Poker question

[skeeter195]

I have been reading about poker on NCL and I can't believe that there is a 10% rake capped at $25, is this true.

 

Also, has anyone played in the poker tournaments? If so what was the entry fee, re-buys, and rake on these.

 

I love poker, but a 10% rake is impossible to beat.

 

Thanks for any help.

[Cloudyrain]

Courtesy of Mr C - my husband, the poker player!: "It is true the rake is extortionate with the figures u quoted. The games are very soft though and if your any good at poker it's still profitable to play.

 

The tournaments off the top of my head were a 100 dollar rebuy for an hour.I didn't play these though as they were in the middle of the day, again not sure but thing think there was a 10 percent rake on these as well."

 

Typed it out all by himself too!

 

Oh, and the profits he made paid our room bill for the week! :D

[skeeter195]

10% for a tournament entry fee is pretty good actually. I can imagine that games would be very soft, but on the other hand soft can be pretty wild at times. Nothing worse than losing a few big pots to someone who you were a 90% or better favorite to.

 

Thanks for the info.

[rvsullivan]

10% rake is true, if your any good you can make some real money though.

No rake for the tournaments, $60 buy in with re buys at $60.

[SuiteCruiser]

Courtesy of Mr C - my husband, the poker player!: "It is true the rake is extortionate with the figures u quoted. The games are very soft though and if your any good at poker it's still profitable to play.

 

The tournaments off the top of my head were a 100 dollar rebuy for an hour.I didn't play these though as they were in the middle of the day, again not sure but thing think there was a 10 percent rake on these as well."

 

Typed it out all by himself too!

 

Oh, and the profits he made paid our room bill for the week! :D

 

I had only played UTH the casino game and was encouraged to join a Hold 'em game at midnight last night of our cruise, after drinking a *little* bit. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, but stayed in with Ace Ten of Spades. Wound up with an Ace high flush and won the last pot of the cruise. I had no business winning, but I still took the money :)

[skeeter195]

No tournament rake? That would be awsome, I have never seen that, how can they make money? Last time I was was on the Dawn(5 years ago), it was $60 with $45 going to the prize pool. Then $60 rebuys with $55 going to the prize pool.

 

I know I will play some live also. I am a winning player at home, but the 10% thing is just a little hard to swallow.

 

Thanks for the replies

[HouNew2Cruise]

No rake of tournament chips. Lol. They will gouge the heck of the entries, which is basically a rake.

 

The last cruise I was on, after night one or two, the poker players just got together and ran their own game outside of the casino. The casino could not field a game after that. They just had their normal tournaments, but it sat empty other times.

 

That 10% rake is crazy.

[skeeter195]

I knew it sounded to good to be true about the tournament rake. I should have been more specific about the word "rake", some places call the entry fee part of the buyin a rake. Oh well it will be fun anyway.

 

I have played 3 tournaments on NCL cruises, won 1 and chopped 2. The last one I took $1300 and the guy I chopped with took $1050. There was one guy at my table who was all-in about every third hand, he re-bought at least 10 times. He just kept saying how unlucky he was. I fueled the fire a little by saying that his luck had to change. He just could not understand how he kept losing with pocket pairs with 2 or 3 overs on the board. He did end up in third though. The other guy knocked him out and we split it up before the next hand was dealt.

[stanmoto98]

I am an avid player but refuse to play the nightly games in the casino for two reasons.

 

1. The rake... it is highway robbery. Problem being, the average shipboard poker "dabbler" has no clue they are being so aggressively short changed.

2. Bingo players... Yes, you can win a lot of money against these types if the cards are running your way. You really have to be able to change your play. One or two at a table is a good thing but there seems to be an inordinate number of these players on most cruises. I just prefer to avoid the aggravation of players chasing the river every hand.

 

I've had a pretty good amount of success in the tournaments. Paid for our entire cruise on tournament wins once. Yes, the house cut of the entry fees and buy-backs are high here too. But the overall format of the tournaments is decent/fun.

[SilentHill]

No tournament rake? That would be awsome, I have never seen that, how can they make money? Last time I was was on the Dawn(5 years ago), it was $60 with $45 going to the prize pool. Then $60 rebuys with $55 going to the prize pool.

 

I know I will play some live also. I am a winning player at home, but the 10% thing is just a little hard to swallow.

