PokerWorks

On Saturday, May 3, the Party Poker Million VI poker cruise gets underway as it leaves for Venice, Italy, and sails around the Mediterranean for eight days. And when the MSC Poesia cruise liner returns to Venice on May 10, it will have crowned a new PartyPoker tournament champion.

For the first time, the Party Poker Million cruise will be routed via waterways through Europe, and about 160 players from around the world have made their reservations to board the luxurious liner, players like Mike “Timex” McDonald, Soeren Kongsgaard, Andreas Jorbeck, Christian Kruel, Florian Langmann, and Alexander Jung. Also in the field will be online qualifiers who won their seats on PartyPoker.com; each won a $12,000 prize package that included the $8200 buy-in for the no-limit main event, as well as $2700 for accommodations and $1100 spending money. Mike Sexton will be the host and emcee of the tournament, while Matt Savage and Dave Lamb will serve as tournament directors. And overseeing the poker room will be Card Player Cruises team members Linda Johnson, Mark Tenner, and Jan Fisher.

All players and friends will be sailing on the MSC Poesia, which is filled to capacity. When not playing intense poker in the sizable card room which is open around the clock, cruisers can frequent the numerous restaurants, bars, tennis courts, miniature golf course, pools, spas, dance clubs, cinema, and shopping outlets. Besides being one of the premier poker tournaments, players can enjoy a lavish vacation to boot!

The first cards will be dealt on Sunday, May 4, after passengers return from the first port of call, the southern Italian city of Bari. As the boat sails on and the action continues in the tournament room, there will be other stops for adventurous travelers, including Katakolon, Greece; Izmar and Istanbul, Turkey; and Dubrovnik, Croatia.

A Party Poker spokesperson noted, “The excitement is building ahead of the first ever Party Poker Million to be held in Europe. We estimate a total prize pool of over $1.3 million.”

When the Party Poker Million set out on its inaugural cruise in 2002, it made history with a $1 million first prize, not to mention being able to award it to Kathy Liebert, the first woman to take down a major open tournament. Subsequent winners were Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Michael Gracz, and Mike Schneider. The tournament has become one of the most anticipated in the world, and the 2008 cruise will be no different.

While it’s too late to get a room on the European Party Poker Million VI, it’s not too early to begin practicing for next year’s tournament! Download Party Poker now and use the bonus code PW25FREE to get an exclusive bonus of $50 free on the initial deposit.