Texas Hold 'em Players Step Inside

[KKB]

On Princess & RCCL they have Poker Pro tables; not a fan, but, hey, captive audience, so whatcha gonna do? I find that people are distracted by the technology; it IS different than a game w/ a live dealer. AND I think they respond like a video game...you don't have real chips in front of you, and I think it desensitizes players to the fact that they are truly playing w/ cash...they might make calls that they might not make if they had physical chips.

 

10% up to $10 rake; BE CAREFUL--if there are only 3 or 4 of you that want to play, ask them to turn off the rake. DH & I were playing cash w/ one of the loose players & taking her money...after 30 min. I realized there was $50 less on the table than when the 3 of us sat down--yep, rake! Even tho we were taking her money, NOT worth it.

 

DH & I are tight/aggressive players in tourney play. We have each won a free cruise (DH on Princess, me on RCCL) playing the tourneys. But don't get me wrong--on this last cruise, DH had to play THREE qualifiers to make it. We found about 3 people were clueless, 3 people were solid but timid, and 3 people seemed solid & comfortable. BUT those clueless (loose...) took DH out twice with suck outs in his first 2 qualifiers. Funny, at the final table, the top 3 were DH, DB & me--I was worried someone might claim collusion! (honestly, we just tried to stay out of each other's way--luckily we didn't have any hands to get into it with each other until we were top 3). BTW, DB had a huge stack when we got heads up--and then I caught fire. So you never know.

 

Don't try to bluff/represent (same thing) clueless loose players--you will get caught. BUT solid timid players are ripe for bluffing--but if they are calling, they probably have it! Honestly, you are better off NOT bluffing at all--especially as a beginner, and particularly at cash games (you can get blinded out without a bit of bluffing/pushing in tourneys). If you are patient, hands will come. Minimize your errors & maximize theirs....I am always amazed at players who keep betting bigger & bigger...and I keep calling & calling. Then I find they have A high; top pair; or are bluffing---what did you think I had to keep calling larger & larger bets? You are NEVER priced into a hand when you KNOW you are beat...probably the biggest mistake I see.

[patseacruiser]

On the Jewel a few weeks ago the rake at the cash game was 10% up to $25. Yes you read that right. It was the biggest rip off I have encountered. And the best part is when the pot is not that high and there's a 4 card broadway on the board and everyone is re-raising. The only winner there is the house for the rake.

[gogetter]

When i went on the legend last Spetember the casino host bought the table a round. I guess it all depends on how nice they are and if you ask!

[DoubleEntry]

I usually go out on Celebrity and was only comped one time for a drink. Anyone know the deal with the Royale Club on RCCL?

 

Thanks

 

Jeff

[Elliot R]

Does anyone know if they are running hold em on this ship?

[fastrock]

below link will take you to cruise ships with PokerPro tables.

http://www.pokertek.com/locations/#world

[cruzwinnr]

...The rake on Carnival's ships is 10%, up to $7. Just sailed on the Carnival Destiny and can tell you first hand that this info is correct. I normally sail with Carnival once or twice a year and this rake figure has been the same for several years now. I can tell you that there was one minor change. There is no rake taken if there is no flop. There used to be a rake regardless, even if it was folded around to the small blind and he/she folded. Now, no flop, no rake.

 

...Regarding the size of the rake, IMHO it is a fair figure. The rakes here in South Florida card rooms tend to be 5% up to $7, but when you figure in a couple of dollars for a dealer tip, plus extra on a monster pot, (there obviously is no tip on the PokerPro tables) Carnival's rake seems fair to me.

I was on the Carnival Dream last week with the $100k poker tornament with Chris Moneymaker and the rake was to a max of $6 even on higher limit tables. They had 10 tables in a separate lounge. Also they did not take any rake until the 4th player joined the game.