Casino Poker Tournament

[AbbyCruiser45]

Hi all, 

My boyfriend is interested in the poker tournaments on board but there is not a lot of info online. What is the general structure of them? He’s wondering about starting chips, blind levels, number of players, and how many places are paid out. I doubt it varies by ship, but we’ll be on Edge.
 

Thanks in advance!

[Andrewgary]

Finally a topic I can answer! My experience has been on the Solstice class ships typically on transatlantics. On sea days the casino is open all day and the poker table (some cruises have electronic tables but the last few cruises featured only one table with a live dealer) usually runs several tournaments throughout the day and then at night it runs a cash game (either 1/2 or 2/5 NL). The tournaments are usually $60 buy-in with $10 of that going to the rake. The structure is not great and is geared towards finishing the game within an hour. Blinds go up every ten minutes or so and it becomes an all in or fold situation fairly quickly. The real fun is at night when the cash game starts about 9 PM and runs till after midnight. The rake is pretty high but the play is pretty soft and if your boyfriend knows the ins and outs he can make a profit. I have always had a great time meeting people at the table and have wound up becoming buddies with several of them over the years. Tell your boyfriend to look for me, I'll be the one holding the nuts, unless I'm bluffing.

[KKB]

I second everything Andrew said above. They are not great structure but you are a captive audience so what are you going to do? We do find that MOST people who play poker on cruises are not very good & even with the rotten structure DH & I usually cash 1 or 2 tournaments.

 

I prefer tourneys to cash but our last Celebrity cruise I did well at the cash table. Turned $100 into $800 one night. Would have won more if the dealer had not made a comment to entice another player to call. Yep, you heard that right. The player was pondering a call (I was semi-bluffing) & appeared to be about to fold when the dealer said "What have you got to lose?" I was stunned. I have played poker for over 15 years & have NEVER had a dealer do such a thing. I was so angry I had to walk away that night. A player who had player a tournament with me commented that he couldn't believe it either. When I spoke to a pit boss the next day she asked if I won or lost the hand. I said that is irrelevant. (I lost). She said if I lost then clearly I am just disgruntled over the loss. Um NO, losing a hand is part of poker, but you need to train your dealers to KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT in regards to a hand being played! Needless to say I chose NOT to play poker the rest of the cruise. 

 

One more thing...I was the only woman at the table & this dealer had been a bit of an ass to me. I sensed he was not a fan of a woman at the poker table--especially one who plays well. 

I NEVER complain on comment cards on a ship, only praise. NOT THAT TIME. I was very specific in my comments that time!

[ipeeinthepool]

3 hours ago, Andrewgary said:

Finally a topic I can answer! 

 

I see you're fairly new to CC.  Remember, having some knowledge about a subject is not a requirement to respond.  😉

[AbbyCruiser45]

4 hours ago, Andrewgary said:

Tell your boyfriend to look for me, I'll be the one holding the nuts, unless I'm bluffing.

Thanks for the detailed response! He really appreciated it. I also learned a new poker term, I thought you either had a bar nut obsession or something else all together 😂

[AriellaGentry]

Sounds cool, by the way. I'd love to help you but I only recently started playing. Hope the comment below is more helpful to you than mine. When I started I thought I caught luck by the tail but I wouldn't say it's as easy as it sounds. Yes, luck comes into play, but I think you have to know what you're getting into. It's very important to know everything thoroughly. I've read a lot of different information and people's opinions on the Internet, but after all, https://bambetcasino.com/ became the coolest guide for me into the casino industry. I think I should see if there is any information about tournaments.

Edited January 16, 2023 by AriellaGentry

[Hutcha]

Everything @Andrewgarysaid! Tourneys on every cruise ship are fast paced and designed to get you in and out. There is little skill involved. Pick your moments to push. Don't be disappointed when you get sucked out on (ask your bf) by a person that pushes with an inside straight draw, because 3-6 off suite is there favorite hand after all.

 

The cash game is good to play, but the rake is very high. You have to play tight to avoid the casino siphoning off your cash. I've sat on a table, for a few hours before, and watched people continually pull out more cash to buy chips. When I look around, to see who was winning, no one really had much of a stack. I think they were taking 10% a hand, up to $10