Poker Cruise IV News

January 11th 2010

Cruise News by Steven Mills

Hello All, My name is Steven Mills known as s7eve to some of you at Ladbrokes. It is my great pleasure to be dubbed “Ladbrokes Fun Official” Cruise Host for their 2011 Poker cruise to the Western Caribbean aboard the worlds largest cruise liner.

In January 2011 “The Oasis of the Seas” will be sailing out of Fort Lauderdale Florida and Ladbrokes have reserved 300 cabins for their winners and guests to take part in the adventure.

From now until the Cruise, I will be bringing you updates on: “Who’s on board” and how they qualified, qualification methods both live and online, in fact…. anything cruise related.

By trade, I am a self employed Landscape Designer and former professional magician, though of late I have become an out and out poker junkie.

I first played poker over 30 years ago in the back of the snooker club and in some very unsavoury spiels around and about south east London. It was all cash play and the game was 7 card stud. I also played at the Vic in London, where the scene was also kalooki. My biggest win at the time was just under £3000, enough to buy a new car. Not bad for an office junior in the newspaper industry. I was on about £30 a week.

I left Fleet Street in the mid 80's and ran away to join the circus, I became a magician and after busking on the streets of Covent Garden went on to work in cabaret, theatre, pubs and clubs both in the UK and abroad. Our dealers choice home game was funny with 6/7 magicians at the table.

In the late 90's I became bored and turned to my hobby of gardening, after a full time year at horticultural college I started a landscape design business, which I am still running occasionally.

By chance and a word from my wife I discovered online poker in 2005, I had not played for 15 years and Texas Holdem was new to me but somehow I was lucky enough to win an $11k seat on the second Ladbrokes Poker Cruise in 2006.

My wife and I were a bit worried that a cruise would be too staid…. How wrong we were.

It was like poker player meets footballer’s wives, all the razzmatazz, but with none of the bitchiness.

There is such camaraderie among the players who come from all walks of life, all mavericks in some way and all up for a party and a good time. When we left the boat, tired and tanned we shed a tear, our jaws hurt from all the laughter. If you want to see what you missed out on, check out the videos on YouTube.

As a self-employed person I had always found it hard to take holidays and the term “you should get out a bit more” almost applied. The cruise opened my eyes wide, life has to be lived and since then I have managed to attend some great events with Ladbrokes Poker, including the 2008 Ladbrokes cruise, three trips to WSOP in Vegas, the Irish Open, the Madrid Open, two Ladbrokes Irish Poker Festivals in Killarney, as well as playing in tournaments in Holland, France, Eire and up and down GB.

I have not had much success at the tables but it depends on how you define success. In my view just being there is a success. The rest is just a bonus.

The Oasis of the Seas is going to be a wonderful spot for a little game of poker, but poker can only be played while at sea, leaving the cruisers an interesting equation to work out:

Poker x 3 Caribbean destinations ÷ Wine and Fine Dining + Great Company = So much fun (squared).

While I am delighted at the prospect of attending my third Ladbrokes Poker Cruise, I am daunted that my wife has a year to amass her wardrobe!!

See you onboard

s7eve