I delve into gambling in cruise ship casinos to discover how to play, what to focus on and how cruise passengers use gambling to unlock perks, freebies, heavily discounted and free cruises – without seemingly gambling much money. Whether you are a small and timid player of slot machines or a big fan of playing the tables, you will discover all you need to know before playing.
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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 96 cruises I have done to date.
#cruisetips #CruiseShipCasinos #CruiseCasinos
00:00 Start
00:40 All have casinos?
01:10 casino watch-outs?
01:18 worse odds?
02:18 table minimums?
02:48 less intimidating?
03:56 opening hours?
04:23 age limits?
04:49 games available?
06:01 cash or card?
07:17 drinks?
07:42 land perks?
08:07 similarities to land casinos?
08:14 smoking?
08:32 taxes?
09:06 how to get free cruises?
12:13 responsible gambling?
Most carnival cruise casinos do have a texas hold em computer table. You do play against other players and the casino takes a fixed percentage of the pot. I prefer this way more than playing against the house. Plus you get to meet a bunch of other cruisers.
Yes, odds of winning on a slot machine are less likely than on land based casinos. I prefer to play table games on a cruise ship casino. Odds of winning are the same as on land based casinos. Many land based casinos give classes too. Not all though. Took gaming lessons at the Holiday Inn Casino, and Imperial Palace Casino. Always bring the cash for gambling with you no matter where you go. Sometimes in a cruise casino I get a complimentary drink. I usually drink water because I'm thirsty. Don't drink and gamble. The Carnival Corp., Players Club, will track you along all the lines. Have gotten rewards for gambling even on another line that the Carnival Corp. owns. Yes, this is true. I get a special rate from lines owned by the Carnival Corp. provided by the Players Club. Have in the past received cash money, tickets to eat in a specialty dining room, discounts on cruises. The best discounts came from believe it or not, Princess Cruises.
I’ve had good luck In cruise ship casinos.:)
I would like to also state something. When you do set aside money for gambling like suggested here, keep your winnings separated. Don't treat it like "Oh,nore money for gambling!" and add it into the funds. This will help you keep better control of your money, as well as keep track of your win/loss record. Save the decision to gamble more until after your iniotial funds are depleted. At that point then you can decide if you want to set aside a percentage of your winning to keep gambling.
As always, never discount the advice of friends or a concerned 3rd party. They may see you spending a lot of time gambling and become concerned about gambling addiction. At that point you can assuage their fears by stating you have your funds pre planned, or recognize you may have an issue. There is never any shame in getting help for something that may become a detriment to living your best life.
What on earth is a “lotty program”? 9:01. Never heard of Lotty (loddie???) program but it sounds like he’s talking about a “players club” that every casino has and every cruise ship I’ve been. Usually you get pints etc through players program.
On three Regent sailings Aug, Sep/Oct and Dec/Jan, it didn't take my wife long to sour on the Casino in which she – initially – only was comfortable in her knowledge of how to play slots. Thankfully, with the Black Jack minimums at $5, she responded to my encouragement to join me at the Black Jack table. Not only did she see her stake last longer, but also she quickly got the hang of the game and began to win a modest sum.
Additionally, the REAL attraction for my wife became the "comradery of the table" – not dissimilar from inviting another couple to dine together, share a drink at one of the lounges, or join a Trivia team, the social interaction & atmosphere of the Black Jack table really turned out to be her cup of tea. The fortunate news in that regard was that at none of those tables did we encounter any hard-core ascocial serious gamblers. All were like-minded entertainment-value oriented casual gamblers who enjoyed helping each other and swapping stories . . . the same was true of the dealers, each of whom were just as interested in helping my wife become clear on the odds/options as they were in facilitating an enjoyable time for all at the table.
Holland America's casinos are a ripoff for points and when/how you can use them. AVOID.
Sadly the practice of paying blackjack at 6-5 instead of 3-2 has been steadily increasing in casinos in the U.S.—I refuse to play those tables.
That’s why they only open the casino while in international waters. No regulations on how much they have to payout. Literally best games to play are table games or holdem tournaments.
