When folks sign up for a poker player's cruise vacation, people are not only hoping for a full boat, they are looking to fill their straights and flushes, too. Women's Poker Hall of Fame inductee Linda "The First Lady of Poker" Johnson (who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1997), along with fellow Women's Hall of Famer Jan Fisher sponsor the Card Player Poker Cruises.

For most of  the cruises, the tournaments buy-ins range from $125 to $230 with the tournament fees of $25 to $30. Even the cash games are mostly low-limit, with blinds starting at $1/$2 for No-limit Hold'em. Though most cruises are designed for the low-stakes players, higher stakes games are available for players with bigger pocket books. Johnson started offering poker cruises in the early 1990's, while she was the Publisher of Card Player Magazine. After selling Card Player Magazine, she retained the rights to the name. She and Fisher stress that while poker is a competitive game, their emphasis is on the camaraderie and enjoyment.

"We have a beginners' class for people who have never played before. That's where poker newbie's learn the fundamentals, and when the beginners play, they just play with each other all week," Jan added. "We protect that game and make sure no experienced players join in." Linda also stated that on most cruises, "The focus may be poker, but we really cater to the recreational player. This isn't the type of thing where you're going to get [big name] pros in the group... and we have a strict no-abuse atmosphere - we don't allow any of the tantrums that you sometimes see on TV."

Not all of the trips are for casual player's. The World Poker Tour Boot Camp will feature topflight pros as instructors and four tournaments with a total prize pool of $200,000. The seven-night cruise aboard the Mariner of the Seas, leaving Los Angeles on April 25, will cost almost $3,500 per player. The increased expense is for attendance at the critically acclaimed Boot Camp, where player from rank amateurs to professional rounders can improve their game. Since its inception, many Boot Camp attendees have gone on to do very well in WPT and WSOP events.

The poker players on the boat number from as few as 100 to as many as 600. Some of the cruises, such as the Mexican Riviera and Caribbean Cruises, often draw a larger and more youthful group. The trips to destinations such as Europe and Alaska (mainly because of the higher cost)  draw fewer, more mature players. Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas is currently the world's largest cruise ship. With a capacity of nearly 6,000, besides poker you can enjoy the outdoor wave rider for boogie boarding and surfing, a golf simulator and , The inner balcony rooms over looking Central Park, an open air park-like atmosphere with shops, specialty dining, a coffee house, specialty stores and a Merry-Go-Round.

For more information about Card Player Cruises, visit www.cardplayercruises.com or call 1-888-999-4880. Make sure you tell Jan or Linda that Poker Insider Magazine sent you to them.