Big win in the casino?

[stretch]

Back in March while we were waiting to start a slots tournament on the Brilliance, a lady put $5 in a video poker machine and drew a royal flush. $4800 worth. Also watched two sisters cash in on the Wheel of Fortune slot several times for $1000 over the course of the 11 day cruise. My DW did well on the slots all week long and won the last slot tournament for $798. The payoffs are not as large as at a land casino, and the return percentage is less, but there are winners on every cruise.

The secret is to not get greedy. If you win, even only $50 on a machine. Walk away, and save it to play another time, and set a daily gambling budget, when it's gone, walk away!

Stretch

[lvcruiser]

Margie - my disagreement with you stemmed from your statement that most winners are liars. I simply don't believe that to be the case, at least in an intentional or deceiving way, and feel the statement was not called for. Maybe in your experience, this is what you have found, but not in mine. Besides, we are talking to and about individuals that gamble on cruise ships, a completely different clientele from the degenerates that live in Vegas with whom you may be familiar.

[luvronijean]

On the ole' Viking Serenade, my brother won $8000. His first jackpot was $4000 on the one dollar video poker machine and he turned around and did the same thing for $4000 more within the hour. :)

[brn2crz]

Someone won 20,ooo.oo on our Rhapsody 2003.My Step-brother won 800 and 1100 on the same sailing.Same stepbrother also won 1300 the year before...

[stretch]

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. :) :)

Desert, I too have a problem with some of the statements you made.

 

1. All winners are liars???

That remark is not only wrong, but also rediculous. If you put $1 in a slot machine, win $5 and walk away, you're a winner.

 

2. You said that a card counter is not a "normal player" at blackjack. I'm not a card counter, with anywhere from 6 to 8 decks in a shoe, cardcounting is extremely improbable, even for a professional gambler. But, basic blackjack stratagy indicates that if you see a run of 6 or more small numbered cards roll up, the odds of several face cards comming up next is very high. This is something that any novice can learn and should know before ever sitting down to play.

 

 

IVCruiser had the best advice. Set limits and show self restraint. Set a gambling budget and stick to it. If you have a run of luck on the tables, cash it in and take it out. The longer you stay, the less you'll leave with. Gambling can be an addiction, it requires the same, or more amount of self control as a smoker trying to quit, or an alcoholic saying no to a drink.

On a cruise ship where the casinos are tighter than land based casinos, don't expect to win a fortune. Those high jackpots don't pay off very frequently, but they will every so often. Table games will pay off less and slower, but the odds of winning are better than on slots where the payoffs are predetermined.

Stretch

[MszKitty]

.

 

2. You said that a card counter is not a "normal player" at blackjack. I'm not a card counter, with anywhere from 6 to 8 decks in a shoe, cardcounting is extremely improbable, even for a professional gambler. But, basic blackjack stratagy indicates that if you see a run of 6 or more small numbered cards roll up, the odds of several face cards comming up next is very high. This is something that any novice can learn and should know before ever sitting down to play.

 

 

IVCruiser had the best advice. Set limits and show self restraint. Set a gambling budget and stick to it. If you have a run of luck on the tables, cash it in and take it out. The longer you stay, the less you'll leave with. Gambling can be an addiction, it requires the same, or more amount of self control as a smoker trying to quit, or an alcoholic saying no to a drink.

On a cruise ship where the casinos are tighter than land based casinos, don't expect to win a fortune. Those high jackpots don't pay off very frequently, but they will every so often. Table games will pay off less and slower, but the odds of winning are better than on slots where the payoffs are predetermined.

Stretch

And that is why I consider my husband a winner in the casino. He uses common sense when he plays the table. Does he come away a winner every single time he leaves the table...no. He knows that there might be times when he's down. But by the end of the trip (a cruise or Vegas) he has come out ahead or even. Its what you walk away with in the end.

