Depending on when you read this issue, 2006 will be about to end or you already will be experiencing 2007. I can't believe how quickly time passes; it seems like just yesterday that I was toasting the new year with my family in Durango, Colorado. At the end of each year, I like to reflect back on happy moments, so please let me share some of my 2006 poker highlights with you.
The year started with a 31-day poker road trip, beginning in Nassau with the
PokerStars.com World Poker Tour event. Although I enjoyed staying at Atlantis on Paradise Island, I was disappointed that I wasn't allowed to play in any of the live poker games or tournaments due to local regulations, since I was required to obtain a work permit to work for the
World Poker Tour. From Nassau, I flew straight to Fort Lauderdale to sail on Card Player Cruises' first outing of the year, a seven-day Caribbean poker cruise. Next, I was off to Tunica to film a
WPT event. January ended with a snowy visit to Niagara Falls, where I helped host Seneca's first major poker tournament. By the way, Seneca had just opened its new hotel, so we never had to go out into the cold weather after arriving from the airport.
February, the shortest month of the year, also involved the least amount of travel. After beginning the month in Atlantic City for a
WPT taping, my only other travel included a leisure trip to Tucson, a Caribbean cruise, and a trip to Commerce, California, to film three
WPT events. I had the pleasure of playing in the
WPT Celebrity Invitational, but finished short of the money.
March began with a trip to Bay 101 for the
Shooting Star WPT event. This is one of the most exciting stops on the tour, as the fans are very enthusiastic, which makes my job as studio announcer for the
WPT a lot of fun. Next came my biggest professional challenge of the year: co-hosting the
PartyPoker.com Million V cruise charter. In addition to running the $10,000 buy-in tournament, Card Player Cruises also was responsible for making sure that 2,000 poker players had a great week on the high seas; mission accomplished! After returning home for 24 hours, I repacked and headed off to Tokyo to host the fourth-annual
Japanese Poker Championship. This trip included a lot of sightseeing and a chance to relax and enjoy the cherry blossom festival.
My favorite poker activity is teaching poker, so April was heavenly for me, as I got to participate in WPT Boot Camps in Reno, Tunica, and Atlantic City. In between Boot Camps, I worked on a
WPT event at Foxwoods and also hosted the
Mesquite Open in Mesquite, Nevada.
May was another great month, as I got to play in the
MIF (
Make it Fo) tournament at Bellagio. Actually, I didn't get to play for long, as I was the first player eliminated. Half the month of May was spent on a Card Player Cruises overseas poker cruise to Egypt, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Rumania, and Greece.
June began with a trip to Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, for the grand opening of its new poker room. The rest of the month was spent in Kenya, Africa, on my first real vacation from poker in years.
The month of July was spent mostly in Las Vegas, where I played a few events at the
World Series of Poker, but spent most of my time playing in the live Omaha eight-or-better games at the Rio. The championship event conflicted with the Card Player Cruises Alaska poker cruise, so I opted for the glaciers instead of the felt.
A trip to Gold Country Casino in Oroville, California, to host a poker tournament was a great way to start August. While there, Kenna James, Jan Fisher, Lee Watkinson, Barry Tanenbaum, Denny Axel, and I conducted a poker seminar at the casino, then got to spend some time singing karaoke at the home of my good friend Harry Taylor, who is the general manager at Gold Country. August also brought a trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, for some rest and relaxation, a trip to Commerce, California, for the
Ladies Dream Weekend seminar and tournament, and a trip to Bell Gardens, California, for the filming of The Bicycle Casino's
Legends of Poker WPT event.
I was on the road 28 days during September, starting with a stay in Mesquite, Nevada, to host another
Mesquite Open, then on to Canterbury Park in Minnesota to participate in a charity event with NBA superstars such as Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, and Patrick Ewing. While at Canterbury, I enjoyed presenting a seminar for the women who participated in the
LIPS Minnesota State Ladies Poker Championship. Midway through September, I flew to Atlantic City to participate in a
WPT filming and WPT Boot Camp, then immediately flew back across the country to Oceanside, California, for the
California State Ladies Poker Championship. I continued to rack up frequent-flyer miles in September by flying to Nashville, Tennessee, to host a seminar and tournament for a local bar league.
I was actually home for six days in October. The month started in Seattle, and then it was on to New York for an eight-day cruise to the Caribbean. The changing fall colors were spectacular to view while on the train from New York City to Mystic, Connecticut, where I got to teach a WPT Boot Camp at Foxwoods. The month ended in Niagara Falls, Canada, for the inaugural taping of a
WPT event at Fallsview Casino. The view of Niagara Falls from the hotel's rooms was outstanding, and judging from the feedback I got from the players, I think this event will become one of the best on the
WPT schedule.
November's highlight was a trip to the Philippines for the inaugural event of the
Pan Asia Poker Tournament Series (details about this trip will appear in the next issue). The next stop was Fort McDowell in Fountain Hills, Arizona (near Phoenix and Scottsdale), for a charity poker event. Another cross-country trip to Foxwoods to film a
WPT event and then home to my mother's house in Long Beach for Thanksgiving was a great way to end November.
December had me on the road for only 14 days, including a Card Player Cruises Mexico sailing, as well as another trip to Argosy Casino. December
WPT tapings were at Bellagio, which gave me a great opportunity to relax at home for a change.
Looking back at 2006, I can say that I loved my travel schedule and am grateful for the opportunity to visit so many wonderful places and meet so many people from the poker world. I suggest that you schedule some travel and poker trips in your 2007 plans. Try it, you just might love it as much as I do.
Now, let's play poker!
Linda is available to host corporate events, seminars, and poker tournaments. She can be contacted through her website at www.cardplayercruises.com or via e-mail at [email protected].
