruise in April. I was told in addition to casino cash, we would also get our drink cards right away. I was surprised because our last cruise was a 5 day so we didn't spend as much as we normally do on a 7 day. I was told we qualified because we had each accumulated over 3000 points that cruise.

We normally only play table games so we are not rated as well as you would be on slots, but it seems to have gotten better. We normally don't spend more than $15 -$20 a hand but we do play every night 4-6 hours. We also get to know the pit bosses and casino hostess and always tip on winning hands to keep their attention. Tipping is appreciated and noticed.

Their criteria for qualifying for perks seems to have changed over the past year and a half. We used to get wine and fruit baskets, bottled water, and photo coupons. Now we get casino cash and drink cards, which we prefer anyway.

We purchase chips off of our S&S card and cash in any winnings at the end of the night. We then put cash toward our S&S account at the service desk at the end of the cruise if our gambling has been profitable. This helps them rate our spending as well as helps us monitor how much we have spent in the casino so we don't go over budget, win or lose.

I feel they have gotten more consistent at rating table players. It still never hurts to do the right things so you know you have been noticed, even if you aren't playing high roller hands.

It seems to have become a bit more fair than it used to be. I know I spend as much as many "high rollers" who spend an hour to an hour and a half and then leave. They are now considering time played over 4 hours a day as well as amounts bet each time.