[Desertbelle]

Um Stretch, re-read my statement, I never said "all", I said most. After you gave me my lashing out you did have some good things to say, people should pay heed. :)

 

Also, card-counting and being a smart 21 player are not the same. A card counter so sways the odds in their favor that casinos kick them out and don't let them back in.....being a smart player will only get the cards changed and/or shuffled more often but in the long run you will most likely still lose. The casinos know the longer you play the more money you will lose. lvcruiser is obviously an exception, the longer he plays the more he wins. :D

 

lvcruiser, I think I understand what your disagreement is now. I never meant to say that the people who say "I won $1000 on a slot machine" is lying.....I have no doubt that they are telling the truth. What I dispute is whether or not these people are "winners". I once won $4300 on a free game of bingo.....no investment at all....so that day I did win....but I have no doubt that that money found it's way back into the pockets of the casino owners over a course of time. :)

 

On my last cruise I saw a woman, every single night, playing the $5 video poker machine. Every single night I saw them paying off big jackpots to her. I would spend a very short time in the casino, but she was always there before I got there and was still there when I left. At $25 a pull, her $8000 jackpot probably was gone within a few of hours (do the math). People would oooohhh and aaahhh when they walked by and saw her big payout not realizing that she probably ended up many thousands of dollars in the hole by the end of the cruise even with all those big jackpots.

 

lvcruiser, I agree with you that the casual cruise gambler is unlikely to spend all their vacation money in the casino, but I think there are some that do. If you are a wise gambler you will NEVER lose more than you can afford or regret. Putting limits on yourself is the key.

 

I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers and I apologize if anyone was offended by what I have written. Living most of my life in Las Vegas has forced me to see the worse possible side to gambling. I take care of women who's husbands gamble their whole paychecks away leaving their families without food and just recently a woman was arrested in Las Vegas for leaving her toddler in a locked car on a very hot day while she played the slots at a grocery store. Gambling used as entertainment for a few hours here and there isn't a bad thing, but please understand there is a very dark underside of gambling.

 

I wish everyone fabulous luck on their next cruise.....I love seeing a winner!! :)

[MszKitty]

 

 

On my last cruise I saw a woman, every single night, playing the $5 video poker machine. Every single night I saw them paying off big jackpots to her. I would spend a very short time in the casino, but she was always there before I got there and was still there when I left. At $25 a pull, her $8000 jackpot probably was gone within a few of hours (do the math). People would oooohhh and aaahhh when they walked by and saw her big payout not realizing that she probably ended up many thousands of dollars in the hole by the end of the cruise even with all those big jackpots.

 

I wish everyone fabulous luck on their next cruise.....I love seeing a winner!!

:)

That is just like my sister....she always tells us how much she won on the slots, but we all wonder how much she had to spend to "win" that and how much she really walked away with.

 

Personally...I think slots are not worth it. You really have no control over them. At least in blackjack (or other card games) you have to know how to bet (when to hit, stay, split, double down, etc.) So at least you have some control over whether you win or lose. (notice I said some control and not all control;) )

 

My husband looks at it or says..."I lost $100 or "I won $100" He looks at it as I'm UP (or ahead) $100, or I'm DOWN (or out) $100." He knows he will lose some and win some. Its all a matter of how he made out at the end. And I have to say, for the most part, he comes out ahead.

[lvcruiser]

Margie - Thank you for taking my point as intended. I agree with most of what you have to say about gambling; there is certainly a seamy side to it. When I moved to this town, a wise rental agent that used to wait cocktails at Caesar's advised me that if I was smart, I would lose my rent money only once. I have had friends in the business that simply cannot live in this town because of their gambling addictions. I was fortunate to never have that problem. When I played, it was either for establishing a retirement fund during my early playing days, or for entertainment since then, with the occasional payment for a cruise.

 

Stretch - Thanks for the compliments. I really wish this board would let me change my screen name since you're not the only one who reads it incorrectly. I should have used capital letters instead of small case, because the name is LVCruiser, as in Las Vegas, not IVCruiser.

