UkuleleCruiser Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 I don't know how much time I'll spend in the casino because of the smoke, but I have never won on a ship. What's the best play? Slots? Blackjack? Do you play the max? What strategies do you have? And how much have you won???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsyCruiser Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 I almost always stick to slots. I do not play the max but play in the middle.... in other words if the minimum is 30 credits say on a 30 line slot machine and the max is 180, I'll play 90. I never play on anything higher than a 25 cent machine. I have never hit the big one but this last cruise aboard Liberty I came out 350 dollars ahead. EmersonNZ and dejagatkins 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 I don't know how much time I'll spend in the casino because of the smoke, but I have never won on a ship. What's the best play? Slots? Blackjack? Do you play the max? What strategies do you have? And how much have you won???? Well, I would like to tell you how much I have won, but I'm afraid someone from the IRS may be reading these posts. Kim, donolog, janza and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arebee Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 We play roulette and have won a total of $150 in the last two cruises. Not much but its better than loosing. EmersonNZ, RobWhatley and Kim 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCVoyager Posted November 29, 2016 Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 I have won a few hundred a few times playing blackjack. Lost a few times too. Never had luck on slots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatMe Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 I won $1100 in seven nights playing craps on Adventure & I lost $800 on Allure playing craps. No better & no worse than in Vegas! EmersonNZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHStoneman Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Well, I would like to tell you how much I have won, but I'm afraid someone from the IRS may be reading these posts. If you won that much...RCL will file a 1099 or whatever they need to do for you to claim your winnings. That is the way it works. Going to the casino is like a bingo game. I know no one will ever max out their SEP-IRA or max out their ROTH. It is just for fun and you need to approach this activity as just that...FUN. I have won enough to satisfy my weekly adult beverage bill...maybe $130 but beyond that, I put my spending money in my right pocket and my winnings in my left pocket. When both pockets are empty, it is time to retire for the evening. bobroo, MikeK, dejagatkins and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsbrady Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 I won $600 on my last Anthem cruise. I dont think the odds are much different then land casinos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsbrady Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 If you won that much...RCL will file a 1099 or whatever they need to do for you to claim your winnings. That is the way it works. Going to the casino is like a bingo game. I know no one will ever max out their SEP-IRA or max out their ROTH. It is just for fun and you need to approach this activity as just that...FUN. I have won enough to satisfy my weekly adult beverage bill...maybe $130 but beyond that, I put my spending money in my right pocket and my winnings in my left pocket. When both pockets are empty, it is time to retire for the evening. I think he meant that he won $1100 throughout the 7 day cruise. You only have to pay the tax if you hit a so called jackpot of $1200 or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 I have had lots of luck playing blackjack and Max Bet on various random machines. I too am not looking for an IRS red flag so I will say that I have won mucho,mucho,mucho,mucho,mucho dinero and have been treated very nicely by the casino hosts...... RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donolog Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Won a t-shirt at Bingo ... does that count? :) I haven't played much in the Casino, but on the last cruise won $100 on the Casino Daily Lotto and came in third in a Blackjack tournament -- don't remember winning much more than that. EmersonNZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 When I was on Grandeur back in September ..... I hit $300 on dollar slot on Night 1 --- then hit for $200 more on the last night - same machine....... I also did well when I was on Navigator with the dollar slots on the first and last nights ... I wonder if they increase the payout amounts on both those nights? It worked for me, I plan on sticking to the plan. wrh2016 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeks Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 On 11/30/2016 at 12:13 AM, UkuleleCruiser said: I don't know how much time I'll spend checking out gambleviews because of the smoke, but I have never won on a ship. What's the best play? Slots? Blackjack? Do you play the max? What strategies do you have? And how much have you won???? Is smoking allowed in the cruise casinos then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PocketsRN Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 