The last few years have seen an enormous surge of interest in poker, fueled by television poker shows such as Celebrity Poker Showdown, the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and Ultimate Poker Challenge.

Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos now all have poker rooms, and Texas Hold'em has become the most popular card game in North America (if not in Europe).

So the question a growing number of poker enthusiasts are asking is: Will I find a Texas Hold 'em, Omaha or seven-card stud game on my next cruise?

The answer is "yes" on most larger cruise ships sailing from U.S. ports, but just what kind of game you will find is highly dependent on which line you are booking.

NCL and Royal Caribbean offer Texas Hold 'em on their ships with live dealers. Carnival and Princess, on the other hand, have pretty much replaced live-dealer games with automated PokerPro tables which provide a faster game that appeals to many players accustomed to playing Texas Hold 'em on a computer.

Carnival now even offers players aboard its cruise ships the opportunity to compete in a tournament to win a $10,000 seat in the World Series of Poker.

While some cruiselines like NCL now offer higher stakes tables, if you are a serious poker player and are determined to combine poker with cruising, there is one other option.

Several independent organizers advertise "poker cruises" on selected Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line sailings.

They advertise sea days of non-stop Texas Hold-em tournaments. The organizers (not the cruise line) provide the cardroom manager and dealers. Like the casino, the poker room is only open when the ship is at sea.

Over the years, thousands of poker players have taken these cruises. While we have not been on a "poker cruise" ourselves, the reports we have seen about the experience have generally been quite positive.

Below are independent operators that promote "poker cruises."

If you would like to be considered for listing here, please email us at info@cruise-casinos.com. Be sure to include your website address and a phone number where we can contact you.