Answers from a NCL cruise

I just came back from a cruise and found a few answers to questions that I always had.

I've always wondered if Blackjack is fair on a ship of if they slipped a few aces and tens out of the deck before they started. I watched them start up both shoes and auto shufflers and they were using full decks. That was good to know.

Casinos,as an age old marketing trick, keep the loosest machines near the front by the check-in desk to entice you to play. The ship casinos do a different trick. They adjust the payoffs so that the machines are more generous at the begining of the cruise to gain your interest. One of the workers told me that on the sly.

Last, I always tought that they couldn't' open until they got into international waters. Apparently this varies from country to country. We had at least one stop where is seemed like they opened it up before the ship cleared the pier. It wouldn't have mattered though because there were always a bunch of addicts who were at the tables and machines just waiting for the opening.

Quote: Lovecomps

The ship casinos do a different trick. They adjust the payoffs so that the machines are more generous at the begining of the cruise to gain your interest. One of the workers told me that on the sly.

I find that very unlikely no matter what you were told. Most casino employees have no idea how slot machines work and if you listen to them you will often get misleading information. Not because they are trying to mislead you, they just believe everything they hear and most is false.

I still think that it would be a good way to make people drop a few extra bucks.

Quote: Lovecomps

I still think that it would be a good way to make people drop a few extra bucks.

It would, but probably not worth the effort involved. It is not as easy and just sending a command from your computer.

I know that Tachi Casino in California changed their video poker paytables during the night because I was checking them and they changed after my night of gambling. This was at least 5 years ago.

Before, machines needed to be reprogrammed with a key chip, but maybe cruises are using server technology now?

the ship probably doesn't have anyone on-board who knows how to adjust slot machines and probably no one they would trust to do it.

Quote: smoothgrh

Before, machines needed to be reprogrammed with a key chip, but maybe cruises are using server technology now?

I know the big cruise line with 104 ships doesn't use server based games and I haven't seen many on other ships that I have been on.

Quote: smoothgrh

I know that Tachi Casino in California changed their video poker paytables during the night because I was checking them and they changed after my night of gambling. This was at least 5 years ago.

Before, machines needed to be reprogrammed with a key chip, but maybe cruises are using server technology now?

I don't doubt you but I do doubt that they do it every night or even regularly. I have changed paytables on hundreds if not thousands of machines and the casinos do prefer to do it at night when the casino isn't as busy.

NCL, in my experience (4 cruises) does things a little differently than the big 104 ships combined cruise line. Their games are a bit closer to good Vegas odds, they do have some knowledgeable casino employees, and they run a halfway decent comp player's club. (CasinoatSea)

Some tips from the past, please see their programs for current bennies:

1. Once you have a confirmed sailing, you can usually buy chits in advance via the website at 50% face value to use onboard, ie $40 freeplay on either/both slots or tables for $20. This is not available once on board.

2. If you join in advance, and play early, you can earn free drinks pretty quickly, and avoid the heavy cost of onboard cocktails for the remainder of your cruise. If you play big enough, they then start sending champagne, cigars, other bennies to you at the table.

3. Several times a day, they walk around and randomly drop money on people playing, ie hot seat type of promo.

4. Again several times a day (at least twice) they run BJ tournaments for a small fee relative to the winnings available.

5. They offer games most cruise lines don't, like PGP, UTH, Spanish 21, craps, and minibacc. (Standards on other cruise lines I've seen are roulette, 3CP, BJ with sidebets, LIR, and Caribbean Stud: they offer most ior all of those as well.)

6. The dealers are employed by NCL as crewmembers, instead of what most cruise lines do, which is hire a third-party dealer/casino concessionaire. This means they can run on a narrower overall HE because their overhead is lower, and that's reflected (IMO) by their offerings being better.

7. The pit bosses have discretionary comps to the premium restaurants, saving you $20-30-40 per person surcharge.

8. Their VP is still crap for the most part. Slots are pretty new. I haven't been on for a couple years, but I would expect to see Miss Stud and HCF these days. Maybe the OP can tell us what games his ship offered (and which one it was - different ships have different sized casinos).

9. Once you sail with CasinosatSea once and give them decent play, they will comp cruises several times a year, both by calling you and sending a lot of mail. Those offers usually include at least some freeplay.

All FWIW, and likely at least some is out of date.

Bbb that is very true about their dealers. We were playing and I made a joke about the next day with being in port all day they would have a free day and he laughed and said he will be cooking at the buffet all day

Quote: DRich

I don't doubt you but I do doubt that they do it every night or even regularly. I have changed paytables on hundreds if not thousands of machines and the casinos do prefer to do it at night when the casino isn't as busy.

I should clarify: I was there only one night when I saw the change in paytables.