Earlier this year, PokerPro® and Carnival cruise lines ushered in a new era for tournament poker. The two partners offered a winner-take-all satellite tournament, with the winner taking home a seat to the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Eventually won by NYPD veteran Monty Berger, the tournament proved to be very popular with players aboard the cruise, filling all nine qualifying rounds held on the automated PokerPro® table.

Thanks in part to the success of the World Series of Poker Satellite event aboard the Carnival Legend, PokerPro® and Carnival have implemented plans for Carnival's PokerPro® Challenge, with over $250,000 in cash prizes! The $150 Satellite Events will take place January thru June 2008 aboard 10 select Carnival "Fun Ships." Winners of the satellite tournaments will earn a free seat into the Final Event Tournament, $750 in cash, and discounted passage aboard the "Fun Ship" Fantasy on its September 20th, 2008 voyage out of New Orleans. Qualifiers in Carnival's PokerPro Challenge will compete for over $70,000 in cash, and a guaranteed First Place purse of $45,000. The entire tournament will take place on the revolutionary automated tables, PokerPro®, installed throughout casinos on the Carnival fleet. The final tournament voyage will be a poker player's dream, filled with enough tournaments, heads-up challenges, and cash games to keep any poker-playing cruiser happy.

Annual WSOP Satellite Tournaments will continue to run on Carnival cruises, the next being held on the Carnival Freedom during the November 12 cruise to the Western Caribbean. The winner of that Satellite will take home a $10,000 seat in the 2008 WSOP.