How much cash did you spend before you hit 1500 points in casino?

[okgirl]

When you chase points for the freebies, thats when they have you:). If you look at it as entertainment and realize that you may not make the points you can keep to your budget.

 

I look at it as pure entertainment, I don't do shore excursions or purchase things in the shops and I only take as much money as I'm willing to lose.

 

On my last cruise the Casino host gave me my On Us card as soon as I got on the ship. I had been on the Ecstasy just a couple of weeks earlier and was disappointed that they didn't have the program on that ship. However the Casino hostess Zellia was very generous with free drinks that trip.

 

A couple of weeks later I was on the Glory and I had contacted the players club after the Ecstasy to let them know what a great time I had and to let them know of my next cruise.

 

As soon as I got on the ship I went to the Casino to set up my players bank and Steve the host came out and introduced himself to me and said he had a card for me and did I want it now. I wasn't really sure what he was talking about, I thought maybe it was casino cash.......

 

The waiters were a little slow in recognizing that I already had the card the 1st night, but I ended up with over 50 free drinks that cruise. They weren't all alcohol based, sometimes I just ordered water or a soda.

[RWolver672]

I took $40 per night. I hit the 1000 mark for the free $10 gambling on the 6th night. Wife hit hers on the 5th night and hit 1500 on the 6th playing slots varying hits and lines. If you put in $10 and are lucky enough to get it up to the magic mark (?), then lose it all, you will hit the 1500 with only having to spend $10.

[megansdad1]

One poster stated that it is $2.50 played per 1 point: you would need to have $3750.00 in total spins. So if you went on an average payback of 80% (it could be higher or lower); you would lose 750.00 to get to 1500.00 points.

[MissDiva1]

Not sure if you know this but~~the drinks on us program is only available in the casino while gambling~ you can not use the card they give you up on the Lido deck bar etc..~

 

And not all ships have this yet.

 

One poster stated that it is $2.50 played per 1 point: you would need to have $3750.00 in total spins. So if you went on an average payback of 80% (it could be higher or lower); you would lose 750.00 to get to 1500.00 points.

 

$750.00 dollar credits.......which means it could be your money or the casinos money....

 

I normally budget about $100 a day and normally I get 1500 points on the second day........and alot of the times I am ahead on the second day....so in those cases it cost me nothing but most of the time it is about $200 for me and I normally play quarters.......

Edited September 6, 2011 by MissDiva1

[gelboydad]

We play the poker slots. Last time we cruised is was a point for a set amount played. I think it was 1 point for every 2.50 played. Since we only play 25 cents at a time we ended up with a little over 400 points. We played at least 2 hours a day on a 8 day cruise. Essentially we played the game 4000 times. The good news is that we only lost 25 dollars for the whole trip. I usually budget to lose 25 per day. The poker slots machine take alot longer to play than pushing 50 cents every second like some of the other penny slots.

[Back That Aft Up]

For slots, it is $2.50 coin-in (wagered) per point. For video poker, it is $5.00 coin-in per point. For example, if you were playing on a quarter slot machine with a 5-line bet, every time you spin, you would be wagering $1.25 and earning 0.5 points.

 

The "Drinks On Us" program was created with a focus on slot players, but some casino bosses have issued the card to table games players that meet their particular criteria. Usually it is a usually $25+ a hand average over at least several hours. Do not expect to receive it playing the table minimum as the casino makes little money from you. Over the long-term, betting the $5 minimum at a blackjack table, the casino makes a whopping $3.00 per person per hour ($5 per hand, 60 hands per hour, estimated 1% casino edge). They are not going to turn around and give you free alcohol the rest of the cruise based on that.

 

I have stated this here before. Do not gamble just for the free drinks card. If you already gamble at the level required to obtain the drink card, then of course take advantage of it. If you do not and you want to chase the perk, you need to keep in mind that it may cost you more to get the free drinks card than the drinks would have cost you. Like another poster stated, for slots, you will need to wager $3,750 to earn 1,500 credits. If the slot machine has a payback percentage of 80%, the house edge is 20%, and on average, you will lose $750.00. Of course, you could get lucky and come out ahead of down just a small amount, or you could be really unlucky and end up more in the hole then you anticipated. Also keep in mind that once you get the card, your drinks are only free if you are actively playing in the casino. If you blow all your gambling allowance just trying to get the free drinks card, you will not be able to take advantage of it once you get it.

