Big win in the casino?

[mammallama]

Has anybody ever seen someone win BIG in the casinos (or won big themselves)? Just wondering how often there are BIG winners. FYI, I always lose.:(

[MadCnty]

Well last cruise the lady in the cabin next to us won the progressive on video poker. We think she won about $1,300.00. When we asked her if she had already booked her next cruise, she said "No, I spent it all in Kechikan"... To make it even worse, she even stated that cruising was "not for me":eek: . To each their own, but to us it couldn't have gotten any better, + $1300.00 and a cruise to Alaska, on a beautiful ship:rolleyes:.

[Alexis]

Years ago my neighbors won $3000 plus playing a slot machine on a RCCL cruise. That is the most I have heard about, or seen on our 20 cruises.

[Virginia Zees]

I won 8000 quarters in the Titanic slot machine on the AOS this past April.

[JodiBB]

Has anybody ever seen someone win BIG in the casinos (or won big themselves)? Just wondering how often there are BIG winners. FYI, I always lose.:(

 

When I was 19, I took a Carnival Cruise with my family down the Mexican Riviera. I remember meeting the Casino Slots manager and he told me a woman had won a $1,000,000 slots pot the previous week.

 

What upset him was that many times when someone wins that kind of pot, they will tip the casino...as they live off the tips much more than their salaries...this woman took her money and ran without leaving a tip or even saying thank you...

 

He was SO angry!!!

[Folgy]

On my Serenade cruise this August .I gambled every night. At the end of the cruise I counted up my money...I was 4.00$ to the good after all was said and done.(including tips)

[ricko1]

We were on the Monarch last weekend. Someone won $20,000 on a $5 machine. Also someone won $1,000 on a quarter machine. Unfortunatly we never win any thing worth mentioning.

[Sophie]

The most we have won was $40.00 on the nickle slots.

[wolfganghowell]

Last year on Celebrity Millie I saw a guy win twice on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine. Over $1000 each time. Of course, when I played it, it was evil. I did win $500 on a Haywire slot on Century. In 6 cruises, I haven't seen a whole lot of slot wins. But the few that I have witnessed were usually well over $1000 - on dollars and once on the $5. I just don't see very many people playing the $5.

[MszKitty]

In Aug '03 my husband won $4,000 on a slot machine on the Carnival Victory. The funny thing is, he NEVER plays slots, but he was a bit down because he was down a few hundred dollars on the blackjack table, so just for the heck of it, he decided to try his luck at a machine. He took $20 and put it in a slot machine. BAM!...$4,000! After that, he got luckier at the blackjack table and he ended up getting back his losses there. Paid for our trip!

[Desertbelle]

Being from Vegas I can tell you that most "winners" are liars!! I am sure there are exceptions but generally if they win $1000 they either already had that much or more into the machine or will put it all back in afterward. Casinos don't get to be as big and rich as they are on winners!

[MszKitty]

Being from Vegas I can tell you that most "winners" are liars!! I am sure there are exceptions but generally if they win $1000 they either already had that much or more into the machine or will put it all back in afterward. Casinos don't get to be as big and rich as they are on winners!

I hope you weren't implying that my husband (or me) is a liar. I was there...I saw the money going in and out. I saw the losses from the blackjack table, then I was there when he received the $4,000 , and I was there when he won back his losses on the blackjack table. I know how much money we had when we started the cruise and how much MORE we had when we ended the cruise.

In this case he was a winner.

[lvcruiser]

Being from Vegas I can tell you that most "winners" are liars!! I am sure there are exceptions but generally if they win $1000 they either already had that much or more into the machine or will put it all back in afterward. Casinos don't get to be as big and rich as they are on winners!

Margie - Sorry, but I must disagree, being in the business myself as well as having lived off the 21 tables for years. There are many people who, yes, will exaggerate or even fabricate their winnings because they don't want anyone thinking they are losers. More often than not however, I have found people simply bragging about their winnings and never reporting their losing sessions to the same people, thus giving the impression, deliberate or not, that they are always on top of their game.

