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March 1, 2003

Players, their companions, and the crew and staff of PartyPoker.com, World Poker Tour and Card Player Cruises boarded the Holland America cruise line’s ms Zandaam in Port Canaveral, Florida. The mood was upbeat as players who had played together countless times online finally met in person!

March 2: Tournament Day 1

The tournament kicked off with the 89 players playing throughout the day and into the evening. The blinds and limits increased as the day went on, and the group of players grew smaller and smaller. The poker room floor was a who’s who of the poker world, with such pros as T.J. Cloutier, Howard Lederer, Scotty Nguyen, Mel Judah, Phil Hellmuth, Tom McEvoy, Chris Ferguson and many others playing alongside PartyPoker.com online qualifiers. In addition, last year’s inaugural PartyPoker.com Million winner, Kathy Liebert, and second place winner, online qualifier Berj Kacherian, were also playing for this year’s prize.

March 3: Tournament Day 2

On the second day of the tournament, the second half of the players played their first round. 88 players had started the day but by 10 p.m., only 40 remained. This concluded the first round of player elimination; the remaining players from days one and two (total of 84) would play again tomorrow.

March 4: Tournament Day 3

Today we arrived in St. Maarten! This charming Caribbean island is half French and half Dutch. Players and their companions were able to go ashore to enjoy shopping, rent motor scooters to tour around, lounge on the island’s many world-class beaches, or stay aboard the ship to relax by the pool.

That night, back at the tables, the action heated up! The remaining players from Day 1 and Day 2 played, whittling the number of players from 84 down to 18. The blinds and limits were getting high, and the pace quickened.

March 5: Tournament Day 4

We spent the day in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. That afternoon on the ship, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, and Mike Sexton hosted a poker seminar where they share their top poker tips with PartyPoker.com players.

That evening, back at the tournament tables, onlookers watched as 18 players were winnowed down to the final six. Online qualifiers dominated the table and play continued into the small hours, until only the final six remained.

March 6: Tournament Finals!

Another glorious day at sea, with all those aboard relaxing and enjoying the ship’s fantastic food and activities, and the final six players preparing for the evening’s event.

The tournament finals took place in the ship’s glamorous showroom, with Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher from Card Player Cruises announcing the hands while giant screen televisions showed all the table action to the packed house.

The action at the final table was fast, furious, and aggressive, as the first three players to be eliminated were busted out in quick succession. This left Joe “Cowboy” Simpkins, a PartyPoker.com online qualifier, Chip Jett, and Howard Lederer. Another hour of play found Cowboy out of the game, but still going home with $107,000!

At the beginning of the evening, Chip Jett had a formidable lead, but by the end of the night, with the chips going back and forth, Howard Lederer emerged as the winner. At midnight he exhausted Chip’s stack, and Howard won the 2003 PartyPoker.com Million II, taking home $263,850! Second place winner Chip Jett received $175,900.