Gambling Novice

[VMax1700]

16 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

What do you suggest for someone that knows little about gambling. 

🤔

Learning to dance?  😁

Much more fun and healthier too!

 

[evandbob]

41 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

🤔

Learning to dance?  😁

Much more fun and healthier too!

 

 

I've danced when I've hit an infrequent jackpot on a slot machine! 

 

Otherwise, it's put the money in, spin and flush.

[c-boy]

58 minutes ago, Butterbean1000 said:

Thanks everyone.  I usually bring $150 for gambling.   Only once did I use it all. I played computer blackjack for 5 days.  During that time I got many free drinks.  In the end, I lost the 150, but I had 150 worth of fun plus the "free" drinks.  I just want to expand my gambling experience. 

prove em' wrong , when you return post how you won  5k  on the high seas.

[George C]

I enjoy gambling and win almost all the time in neighborhood game , but casino has all the odds , I do win once in a while on ship , i bring a hundred or more to play each day and normally am down a hundred or so at end of cruise.

[ed01106]

There is only one way to come out ahead.....learn to count cards and play blackjack.

 

Otherwise, set a limit for yourself on how much you are willing to spend on the entertainment of the casino.

 

[SRF]

22 hours ago, davecttr said:

My favourite game is blackjack. They have sessions where they will teach you the rules but you will still make lots of mistakes because you won't know the correct decision to make with each hand. You gain that skill through research and lots of practice but it only means you will lose more slowly. It is called basic strategy. I don't play slots aboard.

 

Very easy to learn basic strategy.  Buy the card.  They sell them in the gift shops in Vegas.  Or you can buy them on Amazon.

 

Or ask the dealer.  The dealer WANTS you to WIN.  

 

Why?

 

Winning players tip.  Losing players do not tip.  And BIG winners, tend to tip A LOT. 😄

 

Like this, but I paid like $1 in Vegas casino gift shop.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Basic-Strategy-Card-for-Blackjack/dp/B004XWAWN6

[SRF]

My basic way to play is, I start with $100.  If I lose it, I am done for the day.  The next day, I start with another $100, etc.

 

My thinking is, it is entertainment.  If I got to Disney, a day ticket is around $100.  So that is my daily limit.

 

It I am winning, I play until I am tired of it, or if I lose back a certain percentage.  I am minorly OCD, so I do stacks of chips.  If I start with 1 stack, when I get to 2, I will only lose 1 stack before quitting.  If I get to 3 stacks, I stop when I lose one of them.  I only count full stacks, so if I have 3 and a half, I can lose 1.5 . 🙂

 

Works for me.

 

Only one trip to Vegas have I lost more than about $100.  That trip, the tables were against us, and we lost about $400.  But still had fun.

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

Very easy to learn basic strategy.  Buy the card.  They sell them in the gift shops in Vegas.  Or you can buy them on Amazon.

 

Or ask the dealer.  The dealer WANTS you to WIN.  

 

Why?

 

Winning players tip.  Losing players do not tip.  And BIG winners, tend to tip A LOT. 😄

 

Like this, but I paid like $1 in Vegas casino gift shop.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Basic-Strategy-Card-for-Blackjack/dp/B004XWAWN6

The link is for an American blackjack basic strategy card. European blackjack is different because the dealer does not check if they have a blackjack. Wizard of odds site has all the variations

[Bingobaby0]

Another easy table game to play is 3 card Poker.   We play the pair plus bet only.  It is my favorite because you can play while drunk, no thinking involved!

 

You get 3 cards and either you win or lose.  No deciding if you want to bet against dealer, just the pure luck of the draw!

[Capt_BJ]

every gambler I've ever know has said that in the long run they are ahead

 

wouldn't that make owning a casino a bad investment?

 

oh wait

 

Trump has had two casinos of his go under ........

 

I suppose it IS possible

 

and those other guys . . . . 

[MicCanberra]

On ‎7‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 9:43 AM, Butterbean1000 said:

I have only "dabbled" in the casino.  I've played a little Caribbean Poker and some Computer Black Jack.  What do you suggest for someone that knows little about gambling.  I've never played the slots.

I would suggest keeping your money for  future cruising but having a little fun is fine, whatever game gives you the adrenalin rush of possibly winning is best for you.

[chipmaster]

I have a simple view, you play for fun and plan to lose money, especially slots.  

 

If you don't play when you visit Las Vegas or Atlantic City DON'T on the ship, if you play and enjoy then set a budget.

 

Others like poker, blackjack or others are about skill with luck, but in the end house always win.  As long as you have fun, no different than say I'd like to drink a little, the house always profits.   

 

Good luck 😁

[SRF]

On 7/24/2019 at 3:32 AM, davecttr said:

The link is for an American blackjack basic strategy card. European blackjack is different because the dealer does not check if they have a blackjack. Wizard of odds site has all the variations

 

There are different cards for different major rules differences.

 

However, the difference in strategy is not that large.  You can use the basic card and be pretty close to the theoretical odds.

 

I have played in European casinos, using my US card, and won. 😄

[SRF]

On 7/24/2019 at 11:25 AM, Bingobaby0 said:

Another easy table game to play is 3 card Poker.   We play the pair plus bet only.  It is my favorite because you can play while drunk, no thinking involved!

