Anyone ever been on one of these before?
I won a high hand tonight and it's a 4 night cruise out of port canaveral FL and there is a poker tournament entry that comes with it.
Anyone ever been on one of these before?
I won a high hand tonight and it's a 4 night cruise out of port canaveral FL and there is a poker tournament entry that comes with it.
I hear ring games have insane rake but its a tourney so enjoy the food and give us a trip report.
Apparently the cruise line has it worked out that only people who sign up through ante up get access to a poker room where they will spread whatever games anyone wants to play. I'm sure the rake is stupid.
Part of the package I won is a $100 entry into the main event tournament they have on the last day. They also have one other tournament on day one..... A $20 unlimited rebuy.
I'll check it out and give the report, but I'm not optimistic about a positive poker experience. Half the reason you play poker on a cruise ship is because you can attract players who don't visit card rooms. If only players who bought there way on through ante up or won admission for being at a poker room are allowed to play..... Well that sounds like a lame recipie.
Still take the free cruise though.
Curious if the tournament will be run with those PokerPro tables.
I am making the guess they will not feed and board poker dealers.
Worst outcome is the kids who deal Spanish 21 are fumbling the cards.
Most ship casinos aren't that large so this can't be a large field.
The most live fun I've had in years has been on cruises with the PokerPro tables. Little old ladies with too much jewelry and a drink. They aren't windsurfing. Just endlessly reloading. I've written about my experience before.
I've written about the poker pro machines before as well. I've paid off entire cruises with profits from these machines before. The rake is stupid but the player pool can't be ignored.
This isn't a poker pro thing. It's a special poker room on the boat that you can only get into if you register through Ante up (they don't want John Q. passenger to not go to the casino). So in this instance they are in fact going to bring aboard staff.
The Ante Up cruises use real dealers. In fact, one of the dealers in my local room deals for them on the cruises. Yes, the rake is higher than the usual $5 + $2 in most Florida rooms, but not the $10 rake you get in most cruise ship rooms. They will spread Omaha or Stud variants too, as well as limit games. True, the room is only open to poker players that book through them, but with the rake and small player pool, these aren't the best poker players. The games and tourney aren't fat enough and the rake is high enough that you're not going to pay for your cruise and turn a profit by grinding the cruise circuit. So the players are more poker enthusiasts and fans of their podcast and magazine -- very soft fields. I haven't gone on a cruise, but listen to their weekly podcast. Scott and Chris are both good guys. They'll make sure you have a blast on the cruise. Enjoy!
Last edited by alpha1243; 03-19-2016 at 10:49 PM.
So I called And booked our room. Holy shit I think Decaprio had better accommodations on the Titanic 3D floor at the very front. Might as well be next to the trash compactor. I asked about an upgrade to a Balcony room and they wanted $1200, and not the $~$500 the site would imply (being so close to sail and having an understanding on "yield management" I get why it's that much".
Chalking this up to "what do you want for free" and I'm going to roll with it and have a good time.
I was also corrected in that we do not get a free entry into the $100 "main event" with the package we won. I swear they said as much when I won it.
Harsh buzz, but at least you'll be surrounded by fish. Literally.
So I'll try and do a better write up in the next few days but all and all not a bad experience. Def not a top ten poker situation. The best part about it was "bonding" with about 10 other locals that I play with was worth the experiance.
Quick faggot story..... Main event..... $100 plus a $20 dealer toke...... First hand Q-Q, ran into A-K. You guys know the rest of the story.
I'm guessing you don't get that many outright terrible players on a poker cruise.
Poker players on a regular cruise, though... that's a different story.
Which boat/line are you on?
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