PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Sets Attendance Records, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 8th January 2009
In 2004, there were 221 entrants into the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). At the time, the World Poker Tour sanctioned event was held on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Voyager of the Seas. In fact, its final table played out above the ship’s ice rink. In 2009, a whopping 1,347 runners hit the felts in The Bahamas, creating the largest live poker tournament held outside of Las Vegas, according to a PokerStars press release distributed on Thursday.
Of the 1,347 entrants, 1,061 were members of the world’s largest online poker room. In addition, 735 (or 55% of the field) qualified through one of the many satellites that PokerStars ran prior to the first cards being dealt. The $10,000 buy-in PCA Main Event has a total prize pool of $12.6 million and will award a healthy $3 million to its winner on Saturday. The tournament regularly attracts a wealth of online poker players due to the extensive qualifiers held on PokerStars. However, its status as a European Poker Tour event has also brought out some of the “big guns,” including Mark Seif, Kathy Liebert, Tom Franklin, “Miami” John Cernuto, Nenad Medic, and Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, all of whom have survived to see Day 3 on Thursday.
By 2005, the PCA had grown to 461 players and found new digs at the Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. One of the world’s most famous vacation destinations, the Atlantis’ famed Bridge Suite attracts celebrities from the four corners of the Earth. In 2006, the PCA field ballooned to 724 players and was won by Steven Paul Ambrose. The next year, the field nearly topped 1,000. Winning it was Ryan “Daut44” Daut, who took down the title on a cold blustery day in The Bahamas. Daut’s win marked the last time a PCA winner would also be a World Poker Tour champion, as the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in the United States essentially stunted its promotion of live tournaments sponsored by online poker rooms.
Last year’s PCA marked the first time the European Poker Tour stopped in the Western Hemisphere for an event. There were 1,136 combatants and, at the end of the day, Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier took home $2 million for the win. The final table also featured Hafiz Khan and David “The Dragon” Pham. The PCA has displayed consistent growth over time and now owns the record for the largest poker tournament held outside of Sin City.
To put its 1,347 player attendance figure in perspective, the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe festivities drew 363. The European Poker Tour’s recent London stop drew 596 players. Halfway across the world in Macau, 538 players packed the Asia Pacific Poker Tour event there in September.
This year, the top 199 players in the PCA will finish in the money, with its winner becoming $3 million richer. Other places will pay out as follows:
1st Place: $3,000,000
2nd Place: $1,700,000
3rd Place: $1,100,000
4th Place: $750,000
5th Place: $550,000
6th Place: $400,000
7th Place: $300,000
8th Place: $234,000
9th Place: $175,000
10th Place: $150,000
At the time of writing, there are 102 players remaining as the PCA enters Day 3 on Thursday. David “Bakes” Baker continues to lead the pack with 925,000 chips. Other notable stacks in the Atlantis Hotel include:
11. Mark Seif, 505,000
12. Eric Liu, 472,000
19. Kathy Liebert, 401,500
27. Hafiz Khan, 320,500
28. Rep Porter, 317,500
31. “Captain” Tom Franklin, 308,500
38. “Miami” John Cernuto, 286,500
55. Vicky Coren, 200,000
62. Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul, 187,500
63. Grant Hinkle, 186,000
64. Nenad Medic, 184,500
67. Ylon Schwartz, 178,000
88. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, 106,000
89. Jeff Madsen, 106,000 (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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