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Enjoy Casinos at Sea; Norwegian Cruise Line's selection of games and entertainment for the perfect casino cruise. Play blackjack, poker, and other games while on the cruise ship. Nov 18, 2010 This was taken out of Hurricane Mikey's trip report on a cruise ship. I thought it was an interesting srew job. There was one table in particular that I thought was amazing-it had the best rules I've ever seen on a Blackjack table.
There was one table in particular that I thought was amazing--it had the best rules I've ever seen on a Blackjack table. It was an eight-deck shoe, but any 21 was an automatic winner, no waiting for the dealer to make a hand and maybe push--if you drew to a 21, you got paid instantly. And if you got a blackjack, a 5-card 21, a 6-7-8 21, or a 7-7-7 21, you got paid instantly at 3:2 (no waiting to see if the dealer got a blackjack, either). You could double after *any* card, not just the third one, double after splits, re-hit split Aces, and they offered late surrender. I couldn't believe it! It was like the most amazing set of player-friendly rules ever!
Then, three days into the cruise, I found out that there we no queens in the deck. WTF? Nope, they didn't have that posted anywhere on the table, nor where they offering up that info voluntarily. You had to ask. That's 32 fewer chances to get a blackjack, a HUGE advantage for the house, so I immediately colored up and quit playing as soon as I learned that. I just never noticed that there were no queens coming out. It turned out that all of their blackjack tables had some sort of god-awful Harrah-fied rules, so after that, I avoided the blackjack tables altogether.
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I was deceived at first by the game Triple Action Hold Em at Binion's, which uses eights to aces only. Maybe the felt mentioned it somewhere, but I played several hands before I realized something was fishy, and the dealer confirmed my suspicion that there were only high cards in the deck.
I was on a cruise ship half a dozen years ago in which some players suspected incomplete decks of cards. The casino was not open 24 hours, and when it opened for players to enter, the cards were already shuffled (supposedly) and in the shoes, ready for the deal. We never got to see them spread on the table face up, as most of us were accustomed to seeing when a table was first opened. The dealers and supervisor claimed that the decks were standard and complete, and I had no well-based reason to doubt them, but a fair number of my fellow players thought that there was a distinct shortage of face cards. No, the casino was not willing to spread the cards for examination, even at the shuffle, claiming that it would delay play, or some such. I only played BJ when the crap table was not open for business. The dice certainly appeared to have the standard number of pips.
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That's 32 fewer chances to get a blackjack, a HUGE advantage for the house, so I immediately colored up and quit playing as soon as I learned that. I just never noticed that there were no queens coming out. It turned out that all of their blackjack tables had some sort of god-awful Harrah-fied rules, so after that, I avoided the blackjack tables altogether.
I suppose fraud is not a crime on the high seas. This would certainly be both fraud and cheating if it happened on dry land.
No, the casino was not willing to spread the cards for examination, even at the shuffle, claiming that it would delay play, or some such.
Heck no! I'd never play that way. I've been on Day Boats wherein the shuffling is done in domestic waters but the gambling doesn't start until the boat is in international waters. Sure they don't allow curious passengers to mill around when they are filling the table's banks, but during the shuffle of multiple decks into a shoe anyone with a mind to can watch. It does not in any way delay play to demonstrate the casino's honesty!Thread Rating:
I counted down about 20 8 deck shoes on a cruise. All but one ended with a positive count. One thing I noted is they never spread new decks on the tables. They simply lock up the shoes in a cainet with cards in them, and take them back out when the casino reopens.
The question was 'conditions on cruise casinos if I remember.
Been on 5 cruises in the last 2 years, wasn't my idea, the wife wanted to go cruising, 4 on Carnival, 1 on Royal Caribbean. I gave up casino gambling many years ago, took up mountain climbing as an alternative (better odds). But now I was back, stuck on a boat w/family (actually had a good time even if you remove the casino part).
Carnival: nice boats/crew/stateroom attendants/food. Bad coffee. BJ was 6 and 10 and 25 min tables, weird side bets, 10 table was 1000 max, hit soft 17, split to 4 hands, double after split, no surrender. 4 trips, 4 ships, always continuous shuffle machines, which at the time I thought I liked ( not a card counter). Trip 3 was half comped, trip 4 (Alaska 7 day) was fully comped by their 'Players Club' which I still believe is an almost good outfit. Ask for Maurice by phone.
