2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure: History of the Event
The poker year gets started with a bang each and every turn of the calendar, and this year will be no different with the 2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). The festival is set to bring poker players from all over the world together for some fun in the sun and exciting poker action. Part of the European Poker Tour (EPT), the PCA has settled into a home on Paradise Island at the Atlantis Casino and Resort for many years, and that will once again be the case in January.
The 2015 PCA will take place over the course of nine days, from January 6-14 and features a total of 35 events including the $10,300 Main Event, $100,000 Super High Roller, $25,000 High Roller, and a $600 Women's Event. Outside of those, there is a little something for everyone including a crazy pineapple tournament and a couple of "Double Bubble" turbo events.
Last year, Poland's Dominik Panka won the Main Event and $1,423,096 as he edged out Mike "Timex" McDonald to become the highest-earning player from his country.
With an event involving such rich history, PokerNews would like to take a look at its history, which dates back to 2004.
2004: Gus Hansen Wins Inaugural Event
It all got started in 2004 when a luxury cruise ship leaving Miami, Florida, and visiting Jamaica, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands happened to also have a World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament taking place on it.
There were 221 players with a prize pool of $1,657,500. Daniel Negreanu would finish third to eventual winner Gus Hansen, who collected $455,780. To this day, that prize pool and winner's payout are the smallest numbers the PCA Main Event has ever seen.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $7,500 | 221 | $1,657,500 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Gus Hansen | $455,780 |
| 2 | Hoyt Corkins | $290,065 |
| 3 | Daniel Negreanu | $192,270 |
| 4 | Michael Benedetto | $132,600 |
| 5 | John D’Agostino | $99,450 |
| 6 | Remco Schrijvers | $74,590 |
PokerStars found a new home, though, with Atlantis Paradise Island becoming the host venue in 2005.
2005: A Brit Takes the Title
The field more than doubled from 2004's 221 entrants when 461 players took part in 2005 to create a $3,487,200 prize pool. Notables like Greg Raymer, Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, Allen Cunningham, and Patrik Antonius all cashed, but it would be British player John Gale who would emerge as the winner.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $7,500 | 461 | $3,487,200 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | John Gale | $890,600 |
| 2 | Alex Balandin | $484,700 |
| 3 | Michael Westerlund | $306,400 |
| 4 | Patrick Hocking | $207,700 |
| 5 | “Miami” John Cernuto | $155,800 |
| 6 | Nenad Medic | $112,500 |
Gale collected $890,600 for his title after outlasting a tough final table that included Nenad Medic and "Miami" John Cernuto.
2006: Millionaire Maker
The first millionaire in PCA history was minted after Steve-Paul Ambrose from Ontario, Canada, defeated Brook Lyter heads-up to collect the $1,388,600 first-place prize money.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $7,800 | 724 | $5,647,200 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Steve Paul-Ambrose | $1,388,600 |
| 2 | Brook Lyter | $681,500 |
| 3 | David Singer | $436,200 |
| 4 | Michael Higgins | $327,100 |
| 5 | Anders Henriksson | $239,900 |
| 6 | [Removed:163] | $177,200 |
A total of 724 players created a prize pool of $5,647,200 with over half a million dollars of those seats coming as a result of PokerStars online qualifiers, including both Ambrose and Lyter.
2007: The End of an Era
The 2007 PCA would be its last time the event was branded as a WPT event, as it would move to the EPT in 2008. A record field of 937 players created a staggering prize pool of $7,063,842, with Ryan Daut from New Jersey taking home $1,535,255 for his win.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $7,800 | 937 | $7,063,842 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Ryan Daut | $1,535,255 |
| 2 | Isaac Haxton | $861,789 |
| 3 | Robert Ford | $550,980 |
| 4 | Robert Mizrachi | $409,703 |
| 5 | Jonathan Little | $317,873 |
| 6 | Frank Rusnak | $247,234 |
It was a US-dominated Main Event, as the final 13 would all be residents of that country. The stacked final table included Jonathan Little, Robert Mizrachi, and eventual runner-up Isaac Haxton. One interesting thing about the final table was that it took place outside on a sunny, but very windy day that had players struggling with their cards.
2008: Over 1,000
The numbers continued to grow in 2008 as 1,136 entrants created a prize pool of $8,562,976. First place was an overwhelming $2,000,000, and that pile of cash would be awarded to none other than Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $7,800 | 1,136 | $8,562,976 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier | $2,000,000 |
| 2 | Hafiz Khan | $1,094,976 |
| 3 | Kristopher Kuykendall | $800,000 |
| 4 | David Pham | $600,000 |
| 5 | Craig Hopkins | $450,000 |
| 6 | Joe Elpayaa | $300,000 |
| 7 | Christian Harder | $200,000 |
| 8 | Rich Fohrenbach | $150,000 |
In what would be the biggest score of his career, Grospellier would outlast a final table that included Christian Harder, David Pham, and eventual runner-up Hafiz Khan.
2009: $33 Rebuy Entry Turns Into $3,000,000
The poker players continued to flock to the Bahamas, and in 2009 1,347 entrants created the biggest prize pool thus far for the PCA. First place would receive the lion's share of that $12,674,000 prize pool, and it would be Poorya Nazari who would collect the $3,000,000 when all was said and done.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $9,700 | 1,347 | $12,674,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Poorya Nazari | $3,000,000 |
| 2 | Tony Gregg | $1,700,000 |
| 3 | Benjamin Spindler | $1,100,000 |
| 4 | Alexandre Gomes | $750,000 |
| 5 | Pieter Tielen | $550,000 |
| 6 | Dustin Dirksen | $400,000 |
| 7 | Dan Heimiller | $300,000 |
| 8 | Kevin Saul | $234,000 |
It was an amazing turn of events for Nazari, who qualifed for the Main Event through a $33 triple-turbo rebuy tournament on PokerStars. It was a tough final table that had notable pros like Kevin Saul, Dan Heimiller, Dustin Dirksen, and Alexandre Gomes. Finishing second and taking home $1,700,000 was Tony Gregg.
