Pokertek, Carnival Begin Satellite Tournaments for Fourth Annual Carnival PokerPro Challenge Featuring Chris Moneymaker

PokerTek, Inc. and Carnival Cruise Lines have announced that qualifying tournaments are underway for the fourth annual Carnival PokerPro Challenge. Players who qualify will win a seat in the final event held on Carnival’s newest ship, the 130,000 ton Carnival Dream, December 3-10, 2011 where they will compete for a $50,000 first place prize. Chris Moneymaker, renowned poker expert and winner of the 2003 WSOP Main Event, will play in the tournament for the second year in a row.

Players can qualify to play in the Carnival PokerPro Challenge Grand Final event by winning a $150 buy-in satellite tournament that are already being offered aboard any of Carnival’s 22 “Fun Ships.”

Qualifying rounds will also be played at participating land-based properties featuring PokerPro and other select venues. To see a list of participating locations, please visit: www.PokerTek.com/Carnival. Players who win in a qualifying tournament will win a $750 entry in the Grand Final event aboard the Carnival Dream sailing from Port Canaveral, Fla., December 3-10, 2011. In addition, players who win on Carnival ships will receive a cash prize or a cruise certificate.

During the week, a variety of cash games and additional tournaments will be scheduled, including the popular “Beat the Moneymaker” tournament, where players compete to be the first to knock out Moneymaker for a cash bounty.

Cash games and tournaments will be played on state-of-the-art PokerPro tables, the only poker tables available across Carnival’s fleet. The tables clearly and quickly display players’ commitments and table stakes, pot amount and community cards. PokerPro tables offer mistake-free play, identify the winners at the end of each hand and immediately add the winnings to the player’s table stakes.