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Casino winnings or losses

MrsPiglet

By MrsPiglet,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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chloemonkey

chloemonkey

Posted
Posted
How did you do in the casino on board?

 

Have won LOTS on Video Poker....lost LOTS also.....but as we LOVE to gamble and LOVE to cruise.....the upside is that even when we have loosing trips.....it helps with our future CAS cruise booking pricings.

 

I guess if I had to take it all into consideration.....we ALWAYS have a net loss when turning in Win/Loss numbers for income tax purposes...so guess that means that we LOSE in the long run....but as we would gamble regardless....at least the CAS perks make it all worthwhile!

 

And I know.....NON gamblers will never understand this reasoning! But we just LOVE to play Video Poker.....$10 per hand and we play REALLY Fast! So surely this helps our ratings! DH and I are both VIP level....and do enjoy the perks that come with!

 

BUT I agree that this is NOT the way to earn a free cruise! But works well for those of us that are already addicted to the casino/gambling!

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brookie848

brookie848

Posted
Posted

My parents play video poker -- usually 0.25 machines (but my Dad will often "sneak" higher denominations). One the Epic earlier this year, they won $8,000 in jackpots, including one that included a tax form. They mainly played at the machines around the bar and had a very good run.

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Cloudyrain Great Review Rare

Cloudyrain

Posted
Posted

From cash poker games (Mr C) and craps (joint effort) winnings we had less than a $150 bill from a 10 day cruise with cocktails, beer, pop, and bingo games every day.

 

On our 7 day we came back $300 up after paying our bill (just Mr Cs Poker that time.)

 

It might not be a lot by some peoples standards, but he only played later on I the evening after 11pm so it wasn't a bad hourly rate!

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rochelle_s

rochelle_s

Posted
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I have had cruises where I have left ahead of the game and others I have only donated to the cause.

 

I really like when I hit something decent early on in the cruise and even if I give it all back at least I was playing with 'their money'. To me that is free entertainment, bodes well for my CAS points and hopefully leads to the next free cruise! :)

 

 

Rochelle

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kismet618

kismet618

Posted
Posted

On the Getaway this past August, I won playing Ultimate Texas Hold'em every night, but the big payoff happened the last night when the dealer turned over 4 8's and I had an Ace :)....I won $1300 in one hand...cashed out and called it a cruise.

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dznymom

dznymom

Posted
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i have had cruises where i have left ahead of the game and others i have only donated to the cause.

 

I really like when i hit something decent early on in the cruise and even if i give it all back at least i was playing with 'their money'. To me that is free entertainment, bodes well for my cas points and hopefully leads to the next free cruise! :)

 

 

rochelle

 

ditto!

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clcjdn

clcjdn

Posted
Posted

We are up and down on ships, but when you add in the CAS value, not too shabby.....most recent example, gambling budget of $2500 (left it all there), room comp/discount of $1500, dinner for 6 with drinks $200, additional comp off final bill $150, net loss of $650. Not many other deals out there where you can potentially get paid to take a week long vacation. Our 2nd on Carnival was one of those.....$6600 hit on VP the last night. Paid off our ship account and went home with $4000+, not a bad payday for a week at sea!

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Hawaiidan

Hawaiidan

Posted
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You will find the vast majority of cruisers win big in the casino. That's why the casino is the biggest money maker on the ship.........

 

For NCL.

 

If everyone wins big and the casino is the biggest money maker.... how can that be? How can you have each side cleaning each others clock.... you can have 2 winners..... does this make sence

 

Ship casinos are un-regulated and can change and set the odds anytime... Odds are hideous compared to Vegas And odds in Vegas on the strip are hedious compared to down town....

 

I have watched first night lots of winners... next night they get thinner and thinner and the gamblers thing they are on a loosing streak and things will get better the longer they play.

Statistics and the laws of probability are clearly the longer you play the more you stand to loose.... I would never sit at a back-jack table for over 45 min.

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pugsammy

pugsammy

Posted
Posted
Have won LOTS on Video Poker....lost LOTS also.....but as we LOVE to gamble and LOVE to cruise.....the upside is that even when we have loosing trips.....it helps with our future CAS cruise booking pricings.

 

I guess if I had to take it all into consideration.....we ALWAYS have a net loss when turning in Win/Loss numbers for income tax purposes...so guess that means that we LOSE in the long run....but as we would gamble regardless....at least the CAS perks make it all worthwhile!

 

And I know.....NON gamblers will never understand this reasoning! But we just LOVE to play Video Poker.....$10 per hand and we play REALLY Fast! So surely this helps our ratings! DH and I are both VIP level....and do enjoy the perks that come with!

 

BUT I agree that this is NOT the way to earn a free cruise! But works well for those of us that are already addicted to the casino/gambling!

 

How are the paytables....just curious as that is our game and we'll be on the Epic next month.

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Love my butler

Love my butler

Posted
Posted
If everyone wins big and the casino is the biggest money maker.... how can that be? How can you have each side cleaning each others clock.... you can have 2 winners..... does this make sence

 

Ship casinos are un-regulated and can change and set the odds anytime... Odds are hideous compared to Vegas And odds in Vegas on the strip are hedious compared to down town....

 

I have watched first night lots of winners... next night they get thinner and thinner and the gamblers thing they are on a loosing streak and things will get better the longer they play.

Statistics and the laws of probability are clearly the longer you play the more you stand to loose.... I would never sit at a back-jack table for over 45 min.

 

Well done sweety. It was sarcasm because most people brag about always winning yet anyone with a brain knows that not to be true. Make sense?

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pokerpro5

pokerpro5

Posted
Posted

The odds in the casino are terrible, even by casino standards. You are far more likely to lose at cruise ship casinos than you are at most land-based counterparts. The paytables on video poker are bad, the slots are the opposite of loose, and the blackjack games have poor rules (6:5 blackjack payout unless you play $25/hand or more!)

 

And the tournaments... terrible. The house rakes 50% or more.

 

But what about the CAS perks and comps?

 

Also poor compared to most land-based casinos.

 

So if you have a gambling budget, you are best off using it in a casino on land where the money will last longer, and stay away from gambling while on the ship.

 

I am a professional gambler who hasn't held a regular job in 11 years, so you can trust my advice.

 

Is it possible to win? Yes. Is it probable? No. Are you most likely wasting your money while gambling onboard, unless you're playing at very low limits just for fun? Yes.

 

How important are machine paytables and table game rules? Very -- a lot more than you think.

 

If you are playing a game with a 95% return, and if the normal land-based version gives a 97.5% return, that doesn't sound like a big deal. However, it's actually a huge deal. It means you will lose twice as fast, on average!

 

You are a captive audience onboard and thus the casino odds are terrible. Don't fall prey to it. It's the same reason that the art auctions and onboard shopping are also a terrible value.

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Cloudyrain Great Review Rare

Cloudyrain

Posted
Posted

I think a lot of the level of "winning" depends on your game. If Mr C goes on Blackjack I threaten divorce, but if he wants to sit and play cash poker I leave him to it as he can do quite well (despite the high rake) as cash (texas hold em) poker isn't comparable to a game of "chance" (albeit still odds/skill involved) like roulette, craps, and slots. Though he also reads people quite well (before marrying me poker was his "job" but now it's just a well-paid hobby) and if he doesn't like the table he won't chuck his money away - though he has found quite a lot of people at the poker table on cruise ships who seem happy to give their money away!

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