Casino Player's Club Questions

[as41shots]

Hi...new to Princess, but not to losing money at casinos in general. :D

 

Anyone have any experience with the Casino Player's Club? I pretty much only play blackjack, no slots, and the Princess website states that the club is not available for table games on all ships. So, the questions are:

 

Is it available on Island Princess for table games?

 

Anyone had any experience with the Club for table games?

 

What are the benefits?

 

What level of play is expected to actually receive any of the benefits?

 

Would it just be more fun to tear up some cash and toss it off the stern?

 

Thanks, in advance, for your replies. :)

[Toto2Kansas]

I have yet to see any real benefits from the Player's Club on Princess. The only difference I have noticed since it has been in effect is that if you play often, you might have a drink or two supplied by the casino host/hostess. Other than that, nothing. :(

[Loonbeam]

Coral and Island are sister ships and it wasn't offered on the Coral. Blackjack is blackjack but some tables were even money blackjack with dealer hitting on soft 17, be advised.

 

That said the hosts and dealers were all quite nice and I had no problem with my $200 in donations...

 

Hi...new to Princess, but not to losing money at casinos in general. :D

 

Anyone have any experience with the Casino Player's Club? I pretty much only play blackjack, no slots, and the Princess website states that the club is not available for table games on all ships. So, the questions are:

 

Is it available on Island Princess for table games?

 

Anyone had any experience with the Club for table games?

 

What are the benefits?

 

What level of play is expected to actually receive any of the benefits?

 

Would it just be more fun to tear up some cash and toss it off the stern?

 

Thanks, in advance, for your replies. :)

[chloe kitty]

Hi...new to Princess, but not to losing money at casinos in general. :D

 

Anyone have any experience with the Casino Player's Club? I pretty much only play blackjack, no slots, and the Princess website states that the club is not available for table games on all ships. So, the questions are:

 

Is it available on Island Princess for table games?

 

Anyone had any experience with the Club for table games?

 

What are the benefits?

 

What level of play is expected to actually receive any of the benefits?

 

Would it just be more fun to tear up some cash and toss it off the stern?

 

Thanks, in advance, for your replies. :)

 

We have not had any experience with the Players Club, but we have contributed to the casino redecoration fund on many Princess ships. We only play blackjack. Our one complaint is that they now use the continuous shuffler machines. Not only don't we like it, but neither do most of the dealers.

[as41shots]

We have not had any experience with the Players Club, but we have contributed to the casino redecoration fund on many Princess ships. We only play blackjack. Our one complaint is that they now use the continuous shuffler machines. Not only don't we like it, but neither do most of the dealers.

In Delaware, the race tracks which for years were slots only now have table games, and they use the continuous shuffler also. It can get really confusing when you tell yourself "I'll stay for one more shoe." ;)

[bighairtexan]

Depending on the level of pay you may be invited (for me it was via email) to certain designated cruises at reduced fare. They are gambling intensive in that they have extra tournaments w/ higher than normal entry fees. You are given free entry to slot and blackjack tournaments as well as a credit in the casino. This winds up being several hundred dollars in perks.

I play both the tables and the machines (video poker and slots from time to time).

[as41shots]

Depending on the level of pay you may be invited (for me it was via email) to certain designated cruises at reduced fare. They are gambling intensive in that they have extra tournaments w/ higher than normal entry fees. You are given free entry to slot and blackjack tournaments as well as a credit in the casino. This winds up being several hundred dollars in perks.

I play both the tables and the machines (video poker and slots from time to time).

Out of idle (or morbid) curiosity, what is the level of play that gets them interested? $15/hand? $25? More? And how long per day?

 

On Royal, they were not interested in "inviting" you to their little club unless you were playing $50 per hand, minimum 2 hours per day, every day of the cruise. One could get their clock cleaned pretty good with that kind of play.

[highflyingrealtor]

I made the final table at a blackjack tournament one cruise and received a really nice Player's Club ballcap & t-shirt. Other than that, no perks for moi despite my donations.

[Toto2Kansas]

Depending on the level of pay you may be invited (for me it was via email) to certain designated cruises at reduced fare. They are gambling intensive in that they have extra tournaments w/ higher than normal entry fees. You are given free entry to slot and blackjack tournaments as well as a credit in the casino. This winds up being several hundred dollars in perks.

I play both the tables and the machines (video poker and slots from time to time).

 

The only thing with this idea is that I have known some get invited to these 'tournament cruises' who play nickel slots for a short time each day. So the invite isn't actually depending on how much you play IMHO, just that you are registered in the Players Club. I have learned though that the amount of shipboard credit they reward you for one of these tournament cruises seems to be based on the amount you play though. ;)

[CALMOM]

The cruise ship casinos are not like Vegas casinos. The perks are not even close. The biggest perk I have received was a free drink or two. Cruise ship casinos are strictly for entertainment. If you want your best odds then play the tables but as previously said, they use continuous shufflers, so I don't have to tell you your odds, there. If you play the slots, the machines are little loose on the first night to get you sucked in but after that you just have to consider, your paying for entertainment. There are some cruise lines that will give you $10 back on your card, for every $1,000 you spend.