[PittsburghGirlee]

Also, in case this was not mentioned earlier....;)

 

You MUST BE sitting down at a machine and playing at the time you are ordering a drink. You cannot go to the casino bar and get drinks. A wait staff person must physically bring them to you. You will sign for them, just like room service with a zero balance.

 

I tipped in cash to make sure the drinks flowed because once I received my card, the servers seemed to disappear. Prior to that, I was approached many times:eek:.

 

I received my DOU card the second night:o:o.

[MissDiva1]

Also, in case this was not mentioned earlier....;)

 

You MUST BE sitting down at a machine and playing at the time you are ordering a drink. You cannot go to the casino bar and get drinks. A wait staff person must physically bring them to you. You will sign for them, just like room service with a zero balance.

 

I tipped in cash to make sure the drinks flowed because once I received my card, the servers seemed to disappear. Prior to that, I was approached many times:eek:.

 

I received my DOU card the second night:o:o.

 

Why would the drink servers disappear once you receive the card? When you signed for the drinks wasn't the 15% added for the gratuity? I can't imagine them serving free drinks without getting the 15%.......

Edited September 6, 2011 by MissDiva1

[mikel24m]

And not all ships have this yet.

 

 

 

$750.00 dollar credits.......which means it could be your money or the casinos money....

 

I normally budget about $100 a day and normally I get 1500 points on the second day........and alot of the times I am ahead on the second day....so in those cases it cost me nothing but most of the time it is about $200 for me and I normally play quarters.......

 

I gamble really big and never have gotten the card the first or second day.What do you guys play and how many credits a spin.Usually we plan pennies 20 lines times 5 credits

each.$1.00per spin

 

Also you can get rated playing tables I have never asked but I read on here you need to be playing $25 average bet to be rated.I usually play more than $25 but have never asked ,this cruise I will ask

[MissDiva1]

I gamble really big and never have gotten the card the first or second day.What do you guys play and how many credits a spin.Usually we plan pennies 20 lines times 5 credits

each.$1.00per spin

 

Also you can get rated playing tables I have never asked but I read on here you need to be playing $25 average bet to be rated.I usually play more than $25 but have never asked ,this cruise I will ask

 

I normally look for the 2 coin quarter machines......which are pretty much disappearing......so will settle for a 3 coin quarter machine and quarter poker machines....if I am not doing well I will go to the penny machines...and usually play like 60 cents a pull however if I'm doing really well I will switch to max bet often......

[Back That Aft Up]

Why would the drink servers disappear once you receive the card? When you signed for the drinks wasn't the 15% added for the gratuity? I can't imagine them serving free drinks without getting the 15%.......

 

15% gratuity on $0 = $0. Does not surprise me that waiters would disappear once a drink card is issued. Kudos to those that give a cash tip to their server on comped beverages.

Edited September 6, 2011 by Back That Aft Up

[MissDiva1]

15% gratuity on $0 = $0. Does not surprise me that waiters would disappear once a drink card is issued. Kudos to those that give a cash tip to their server on comped beverages.

 

I understand that the drink is compt but don't they still get the 15% of the drink price? They always do when we get compt from the casino host.

[mikel24m]

I work in a land based casino and our comped anything there is never automatic grat added

 

This is another thing I will ask next month

[MissDiva1]

I work in a land based casino and our comped anything there is never automatic grat added

 

This is another thing I will ask next month

 

When we are compt on the ship from the casino host we sign the ticket with the price of the drink plus 15% gratuity then the total is zerod out.....I would not expect a land base casino to do this as they don't automatically add gratuity to the drinks......

However I have not gotten this new free drink card yet but I would assume it would be the same......

Edited September 6, 2011 by MissDiva1

[hancogran]

When we are compt on the ship from the casino host we sign the ticket with the price of the drink plus 15% gratuity then the total is zerod out.....I would not expect a land base casino to do this as they don't automatically add gratuity to the drinks......

However I have not gotten this new free drink card yet but I would assume it would be the same......

 

When we got our Drinks on Us card on Pride in May, when the waiter/waitress brings your drink and the slip for you to sign, it only shows the name of the drink.. no price or gratuity at all. We thought the same thing as you.. they'd still get their tip. We always made a point of having lots of single dollars for tips in the casino! :)

[breenw]

What's the difference between the "premium" and the "deluxe" package you receive from the OPC???

[SASA13]

.

Wife and I "invested" $40 in this fun machine..

 

 

 

..and never got a soda in thanks

but then we weren't gambling with a view to Free Drinks...

 

 

Any second now there'll be a huge cascade, which will pay for our next cruise - Yessss!

