Cruise ship casinos are only open when the ship is out to sea or in port in a select few countries where gambling is permitted (at least on the cruise ship), such as Bermuda and Malta. Winners of tournaments typically win money but on some ships, namely Royal Caribbean, winners of the Texas Hold'em tournament are also eligible to receive a free cruise for two on which the final Royal Poker Tournament is held, for which a prize pool of $100,000 is guaranteed. Some cruise lines allow you to rebuy during blackjack and poker tournaments, so winners tend to be whichever player is willing to continually rebuy. Most tournaments are buy-ins where you pay a certain amount to enter and then don't actually spend money during the tournament. Most cruise ships with a casino will offer tournaments of some kind. Are there high stakes tables in a cruise ship casino?Īre there poker, blackjack or slot tournaments in the casino? But they offer so many variations of ways to win that, at 1 cent per variation, your 1 cent bet can easily end up costing you more than $2 a go. Yes, every cruise ship casino has penny slots. Are there penny slots in a cruise ship casino? There's usually also at least one roulette table and one craps table, and a rare few will have Baccarat. Still other ships will not offer Texas Hold'em at all Silversea doesn't offer poker of any variety. For Texas Hold'em played against other players, some ships will have dealer-dealt tables (Norwegian Cruise Line, most Royal Caribbean ships), while others will use electronic Poker Pro tables (Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises). What types of machines and/or tables will I find in the casino?Īll cruise ship casinos have numerous slot machine options, and most have table games as well, including blackjack and a variety of poker games (Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Caribbean Stud, Three Card, Let It Ride) that you play against the dealer. Viking is a line that has made a point not to have casinos on any of its ships, regardless of type.

Most expedition ships and river boats do not have casinos. Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America also does not have a casino. The major exception to the big ship rule is Disney Cruise Line, which does not have a casino on any of its four cruise ships. Most large cruise ships, and even some of the smaller ones will have an onboard casino. That depends on which cruise line you've chosen. Casino Royale on Harmony of the Seas (Photo: Cruise Critic)

Seven seas slot machine