Royal Caribbean: same start except good coffee. Only remember 10 and 25 min tables. Miserable max. 10 min/300 max, 25 min /500 max. Both the worst I have ever encountered anywhere anytime. I'm a progressive bet player, will not sail with RCI again. Was in a fully comped Jr Suite (really nice) and wish the casino circumstances were different on board. I was on a bad streak for the first 3 nights, won a little back on the 4th that I played. If the min/max limits had been more normal I actually would have lost more so I cannot complain too much. But I know the limits my strategy needs, know the house theoretically should not fear me, and know I will not sail again on Royal Caribbean. Sad, everything else was great!.
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Some cruise casinos cheat, as they have no overseeing authority. I've posted about this before on other forums.
I counted down about 20 8 deck shoes on a cruise. All but one ended with a positive count. One thing I noted is they never spread new decks on the tables. They simply lock up the shoes in a cainet with cards in them, and take them back out when the casino reopens.
Which ship was this? Just like land casinos, most large cruise ships these days are owned by mega-corporations who have little incentive to cheat players. (Offering decent rules/playing conditions is a different story.) If it was some tiny European ferry operation, though, I could see it happening.
Source: worked on cruise ships for 7 years, not as a dealer, but was and still am good friends with many of the dealers/managers I met onboard. They work MUCH harder than in any land-based casino.Carnival: nice boats/crew/stateroom attendants/food. Bad coffee. BJ was 6 and 10 and 25 min tables, weird side bets, 10 table was 1000 max, hit soft 17, split to 4 hands, double after split, no surrender. 4 trips, 4 ships, always continuous shuffle machines, which at the time I thought I liked ( not a card counter). Trip 3 was half comped, trip 4 (Alaska 7 day) was fully comped by their 'Players Club' which I still believe is an almost good outfit. Ask for Maurice by phone.
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Thanks for the BJ report. Did you happen to notice the odds/minimums at the craps table or any VP paytables?Source: worked on cruise ships for 7 years, not as a dealer, but was and still am good friends with many of the dealers/managers I met onboard. They work MUCH harder than in any land-based casino.
OAD, care to elaborate? No reason, I'm just curious what they have to deal with.
Funny this thread should crop back up as I just booked a cabin on the Carnival Sensation.
Thanks for the BJ report. Did you happen to notice the odds/minimums at the craps table or any VP paytables?
OAD, care to elaborate? No reason, I'm just curious what they have to deal with.
Don't remember anything about the other games, partially because I've never played them. 2F
Which ship was this? Just like land casinos, most large cruise ships these days are owned by mega-corporations who have little incentive to cheat players. (Offering decent rules/playing conditions is a different story.) If it was some tiny European ferry operation, though, I could see it happening.
Source: worked on cruise ships for 7 years, not as a dealer, but was and still am good friends with many of the dealers/managers I met onboard. They work MUCH harder than in any land-based casino.
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I don't recall the ship name, but it was a Royal Caribb ship. I don't know the specifics here, but often, the casino will be owned by a different company, not the cruise line.
They have plenty of incentive to cheat - $$ with no regulatory authority to oversee them in international waters. I know other APs who have reported the same.
I don't recall the ship name, but it was a Royal Caribb ship. I don't know the specifics here, but often, the casino will be owned by a different company, not the cruise line.
They have plenty of incentive to cheat - $$ with no regulatory authority to oversee them in international waters. I know other APs who have reported the same.
I think I'm done with gambling on cruise ships maybe. I mean, there's a door, or double door, right from the casino out to the rail on the ship. Way to easy for you to accidentally fall overboard. At least on land they just escort you to the door....just saying......2F
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On my last cruise on Carnival Liberty, one afternoon I got lucky and turned my $60 buy-in into over $400 after about 2 hours. When I came back later that evening after dinner, I was given the 'drinks on us' card for the rest of the cruise - free drinks in the casino only. That is usually earned after earning 1500 slot points; so that was the first time I ever received that since there's no way I would run enough through a slot or VP machine to earn that many points. I would routinely buy-in for only $60 or so, and played until I lost it or until we wanted to do something else on board. The last night of the cruise, I splurged, and bought in for $100, and walked away with $275. Most of the time, though, it's rare to come out ahead in a Carnival Cruise casino.