Casino Blackjack- WARNING

slightly off topic,

does anyone know what odds HA is offering on craps these days? Even, X2, ?

slightly off topic,

 

does anyone know what odds HA is offering on craps these days? Even, X2, ?

From experience, I can tell you there are NO crap tables on the Prinsendam or the Amsterdam.

slightly off topic,

 

does anyone know what odds HA is offering on craps these days? Even, X2, ?

On our cruise on the Westerdam, it was 3x across the board.

Craps on Volendam (in Feb 2014) and Maasdam (June 2015) were both $5 minimum with only 2x odds.

On our cruise on the Westerdam, it was 3x across the board.

Thanks! I will be on the Westerdam in a few months. Nice to hear the 3X odds.

We have been doing RCCL ships recently and their single odds is tough.

Its odd (no pun intended :) ) that they have different set ups on different ships, I kind of just assumed it would be standardized.

Keep in mind that all games in all casinos are mathematically (and psychologically) rigged to separate you from your money.

igraf

I just got off the Sept 13th 7 day Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam.

 

In any casino I have ever been all over the world, when you get blackjack, you are paid 3/2. That means that for every $5 you bet, you receive $7.50 back for a blackjack. NOT ON THE AMSTERDAM. They were paying $6 on a $5 bet.

 

I understand that casino's get a vig, but getting an EXTRA $1.50 on EVERY blackjack made, is HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

 

I complained to the casino manager and was told that they pay 3/2 at the $10 table only. They pay $15 for a $10 blackjack.

 

When I complained to the casino manager, the answer I got was "that is the way we do it".

 

So......words of advice and WARNING. BEWARE OF THE BLACKJACK PAYOFFS and don't play blackjack.

I am glad I do not Gamble

Keep in mind that all games in all casinos are mathematically (and psychologically) rigged to separate you from your money.

 

igraf

True, plus the odds onboard a ship are even worse than in a land based casino (can you say "captive audience"?).

True, plus the odds onboard a ship are even worse than in a land based casino (can you say "captive audience"?).

I can't speak to the card games which provided all things are equal and the rules are the same, should have the same odds no matter where you play them. There are only so many combinations you can make with a deck of cards, or multiple decks. Dice games should also have the same odds unless the dice are weighted.

But I do know a friend of mine who programs slot machines and reports that slots machines for placement on cruise ships are programmed to pay out more frequently than those in land-based placements. He does admit that they are programmed to payout smaller jackpots each time -- so there are more frequent, but smaller payouts on cruise ship slots.

I can't speak to the card games which provided all things are equal and the rules are the same, should have the same odds no matter where you play them. There are only so many combinations you can make with a deck of cards, or multiple decks. Dice games should also have the same odds unless the dice are weighted.

 

But I do know a friend of mine who programs slot machines and reports that slots machines for placement on cruise ships are programmed to pay out more frequently than those in land-based placements. He does admit that they are programmed to payout smaller jackpots each time -- so there are more frequent, but smaller payouts on cruise ship slots.

Reward-based training! Ever train a puppy? You say "sit" and push his backside down, and when he sits, he gets a treat. This motivates him to sit when you say "sit." By making payouts more frequent, it motivates people to stay at the machines. :D

Same on the Westerdam I was on a couple of weeks ago. They paid 6/5 for blackjack on the $5 table and 3/2 on the $10 table. Rules can vary from table to table in any casino, so I make it a point to know the rules of the specific table I'm thinking about playing. That said, the 6/5 payout is not that big a deal. The odds of getting blackjack in any give hand in a multideck game are less than 5%. With roughly 50 hands an hour, that's 2-3 times that you'd lose $1.50 on a blackjack, or the equivalent of losing one hand an hour. You can easily make that up by betting properly (which I didn't see much of on our cruise). On the other hand, it makes taking even money on a dealer ace a no-brainer. Much more important is the fact that the casino was not using automatic shuffling machines. I was surprised to see that.

 

You'd like this one. They had a blackjack game called "Fun Blackjack". Rules as I remember them are:

 

- 3/2 payout on blackjack

- Double down any time (even after you have 3 or more cards)

- You win automatically and get paid on any 21 (not only first 2 cards)

 

Nice huh? Here's the catch - NO KINGS in the deck!

We just got off the Statendam last week and were told by the Casino Manager that the payouts on the Black Jack table had only recently changed from 3/2 to 6/5.

We also played alot of Fun 21. Very similar to Spanish 21. Not only do you get paid automatically on any 21 but if you get 21 with a 6/7/8 or 7/7/7 you also get paid 3/2 :)

Also you can split aces up to 3 times and play the hand instead of only one card.

Rockfan2

I can't speak to the card games which provided all things are equal and the rules are the same, should have the same odds no matter where you play them. There are only so many combinations you can make with a deck of cards, or multiple decks. Dice games should also have the same odds unless the dice are weighted.

 

But I do know a friend of mine who programs slot machines and reports that slots machines for placement on cruise ships are programmed to pay out more frequently than those in land-based placements. He does admit that they are programmed to payout smaller jackpots each time -- so there are more frequent, but smaller payouts on cruise ship slots.

I respectfully disagree. First, the table game rules are normally less favorable (such as when you can split, worse "x times odds" on the craps table) for the player.

Second, in slots, the frequency of payouts may be more often, but the important question is what is the "hold percentage" of these machines (this is the profit for the ship)? I know that on Video Poker slot machines the payouts are always worse that in a land based casino (easy to tell since the payout schedule is post on the screen). For example, on the basic Jacks or Better machine, onboard casinos normally pay out 6 times your bet for a full house. Land based casinos pay out on this range from 6 to 9 times. Which would you rather have? If the payouts on the machines (Video Poker) where you can SEE the payouts are worse than the norm, what do you think the ship's casino is doing to the slots where you cannot see the payouts (most other machines)?

Having said all of this, I admit that I still gamble in the casino onboard. I do it for entertainment only and certainly reduce my gambling budget.

I can't speak to the card games which provided all things are equal and the rules are the same, should have the same odds no matter where you play them. There are only so many combinations you can make with a deck of cards, or multiple decks. Dice games should also have the same odds unless the dice are weighted.

The odds of rolling any particular combination of two dice, or dealing any card from a deck of 52, or hitting any of 38 wells on a roulette wheel, do not change. But the house can choose to use multiple decks, or add jokers, or use a wheel with 37 wells. That's one way the house can manipulate the odds.

But those are only the mechanical odds of the game. Varying the payout rules changes the odds of winning cash, which is what started this thread.

Reward-based training! Ever train a puppy? You say "sit" and push his backside down, and when he sits, he gets a treat. This motivates him to sit when you say "sit." By making payouts more frequent, it motivates people to stay at the machines. :D

It works the same way with humans. A payoff releases hormones and the player feels all warm and good inside. The player tries to recreate the experience by winning again. No matter how much the player loses, the warm, good feeling will return with a win. If a player walks away after a win (no matter how much they've lost), they will walk away feeling good. That is the science that keeps people in front of slot machines for hours upon hours.

Though I never "gamble", I encourage everyone to gamble. It makes the Vegas buffets cheaper, it makes cruises cheaper, it keeps local taxes lower, and if a friend or relative wins big, there are always some crumbs that fall to the floor.