 

Thanks for the replies

 

As an avid grinder myself, the 10% rake makes it unplayable. If your winning with a 10% rake /w a $25 cap your relying on luck.

[stanmoto98]

As an avid grinder myself, the 10% rake makes it unplayable. If your winning with a 10% rake /w a $25 cap your relying on luck.

Bingo!

 

All pun intended... sorry, just couldn't resist.

[OceanBlue123]

I have been playing poker for years with friends, but never in a casino. What is a normal rake in Vegas or AC?

[skeeter195]

It all depends on the game and stakes. 1-2 no limit is normally $1 on every $20 capped at $3-5. Limit games up to 20-40 are usually capped at $4. Higher than that you pay every 1/2 hour, like $8 for a 40-80 game.

[OceanBlue123]

It all depends on the game and stakes. 1-2 no limit is normally $1 on every $20 capped at $3-5. Limit games up to 20-40 are usually capped at $4. Higher than that you pay every 1/2 hour, like $8 for a 40-80 game.

So would it be fair to say normal is about 5% and NCL wants twice that?

[skeeter195]

Not really. Lets say that its $1 on $20 capped at $4. A pot is $80 and the rake is $4, yes then it would be 5%. When a pot is $400(not uncommon), the rake is still $4, but now the rake is 1%. On NCL the rake is 10%, capped at $25. So it will be 10% on any pot up to $250. The pot would have to be $2500(will only happen rarely under with ideal circumstances) in order for the rake to be 1%.

 

If you are going to play poker on NCL, do it for fun, don't expect to sit there and grind out a win. The best way to make money with a game like this is if you are lucky enough to win right away, get up before the rake gets it.

[Sup'd]

Game has to be right with people throwing money at it, I just play it ultra super wicked tight, don't get in race situations. See flops cheap, get a big hand or fold. Make others draw against you and the rake.

 

Of course that is incredibly boring to only get involved in one or two hands in the session when you don't get free drinks and in a smokey room, so better things to do on the ship for me.

[Derek King]

IMO the tourney format and take out is a joke also.

 

i think last time i checked you can't even figure out what they are taking out because they don't tell you how many buys/rebuys have been made. They might have changed that though.

 

But the structure/blind levels are so bad it becomes an all-in fest at the end.

 

Like most live games, players are pretty weak. But i've noticed it seems to depend on the itinerary/season you go. A younger crowd on a summer sailing weaker than an off season europe/new England cruise.

Similar to time of year/time of day you would play in casino.

 

Good luck.

[CP Tech]

When I played on the Star in a poker tourney last December. The screen displayed the names and how many re-buys they had done along with current payouts.

 

Some quick math and you could figure out just how much they are chopping for the house.

[allison0523]

Is it a live dealer or poker pro machine? $25 cap is a really high rake. Do you get player points playing poker? (Like towards the casino free drink card?)

[CP Tech]

Live dealers

[Cloudyrain]

Is it a live dealer or poker pro machine? $25 cap is a really high rake. Do you get player points playing poker? (Like towards the casino free drink card?)

 

For frequent players the dealers will often get you a few drinks, but you can sign up for a CAS card. Alternatively be fortunate enough to play with a top level CAS member who get everyone free drinks :)

[$hip$hape]

I am an avid player but refuse to play the nightly games in the casino for two reasons.

 

1. The rake... it is highway robbery. Problem being, the average shipboard poker "dabbler" has no clue they are being so aggressively short changed.

2. Bingo players... Yes, you can win a lot of money against these types if the cards are running your way. You really have to be able to change your play. One or two at a table is a good thing but there seems to be an inordinate number of these players on most cruises. I just prefer to avoid the aggravation of players chasing the river every hand.

 

I've had a pretty good amount of success in the tournaments. Paid for our entire cruise on tournament wins once. Yes, the house cut of the entry fees and buy-backs are high here too. But the overall format of the tournaments is decent/fun.

'nuff said

from one of those bingo players

BTW...that's poker

Edited December 9, 2013 by $hip$hape

[Askmelanie]

I was on the Gem this past Sept and the rake was 10% with NO CAP! The table sat empty the entire cruise. They wouldn't even lower the rake to get a game going, we tried.

[wwwfla]

What I saw on a recent cruise looked to be a house player. Not a bad idea if they pay performers on board they can afford a player.