One of the most exciting poker tournaments on the calendar, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure – commonly known as the PCA – will make a stunning return in January 2023.
After what will be four long years since the 2019 edition of the festival, the news that the ever-popular EPT stop is heading back to Atlantis along with the PokerStars Poker Championship (PSPC) will thrill poker players and fans alike.
Back to… Baha Mar
One of the biggest problems PokerStars had in deciding when to head back to the Bahamas was the location. For years, one of the biggest events on the poker calendar took place at Atlantis, the legendary old venue on the main island. The only issue with this was that the old venue stayed old. Renovations didn’t happen, it didn’t upgrade and while it retained a quaint quality, a new venue was needed.
Stars were shown the error their ways in not upgrading the surroundings to their superb event by partypoker, who moved in on Baha Mar with their hugely popular MILLIONS Tour. The situation has been reversed to a situation where ‘Stars have announced a return to the Caribbean, while ‘Party are decidedly quiet. The only news of a return to the partypoker MILLIONS tour is this statement on the partypokerLIVE website:
“We are pleased to announce that partypoker LIVE will be back in 2022 with a long-awaited live poker tour,” it says. “We are working hard behind the scenes to prepare a full live schedule with stops around the world and buy-ins to suit all players. Keep an eye on the partypoker LIVE website and app to find out where your nearest event will be!”
What Players Can Expect in Nassau
There will be even more on offer in Nassau than in previous PokerStars Caribbean Adventures, mainly due to the addition of the PokerStars Players Championship. The PSPC saw its first ‘Platinum Pass’ won by Greg Raymer in a thrilling Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Games Festival finale back in the Autumn in Las Vegas. There will be plenty more coming to players of all levels for a variety of reasons as the PSPC will now fill up its seats over the course of 2022 as it builds up to taking place to kick off next year on the poker circuit.
As well as the lucrative PCA Main Event and PSPC drama, there are going to be side events to suit the pocket of every poker hopeful. Over the years, PokerStars have always been well represented by their Team Pros.
For many years, this roster contained some of the best players in the world, such as Daniel Negreanu, Liv Boeree and Eugene Katchalov. In recent years, however, ‘Stars have taken a more forward-thinking attitude to their hires on the pro front, committing to more of a long-term vision for younger players who will develop into stars instead.
More on the Tour
“Beautiful location, hundreds of qualifiers, with millions to win.”
There are also welcome returns to Barcelona and Prague planned in the forthcoming 2022 European Poker Tour schedule. The Catalan capital takes center stage in August, while Prague returns to its slot in December, complete with Winter markets and a – at each stop – a €5,000 buy-in Main Event, a €10,000 High Roller and a Super High Roller event.
“We have missed our live events as much as our players, so it is our true pleasure to announce the PokerStars Players Championship will take place at Baha Mar in January,” said Severin Rasset, Managing Director & Commercial Officer or PokerStars.
“Beautiful location, hundreds of qualifiers, with millions to win. If there is one tournament to choose for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it will be the PSPC. We will provide more details soon on how to get your hands on a Platinum Pass! Suffice to say, I’m incredibly excited about the return of the PCA. And I believe it’s the perfect venue for the PSPC!”
The 2023 Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure will take place between the 22n January and 3rd February, with the 2023 PSPC taking place from January 30th – February 3rd inclusively.
Here’s what players can win as part of each $30,000-value Platinum Pass:
- $25,000 Entry Fee into 2023 PSPC
- Six nights hotel accommodation for the winner and a guest in a five-star hotel
- Airport transfer
- $1,900 money towards expenses
- Platinum Pass Winner experiences during the event
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure has a rich and glorious history. Here are all the Main Event winners from 2004 to the most recent champion in 2019.
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event Winners (2004-2019*) |
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| Year | Entry | Entrants | Winner | Top Prize | Prize Pool |
| 2004 | $7,500 | 221 | Gus Hansen | $455,780 | $1,657,500 |
| 2005 | $8,000 | 461 | John Gale | $890,600 | $3,487,200 |
| 2006 | $8,000 | 724 | Steve Paul-Ambrose | $1,388,600 | $5,647,200 |
| 2007 | $8,000 | 937 | Ryan Daut | $1,535,255 | $7,063,842 |
| 2008 | $8,000 | 1,136 | Bertrand Grospellier | $2,000,000 | $8,562,976 |
| 2009 | $10,000 | 1,347 | Poorya Nazari | $3,000,000 | $12,674,000 |
| 2010 | $10,300 | 1,529 | Harrison Gimbel | $2,200,000 | $14,831,300 |
| 2011 | $10,300 | 1,560 | Galen Hall | $2,300,000 | $15,132,000 |
| 2012 | $10,300 | 1,072 | John Dibella | $1,775,000 | $10,398,400 |
| 2013 | $10,300 | 987 | Dimitar Danchev | $1,859,000 | $9,573,900 |
| 2014 | $10,300 | 1,031 | Dominik Panka | $1,423,096 | $10,070,000 |
| 2015 | $10,300 | 816 | Kevin Schulz | $1,491,580 | $7,915,200 |
| 2016 | $5,300 | 928 | Mike Watson | $728,325 | $4,500,800 |
| 2017 | $5,000 | 738 | Christian Harder | $429,664 | $3,376,712 |
| 2018 | $10,300 | 582 | Maria Lampropulos | $1,081,100 | $5,645,400 |
| 2019 | $10,300 | 865 | Chino Rheem | $1,567,100 | $8,390,500 |
* No PCA Main Event has taken place since 2019 due to the COVID pandemic.