 

I have played the slot tournament 10 times (10x$20=$2K) and I won 2 times (2x$500=$1K), so I'm way behind there. I hit a $1 slot for $1K and have had some nice hands on Let It Ride, but I am definitely in the negative.

 

If your into Poker, there is a Electronic Poker Table called Pro Poker, it's a lot of fund but you do have to pay a % of your winnings back. It is enjoyable though and very popular.

[AndyTheK]

Lots of discussion on this subject in the Casinos forum. First, the consensus is that of all the mainline cruise lines, Princess is the stingiest with comps - NCL is the most generous, RCI in the middle with Carnival somewhat better.

 

That being said, you can't compare to land based casinos - Vegas, AC, Foxwoods, etc. On a ship. there's no competition - you can't just take a quick walk to the next casino which "treats you better."

 

It's true that anywhere you gamble, the more you play the more they will comp you. However, I am a bit skeptical when I hear these great anecdotes about people getting their rooms, meals, shows, "all for free." Casinos use a rule of thumb for table players to figure out comp levels. To answer the poster above who wrote about $50/hand at blackjack for 2 hours a night, the estimated comp value for this level is $12/session - see http://wizardofodds.com for how this figure is calculated. You're not going to get a free cruise for that!

 

I've only sailed Princess once so far. Between DW and me, although we are regular blackjack/craps players s in the casino nightly, we didn't play that level on that cruise. We were comped a drink now and then, but that was it. Frankly, I didn't expect even that. I never asked to "join the clib" or to even be rated. On our cruise sailing two weeks from now, I intend to ask for a rating. I'll report back.

 

CALMOM - the "loose first night" on slots is a myth. Also, while people may not LIKE the shuffling machines, all they do is make the game go faster (no time out while the dealer shuffles the shoe). This does give the casino more hands per hour. But unless you are an accomplished card counter (and very few are, especially among cruise passengers) there is no change in the house advantage per hand. If that still bothers you, play craps. There are no "rules changes" to worry about.

 

Good luck to all and shalom from Tel Aviv, Andy

[Toto2Kansas]

the "loose first night" on slots is a myth.

Good luck to all and shalom from Tel Aviv, Andy

 

I agree with you Andy, they don't change the odds/pay outs after the first night. You have just as good of chance on the second or third night as you do the first. ;)

[bighairtexan]

To the poster who asked at what level I played to receive the perks, let's just say that gambling is my only vice. I don't like shopping, buying cars etc (OK I also like traveling but that's not a vice). I gamble at a level which affords me an occasional trip to Vegas, or various other areas that have hotel/casinos in my chain of choice. I do get flights (usually first class), suites, shows and food comp'd. But believe you me, I do pay for it in the long run. I've had some very great weeks where I'd come up considerably ahead but for every 1 of those I have 3 more or less break evens and at least 3... GASP did I lost THAT much?

So all in all, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. ;-(

[CALMOM]

 

CALMOM - the "loose first night" on slots is a myth. Also, while people may not LIKE the shuffling machines, all they do is make the game go faster (no time out while the dealer shuffles the shoe). This does give the casino more hands per hour. But unless you are an accomplished card counter (and very few are, especially among cruise passengers) there is no change in the house advantage per hand. If that still bothers you, play craps. There are no "rules changes" to worry about.

 

Good luck to all and shalom from Tel Aviv, Andy

 

I can only tell you what I have personally observed on all of my cruises. I do play craps but it is a fact that a constant shuffler gives the house better odds and more hands dealt, therefore, more losing hands for the players;) I consider Cruise line gambling like the Indian Casinos, entertainment, and not really a chance to make money.

[snrlnd]

According to wizardofodds.com, a continuous shuffling machine actually lowers the house odds. From their website: "Although the CSM gets a lot of criticism from players the truth is that it actually lowers the house edge."

 

Check out the entire page http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/appendix10.html

 

Another interesting article is: http://casinogambling.about.com/od/blackjack/a/shuffler.htm

[AFT_LOVER]

Do we get a nice deduction on cruise rates? Not expecting free cruise, but a nice discount for playing VP or slots. Sliding a card into a machine is fine with us. Do we slide our credit card into the machine to get funds to play with or at the casino window?

 

 

Hi...new to Princess, but not to losing money at casinos in general. :D

 

Anyone have any experience with the Casino Player's Club? I pretty much only play blackjack, no slots, and the Princess website states that the club is not available for table games on all ships. So, the questions are:

 

Is it available on Island Princess for table games?

 

Anyone had any experience with the Club for table games?

 

What are the benefits?

 

What level of play is expected to actually receive any of the benefits?

 

Would it just be more fun to tear up some cash and toss it off the stern?

 

Thanks, in advance, for your replies. :)

[Toto2Kansas]

Do we get a nice deduction on cruise rates? Not expecting free cruise, but a nice discount for playing VP or slots. Sliding a card into a machine is fine with us. Do we slide our credit card into the machine to get funds to play with or at the casino window?

 

No discount on your cruise fare for gambling or belonging to the players club. The slots explain how to insert your cruise card, all explanation on how it is done is listed on each machine.

There are no real perks on princess for belonging to the players club. And even to get a complimentary drink, you need to be spending big bucks usually.