4 Hot Tips For Cruise Ship Casinos

In October, we published a piece on advice for cruise ship gambling, with some general tips about the general environment of on board casinos. In this follow-up we’ll talk a little bit more about strategy – not necessarily for winning games, but for handling your surroundings and getting the most out of your experience.

Four hot tips for your casino gaming experiences:

1.) Play With Your Friends

Again, these aren’t necessarily tips on how to win the games, but rather how to get the most out of the experience. Therefore it’s worth mentioning that casinos on cruise ships are often a little more relaxed than those on land. You’ll certainly see people who are laser-focused on the stacks of chips in front of them, but these are not typically places for high rollers or serious card sharks. You don’t have to act more serious than you’d like to, so go ahead and play games with your friends or whomever you’re traveling with. You can still focus on the games while treatin the whole thing as a casual entertainment experience.

2.) Ignore Dealers’ Attire

This probably sounds like an odd tip on the surface. It might be a crucial one though, according to one article. Discussing scientific studies and something called the “Halo Effect,” the article speaks to the idea that sharply dressed individuals can make very impactful impressions. We can fall prey to subconsciously wanting to impress, which can lead us to make bets we otherwise wouldn’t make, or simply stay at a table longer than we should. It’s just one of many ways in which casinos are known to try to influence players, so be wary – or simply try to ignore how your dealers look.

3.) Record Your Losses & Gains

On a cruise, it can be pretty easy to lose track of how much money you’re spending. The casino can still operate in a normal fashion, with cash and chips, but you may also be able to take out chips via a card that you use for expenses on board. This can make the money seem less “real” (which is already an issue with chips in general), so it’s a very good idea to record your losses, gains, and withdrawals as you go. It’s easy enough to simply keep your own running tab, perhaps in a note-taking app on your phone.

4.) Know The Rules In Advance

Hopefully this is an obvious tip, but it’s probably true that a lot of people visit casinos on cruise ships when they wouldn’t necessarily do so on the mainland. If that describes you, you might be walking in blind. For some games (like slots or coin push machines) that’s not necessarily a big issue. But you still might want to brush up on basic blackjack strategy, go over the rules for poker and craps, and generally familiarize yourself with the games you might be playing. You’ll have a better experience for it, even if you don’t wind up a huge winner.