Brian C. never loses,,,,,he wins jackpots all the time …lol
Royal Carribean (Spectrum of the seas) sailing out of Singapore, which I was on last week has baccarat, roulette, blackjack, 5 card stud poker and "carribean" poker. There might have been one or two others, but these are the ones I recall. Personally I don't play against the house so I can't vouch for win rates etc. Tables were $5, 10, $15 and $25 minum bets with 2 x black jack tournaments and 2 x casino demo sessions (when sailing out of ports), this was on a 7 night cruise. I sailed on Quantum of the seas early last year where there were no $5 or $10 tables at all.
The blackjack thing happens on land aswell. In classic blackjack a black jack pays you 3 to 2 so 10$ become 15, some casinos have started to offer tables with a rate of 6 to 5. Now this is just a trick to get more money from people who don‘t understand. The numbers look higher but in rality the rate is worse. 6 to 5 only pays you 12$ for your 10
Do realize that the casino is the best way to get cash without using an ATM. For example, if you place $50 on your account at a lot machine, you can pull out your card from the machine and get $50 in cash from the cashier. If you have a 2% cash back card, you will get your rebate from the credit card.. I would be afraid if I had a 18-21 year old child attached to my account …
re: Blackjack, it's not just cruises that are paying out 6 to 5 on blackjack, there are a few casinos in vegas that are slowly trying to make this the standard payout on a blackjack (as opposed to the 3:2 payout which is normal on a standard blackjack table.)
no smoking…adults not allowed.
I've only been cruising twice and both on Royal but the roulette pays are the same. There were both single and double zero roulette. Idk whether it was 3to2 or 6to5 on BJ because I didn't play or paid attention. Slots on one of two cruises were fun. I was hitting bonuses more frequently than Vegas (Vegas btw is HORRIBLE, especially on the strip, especially Caesar's properties) and ended up hitting a Major for $700 and my father hit a Major for $800.
Hmm 3 dollar blackjack tables. Too bad Blackjacks don't pay out 1.5x, that changes the odds a lot. I sort of forgot that cruise ships are sort of behind the Los Vegas curve on how they do things. Vegas now tracks your every bet since they can, but it sounds like Cruise ships just spot you like they use to do in Vegas, i.e. pit boss logs your bet every once in a while it is then averaged over time… ie 10 minutes, might mean 5 hands if they spotted you at $5 and $10 — they would give you a $7.5 for 5 hands .
Gary, you may want to do a little more research before giving your assumptions, rather than facts, about the subject of gambling on cruise ships. There were so many inaccuracies on this video that I wanted to grab you by the ear and demand that you stop talking about a subject with which you are so obviously unfamiliar. Start with poker tournaments. Both Carnival and NCL have annual championships akin to WSOP or WPT in which professional poker players attend. You either win a seat or buy into it for a hefty fee. They are great for poker players who cruise. I don't want to rant on and on about your silly utterances, but I assure you that slot machines are no less tight than our locals across the USA. You must have just pulled that 80% payout from thin air because they are not regulated and do not publish these rates as do land casinos, by jurisdiction requirement. Gamblers like to win. Without that thrill, we would go elsewhere for the excitement fix. Free drinks flow for the gamblers, but not for those who merely pass through the casino for that single nickel-saving purpose. I suggest that you stick to reviewing activities at ports; your educational gift is safe there.
I've found cruise ship odds on slot machines to be better than popular casinos on the vegas strip, but not as could as most of the smaller local casinos I have been to.
once cruise ships are in international waters, the casino rules are now subjected to their rules. i used to play these on cruise ships and one day got to gain my dealer trust, possibly we are of the same nationality and he probably didnt want me to lose all my money, but the dealer told me that these cards are missing certain cards to more favor the house.. in fact, certain games are tweaks to favor the house more often. when u are on their ships, its their rules that you are playing with. believe me or not, im just letting everyone know from what i learned.
as a poker player, the tournaments are not structured the same (they are considered turbos with no consolidating the tables for a final table for a bigger win)also a 20% rake
when you play poker at a table against other players , the house takes 10% of each pot and you get no reward points at all for playing, which i think is wrong seeing how much they rake the pot
Smart gambler. There's an oxymoron for you.
