I'm not a Gambler. I play for this Comps. Would you?

I love the sea and cruising. The ship casino award 0.12 points for every $100 bet on Baccarat. I play with a partner on the electronic bac terminal who play the opposite hand. So for the non commission bac my share of the loss is $12.50 per point. For 12 points I get I free cruise night i.e. $150. Now I can buy the cruise with cash but have to pay $375. The points itself is quite useless as the points required to book the cruise work out to be worth 1/10 of this 12 points target.

I know BJ (with CSM) has a lower HA and the casino award cost only $4.00 per point. I play perfect BS but few play BJ. So with an empty table the speed of play outweighs the lower HA and the variance.

So playing in the casino I can go on the cruise 2 1/2 times more than paying cash. Would you be interested?

what about "port fees" and taxes?

revel tried to give me a free cruise outright, but when I looked into it there were about $400 in fees and taxes that weren't included in the "free cruise."

Quote: sodawater

what about "port fees" and taxes?

revel tried to give me a free cruise outright, but when I looked into it there were about $400 in fees and taxes that weren't included in the "free cruise."

Yes I have to pay "port fees" and taxes.

AFAIK, many cruise ships either do cheat or have a tendency to cheat. Plus, I have no interest in going on a cruise, since I've never heard any good experiences from a cruise. So no, I'm not interested.

I'd be impressed if they could cheat someone playing player/banker simultaneously on an electronic machine.

Well, I've had the craps machine at Binion's jam up and net let me remove my bets because it claimed a problem with the door, and got dragged off the machine at Silverton by security to check my ID-- while having several hundred in bets they wouldn't let me take down.

Play slowly. Tip the floorperson to increase your rating. Bet less when he's not looking. There are a lot of things you can do.

Quote: RS

AFAIK, many cruise ships either do cheat or have a tendency to cheat. Plus, I have no interest in going on a cruise, since I've never heard any good experiences from a cruise. So no, I'm not interested.

I was just wondering how you come to this conclusion? Is it from personal experience on a cruise ship or simply heresay from others?

I no longer have any allegiances with any cruise ship casino company but I have worked for quite a few in my day. There was never ANY cheating going on. Our head offices are all American companies that have a hell of a lot more to lose than to gain by cheating people betting $10 on blackjack.

The limits are too low and the consequences too high for a cruise ship casino to cheat.

They don't only lose customers but they lose cruise segments, which costs them a whole bunch more. Remember most cruise companies have in house casinos. You have to ask yourself, which would they rather have? A full cruise ship or a full casino?

It really is a no brainer.

Perhaps you might even like cruising once you give it a go?

Quote: Tomspur

I was just wondering how you come to this conclusion? Is it from personal experience on a cruise ship or simply heresay from others?

I no longer have any allegiances with any cruise ship casino company but I have worked for quite a few in my day. There was never ANY cheating going on. Our head offices are all American companies that have a hell of a lot more to lose than to gain by cheating people betting $10 on blackjack.

The limits are too low and the consequences too high for a cruise ship casino to cheat.

They don't only lose customers but they lose cruise segments, which costs them a whole bunch more. Remember most cruise companies have in house casinos. You have to ask yourself, which would they rather have? A full cruise ship or a full casino?

It really is a no brainer.

Perhaps you might even like cruising once you give it a go?

I have to disagree. For instance, just because you say that there was never ANY cheating going on only means that you were never aware of it. The most likely scenario is a rogue dealer cheating the players, so that he can cheat against the house with his confederate, or a supervisor trying to make sure his casino makes the numbers for that cruise. I don't think anyone really believes that there is a systematic, corporate-wide cheating conspiracy going on. What are the consequences if a dealer/supervisor is caught dealing seconds, shorting the shoe, selectively upcarding, or filing the backs of tens with sandpaper, and who would even catch them? International waters gaming commission?

Here's an example: as the casino manager, you find out a known whale is going to be on your ship. You call your friend to book the cruise, cheat the whale, and make sure your friend wins while insuring a healthy profit for the ship.

Quote: tongni

I have to disagree. For instance, just because you say that there was never ANY cheating going on only means that you were never aware of it. The most likely scenario is a rogue dealer cheating the players, so that he can cheat against the house with his confederate, or a supervisor trying to make sure his casino makes the numbers for that cruise. I don't think anyone really believes that there is a systematic, corporate-wide cheating conspiracy going on. What are the consequences if a dealer/supervisor is caught dealing seconds, shorting the shoe, selectively upcarding, or filing the backs of tens with sandpaper, and who would even catch them? International waters gaming commission?

Here's an example: as the casino manager, you find out a known whale is going to be on your ship. You call your friend to book the cruise, cheat the whale, and make sure your friend wins while insuring a healthy profit for the ship.

You clearly have no idea which type of people are dealers on a cruise ship......I do.

I caught 4 dealers stealing cash, that was it. Strangely they were all from the same country....not getting into that.

I have to say, unless you have concrete proof (of course you don't) best not to talk about something you have very little knowledge of........take it, leave it, I don't really care!

Quote: tongni

The most likely scenario is a rogue dealer cheating the players, so that he can cheat against the house with his confederate, or a supervisor trying to make sure his casino makes the numbers for that cruise.

Never having taken a cruise, I ask whether the onboard casinos have eyes in the sky anywhere near as extensive as those in land-based casinos?

Quote: SanchoPanza

Never having taken a cruise, I ask whether the onboard casinos have eyes in the sky anywhere near as extensive as those in land-based casinos?

The answer is YES. Seen them intervene on many occasions.

The earlier comment about the "casino making the numbers for the cruise" is outrageous. The casino can be unlucky and lose money.

Ship casinos are not licensed. So it is possible for a small 1 ship outfit to cheat. But the ship I go on has a market cap greater than Caesars and second only to Sands.

I've been on 10 cruises on 4 different cruise lines, so some experience, not huge. In my experience, however, I've really never had the slightest doubt about the games being honest (beyond whatever odds are set; some paytables suck). Dealer mistakes are corrected, the house insists on hearing about any adverse experience, there is plenty of surveillance and follow-up. In fact, in my experience the shipboard dealers get called on from above for the tiniest mistake, where a lot of land-based casinos will simply wave off a small amount as long as it favored the player.