Championship Poker Cruise
A two-night ranked tournament aboard Pacific Sovereign, run under Australasian Poker Tour rules with professional dealers, live chip tracking and a televised final table on the Coral Sea.
A real tournament, not a themed party
The Championship Poker Cruise is our flagship product and the reason most guests find us. The main event is a structured No Limit Hold'em tournament with a guaranteed A$40,000 prize pool, blind levels published in advance and a ruling team drawn from licensed Queensland casino rooms.
Between sessions you get the Coral Sea: cabins with water views, a degustation dinner on the second evening and a final table staged on the open aft deck under lights. Satellites run every sailing, so a seat at the main event can cost as little as A$120.
Built like a mainland series, played at sea
Tournament integrity
Printed blind structures, independent floor rulings and chip counts audited at every break. Results are filed with our season leaderboard.
Professional dealers
Twelve dealers rotate across eleven tables, all with casino room experience. No volunteer dealing, no self-dealt final tables.
Final table under lights
The last nine players move to the aft deck arena with broadcast lighting, rail seating and a live commentary feed.
Verified payouts
Prizes are paid by bank transfer within 48 hours of docking. Cash games settle on the night in Australian dollars.
Satellite path
A$120 and A$280 satellites run before the main event, so every budget has a realistic route into the championship field.
Player concierge
One contact for registration, cabin upgrades, dining times and partner passes. Non-playing guests get their own program.
Everything arranged before you step aboard
- Main event seat with 30,000 starting stack and full tournament hospitality
- Two nights in an oceanview cabin, breakfast and degustation dinner included
- Welcome reception, player briefing and rules clinic on embarkation day
- Access to all side events, sit-and-go tables and the rail lounge
- Commemorative chip set, lanyard and official result certificate
- Partner program covering reef excursions while cards are in the air
From first call to final hand
Register your seat
Book direct or win a satellite seat online. We confirm your cabin class and table preferences within one business day.
Embark at Cairns
Check in at Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, collect your player pack and join the welcome briefing before departure.
Play the series
Day one is the opening flight and welcome dinner. Day two plays down to the final table as the liner anchors near the reef.
Settle and celebrate
The champion is crowned on the aft deck at dusk. Winnings clear within 48 hours, trophies ship to your door.
The most disciplined tournament I have dealt in fifteen years, and I have worked Crown and The Star. Doing it at sea should feel like a gimmick. It does not.
How the night unfolds on board
Every sailing is choreographed around the tables. Times shift slightly with the season and the vessel, but the rhythm below is the one our guests know well.
Day one, 14:00: boarding and briefing
Players collect chip bags and seat draws at the terminal. The tournament director walks the field through structure and rulings before we cast off.
Day one, 17:00: flight one
Eight levels of forty minutes with a dinner break at the buffet stations. Play ends at midnight; stacks are bagged and sealed.
Day two, 11:00: flight two and the bubble
The field compresses over morning coffee on the reef side. Money positions are usually reached by mid-afternoon.
Day two, 19:30: final table
Nine players, the aft deck arena and a sunset final table. Presentation and winner's interview follow at the champagne rail.
Three ways to play the championship format
Satellite seat
Single-table satellites feeding into the main event. Includes tournament entry only; cabin packages book separately.
Championship package
Main event seat, oceanview cabin, all dining and the full social program. The format most players choose.
Rail to felt suite
Suite upgrade, balcony seats for your guests at the final table arena and a private dinner with the tournament director.
About the championship format
Related experiences
Season Tournament Pass
One pass covering all four championship events in the season calendar.
View detailsVIP High Roller Salon
Invitation cash games in the private salon for players who prefer deeper stacks.
View detailsReef Poker Voyage
A slower three-night itinerary combining reef stops with evening tournaments.
View detailsClaim your seat at the next championship sailing
Fields are capped at 128 players and the last three series sold out five weeks before departure. Tell us your dates and we will hold a seat while you decide.