 

When I played six nights a week, my winning percentage stayed at 89% for three years, substantially above the 45% average for the typical basic strategy player, primarily due to the counting system I used, but equally due to an ability to know when to leave, which frankly is the major secret to being a successful gambler along with mountains of self discipline. And when I say I won that often, it means that sometimes I walked away from the table with several $K and more often I walked away $50 or $100 up. But that winning percentage is also why I seldom play anymore. When you win that often, the bosses will figure out what you're up to sooner or later. My average life expectancy in a casino was 6-9 months before being asked to not return.

 

When I am on a cruise, I always stick to the table games because the machines are set to the lowest payback the manufacturer will build into them. Winning at any machine is pure luck anyway, but even more so on a cruise ship. However, my DW won several hundred dollars on our last cruise aboard the NOS playing video poker, her favorite game at home. I usually try to cover the cost of the cruise before we leave and then cover the onboard expenses while onboard. Last cruise, I won $1,600 and was able to cover all expenses and then some. On the cruise before that, I won $800, which was again more than enough to pay all expenses. When that happens, DW get more jewelry while in port.

 

However, to the OP, don't feel bad about never winning. Most people don't. To paraphrase what Margie said earlier, they don't build the casinos off the winners. The best advice I can give if you want to win something, anything, is to quit when you're ahead instead of pressing your luck and thinking it will continue. Greed is what fuels the casinos and the reason most people leave as losers because time is on the casino's side. Even if you get lucky right off the bat, the longer you stay and play, the greater the chance will be that you will give back whatever you won. Decide on a limit of how much you want to win (and be realistic about it) or how much you are willing to lose before ever stepping foot in the casino and when you reach that limit, stop and leave. If you play the machines and hit a jackpot, don't put it back into the machine. If you play 21 and catch a six hand run, don't think it will continue forever. Take a modest profit, such as doubling your buy in, and leave a winner. It's easier to live with yourself later.

 

My favorite saying while having been in this business for many years is: It's easy to win money in a casino. The hard part is getting out the door with it.

[Desertbelle]

MrzKitty, please reread my statement again, you will see I say there are exceptions...obviously you are one of them. Congratulations! :)

 

As for you lvcruiser, it's hard to tell if you are disagreeing or agreeing with me....you say you disagree and then pretty much make my point for me.

 

Apparently you are a card counter, and that hardly qualifies as "normal". What you do is unlikely to happen to most people. And if you look at what most of the folks reporting their wins here say, their "wins" are on slot machines/poker machine. Machines are the worse bet in the casino and the most popular things for people to play. It's a rare person who comes out ahead on a machine. To quote wolfganghowell, the machines are "evil evil evil" :D

 

I come from a gambling family. One of my first vivid memories of my life is playing poker on my grandmother's bed with my cousins, while the adults played poker in the other room.

 

My parents and grandparents gambled in the illegal joints in Ohio and Kentucky back in the 1930's through the 1970's until they mostly got closed down. My family moved to Vegas in the late 1960's and early 1970's to follow the pit bosses from the illegal joints to where it was legal. Our first 15 years or so in Vegas I never bought a meal, never paid for a birthday party or hotel rooms....everything was comped....it would have lasted longer but the old guys started dying off. My grandmother was 92 when she died and just a few weeks before dying she was still going to the casinos 3-4 times a week. Her game was craps! :D

 

I've seen gambling ruin a lot of lives (thank goodness our family mostly consists of smart gamblers and we do go home when ahead, because we know the casinos will still be there tomorrow) People on vacation don't think that way or play that way. They gamble, generally to excess, until they are broke. And to save face, many hide the fact that they are losers behind lies. They lie to their spouses...such as unexplained ATM withdrawals, missing checks, "lost money", etc. They sell their property, they wreck their health and they are mean and angry people. Generally they either quit, which is extremely hard, or they lose everything, including their marriages, houses, cars, etc.

 

I like to gamble on occasion, I enjoy it and know my limits...but I am seldom a big winner. In the long run I would doubt I am better than even at best.

 

Do remember this...if you see someone else win a big jackpot assume they are not ahead. :) :)

[lauren0309]

It was our last night on the ship. I wanted to get rid of our tokens. I put the first one in and out came $100.00 in quarters! My husband had to drag me away from the machine otherwise it would have all gone right back in.

