Cruise Ship Slots

Cruise Ship Slot Wins

Do Cruise Ships Tighten Slots During the Cruise?

Featuring over 4,800 slot machines, Casinos At Sea have games that appeal to every player! Our gaming floors offer a mix of reel, video slot machines and video poker. Looking for something new? Try our unique casino games where a bit of skill is required to win cash and prizes. As cruise director, my primarily responsibility was seeing to the happiness of 6,322 passengers and 2,200-plus crew. Over the course of a week, I had my hands in every department, from ship.

By Jerry 'Stickman'

Jerry:

I have gone on several cruises over the past several years. While at sea, I enjoy playing the slot machines as well as blackjack and craps.

I believe there is a sinister plan being executed by the ship’s management. Let me explain. During the first few days of each cruise – roughly the first half – I win on the slots. I may not win every time, but I am always money ahead. Then sometime after the cruise midpoint the slots become very tight. Sure I get a small win now and then, but I always lose. It seems the closer to the end of the trip, the more I lose.

I sometimes play longer near the end to try to win something, but it is no use. I simply lose, lose and lose some more. I believe the slots are programmed looser at the start of the cruise to make you think you will win and then they are tightened at the end to get the most money they can.

I have complained to management but was told they don’t change the payback of the machines. I don’t believe them. My wallet knows better.

Joe M

Dear Joe,

This would be a diabolical plot, indeed. Bait the 'sucker' and draw him in, then change the game – sort of like a 'bait-and-switch' ploy.

The oversight of games aboard ship is not the same as Las Vegas, Atlantic City Tunica and other major US land based casinos. I guess it may be theoretically possible to alter the pay schedules during the cruise, but it would take a considerable amount of work swapping out the control chips. Being found guilty of such actions would prove devastating for the cruise lines. Besides, they don’t have to resort to surreptitious actions such as changing payouts to make money; they have an automatic edge built in.

Do you keep accurate records of each session? Do you note the time, game, denomination and amount won or lost? I suspect your memory may be playing tricks with you. You may remember a few wins early on, but when you begin to lose as the trip progresses, you notice the depleted bankroll. You stated that you play longer sessions. Longer sessions mean more loses.

I recommend that you break your total trip bankroll into session bankrolls, play for a fixed amount of time each session (or until your session bankroll runs out), and keep accurate records of your play. If you do this I think you will see that the ship’s casino makes money at a consistent rate throughout the trip.

Follow these tips and you should have better of luck on future cruises.

Jerry 'Stickman' is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. The 'Stickman' is also a certified instructor for Golden Touch Craps and Golden Touch Blackjack. For more information visit www.goldentouchcraps.com or www.goldentouchblackjack.com or call 1-886-738-3423. You can contact Jerry 'Stickman' at stickmanGTC@aol.com

Have you recently heard of any funny business (cheating) going on in Las Vegas? No? That's because the Nevada gaming commission knows that any profits cheated would be far less than profits lost if the cheating becomes public. Slots are regulated and the %wins can be calibrated by a machine. It has to be locked into a certain percentage regulated by the gov't. (Technically some can be higher than others as long as they all average the given 'take.')

Have you ever heard of cheating in the lottery (outside a bad John Travolta movie?) No? That is because there is regulation in government lotteries.

Who regulates and inspects the cruise ship casino? Anyone? Did you know the company that runs the casinos on Carnival also runs the Princess, Cunard and other CCL ships? They are all connected.

Here is the secret that not even most industry insiders know:

First, please read my other entries. They won't make you rich but you might like them. Okay - you'll only hear this from an almost comatose drunk slot technician at 6am and as far as I know this information doesn't exist ANYWHERE on the internet!

SO - the percentage of a slot machine can be changed, RIGHT? (crowd: YES, TRUMPETDAD)
SO - if you were a cruise line, would you take everyone's money on the first night of the cruise? NO! The people would never come back during their cruise and they would tell all the passengers the slots are rigged or tight and no one would play.
SO - if you were a cruise line, would you give all your money away on the last night? Those people might never come back! Why would you do that? If you could change the % payout of a slot machine to maximize profit from a crowd of people over seven days, how would you do it?

Here's how it works, and how it can work for you. On the first night alot of people 'try their luck' and win. It is so easy to win that even non-gamblers are so tempted to put their winnings back to see if they win more. Throughout the cruise they ADVERTISE to other passengers how much money they won! You can can win and on the last night everyone wants to try one last time where they lose it all and then some.

Quite simply, anyone caught feeding the slots on the last night might as well buy Carnival stock so you can profit from their extra revenue! The way you do it is think of a gambling budget for the cruise and play it the first and second nights ONLY. For the other nights use your winnings for entertainment and stay out of the casino!

If you enjoyed this post, email it to a friend who loves to cruise!

I have more secrets from the ship and although I don't blog for profit, if you click on an ad to the right it won't cost you a dime and will encourage me to post more.
More secrets to come from the inside world of a crewmember...

Cruise Ship Slot Wins

PS - one more tip. If you buy this item you are GUARANTEED to win in any casino in the world (just kidding.)