[iowacruiser]

We cruise at least once a year and usually spend our evenings at the crap tables.

Over the years we have had some great runs (even though the losing weeks out number the winning) I limit my weekly losses to $500. Once it's gone, I'm done.

But over the years there have been some great winning weeks.

Back in 92 we sailed the Carnival Holiday and had the wildest crap table run I've ever experienced. I won $1300 the first night, $2700 the next night and after giving about a quarter of that back, wrapped up the week with a $600 night before we docked back in Miami.

2 Years ago we were on the Vision of the Seas. There was a mom and her newly turned 21 year old daughter who rolled dice like a fiend. My buddy, who I think gets reckless at the crap table when he's winning, cashed out for $5700. I think i made around a thousand.

Last year we were on the Volendam for New Years. The crap table was ice cold every night and I was done gambling for the week after the second night.

Nothing better int he world then a hot crap table and nothing worse then a cold one.

[JackieB]

There's a lot of good stuff on this thread. What I find is that many people don't have a lot of common sense and discipline when it comes to gambling.

 

I like to play blackjack. I enjoy playing and want to do so for awhile when I go.

If I play for two or three hours and I'm up...I feel like I've done well. I had fun and I took some of their money.

 

I was in Vegas once for 4 nights. After 3 nights of playing, I was up $27 for the whole trip. I stopped gambling because I wanted to leave town with their money!

 

On my last cruise on the Century I won the blackjack tourney for $398 (as well as a trophy and a shirt). During the trip I also netted another $126 while playing for about 10-12 total hours that week. There's nothing more fun than leaving with someone else's money and enjoying the playing time.

 

When you sit at a table, know your max for that session i.e. "I can lose up to $100." If you lose that much leave and try again maybe another day. Don't hit the atm in an attempt to win it back!

 

If you play for 2-3 hours and you've had fun and you're up...leave! Do this for a few nights and you just might enjoy gambling more.

[lovetocruiserccl]

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!

What gives you the right to say that most winners are liars. Just because of you background makes you no expert.

 

On my first night on the Monarch of The Sea I won $500.00. The second night I won $500.00 dollars. The fourth night I won $300.00 all on slot machines. I did not put $1800.00 any machine to win

 

 

On our late cruie in August on NOS I won $280.00 on the second night. I won 300.00 on the fourth night. And $100.00 on the sixth night. Which is more than I put in. One gentleman sitting next to me of the first day after we hit international waters won $5000.00 tell me he put in $5000.00 in the first 15 minutes of the cruise. We are not liars just winners

[vossjemi]

Margie - Thank you for taking my point as intended. I agree with most of what you have to say about gambling; there is certainly a seamy side to it. When I moved to this town, a wise rental agent that used to wait cocktails at Caesar's advised me that if I was smart, I would lose my rent money only once. I have had friends in the business that simply cannot live in this town because of their gambling addictions. I was fortunate to never have that problem. When I played, it was either for establishing a retirement fund during my early playing days, or for entertainment since then, with the occasional payment for a cruise.

 

Stretch - Thanks for the compliments. I really wish this board would let me change my screen name since you're not the only one who reads it incorrectly. I should have used capital letters instead of small case, because the name is LVCruiser, as in Las Vegas, not IVCruiser.

You can change your screen name. I accidentally typed 3 sss' in mine and after 3 months of not liking it, I posted a request of the mods to change it. Voilah, it got changed. :D

[stretch]

Sorry about the mistake LVCruiser, I was wondering just what the IV meant anyway and decided wrong. (4-Cruiser). Live and learn!

Like others on this thread, I prefer blackjack and consider myself a winner when I can play for a few hours, enjoy myself and lose less than I had set aside to gamble with for the day. I've got my own personal rules that I follow and always play consistantly based on my cards and the dealers show card. I rarely lose, and have never lost more than $100 in a sitting. I'll never get rich gambling, but you can make a safe bet that I'll be having a good time.

Stretch