[imosoreal]

I won 8000 quarters ($2,000) on October 4th, the first formal night on my cruise. I have pictures to prove it. I only put 5 quarters in the slot machine and I guarantee you I didn't put it back. So whoever said they probably put in as much to win -- you're probably wrong too. I brought home some tanzinite jewelry, paid my cruise bill, bought souvenirs, tipped the cruise staff. Yes, it is hard to believe, but it happened to me now so I'm a believer. I have never been to Vegas, never been to Atlantic City which is only a few hours away, but have gone on one of the FL cruise boats and won about $500 two years ago. I basically only gamble when I'm cruising. Hubby and I both won over $1600 total a few years ago on Carnival Imagination. Don't hate on the winners, maybe one day you can be as lucky.:p

 

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/200075322PDyONf

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/200079163JjaHOn

[Sophie]

MrzKitty, please reread my statement again, you will see I say there are exceptions...obviously you are one of them. Congratulations! :)

 

As for you lvcruiser, it's hard to tell if you are disagreeing or agreeing with me....you say you disagree and then pretty much make my point for me.

 

Apparently you are a card counter, and that hardly qualifies as "normal". What you do is unlikely to happen to most people. And if you look at what most of the folks reporting their wins here say, their "wins" are on slot machines/poker machine. Machines are the worse bet in the casino and the most popular things for people to play. It's a rare person who comes out ahead on a machine. To quote wolfganghowell, the machines are "evil evil evil" :D

 

I come from a gambling family. One of my first vivid memories of my life is playing poker on my grandmother's bed with my cousins, while the adults played poker in the other room.

 

My parents and grandparents gambled in the illegal joints in Ohio and Kentucky back in the 1930's through the 1970's until they mostly got closed down. My family moved to Vegas in the late 1960's and early 1970's to follow the pit bosses from the illegal joints to where it was legal. Our first 15 years or so in Vegas I never bought a meal, never paid for a birthday party or hotel rooms....everything was comped....it would have lasted longer but the old guys started dying off. My grandmother was 92 when she died and just a few weeks before dying she was still going to the casinos 3-4 times a week. Her game was craps! :D

 

I've seen gambling ruin a lot of lives (thank goodness our family mostly consists of smart gamblers and we do go home when ahead, because we know the casinos will still be there tomorrow) People on vacation don't think that way or play that way. They gamble, generally to excess, until they are broke. And to save face, many hide the fact that they are losers behind lies. They lie to their spouses...such as unexplained ATM withdrawals, missing checks, "lost money", etc. They sell their property, they wreck their health and they are mean and angry people. Generally they either quit, which is extremely hard, or they lose everything, including their marriages, houses, cars, etc.

 

I like to gamble on occasion, I enjoy it and know my limits...but I am seldom a big winner. In the long run I would doubt I am better than even at best.

 

Do remember this...if you see someone else win a big jackpot assume they are not ahead. :) :)

This makes me think about the recent story posted about the woman who jumped overboard after gambling away her family's savings. She was on an RCI ship, can't remember which one. Now that's a prime example of someone who couldn't walk away...Very sad story.

[mammallama]

Ah, Sophie. I remember that, too. :(

 

Glad to hear there are some winners. When DH and I cruised, we had set aside only $10/pp a day to gamble (slots). I went through mine in a blink of an eye. DH gave MY machine his last quarter and won $70 bucks. We left after that (kicking and screaming).:o When I went with my friend, she left every night with a hudred dollars or so! BUT...I have no idea how much she spent to win that much.

[TBRay]

It might not seem as big as some of the above stories, but I hit a nickel machine aboard Mariner last month for $500 (that's 10,000 nickels!) off of a quarter bet. And my normal mode is to only put $10 or less in and then move on. I'll guarantee that I left the ship with much more than I started with and even have a portable DVD player (I purchased afterwards) to prove it. :D

 

I never play the board games but have entered two slot tournaments and placed 2nd both times ($318 and $398 respectively). For a $20 bet it felt awesome. Plus the coveted "Casino Winner" T-shirt. ;)

 

So for the week (okay nine days... extended Jeanne cruise) I won $900 and took $750 with me. As much as I love to win I think I like cashing in even better.

[PortugueseLady]

I have to say...that I do Okay;) when it comes to slot machines (25 cents).

