Each of the two remaining 2013 Ante Up Poker Cruises will feature a tournament shootout format of poker’s hottest game – Open-Face Chinese Poker.
The Oct. 20 cruise from the New York City metro area and the Dec. 2 cruise from Tampa, Fla., will offer at least one 16-player Open-Face Chinese shootout event with a $100 buy-in. Each table to play down to one winner, with the four winners meeting at a final table.
"Open-Face Chinese Poker is sweeping the poker world, and we wanted a way to introduce it on our cruises," said Scott Long, publisher of Ante Up Poker Media LLC with Christopher Cosenza. "The shootout format is a perfect way to accomplish that."
In Open-Face Chinese Poker, each player creates three hands in increasing strength – a three-card hand on top, a five-card hand in the middle and a five-card hand on bottom. Players start with five cards and continue to add a card until they’ve placed all 13 cards. Players then compare their hands with each of the three other players and earn points based how their hands match up with their opponents’ hands. Players earn additional "royalty" points for making straights or better.
Ante Up Poker Cruises feature a professionally staffed and equipped poker room in the conference center of regularly scheduled Royal Caribbean Cruise Line sailings. Cash games and single-table tournaments are offered whenever the poker room is open and multi-table tournaments are held on sea days. Each cruise offers at least two free poker courses, as well as advanced courses taught by a professional poker player.
