Cruise Ship Casinos

Hello
I had a question about Roulette and Craps in the casino on a cruise ship.

Doesn't the fact that the ship is moving alter the way a dice is thrown
or how much the roulette wheel is spun?

I dont think it really makes much of a difference, but this is only my opinion. I Imagine they would close the casino during major storms, so I do not think it would be much of an issue.

As ever I could be wrong as this is not from experience.

Quote: Croupier

I dont think it really makes much of a difference, but this is only my opinion. I Imagine they would close the casino during major storms, so I do not think it would be much of an issue.

As ever I could be wrong as this is not from experience.

I was on a cruise ship going near hurricane Charley in '04, and it was also when the ship was making it's "Sharp" turn around Cuba to get back to the port in Miami. I remember putting a golf ball on the floor and it rolled all the way to the other side of the ship, on a rug. I went to the casino and it was business as usual. It likely affected the outcome of rolls and spins, but in no way that could have been used for an advantage.

For roulette, being on a moving ship shouldn't affect the probabilities of a particular number coming up.

For someone who practices dice control in Craps, I'm not really sure. It's an interesting question. In very stormy weather, it seems reasonable that the movement of the ship would hurt the shooters accuracy.

I took a day trip casino ship out of South Carolina, and the ship was rocking badly while I was shooting craps. I actually commented that it's tough to shoot when the target is moving.

But I'm not a control shooter. If I was, I would have had troubles. Then again, I blame the ship's motion for my quick 7 out.

I've been on four cruises, and most of the time you're not even conscience about the ship moving. If forced to think about it, a slight vibration I think is normal. However, on the open seas, it can get a little choppy at times. Here are some specifics:

Short cruise between Miami and Grand Bahama Island: Choppiest cruise I've been on. I was personally a little uncomfortable, but still functional. It was worse heading west back to Miami.

Cruise from Vancouver to Whittier, Alaska: Whittier is near Anchorage, FYI. Most of the cruise was perfectly fine weaving around the passages of southern Alaska. However there was one day at sea heading north up to Whittier, and that was a bit choppy, especially at night. I asked for a pill for motion sickness. I'm not sure what they gave me, but it put me away -- I slept like a rock for ten hours. I'd be interested to know what was in it.

Cruise from Los Angeles to Acapulco and back: I was a little worried about this one, being in the open Pacific the whole time, but it was fine.

Cruise from Seattle to Juneau and back: Absolutely perfectly fine. Calmest water I've seen on a cruise. The ship went on the west side of Vancouver Island, but the ride was still smooth.

I'm sure in all of these cruises the casinos operated normally. The Bahamas cruise didn't have a casino.

Quote: amidnitespecial

Hello
I had a question about Roulette and Craps in the casino on a cruise ship.

Doesn't the fact that the ship is moving alter the way a dice is thrown
or how much the roulette wheel is spun?

Interesting idea. I've been on only one cruise. The casino was fairly near the middle of the ship so any affect from waves would be muted.

This sounds like somehting they should try out on "Mythbusters."

It was most likely Dramamine they gave you. I have found ships tend to stock that. If you want a motion sickness pill that won't knock you out, buy Bonine over the counter.

Evening all.

I've Been working as a dealer, then floor supervisor and finally manager for 12 years now on cruise lines, we have NEVER closed due to rough weather, had a few times when its been fun though...

Roulette: you would at first think the tilt of the ship (As they list one way in the wind) would impact the wheel, but as the middle section spins, its always going to be random where the ball still lands.

Dice: No noticable effect either, not a big beleiver in control shooters, and dealt craps for 20 years, so seen a lot of players come and go, but as other posters said its very rare you are even aware the ship is moving, especially on a large vessel (think 100+ thousand tons displacement) and they just don't move about that much.

Its actually on blackjack where we have the most problems...

1st because the card discard holders often don't work as the ship has tilted too far and the cards fall out, and 2nd because the dealers have to concentrate very hard at a fixed distance, and in real bad weather it helps bring on motion sickness when you concentrate like this, seen plenty of BJ dealers turn green and bolt for the nearest rest room. Once you've seen this a few times you get to recognize the signs and are prepared for it, but did see a dealer abandon the table once unsupervised.

For the REAL (although small) advantage in bad weather, most ship casinos offer a fair ground style game with coin pushers, if the cruise is rough, go and have a look, as coins almost always fall out and are free to the first one who gets there, seen amounts up to $5 fall on regular basis. Just drop this into the nearest 25c slot machine and try your luck genuine risk free gambling - Cool.

The samller ships are a different story, and been through the tail end of hurricanes three times and the ships lke a toy in the bathtub, all the guests are hiding in room (some even with life preservers on...)

Ah happy times....

Great, thanks everyone for the information.