What happened to Poker in the Casino's on HAL ships

[ole goat]

The Rotterdam IV and Nieuw Statendam no longer have a Texas Holdum Poker table in their casino.  Has all the HAL ships removed this activity?  What about the remainder of the Carnival Lines?  

 

I'm a 4star Mariner and would hate to switch Cruise Lines, but Poker is my favorite sea day past-time.

[Host Kat]

2 hours ago, ole goat said:

The Rotterdam IV and Nieuw Statendam no longer have a Texas Holdum Poker table in their casino.  Has all the HAL ships removed this activity?  What about the remainder of the Carnival Lines?  

 

I'm a 4star Mariner and would hate to switch Cruise Lines, but Poker is my favorite sea day past-time.

 

@ole goat

 

Thank you for your new thread on the Ask a Cruise Question forum! 👍 However, it is the forum for general questions regarding cruising & your inquiry is about a specific cruise line's casinos so your thread is off topic there.

 

To help you out I have moved your new thread to the Holland America Line forum where it will be on topic. You could also research the Cruise Casinos forum for a possible answer.

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[ATC]

I have heard the same thing. However, I was on Zaandam for 14 nights in June and played a cash game every night at the Automated table.

[iceman93]

In years gone by, my wife and I played Texas Hold'em at a real table with a real dealer most nights in the casino, and the table was always packed with people waiting to join.  A few years ago, the real table with real dealer was replaced with an automated, screen-based table that we still used for tournaments but saw empty most other times.  The cruise I just finished had no poker at all, but plenty of unused slot machines and bored dealers standing by empty table games of other types.

 

Hopefully HAL knows more than we passengers do, but it certainly seems like they're leaving money on the table (so to speak).

[Mary229]

I was on the Zaandam in July and my sister was playing poker at a table with a live dealer.  I don’t know what kind of poker. 

[DaveOKC]

8 minutes ago, iceman93 said:

In years gone by, my wife and I played Texas Hold'em at a real table with a real dealer most nights in the casino, and the table was always packed with people waiting to join.  A few years ago, the real table with real dealer was replaced with an automated, screen-based table that we still used for tournaments but saw empty most other times.  The cruise I just finished had no poker at all, but plenty of unused slot machines and bored dealers standing by empty table games of other types.

 

Hopefully HAL knows more than we passengers do, but it certainly seems like they're leaving money on the table (so to speak).

I am sure that HAL's casino operator has conducted detailed studies on how much revenue these tables bring in daily versus what else they could put in the same space (I would not think this is difficult to do).  However, sometimes the bean counters do not consider the ramifications such as how the DW will stay around and pour money into the slots while the DH is at the poker table.  Then again, I guess they know more about this that what we do. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

6 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I am sure that HAL's casino operator has conducted detailed studies on how much revenue these tables bring in daily versus what else they could put in the same space (I would not think this is difficult to do).  However, sometimes the bean counters do not consider the ramifications such as how the DW will stay around and pour money into the slots while the DH is at the poker table.  Then again, I guess they know more about this that what we do. 

Great point.   I am on the NS now - no poker - haven't spent a nickel in the casino.   On ships with poker, I am often in the casino, playing poker, or signing up etc...I often play slots or black jack while hanging around.  I will see the signs for the other promotions...Now I would have to seek them out and often don't....but I am sure HAL has this all figured out.   

 

They probably figure out how many slots can fit into the space of the poker table and run the numbers based on that ONLY...

[semibeater]

Just off the Zaandam in June 2023 and no poker table. Just the new table for heads up holdem against the dealer. No chance for raise and very bad odds IMO. BJ offers better odds. Previous table space replaced  with slots.

[ole goat]

Canceled my HAL cruise and booked a Princess Tran Atlantic. Good bye HAL. Princess still has at least electronic Texas holdum poker. 

[Hlitner]

I cannot help but think that HAL has made a decision to go after the slot crowd (some of the best odds favoring the casino) since they can be set to give a very generous return to the company.  Slots take relatively little space and require very little staffing.  The automated poker tables do take up a lot of space and likely generate a return far lower than allocating that same space to slots or Poker Machines.  Slots are also likely seen as a better fit for the HAL cruiser since it is a popular option for seniors (and their parents) and requires zero gambling skill.  One pit boss once told me, "anyone can play a slot."

 

Hank

[ole goat]

9 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I cannot help but think that HAL has made a decision to go after the slot crowd (some of the best odds favoring the casino) since they can be set to give a very generous return to the company.  Slots take relatively little space and require very little staffing.  The automated poker tables do take up a lot of space and likely generate a return far lower than allocating that same space to slots or Poker Machines.  Slots are also likely seen as a better fit for the HAL cruiser since it is a popular option for seniors (and their parents) and requires zero gambling skill.  One pit boss once told me, "anyone can play a slot."

 

Hank

 

[ole goat]

Just now, ole goat said:

 

You are probably right, however, they have lost Four star mariner for good. 🤨

[ChinaShrek]

18 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I cannot help but think that HAL has made a decision to go after the slot crowd (some of the best odds favoring the casino) since they can be set to give a very generous return to the company.  Slots take relatively little space and require very little staffing.  The automated poker tables do take up a lot of space and likely generate a return far lower than allocating that same space to slots or Poker Machines.  Slots are also likely seen as a better fit for the HAL cruiser since it is a popular option for seniors (and their parents) and requires zero gambling skill.  One pit boss once told me, "anyone can play a slot."

