Card Player Cruises Celebrates its 20th Year Anniversary
In 1992, approximately 550 poker players sailed to the Mexican Riviera on the first Card Player Cruises poker trip. “I was lucky to be on that cruise; it changed the course of my life,” said co-owner and recent Poker Hall of Fame inductee, Linda Johnson. “Prior to the cruise, I was a professional poker player and that’s all I wanted to be. My friends and I had so much fun on that cruise that we knew we never wanted to miss another one. A week later, we signed papers to buy Card Player Magazine and Card Player Cruises.”
A poker cruise is a great way to combine travel and poker. You can play as much or as little poker as you want. The poker room is closed when we are in port and during dinner so our passengers can enjoy the cruise experience. Cruising is a great opportunity to visit exotic ports while only having to pack and unpack once.
Card Player Cruises has hosted more than 37,000 poker players on more than 100 poker cruises. They have at least five poker cruises per year; four of them are to destinations like the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexico, and New England, and at least one cruise annually has a very exotic international destination. The 2012 exotic cruise is going to Dubai and India. They have had poker cruises all over the world and even chartered an entire cruise ship four times. The charters were amazing. They brought 2,500 poker players, 185 dealers, and enough equipment to outfit a 60-table poker room.”
It’s cheaper to go on a 7-night poker cruise than most people would spend going to Las Vegas for a weekend. Prices start at about $100 per day. This price includes your cabin, all-you-can-eat, nonstop entertainment, a plethora of activities, and a first-class poker room.
They set up a Las-Vegas style cardroom and offer live games and tournaments. The game selection varies from cruise to cruise since they will spread any game that enough players want, but the usual spread of games includes $1-$3 and $2-$5 no-limit hold’em, $2-$4, $4-$8, and $10-$20 limit hold’em, and $4-$8 and $10-$20 Omaha/8. They often have a mixed game or HORSE. Occasionally they have PLO or seven-card stud. They have at least seven tournaments on their domestic cruises, mostly in the $75-$125 buy-in range.
Their two best attributes are great customer service and a well-run poker room. They do a tremendous repeat business. Players love the camaraderie of the cardroom and the no-abuse policy. Everyone has a great time in and out of the poker room. They offer lessons for absolute beginners, complimentary seminars, private parties, and even offer private shore excursions on some of their cruises. They also have a “refer a friend” program that enables anyone to earn a free cruise, a discounted cruise, or cash, by referring their friends, family, and associates.
A complete list of the 2012 itinerary as well as other poker cruise information can be found at www.cardplayercruises.com or you can call the Card Player Cruises office at 888-999-4880.
