Qualification

There are just 24 persons in each Qualification Round event, except on the Internet, where there are 36 persons. Internet entry fees are proportionately reduced to $60. The winner from each group advances to Round Two. The immediate prize for winning Round One is a three-day cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines for you and a guest. All Round Two play will take place on Carnival cruise ships.

You may enter as many times as you wish; however, players whose entries are still live in any particular game may not enter in the same game until they are out. Each player may earn only one entry to the finals.

Semi-finals

Again, all Round Two play will take place on Carnival Cruise Lines. Players advancing to Round Two will have the option to upgrade to a longer cruise, subject to scheduling and availability. Three-day cruises are available out of Los Angeles, California and Miami, Florida. Four-day upgrade cruises are available out of Galveston, Texas. Seven-day and longer cruises are available from a variety of ports.

In Round Two, players compete in groups of six for a seat in the Final Round. Each finalist in Round Two wins R-F-B for themselves and a guest for the four days and three nights of the Finals Round. If that event has been filled, each finalist will also receive a $5,000 live playing bankroll for the finals.

Finals

Finals begin in early December of 2002. There will be six Finals events, one in each game, run consecutively, so it is possible to play in all six finals events. These events will be held in major hotel-casinos and will consist of a maximum of 600 players each. This will be a live gaming event, and the players may not add additional funds to the bankroll provided. The finals events will be a double-elimination tournament where half the players move forward. Whatever bankroll is left at the end of play will remain with the players. The six players at the final table will be awarded additional cash prizes of $250,000 to the winner; half this amount to the player in second place ($125,000); half of this amount to the player in third place ($62,500); and so on. Approximately $500,000 will be awarded as prizes in each of the six finals event. These events will end before Christmas.

Grand Final

After Christmas, the winner of each event will go on an all expense paid, eight- to fourteen-day Caribbean Cruise for two where they will play in the Grand Final Round. There will be just six players, unless someone has won more than one event. On six of the days of the cruise, the players will play in each of the six events for approximately four hours of play. This play will take place on a stage and will be videotaped for broadcast or cable television. Other persons cruising on the ship may watch in the theater environment, or on shipboard television. At the end of the sixth day, the person with the most money will be named the World Champion Gambler for the year and will receive an additional $750,000, bringing his or her total prize winnings to $1,000,000.