I am writing this on the high seas, as we are on a cruise for a couple of weeks. We will be back home in May.

Using the ship’s computers, I fat-fingered some e-mail and accidentally deleted about 20 messages. So if you sent me something in the last three or four days (April 16-19) and did not get a reply, I lost it. Please resend.

There I also a chance that on May 3, I will present a seminar in Nashville to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can find more details here as plans firm up. But if you are in the area, please set the time aside. It will likely be at the Gaylord Hotel and will request a donation of $100.

Many cruise ships now have automated poker tables. I like these for a lot of reasons. First, ships do not have trained dealers, so they tend to make up rules. Second, even if they do, they do not have the flexibility to switch from ring game to tournament. Automated tables can handle games of any denomination, and size, (up to ten players) as do SnGs well as rings. Only one person is required to run it, and he has only to enter the type of game and each player’s buy in.

This ship does not have this. They run a “tournament.” Here is a set-up. They play on blackjack tables limited to seven players. For each event, the buy in is $90 for 1000 in tournament chips with one rebuy OR add-on for $50 which gets you 800 more chips.

Now the structure. Ten minute rounds (not a typo) starting a 25-50 and doubling every level. Yes, at the end of a half hour, they play 200-400 with at most 12,600 chips on the table. Clearly an all-in fest starting after 20 minutes. I guess at least it levels the playing field.

And what does the winner get? He gets to play other winners throughout the cruise with the final prize (yes, one prize) of a free two-week cruise for two (cabin level unspecified), and an entry to an annual cruise company-wide with event with (they say) $100,000 in prize money.

Can you compute th4e amount of the entry returned to the winner(s)? Me neither, but it seems to be way less than 50 percent.

I took this cruise to get away from poker for a while, and the poker they play has made it easy. No way will I enter this thing.

Things are going quite well. Crossing the Atlantic on a cruise ship is a great way to relax. I will post again when I get home, or when I get final details of the Nashville seminar.