Gambling and Leisure at sea

[John Arton]

Many of us will enjoy a flutter on the gee-gees occasionally and I guess we all do the lottery (no luck to date-bah ha) but did you ever gamble at sea?
We used to play 3 card Brag, Poker and Cribbage at cards but at times we had to ban cards as occasionally some serious money was changing hands and things were getting very heated. Another Saturday night event was horse racing and with the Filipino crew the first night we held one well over £1200 went through the books. The Filipino's were almost as bad as the Chinese for gambling. The Chinese were famous for their majong games where years wages were lost and gained every night.
Before the lottery there were the football pools (still going to this day) and I can recall having a football pools syndicate on board and am I right in thinking that Vernons did a specific football pools for seafarers?
In my younger days I used to like visiting casinos with my mate who was into gambling at the time, Playboy Club in London and Manchester and also a casino in Blackpool that in winter was full of Blackpool landladies in full regalia. The two best casino's I every visited were in Nassau and Atlantic City N.J.
The Atlantic City ones were fabulous. We were in Philly loading grain and there was no weekend work. One of the stevedores suggested we went to Atlantic City for the night as there was an outfit that ran bus trips from Philly to Atlantic City. It only cost around $20 a head and on boarding the bus you were given a free meal ticket and a roll of quarters to play the slots with. You chose which casino you wanted to go to (Playboy, Sands, pharaoh's etc.) and the bus literally took you into the casino, 4 steps off the bus, through the doors and you were right in amongst the slots. WE went to the Playboy and as we entered some lucky lady won $50,000 on the slots, there were bunny girls running all over to her, lights flashing announcing a big winner etc. The best thing about the casino's there was that on the gambling floor all drinks were free so we were playing $1 Wheel of Fortune just so we could get free drinks. Wandered along the boardwalk visiting all the casino's which all had roped off areas for the high rollers where the minimum bet was $50. Ended up in an Egyptian themed casino where all the female waitress staff wore very revealing toga's, very interesting when they leaned over you to place your drink on the table. In one casino we were having a break in the lounge and there was a guy singing along at the piano. It was only after a few songs that we realised that it was the Tony Bennett and we were watching him for free.
It was a bitter cold night in March yet even so all the casino's were packed with New Yorkers down for the weekend. Got back to the Ship around 0300 after one of the best (and cheapest) runs ashore I ever had.
rgds
JA

[cappy]

#1 wasgoing on a 3 week holiday to oz a few years back pat and I and my sailing buddy and his wife was going out on the Wednesday and on the sunday before won a grand at leeds rhinos lottery ......tht was a lot of tinnies......an extra grand a nice touch

[Ivan Cloherty]

Whilst a cadet in PSNC we four cadets were given a day off ( an unheard of event but we were scheduled to load melons during the night in four holds) in Valparaiso, so we took the bus to Vina del Mar, the Monte Carlo of Chile, we had changed our USDollars (received in Panama) and changed them on the black market for 50 times their value. After a couple of cervesas on the promenade we wandered over to this illustrious building (we were smartly dressed, otherwise not allowed ashore by Ch Off) not realising it was the Casino until we were inside. We were not allowed on the playing floor because of our age but were directed upstairs to the verandah where there was a restaurant and a band playing with couples dancing (different to the dancing we were used to in the bars) Eventually two couples curious about our young age, blond hair (I had some then) and blue eyes came over and started talking to us. An interesting afternoon, they had noticed our interest in their dancing (when really it was an interest in the Senoras who were stunning) and after a couple of hours and vinos wished to know if we would like to dance with their wives. Two of us jumped at the chance and hence my love of dancing was born, sensual dancing without being suggestive (as in the Bars). Never got around to gambling, but probably gambled with our lives as it was difficult not to become biologically aroused whilst dancing with these beautiful friendly women. Unfortunately we had to part and head Valparaiso way and back to reality and the smell of guano and melons. That was the only daytime full day I ever got off duty during my cadet days on the WCSA and it still lives with me.