The only thing ive ever won at is the claw machine full of cash bundles. Just stick with that RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PocketsRN Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Is smoking allowed in the cruise casinos then? Generally, yes. Most of my cruises they've had one or two dedicated smoke-free nights. Although, when I was on Empress early this month, there was no smoking at all the whole cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 $10 last week ... one pull , won $10, called it a night ;) RestingBird, donolog, FManke and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillHoo Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Won a t-shirt at Bingo ... does that count? :) I haven't played much in the Casino, but on the last cruise won $100 on the Casino Daily Lotto and came in third in a Blackjack tournament -- don't remember winning much more than that. Do all the RCCL cruises have bingo? Is it just prizes, no cash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillHoo Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 The only thing ive ever won at is the claw machine full of cash bundles. Just stick with that Do they really have that? If so, I wonder what happened to the machines on the cruise where the hurricane really rocked the boat and knocked things over!? PocketsRN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arebee Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Do they really have that? If so, I wonder what happened to the machines on the cruise where the hurricane really rocked the boat and knocked things over!? In rough weather I've see people standing by that machine that pushes quarters waiting for them to just drop out. Also seen them "help" some come out until it turns off. PocketsRN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donolog Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Do all the RCCL cruises have bingo? Is it just prizes, no cash? As far as I know they all have bingo -- certainly every one that I have been on has. It's primarily cash prizes that are awarded for each game at each session. On the final game of a particular session there may be a bonus if you get bingo before a pre-determined amount of numbers being called, and if that bonus isn't won it is carried forward to the bonus of the next session (which can lead to a pretty big bonus prize if it's carried forward a few times). The t-shirt I mentioned might have actually been part of a bundle (e.g. play five sets of numbers and get a free t-shirt), although I do remember my daughter was awarded a "Ringo-Bingo" stuffed toy as a side prize or something, but the big show is all about the cash. The final bingo of a cruise might be a bit bigger (especially if it's a sea-day), and I seem to remember something like a "free cruise" prize being up for grabs, but I might be getting mixed up with a blackjack tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PocketsRN Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Do they really have that? If so, I wonder what happened to the machines on the cruise where the hurricane really rocked the boat and knocked things over!? Yup. Addictive as hell, too. Royal's have $100 bundles, but I heard Carnival has 'em with $500. Might have to jump on a carnival boat once just to see. Kamorkasor, PeterElicy and Michaelarish 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegal2539 Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 On another cruise line last month I hit a $1500 jackpot and didn't have to make out any tax paperwork. I kept wondering about that but I wasn't going to question it. That is the only large jackpot I have hit on a ship. I hit $300 or $400 almost every cruise which usually helps me to break even or close. A few months ago in Vegas I hit a $5000 jackpot, boy they were fast to get the tax paperwork to me. I asked for a check and they refused and paid me in cash, $100 bills, and I had to push that bag with the money in it through the scanner at the airport. My eyes didn't leave that bag until I had it back in my hands. I usually try to play max bet, but if it is a $5 or $6 max bet, I won't pay that much. It is useless to play a progressive machine if you don't bet the max, you won't win the jackpot. There are very few progressive machines that pay the jackpot on any size bet, but that is how I won $1500 last month on a Jackpot Catcher machine, max bet was $2 and I was betting $1 and hit. What I don't like is the ship casinos are not regulated by anyone, like they are in the United States. It is a known fact the slot machines are tighter than anywhere else. I found a site that explains what Las Vegas casinos pay on a slot and most are 89 to 94% payback. The video poker is even better than that, with about a 93 to 95% payback. Many people have asked for the casinos on cruise ships to explain what their payback ratio is and they refuse, just like the Indian casinos, they don't have to tell anyone what their payback is either. In Las Vegas you can ask for a payback sheet and any casino will give it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 I do not think you have to pay taxes on any winnings when on a cruise ship because the casino does not open until you are in international waters. That is way they close at U.S. ports of call. Someone in our group last year on a cruise won $3100 on a slot machine on 1 transaction on the first night and they did not have to pay any taxes on that win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donolog Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Whether or not the cruise line has to withhold tax on winnings might be a different issue than whether or not those winnings are taxable earnings that need to be reported when filing a tax return. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the IRS in the United States would consider winnings taxable whether they're won in Vegas, at-sea, in Canada, or wherever in the world. Otherwise I would expect Canadian casinos (that do not withhold tax on significant winnings because gambling winnings are not taxable in Canada) to be more popular with Americans. Hopefully someone reading this will have definite knowledge on this and can clarify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillHoo Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Yup. Addictive as hell, too. Royal's have $100 bundles, but I heard Carnival has 'em with $500. Might have to jump on a carnival boat once just to see. I just saw it on a YouTube. Guy moving the claw to grab bundles of cash. Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janza Posted December 3, 2016 Report Share Posted December 3, 2016 My husband has won Texas Hold'em tournaments on all 3 Freedom class ships. He won quite a bit playing 3 card poker on Allure in Feb. WAAAAYTOO, I think you might have been there when he got K,Q,J of spades. That was a good night. Still waiting for Club Royal invite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 4, 2016 Report Share Posted December 4, 2016 Awesome, Janza ! Nothin' like that 3 card straight flush !! How long has it been since you last played in the casino on RCCL ? The reason I asked is....the program has changed so much in the past year. They no longer "invite" you to join. You would NEVER know if you are a member of Club Royale if you don't call and ask ! That seems so crazy. I don't know why they do such a poor job of advertising their program. The truth is, I wouldn't have EVER known that I was entitled to a casino rate discount on cruise fares if Dan hadn't INSISTED that I call and see if they would offer us any kind discount. I was stunned to find out that we are automatically entitled to any casino rate that is offered...and in all of these years since we have been members of CR I have NEVER checked a price where there wasn't SOME kind of CR discount. You might already be overpaying and not even know it ! So my suggestion is to call CR and find out (1) are you members and (2) if you are entitled to a casino rate discount. 888-561-2234. All they can say is "no" and then you will know ! I think they're automatically enrolling everyone who plays in the casino anymore. Maybe not everyone qualifies for discount but we [all] have no way of knowing what the "rules" are b/c nobody [on the RCCL side] ever tells ! BTW, we WERE on Allure in Feb so we very well may have been there ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 I play pretty much each day I am on board. Never a lot, but enough to spend a cpl hours usually. Never won big...on Brilliance last Jan though I did win a few hundred dollars on a cpl different machines which was my best yet. No smoking in casino on Empress from what I have heard which I don't get. Smokers look for a place to go and if the only place left them can smoke inside is a casino, they are going to end up playing while there for sure. I know some may just "stop" in there for a smoke, but based on my hours and experience in the casino that is not the norm. 90% or more of the smokers in there are playing some kind of game. I am not sure about better odds on certain days. I have heard those rumors too, but who knows. I have seen some big winnings on the last day/night, but maybe people are playing more then? Now if I could only get some casino rate discounts on cruises I would be all set. BTW, I have NEVER seen anyone win on a Royal ship with the claw or the "key" game with the bundles of cash. I have seen hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars go into these machines and none come out yet WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thereallytallguy Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 Back in June I came in 2nd in the final table of the poker tournament qualifier on Anthem. Won just under $200 but would have loved grand prize of a free Allure cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thereallytallguy Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 I play pretty much each day I am on board. Never a lot, but enough to spend a cpl hours usually. Never won big...on Brilliance last Jan though I did win a few hundred dollars on a cpl different machines which was my best yet. No smoking in casino on Empress from what I have heard which I don't get. Smokers look for a place to go and if the only place left them can smoke inside is a casino, they are going to end up playing while there for sure. I know some may just "stop" in there for a smoke, but based on my hours and experience in the casino that is not the norm. 90% or more of the smokers in there are playing some kind of game. I am not sure about better odds on certain days. I have heard those rumors