Caribbean Poker Classic 2008

Quizzes were just one of the many activities on offer to those living the life of luxury as we spent seven days and nights sailing around the Caribbean, leaving Miami on a sunny Sunday afternoon in late November, before returning to the Sunshine state a week later via stop offs in bustling Puerto Rico, picturesque St Thomas and tranquil St Maarten.

Thankfully, with such random answers thrown in the mix, the only bounty on offer at the quiz was a pair of luggage tags, At the poker tables though, it was a different matter. With tournament play and sit and goes taking place whenever the Freedom is sailing, the best part of US£1million was up for grabs for the 150 plus players taking their seats throughout the week, 70 of who won their places playing on williamhillpoker.com, some for as little as US$5.

Before that though, they had the chance to soak up the sights and sounds of Miami and its famed art deco-fronted South Beach. While it may seem like a hackneyed old cliché to refer to South Beach as a playground of the rich and famous, those who chose to take brunch in the scorching sunshine before joining the Freedom, discovered that truly was the case as they found themselves dining upsides a couple of the better known local residents in the shape of international pop star Seal and his supermodel wife, the delightful Heidi Klum.

Eating was something which took place a great deal throughout the week. Included in the US$5,000 packages won by poker.williamhill.com players, was the chance to enjoy all the culinary delights of the Freedom’s many restaurants, buffets and bars plus access to room service 24-7, room service with chicken wings so good they were rumoured to being ordered six servings at a time.

For those piling on the calories, the Freedom offered plenty of ways to shed a few lbs, be it the conventional swimming pools, ping pong tables and basketball courts, or, for the more adventurous, an expansive rock climbing wall plus the opportunity to experience the world’s only floating surf park, something which has to be seen to be believed.

All that was a mere sideshow though to the serious business of those gathered in the poker room on deck two. Games of No limits Hold Em US$300, US$400, US$500 and US$1,000 were on offer plus a couple of super satellites to the main US$2,500 event which took place during a marathon Friday session and a relative sprint on Saturday and featured a total prize pool of US$276,450.

And poker.williamhill.com players saw their fair share of the cash. Talk of wedding bells filled the air after England’s Pamela Collins saw off 96 players to fill first place in Monday’s US$400 event, picking up a first prize of US$12,800, while another williamhillpoker.com player, Darren Matlock from England got the better of 111 players in the main event. Matlock picked up US$27,600 for his third place finish, finding two players too good for him at the final table, as David R. Lloyd, another Englishman, landed a knock-out blow when his Q-5 outraced Canada’s Sol Bergren's A-4 in the heads up to be crowned Caribbean Poker Classic champion and pocket a cool US$91,200.

All that was left then was to soak up that last bit of sunshine, sip on a few killer cocktails or maybe take in a hand or two of poker in the ship’s casino.