 

Hank

I asked one of the managers at my local casino in Maine about having poker games and he just laughed. He said he would make more money dedicating that space to slot machines then a Poker table, 

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

Is it possible that they didn’t have a “qualified/certified “ poker dealer on board at the time?  In between crew changes?   There was poker of some sort on Zaandam last week.

[DaveOKC]

No big surprise to me - I like live poker but given the space that it takes up plus the cost of dealer, plus the limited amount of time the table is used, certainly slots would be more profitable.

 

[bluesplayer]

I apologize to detour this thread.  Yet is a casino related question.  When you are in the St. Lawrence seaway (leaving Quebec City or Montreal) is that considered International waters?  or would the casino be closed until you reach the ocean?  Thank you for any response.   

[Hlitner]

44 minutes ago, AroundWithMAPTravels said:

Is it possible that they didn’t have a “qualified/certified “ poker dealer on board at the time?  In between crew changes?   There was poker of some sort on Zaandam last week.

More and more places are replacing dealers with automated poker tables (which we first saw on Celebrity Cruise lines).  The reality is that dealers are expensive (for the casino) and not only do they need to be paid, but they also take up valuable cabin space on a ship.  I think, as time goes on, we will see fewer dealers in the casino and more automation.  I do believe that the one game that will never be automated is Craps, which is the most fun place in many casinos and where the "true gamblers" often ply their trade.  Craps is a fantastic game, has some of the best odds (for the player), but does require several dealers to operate a single table.  Many cruise ship casinos do not have a craps table because they do require a lot of valuable space and are labor intensive.

 

Consider, you can operate a casino full of machines with a cashier, manager, and mechanic.  And, in some cases, they can even eliminate the mechanic and simply have a manager with some ability to make minor repairs.  Once you start to add tables, the operating costs begin to soar.

 

Hank

[mcrcruiser]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

More and more places are replacing dealers with automated poker tables (which we first saw on Celebrity Cruise lines).  The reality is that dealers are expensive (for the casino) and not only do they need to be paid, but they also take up valuable cabin space on a ship.  I think, as time goes on, we will see fewer dealers in the casino and more automation.  I do believe that the one game that will never be automated is Craps, which is the most fun place in many casinos and where the "true gamblers" often ply their trade.  Craps is a fantastic game, has some of the best odds (for the player), but does require several dealers to operate a single table.  Many cruise ship casinos do not have a craps table because they do require a lot of valuable space and are labor intensive.

 

Consider, you can operate a casino full of machines with a cashier, manager, and mechanic.  And, in some cases, they can even eliminate the mechanic and simply have a manager with some ability to make minor repairs.  Once you start to add tables, the operating costs begin to soar.

 

Hank

True Hank but table fames do draw people into the casinos .with out them casinos loose revenue bot fain revenue .I traveled into Las Vefas foing business with the gotels & Casinos for 35 years . BTW best odds ganes is Baracrat then Craps for true odds

[Thetideishigh2021]

I thought blackjack had the best player odds…

[DaveOKC]

14 minutes ago, Thetideishigh2021 said:

I thought blackjack had the best player odds…

It all depends on the rules at where you are playing.  

[ole goat]

Texas holdum poker does not have odds. You play against the other players at the table and the house takes a “rake” of 8-10% of the pots. Poker is more a game of skill rather than luck when compared with blackjack 

[iceman93]

23 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

I asked one of the managers at my local casino in Maine about having poker games and he just laughed. He said he would make more money dedicating that space to slot machines then a Poker table, 

This kind of short-sighted response is sadly unsurprising.  Why not make the whole casino slots, then?  Remove all the bars and restaurants, all the table games, everything else and just put in slots.  By a dollars-per-square-foot basis, this would maximize profits, no?

 

They forget that not everyone goes to the casino for slots.  And they also forget there are diminishing returns for each additional slot machine.  At some point they will have attracted all the slots players they're going to, and adding more machines just spreads those people out but doesn't actually bring in any more revenue.  Meanwhile, everyone else who doesn't play slots takes their money elsewhere.  And their incidental spend which, most likely, is a lot higher than the average slot player's.

[kazu]

I’m not going to get into a discussion on odds as I am not knowledgeable enough but I can certainly state there were poker tables on the Oosterdam and Koningsdam - and those cruises are not that outdated.  (Last year and this year)

[ensredshirt]

On 9/4/2023 at 5:33 PM, bluesplayer said:

I apologize to detour this thread.  Yet is a casino related question.  When you are in the St. Lawrence seaway (leaving Quebec City or Montreal) is that considered International waters?  or would the casino be closed until you reach the ocean?  Thank you for any response.   

The casino was open and I was playing blackjack the night we left Quebec City.  Pretty sure it was open the night before between Montreal and Quebec City as well. 

[ensredshirt]

20 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

True Hank but table fames do draw people into the casinos .with out them casinos loose revenue bot fain revenue .I traveled into Las Vefas foing business with the gotels & Casinos for 35 years . BTW best odds ganes is Baracrat then Craps for true odds

I honestly wish HAL had a learn how to play craps activity I would have really enjoyed that.