MSC let’s you use your card cruise to charge the room 😂
Take it from someone who knows… Machine percentages on ships usually range from 85 to 90%, basically the more you bet the better the return. Blackjack odds are the same (3 to.2) but 6 to 5 on low limit tables. Dealer also hits soft 17, which improves odds for the house slightly but this actually began in land base casinos and is still in place for some. Ultimate Texas Holdem, 3 Card Poker, Let it Ride, Roulette etc, etc (same odds). Craps is the same odds but there is a bet on the table "called" taking odds and some land base casino's allow you to bet 10 times or an unlimited amount behind your passline bet. Ships often only offer single odds (with overlay) or double odds for higher limit players. Higher limits still, will be given 3, 4 or 5 times odds.
I've never been on a cruise where there was no Poker tourney at all.
Interesting, I will never be in a casino on a cruise, so ty.
Blackjack pays 3-2 or 6-5 depending on the casino you go to on land – many only pay 6-5.
3:04 when I see people crying about people playing "wrong" I always drop to the minimum bet and split tens, hit hard 16 against a 6, etc….
It's my fucking money, you have no right to tell me how to fucking play. If you don't like it, leave. And they usually do leave and then I go back to enjoying myself. It's insanely rare to find a game where people are just there to have a good time in land casinos. And I fucking hate the guys that take it too seriously.
Maybe I should try a cruise ship one day. ☺️
I like the free alcohol once you reach a certain player level. Saves me the trouble of having to buy a drink package on RC. I can go to the casino if I’m at the pool, grab a drink and go right back to the pool.
Undeniably CRUISE are mega ship , mega Tourist TRAP surrounded by on board SHARKS
Royal Caribbean gives me free cruises all the time!
We are doing a free cruise in two weeks. We gambled a bit last time and left ahead. I play video poker and can tell the if odds are good before playing as opposed to slot machines.
What does he mean when he says roulette pay out are less surely it’s 35/1 straight up red black even money sides 2/1 how can it be any different ??
Dear Sir,
I recently LOST $20,000 on my last cruise 3 weeks ago. I most likely will never recover financially and this came out of no where. I cannot explain it. I want to cruise again but I am terrified. Does anyone know if cruise lines will actually assist in enforcing a limit that you can gamble?
I learned to play Blackjack on the Hoyle Casino PC games. Blackjack is still my table game of choice, both in real life, and in no money involved PC gaming.
No smoking in the casinos on cruises departing from Australia.
I worked in multiple casinos in Louisiana on the riverboat casinos in the Security and later Surveillance Department and I learned a lot about all the games and how to play and even counting cards. Surveillance employees are actually taught how to count cards in your head so you know how to recognize when a patron is doing it and stop them but with everything I learned I actually win and leave with a decent amount of money.
At casinos, you are paying for entertainment. Some entertainment costs more than others. Cruise casinos cost more. So if you like it and can afford it, enjoy it. If not, do something else for your entertainment.
This summer on MSC Splendida when I was in the casino every second gin tonic was free. Don't know why. Even at night on deck 16 next to the pool a very nice waiter was bringing me and my wife a lot of free drinks.
Stick to cards. There are no standards/regulations on slot machine payouts in international waters.
Actually I have done quite well on the slots the first night .. just sayin
I love the casino match! I added one of my casino cards (the lowest level, not even a high tier) to my Carnival account, and now I'm booked on an 8-day cruise for 2 and it was only $580. Includes free drinks while in the casino playing too! and $200 onboard credit! I highly recommend linking any casino card you have to your VIFP number.
Absolute BS, the good odds on landbased casinos are only on europe. In US you will get far worse odds than cruise ships. For example las vegas you will have hard time to find 2:3 BJ for 25$ on strip but will find that on all cruise ships. Also on roulette on ships its double zero and in vegas its now triple zero.
The problem with channels like BC Slots etc is they are all highly edited and you only see what that channel; wants you to see, nobody wants to watch half an hour of someone losing so you will rarely see that…as someone who works on these machines day in day out I can assure you 99% of youtube channels relayed to these machines are just not presenting the truth !
I walked out when I saw blackjack paid 6 to 5