 

You get 3 cards and either you win or lose.  No deciding if you want to bet against dealer, just the pure luck of the draw!

 

And a higher house edge.

 

The two lowest house edge games are black jack and craps. Both, ONLY if you play smart.

 

That does not mean you can't win playing poorly or incorrectly.  But over time, you will lose more doing so.

[MicCanberra]

Any game in the casino is designed to take money in and profit from everybody's contributions, the house always wins even if their are a few lucky ones that get to walk out with some of their fellow passengers money.

[WVU_Neal]

On 7/22/2019 at 7:43 PM, Butterbean1000 said:

I have only "dabbled" in the casino.  I've played a little Caribbean Poker and some Computer Black Jack.  What do you suggest for someone that knows little about gambling.  I've never played the slots.

Take some time before you walk into the casino to learn a bit about the games you'd like to play. Actually, no need to do that with slots. You put your money in press the button and you either win or lose. I'd guess the house advantage for slots is somewhere in the range of 6-8%. (House advantage is the percentage of money that the house expects to win on your money.)

 

The game with craps has the lowest house advantage (1.41%) when you play Pass/Don't Pass and/or Come/Don't Come and take the "free odds". It's a game of pure math that you can learn at home, and it moves fast. It is also a lot of fun.

 

Blackjack is probably my favorite, but not so much anymore. If you learn Basic Strategy (the "card" people have mentioned) the House Advantage can be quite low. This can be practiced with a computer game. I don't play much blackjack anymore because many of the casinos have decreased the payout on blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5.

 

I also enjoy video poker with decent pay tables. VP also has a basic strategy that can be learned by computer simulation.

 

No slots for me.

 

I'm not a serious gambler, I play for the fun of it and for entertainment. I know the games I play and I'm comfortable with the way I bet.

 

Have fun,

 

Neal 

[dkjretired]

1 hour ago, WVU_Neal said:

Take some time before you walk into the casino to learn a bit about the games you'd like to play. Actually, no need to do that with slots. You put your money in press the button and you either win or lose. I'd guess the house advantage for slots is somewhere in the range of 6-8%. (House advantage is the percentage of money that the house expects to win on your money.)

 

The game with craps has the lowest house advantage (1.41%) when you play Pass/Don't Pass and/or Come/Don't Come and take the "free odds". It's a game of pure math that you can learn at home, and it moves fast. It is also a lot of fun.

 

Blackjack is probably my favorite, but not so much anymore. If you learn Basic Strategy (the "card" people have mentioned) the House Advantage can be quite low. This can be practiced with a computer game. I don't play much blackjack anymore because many of the casinos have decreased the payout on blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5.

 

I also enjoy video poker with decent pay tables. VP also has a basic strategy that can be learned by computer simulation.

 

No slots for me.

 

I'm not a serious gambler, I play for the fun of it and for entertainment. I know the games I play and I'm comfortable with the way I bet.

 

Have fun,

 

Neal 

 

House advantage in casinos is between 80 to 100 return. Return is regulated in local jurisdictions, contrary to popular belief Casinos at sea do have a regulatory group called CLIA. I believe ship casinos have a lowere payout than land based casino.

 

Slot machines are not as easy as put the money in and hit the button.  Most machines in the ship casinos are penny machines. It is best on those to play all the lines which usually are 30 to 50 lines in most machines.

[c-boy]

6 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

House advantage in casinos is between 80 to 100 return. Return is regulated in local jurisdictions, contrary to popular belief Casinos at sea do have a regulatory group called CLIA. I believe ship casinos have a lowere payout than land based casino.

 

Slot machines are not as easy as put the money in and hit the button.  Most machines in the ship casinos are penny machines. It is best on those to play all the lines which usually are 30 to 50 lines in most machines.

when on board, I'm with the high stake's Texas hold em' tournament scene. Better return on my initial investment. 

[MicCanberra]

The only real gambling I do aboard a cruise ship is booking a guarantee cabin. My wife likes to play a bit on the pokies though.

[Elaine5715]

On 7/23/2019 at 11:32 AM, SantaFeFan said:

 

Agree. No way could casinos stay in business if people, even a few, consistently won. Claiming to have won 90 percent of the time on 20 plus cruises is pure puffery. 

Like the people who claim they only spent a "few" dollars in the casino but get free cabin offers all the time?

[SRF]

Also, most people do not really have any idea if they have won or lost.  If they hit a big jackpot, they say, I won XX amount.  They forget to subtract what they spent.  If they even know.

 

With my way of playing, I KNOW.  If I start paying on Day 1 with $100, and don't get any more cash out, and cash out more than $100 on the last day, I have won.  

[clo]

4 hours ago, SRF said:

They forget to subtract what they spent.

I don't forget.  But my personal accounting method is that anything I cash out is winnings! :))

[Herfnerd]

Slots on a ship are notoriously tight.  As for 21/Blackjack, if you're not sure what you're doing, you will irk the other players which may make it less fun for you.  Not to mention the different varieties of 21 on a ship can be confusing......

[MicCanberra]

I think if you can walk out with some winnings, you are doing better than the other players.

[dkjretired]

23 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Like the people who claim they only spent a "few" dollars in the casino but get free cabin offers all the time?

 

How about the concept of getting a free cruise because you spent thousands gambling in the casino.