 

.

 

Love this machine, and yes it is for suckers, but..........ended up getting a chip that was for a TEE SHIRT, after about $60.00 :)

[SASA13]

I believe it depends on how long you play the machines. I put a $20 bill in one of the penny machines, and ended up playing out that $20 for an hour. Therefore, I only lost $20, but I got a bunch of points ( don't remember how much). It works like the cards ( comps) work in the Atlantic City casinos, the more PLAY TIME , they more you get. I am sure it also depends on if you play penny, or quarter machines, but we hit the 1500 after losing about $200, and that was for 2 nights worth of play.

[TheCalicoCat]

How do you pay for penny slots?

S&S Card? Credit Card? Cash?

 

& Why whenever I want to play any of the games they are all full. (I watched that quarter pusher for a long time, but that guy was not going to leave that seat!:mad:)

[parrothead74]

How do you pay for penny slots?

S&S Card? Credit Card? Cash?

 

& Why whenever I want to play any of the games they are all full. (I watched that quarter pusher for a long time, but that guy was not going to leave that seat!:mad:)

 

You put your S & S card in the machine to track your play. You can insert cash into the machine to play out, upload to your player bank, or you can use your S & S card to get cash in the casino from the credit card you have on file. It's like doing a no fee cash advance and it racks up the reward points on your credit card. The caveat is that you should hopefully have the winnings (or means) to pay it off right after the cruise!

[Beverlyf]

One poster stated that it is $2.50 played per 1 point: you would need to have $3750.00 in total spins. So if you went on an average payback of 80% (it could be higher or lower); you would lose 750.00 to get to 1500.00 points.

 

Just back from the Pride....You are about right with these figures. I spent about $800 on the slots to reach the 1500 level on the last night. Got one free drink!

[L_K]

For me.on average (2 cruises), about 600$.

[iTouch]

I believe it depends on how long you play the machines. I put a $20 bill in one of the penny machines, and ended up playing out that $20 for an hour. Therefore, I only lost $20, but I got a bunch of points ( don't remember how much). It works like the cards ( comps) work in the Atlantic City casinos, the more PLAY TIME , they more you get. I am sure it also depends on if you play penny, or quarter machines, but we hit the 1500 after losing about $200, and that was for 2 nights worth of play.

 

It has nothing to do with time spent. It is all about coin in pulls.

Last cruise I won $400.00 on the first nite after spending $50. I hit 1500 points on the second nite......but I was still up $200. So I basically spent zero to get the 1500 points.

[chihomg]

.

Wife and I "invested" $40 in this fun machine..

 

 

 

..and never got a soda in thanks

but then we weren't gambling with a view to Free Drinks...

 

 

Any second now there'll be a huge cascade, which will pay for our next cruise - Yessss!

 

.

 

 

crap. my girlfriend loves these machines in arcades/dave and busters. she's drawn to them like moths to light. i better steer her away from the casino altogether.

Edited September 22, 2011 by chihomg

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Can you earn points at table games? If so how does it work?

 

I don't know that they have ever told me how many points I have earned. Though on most sailings, if you hit the ground running at the $25 table (and are betting a few green or a couple of black chips per hand), in short order you will likely have drinks for the cruise. There were a couple of sailings where they gave me the card upon arriving in the casino on the first night - though I know most of the managers and hosts (or I did... they seem to have a lot of new faces in the last couple of years)!

 

On NCL, their casino division (CAS, or Casinos at Sea) is where many return players actually book their cruise. Once you have established play history with them, you call up and let them know what sail date, ship, and cabin type you would like. At that point they will tell you what your rate is. After a 3 night cruise on the Sky (our first with NCL) I called back to book the Epic and received $1,200 off the going rate. After THAT sailing, I called back and rebooked the Epic through them, this time receiving a $2,000 discount!! Another advantage of booking though the NCL casino is when you arrive in your cabin on the first day of the cruise they have a "drinks are on us" card along with your players card waiting for you! They had one there for Cheryl as well, even though she didn't play. By doing that, you don't have to wonder/guess/worry about if or when the free drinks are coming.

 

I have received a couple of my Celebrity sailings FREE thanks to play in their casinos!

 

Thus, my opinion of Carnival's program is... well... not as high as those who give me FREE cruises or THOUSANDS of $'s off a sailing! ;)

 

Still, on any ship, getting FREE drinks while playing is not the "sure thing" like it is in Vegas --- they have a captive audience, and they know it.

 

Tom