Poker players who head to Nassau in The Bahamas for the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) will have more to look forward to than the $10,000 buy-in Main Event. On Wednesday, the online poker room announced that the 2009 PCA will also feature $1,000, $2,000, $5,000 and $25,000 buy-in events. The tournament is held annually at the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island, one of the most picturesque settings in the world for a poker tournament.
The PCA, which was once a stop on the World Poker Tour, is now part of the PokerStars sponsored European Poker Tour. Nassau serves as the EPT’s one stop in the Western Hemisphere. The $10,000 buy-in Main Event will begin with Day 1A on Monday, January 5th, the first of two starting days. The five day event plays down to a winner on January 10th.
Last year’s Main Event of the PCA was won by Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, who was recently the top representative of the online poker site to cash in the World Championship of Online Poker. The Frenchman knocked out five players at the final table last year and commented in a press release distributed by PokerStars, “Competing and winning last year was such a great experience. The PCA playing field is always diverse and competitive because of the amount of PokerStars qualifiers – the location can’t be beat and I can’t wait to go back.”
Other past champions of the PCA include Ryan Daut (2007), Team PokerStars Pro member Steven Paul Ambrose (2006), John Gale (2005), and Full Tilt Poker pro Gus Hansen (2004). Here is the rest of the schedule in The Bahamas. All times are local:
$2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Event
Begins on January 7th at 14:00
$25,000 buy-in High Roller No Limit Hold’em Event
Begins on January 8th at 11:00
$5,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Event
Begins on January 8th at 14:00
$1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Event
Begins on January 9th at 14:00
Qualifiers for the PCA are currently running on PokerStars. The tournament is the marquee event that the online poker site offers and brings together its top players once every year. It’s a unique opportunity for PokerStars members to meet and interact face-to-face with peers that they’ve only met in an online environment. The Atlantis Hotel features several pools, a white sandy beach, water slides, and a full-fledged casino. One of its main restaurants sits next to a massive aquarium.
The news comes just one day after the conclusion of the 2008 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker. The 33 event tournament series boasted a total prize pool of nearly $40 million, capped off by a Main Event that attracted well over 2,000 players.
The PCA is sandwiched in between EPT events in Prague and Deauville. Its annual schedule is capped off by the EPT Grand Final, which is held at the Monte Carlo Hotel and Resort in Monaco. The storied casino provides the backdrop for the €10,600 buy-in tournament, which will take place from April 28th to May 3rd, 2009. To see a list of qualifiers for the PCA as well as other live events, check out the PokerStars tournament lobby. Each PCA prize package includes the $10,000 buy-in, hotel accommodations, food, and $1,000 in spending money.
