The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, a European Poker Tour event which last year was one of the largest tournaments outside of the World Series of Poker, will be one of the events that kick off the 2009 poker season. Much like last year, the PCA will also be featuring a full slate of tournaments that should provide a great deal of excitement for those that travel to the Atlantis Resort & Casino in the Bahamas for the main attraction.
Play will begin January 5th in the $10K buy in Championship Event and the field will whittle itself down through the 6th. After that, PokerStars will start up other tournaments for those that find themselves out of the Big Show. On January 7th, two different tournaments will be offered and the choice is on the players as to which one will be the best bang for their buck. The players will have a choice between a $2000 No Limit tournament or, if their bankroll can support it, there will also be a $25,000 “High Rollers” tournament. The $25K event should be one that draws some of the top players from the online and live poker world, whether they are out of the PCA or not!
On January 7th, another high dollar tournament and longtime PCA favorite will take place: the World Championship of Battleship Poker – a $2000 event where players compete in heads up competition online with their computers staged in the manner of the classic game “Battleship” – will take place alongside a $5000 buy-in No Limit tournament. By this point, there should be plenty of participants in both events as the PCA field continues to whittle itself down.
As the PCA battles its way to the final table, there will be a $1000 No Limit event for eliminated players to take part in as well as a new event at the PCA. Over the past year, players have been competing to take part in the World Cup of Poker on PokerStars. During the schedule at the PCA, qualifying countries will determine their final teams and the final nine countries will step to the felt to determine which country is the best in poker. Besides the bragging rights that the winning country takes away, there is $290,000 to be divvied up among the finalists, with the winning country taking the top prize of $100,000.
There will also be a special PokerStars Poker Camp that should draw a great deal of attention from PCA attendants. The camp, featuring instruction from former World Champions Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker and four time WSOP bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu, will teach you essential strategies to help you reach the money in deep stack multi-table tournaments. The camp will cater to all abilities, with modules geared to intermediate and advanced players. As with most tournaments schedules, there is also going to be plenty of cash game action offered to occupy eliminated players’ time.
Even though the start date of the PCA is approaching quickly, there are still many ways to take part in any event that is offered. Satellites are still currently running for the PCA in both cash and FPP varieties at a range of buy ins. For those that prefer to buy in directly for the event, that option is also offered by heading to the lobby at PokerStars.
The 2008 version of the PCA was one of the largest tournaments ever outside of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. An astounding 1,136 players took part in the $10K tournament, building a prize pool of almost $9 million. When all was said and done, online poker veteran Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier emerged as the champion of the tournament, defeating such players as Joe Elpayaa, David “The Dragon” Pham and Hafiz Khan on his way to the $2 million payday.
In addition to being one of the first true “festivals of poker” for the New Year, the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure promises to offer something for everyone who makes the trip to the Bahamas. For a full look at the schedule of events and details on satellites, visit PokerStars.com.