[Graham Payne]

Hi, I remember the gambling nights in the Pig on the old "O" boats of the P&O Orient Line, Orcades, Oronsay & Oriana , 3 card brag, Draw Poker & worst of all "Crown & Anchor" that was the real killer game, an awful lot of money changed hands, quite a lot of it was mine.
Happy Days.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, I still have { Crown and anchor} full game, with fake money and wooden dice... not allowed on royal navy ships... May have played a few hands of cards on some ships? cant remember if i won or lost... Someone won the littlewoods pools on a ship I was on {Bosun} flew home next port...£67.000 was the win, a nice sum in those days. Dont know what happen to him.

[Dennis McGuckin]

Remember playing Crown & Anchor on the Iberia.
Pay off day there were hard cases waiting for your money before you skinned out.
Smaller ships we played Pontoon for cig's.
Later years went skiing in the Lake Tahoe area.
While I am not a gambler, we always hit the Casino for the grub, and free booze. Just had to be playing a little on the slots.
Few years back we were in the Dominion Republic. Wife was playing slots.
I took three tokens from her and stuck them in.
Won $600, picked up a free drink and walked out. Minus a hand full that the wife managed to grab.
All of the Casinos in Canada are now run by the natives. Not as free as they once were.
Recent visits to the U.S.show likewise.
Den.

[Doc Vernon]

Vernons did a specific football pools for seafarers? No I never did John! haha!

But seriously I only ever recall Gambling a bit playing Cribbage, just loved that game ,took me a while to learn it though!
Cards I too loved, but I steered clear of gambling with them!

Ashore though was different,i used to go to the Casino and private gambling joints! Bad move I must say ! Grrrr!
Cheers

[Evan Lewis]

Bought a miniature Roulette game , in my local Marks and Sparks. Shortly before joining the Caronia ,as A,B . early sixties
Spent most evenings ,on the run across, to. N.Y. Spinning & writing down the result. Was Hooked! Discovered a infallible System, or so I believed.

At N.Y Commenced a series of European Cruises. Which inevitably included a number of Casino Ports. First run-ashore.was to Casino De Municipale,en Venetzia. Very near the Bridge of Sighs. Although winning very modest amounts there and similarly at consequent venues Monte Carlo, Cannes, Nice,
.Deauvile ,Estoril, Harburg,nr Hamburg.

My next Leave, full of confidence, ventured to the newly opened Casino,the ex , Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff. Where was Quickly, brought back to the Field.Losing most of my Pay -Off ,and consequently, a bit more besides".You Win Some, Lose Some." as the saying goes..

Cold go on for hours,regardng Casino's visited.and some of the incidents ,pertaining to .

Name dropping includes ,An Arizona one ,on Indian-owned Land. South L.A nr. the Airport(Poker etc. no Roulette ,under Calfornia law.]

VEGAS ,few times and locally ,CROWN ,Melb. Cairns, and Ozz's first. Hobart;s Wrest Point

The Alegria

& Sihalis ,both in Manila. Usually package deals.Previousy a ship in the Bay, or docks there, was the Casino.can't remember .Think it was the Old Chandris liner.

PORT Line and ex BLUE star and ,P&O etc. may recall Pyrmont, ? Berth 13 ,P&Os regular,just below Mont'ys. The large Woolshed ,became Sydney.s
First. Now, the prestigious Star,Casino Hotel. This week,my little lady and I are spending two complimentary nights there. For good attendance at Jupiters Here ,I suppose . Mis-spent old Age. Can't Beat it!

Hope,the System works!
Cheers

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I can't recall whether we gambled at cards, I think we were on too little money back in the 50s. But when I retired at 65 I went to work on a floating restaurant in Darling harbor in Sydney called the South Steyne, when the Sydney Casino opened they used to give the boss $5 vouchers to give to the diners to get them to go to the casino. My boss used to give me a handful and me and the wife used to go to the casino a lot; cashing in throughout the night around $100plus playing the pokies and eating meals. One day he told me to go and fetch a box from the casino for him when I got back and he opened the box it was neatly packed with about $10,000 of $5 vouchers, needless to say the boss and I and Betty had a great time for months.
Cheers Des

[Evan Lewis]

Used to see the South Steyne on a daily basis, at Newcastle, where She was performing the same Function for some four years . Tied up ,near Merewether Street.

She's had an interesting career. Hasn't She ! Came out ,under own steam ,being built at Leith. In the Thirties.

Note now, it's back at Sydney ,at Pyrmont Bridge. Let's hope the present Staff,continue to get the Freebies.

Cheers!