too, but who knows. I have seen some big winnings on the last day/night, but maybe people are playing more then? Now if I could only get some casino rate discounts on cruises I would be all set. BTW, I have NEVER seen anyone win on a Royal ship with the claw or the "key" game with the bundles of cash. I have seen hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars go into these machines and none come out yet I've seen videos that show no matter how "skilled" someone is at the key game, it won't give up a prize until it's ready. The operator can select how tight or loose they want it to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 Interesting....I am not lying.....on one cruise we would literally hang out there for 3-4 hours a day/night either playing or watching people play and no one won anything ever. And I have been on 9 cruises and have yet to see a winner. I think you have better luck on Bingo!....lol RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathbees Posted December 29, 2016 Report Share Posted December 29, 2016 I did quite well on a competitor's ship in 2015. I won a couple of slot pulls in the 200-300 range on the first day... enough to cover my gambling for the week (making the wife happy). And then I hit a $2800 jackpot on the last night. On that same cruise I won a GoPro in the arcade. I've been on six cruises and that was the only time I'd actually won anything. By the way, yes, you are supposed to file the "income" with the IRS. However, I also keep all my scratchers and powerball losing tickets throughout the year to write off against the win. Doesn't usually even out, but softens the blow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted December 29, 2016 Report Share Posted December 29, 2016 I was always under the impression, you didn't get taxed on lottery winnings here in the states on anything under $600 -- and, you only needed to report overseas (cruise) winnings when you come back if they were $10,000 or greater .... Not sure on the accuracy of the $10k, but it would seem reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted December 30, 2016 Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 I have heard you can present the host w/ a bunk social security number & the tax burden just goes away. I wouldn't know because I've never done that myself..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted December 30, 2016 Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 I was always under the impression, you didn't get taxed on lottery winnings here in the states on anything under $600 -- and, you only needed to report overseas (cruise) winnings when you come back if they were $10,000 or greater .... Not sure on the accuracy of the $10k, but it would seem reasonable. I was under the impression that winnings under $1199 weren't reported to the IRS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 I saw in one photo of Freedom of the Seas that they have a single deck blackjack table. Is that for real? They don't care so much if someone tries counting cards? My preferred game is craps, and if the table minimum is $5 or less I'll definitely be trying that out on my cruise, but if they really have single deck blackjack then I may give that a shot as well. - Joe - - Sailing Freedom of the Seas in 2018 - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutcherl Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 Not 100% sure but I do believe there was a single deck blackjack table. I rarely play but I was just at a land casino with a cruising buddy and he said he can't wait to get back on a ship to play single deck blackjack. Our last two cruises were on the Freedom. Others here might be able to give a definite answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 4, 2017 Report Share Posted January 4, 2017 Just back from the Navigator. They had 1 single deck blackjack table with a $10 minimum. All blackjack and craps were $10 minimums. The Ultimate Texas Holdem and 3 cards tables were $5 minimums. There is also a Caribbean stud table but I never play that game. I believe it is probably a $5 minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 4, 2017 Report Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hutcherl and WAAAYTOOO, thanks for the info. Do either of you know if the table minimum tends to vary from ship to ship (or maybe based on traffic / time of day like in land casinos)? $10 a play is too rich for my blood (and budget, when you're supposed to allow at least 20 plays in any single visit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 4, 2017 Report Share Posted January 4, 2017 Hutcherl and WAAAYTOOO, thanks for the info. Do either of you know if the table minimum tends to vary from ship to ship (or maybe based on traffic / time of day like in land casinos)? $10 a play is too rich for my blood (and budget, when you're supposed to allow at least 20 plays in any single visit). I can't answer this question directly from experience, but my guess is that the limits might be lowered if enough people weren't playing. I'm on the Allure right now and they advertised in the Cruise Compass that they will be offering lowered table limits in the casino during the day, which I personally haven't seen before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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