 

I was just on the EOS and on our second day of the cruise my family and I were playing the quarter game that you feed all your quarters and it pushes quarters out and if your lucky a $20 or chips $5 we actually put in a lot of money but won I would say half back but we played for a good while and a crowd had gathered behind us so we had a lot of fun....at the same time I was watching some lady play this certain machine and she kept hitting small but hitting and I said to my sister we are coming back tonight and I am playing that machine...

 

WELL................... needless to say we came back I had two $10 bills with me..I put in the first $10 and was playing it wasn't 2 bucks in and I won$270.....I was screaming at this point.....so the attendant comes over and gives me the money and I was all :D then I put in the other $10 along with the rest of the other $10 WELL....at this point I hit for like 140 quarters so I am planning on that ALL OF A SUDDEN....I hit the three triple diamonds while I had and always play the max quarters x3 and don't you know I end up winning $750 so a total of $1,020.........................Let's just say it topped off my cruise.........I ended right there and let my sister play my remaining quarters but she didn't win...Then...the next night we ended up going back to the same area and I played that machine didn't win and my sister played two machines over and after spending $10 she ends up winning $450....and that topped off our cruise.....:)

Truly, it was amazing...and we spent a lot on jewerly (St. Martin & St. Thomas)...it was so nice.....

 

Dont' get me wrong I have been on 5 cruises and have never won this much on a cruise....BUT

 

Am very lucky at home in Foxwoods Casino....I have to say I think I was born with a streak of luck when it comes to gambling......I have hit a few times over 1,000 but in a good time spread...but enjoy it...

 

Have fun...even if you don't win..JUST walk away after so much....if you can...and always, alwasy play the max with 25cents slots...it always pays off..

 

Nellie

 

 

[senior cruisers]

When my sister and I took our cruise to nowhere in June 1999 I won $1000 on triple flaming 7's on the slots. I was so excited. Oh, cruise to nowhere! We were on a 7 night cruise from NYC to Bermuda, but we just sailed to CoCoCay and back. What fun!

[CMurph]

My best ship casino win was at the Caribbean Stud table on the Radiance. Second night at sea, very first hand dealt to me. Straight Flush! I had $15 on the table and won around $2,100. The entire amount came home with us. We LOVE to gamble, but we always have a certain amount of cash allotted for each day. If we lose that amount...our gambling is over for the day. We are very careful not to "borrow" from our next day's allottment. If we are winning, we put the majority of it away and bring it home. I think it is stupid when I see people win a decent jackpot and then put it all back in a machine or on the table in hopes of winning an even larger amount. We stick to our rules, whether we are in the ship's casino or in Vegas. For us it is all about having fun, even if Lady Luck isn't with us that day!

[FunCruiser56]

Three years ago we were on the Century, hubby was playing the slots and won $275 the first day out, later in the week I thought he was going to go play bingo, he came back to the cabin with a white tshirt on it says Casino Winner- he drops this wad of bills on the bed, 40 $100 bills- $4000! Wow his biggest win ever! Since it was Valentines day I got a nice piece of jewlery and he kept the rest and put it toward a new truck.

 

I never knew you were supposed to tip the casino, who do you tip -the person who brings the money?

 

Hope he has good luck next week!

Bev

[Michuck]

If you're talking about whether or not posters have come out ahead in the long run, I can say I haven't over the years generally, but I have won jackpots. On the Nordic Empress I hit $3,600, my biggest single cruise 'win' (came home that weekend after paying for our cruise with about $3,000 in our pockets). We've won $1,000 jackpots, $2,500 jackpots, and last year on a slot machine in a local Indian bingo casino, hubby won $30,462. Overall, hubby's win put us a over the top in coming out ahead (and I resent, in advance, being called a liar).

 

Michele

[Sea Island Lady]

I happened to walk into the casino one evening where a man had just won big ($500) on a $1 slot machine. The next evening, I walked in and there he was again, at the same machine, waiting for the clerk to come over and turn his machine off, Yes, he had won big again!

 

On the next to last night, I asked my husband for a dollar and headed over to that machine. I told DH I felt very lucky. I put the $1 in and pulled the arm.............................Nothing!!!!:D