I’VE BEEN BEATING THE ODDS FOR FIVE YEARS – TUCKER KEELING FROM BIXBY, OKLAHOMA WINS PARTYCASINO.COM $250,000 WORLD BLACKJACK CHAMPIONSHIP

CARIBBEAN SEA: MARCH 2006: 38-year-old Tucker Keeling from Bixby, Oklahoma, won the inaugural $250,000 PartyPoker.com World BlackJack Championship on board the PartyPoker.com Million V in the Caribbean last week. Tucker took home $113,000 but has suffered from ALS, a motor neurone disease, for five years. In 2001 he was given between two and five years to live. He credits his good luck charm – a little Buddha statue - with bringing him the luck to win the tournament.

“I suppose I’ve beaten the odds in more ways than one,“ said Tucker. “I’ve been beating the odds for five years, I’m delighted to win. My illness meant I had to quit work some time ago. I had a serious amount of luck in the tournament. Even going into the last hand I didn’t think I was going to win but I hit 20, which proved to be enough. In the semi- finals, I only won by $25 after betting all my chips and catching BlackJack. It was one hell of a ride.�

Tucker certainly knows his BlackJack. He dealt cards in Vegas for 12 years. He qualified for the tournament online through a raffle on PartyPoker.com. He also tried to qualify for the main $5 million limit hold’em poker event but didn’t get through the special satellite qualifier on the first Sunday of the cruise.

“My little Buddha statue brought me great luck. I’d have him sat at the table by my cards. In the first round I nearly went out but I didn’t have him with me then. In every other round I had the statue sitting there bringing me good fortune.�

Tucker is married to Lori, 32, a pit manager of a casino in Oklahoma, who works while Tucker rests at home and she was delighted by the win. “It is really great news, he really deserves it,� she said. As for the money, Tucker is no doubt about what he’s going to do with it, “I’m going to enjoy it,� he added.

A PartyCasino.com spokesman said: “Tucker’s story is inspirational. We are both glad and sad for him at the same time. There couldn’t have been a better winner.�

PartyCasino.com World Slots Championship

Finger tapping isn’t just for the nervous people, it applies to slot tournament players as well. But all the dancing paid off for Rosebud5797 of Florida who reeled in the grand prize of $26,500!

44 people risked cramped hands and participated in the PartyCasino.com World Slots Championship event on board the PartyPoker.com Million V tournament cruise March 12-19, 2006.

Taking place in the ship’s casino Monday and Tuesday, March 13-14, 2006, the players competed in two five-minute qualifying rounds Monday morning and afternoon. Set on free-play, the action was furious as players pounded the max-bet button to get every last spin out of their machine in the allotted time.

The top 15 overall point winners Monday, plus three wild card entrants selected from all non-advancing players, moved on to the semifinal round Tuesday morning.

To make things more difficult (or worthwhile, depending on how you look at it), the semifinal players spun the reels for a 10-minute session. The clicking was deafening as the players muscled their way through the round where the top five overall point winners and one wild card player advanced to the final round Tuesday afternoon.

The last round was one to witness with every players having their own group of cheering spectators to keep the adrenaline flowing. Some players actually kicked back their chairs and stood for the entire session, maybe feeling that sitting down did not allow for positive form and maximum spin count.

A jackpot in last few minutes of play catapulted Rosebud5797 into the lead, and she amassed a total of 7,504 points. This score left the other five finalists in the dust, yet the distance between second and sixth place was relatively close.

Nillershake from Texas claimed the second-place prize of $10,500 with 4,184 points. She actually finished dead last in the qualifying round, but advanced to the final through the unique wild card drawing.

In third was a direct buy-in, Inspro, and she claimed $6,500 with 3,430 points. Shawniacono from Minnesota was close behind, taking fourth place and $4,250 with 3,066 points. In fifth place, securing a $3,000 prize was merrywinner from Missouri with 3,034 points (just 32 points short of the next level). The final prize winner was mmkurth from Louisiana, winning $2,250 for a 2,688-point effort.

Congratulations to all of our winners.

PartyCasino.com World Blackjack Championship Information

80 Players
$282,500 Total prize pool

1st Place: $113,000
2nd Place: $56,500
3rd Place: $28,250
4th Place: $16,950
5th Place: $11,300
6th Place: $8,475
7th Place: $5,650
8th – 13th Place: $4,238
14th – 19th Place: $2,825

The intense 21-hand final round of the PartyCasino.com World Blackjack Championship concluded Saturday afternoon with Tuck64 of Oklahoma leaving the table $113,000 richer!

Lasting almost 45 minutes conservative play was the standard operating procedure as the seven players competed for over $247,000 in cash prizes.

All players made it to the final hand with the a bit of excitement coming on hand 18 when TheSuspected of New York going all in with a $325 wager and his 2X payout ticket. Winning the hand he boosted himself into first place with a total of $925.

Going into the last hand BarbisPoker of Maryland held a close second place with $875. She made the final round by beating another player in a five-hand playoff at the end of their semifinal round table.

A36570, who bought into the tournament on the ship for $2,500, was in third place with $550. Tuck64 nipped at his heels with $525, Croaker_Spin of Connecticut sat in fifth with $325, Knicksns28 of Virginia held sixth with $250, and wild card entrant Mikez48 of California held the low rung with $75.

Knicksns28 lead off final-hand betting with an all-in wager of $250 and received a two-card 15. He eventually hit and busted with a 23 to claim seventh place. Croaker_Spin also put in his full chip stack and pushed with the dealer on 18. Mikez48 bet only $25 and stayed on a two-card 12, but his remaining chips allowed him to claim sixth place with $50.

BarbisPoker made a conservative wager of $75 to maintain her high position, and her 20 was good enough to claim $950 and third place. Trying to make a move on the final hand A36570 bet $475 with his 2X payout card, but with the dealer’s up card of ‘9’ he hit on a hard 15 and busted dropping him to fifth place with $75.

Sitting in first place $925 TheSuspected walked the conservative line with a $75 wager, and he won his hand with a 20 to finish with a $1,000 bank.

But it was Tuck64 who saved his 2X payout coupon to the final hand and pushed in $425 of his $525 bank that made the biggest move. In fourth place entering the final hand he was dealt a 20 and beat the dealer to up his chip count to $1,375 and the tournament victory.

The top 36 chip leaders from Friday, plus six wild card players drawn Saturday morning, played in the semifinal round earlier in the day. The winner at each semifinal table advanced to the final round, and the first and second runners-up at each semifinal table received a cash prize of $4,238 and $2,825, respectively.

PartyCasino.com Blackjack Tournament Information

80 Players
$282,500 Total prize pool

1st Place: $113,000
2nd Place: $56,500
3rd Place: $28,250
4th Place: $16,950
5th Place: $11,300
6th Place: $8,475
7th Place: $5,650
8th – 13th Place: $4,238
14th – 19th Place: $2,825

PartyCasino.com seeded the blackjack tournament prize pool with $250,000, and all additional buy-ins were added directly to the prize money. In total 13 player paid the $2,500 entry fee bringing the prize pool to $282,500.

All players competed in two 14-hand qualifying rounds Friday, with their chip count after the two rounds added together. The top 36 chip leaders automatically advanced to the semifinal round Saturday morning. In addition, six players will be drawn as wild card players for the semifinal round.

The top chip winner at each semifinal table, and one wild card player selected from all non-advancing tournament players, will advance to the final round Saturday afternoon to compete for the big money.

The first and second runners-up at each semifinal table will receive a cash prize reflective of their finish (8th – 13th place = first runner up, 14th – 19th place = second runner up).