Also, Grospellier would continue to enjoy the Caribbean with a win in the $25,000 High Roller event.
2010: Youth Gone Wild
Another year, another record, as 1,529 players took part in the Main Event creating a prize pool of $14,831,300. Harrison Gimbel, at the ripe old age of 19, would turn a $1,000 satellite the day before the Main Event into $2,200,000 after outlasting a final table that included Tom Koral, Ryan D'Angelo, Ben Zamani, Barry Shulman, and Ty Reiman.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | 1,529 | $14,831,300 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Harrison Gimbel | $2,200,000 |
| 2 | Ty Reiman | $1,750,000 |
| 3 | Barry Shulman | $1,350,000 |
| 4 | Ben Zamani | $1,000,000 |
| 5 | Ryan D’Angelo | $700,000 |
| 6 | Aage Ravn | $450,000 |
| 7 | Zachary Goldberg | $300,000 |
| 8 | Tom Koral | $201,300 |
Elsewhere, William Reynolds would win $576,240 for outlasting a field of 83 players in the $25,000 High Roller event.
2011: Hall Lays Down a Monster
With the final table being broadcast on ESPN with a one-hour delay, eventual winner Galen Hall would make an incredible fold when he let go of a straight on the river to his opponent, Chris Oliver, who had rivered a full house. It was the momentum Hall would need, as he turned the tables on Oliver to take home the title and the $2,300,000 first-place prize.
Among the 1,560 entries was Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker, and the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event champion would make a deep run, but ultimately finished in 11th place. Other notables running deep included Max Weinberg, Mike Sowers, and Sam Stein.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | 1,560 | $15,132,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Galen Hall | $2,300,000 |
| 2 | Chris Oliver | $1,800,000 |
| 3 | Anton Ionel | $1,350,000 |
| 4 | Sam Stein | $1,000,000 |
| 5 | Mike Sowers | $700,000 |
| 6 | Bolivar Palacios | $450,000 |
| 7 | Max Weinberg | $300,000 |
| 8 | Philippe Plouffe | $202,000 |
This was also the first year of the $100,000 Super High Roller, and Eugene Katchalov would emerge with the win and $1,500,000 in prize money. Will Molson won the $25,000 High Roller and secured $1,072,850 for that victory after placed second in the event in 2010 and 2009 for $322,075 and $228,000, respectively.
2012: Anyone Can Win
Proof positive that anyone with a buy-in has a shot, as amateur John Dibella outlasted a field of 1,072 entrants to win the $1,775,000 first place prize. The Westchester, New York, stock trader had only $42,405 in tournament cashes prior to the Main Event, but he was the last man standing.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | 1,072 | $10,398,400 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| *1 | John Dibella | $1,775,000 |
| *2 | Kyle Julius | $1,500,000 |
| 3 | Faraz Jaka | $755,000 |
| 4 | Xuan Liu | $600,000 |
| 5 | Mark Drover | $468,000 |
| 6 | Tony Gregg | $364,000 |
| 7 | David Bernstein | $260,000 |
| 8 | Ruben Visser | $156,600 |
*Denotes heads-up deal.
It was a remarkable series that saw Tony Gregg make his second PCA Main Event final table finishing in fifth, the legend known as Viktor "Isildur1'" Blom won the $100,000 Super High Roller, and Leonid "Alex" Bilokur took home $1,134,930 for his win in the $25,000 High Roller.
Team PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel would also add to his impressive poker résumé by cashing for over $1,200,000 during the festival.
2013: The Stars Align
Bulgarian Dimitar Danchev would outlast a field of 987 entrants to collect the $1,859,000 first-place prize. The final table would last over seven hours, and Danchev would have to battle against the likes of Owen Crowe, Jerry Wong, Yann Dion, and Jonathan Roy to take home the title.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $10,300 | 987 | $9,573,900 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Dimitar Danchev | $1,859,000 |
| 2 | Joel Micka | $1,190,000 |
| 3 | Jerry Wong | $725,000 |
| 4 | Jonathan Roy | $560,000 |
| 5 | Owen Crowe | $435,000 |
| 6 | Andrey Shatilov | $325,000 |
| 7 | Yann Dion | $230,000 |
| 8 | Joao Nogueira | $165,900 |
The $100,000 Super High Roller and $25,000 High Roller events were won by two of the biggest names in poker. Scott Seiver won the $100,000 Super High Roller for $2,003,480, and Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst won the $25,000 High Roller. The $1,424,420 that Selbst added to her career tournament earnings made her the highest-earning female poker player of all time.
2014: McDonald Denied
Mike "Timex" McDonald would come oh so close to becoming the first player to ever win two EPT titles (an honor that would eventually go to Vicky Coren Mitchell later in the year) when he finished second to eventual winner Dominik Panka. The Poland native outlasted a field of 1,031 players on his way to winning $1,423,096. In addition to McDonald, deep runs were made by Isaac Baron, Antoine Saout (15th), and Fabian Ortiz.
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $10,300 | 1,031 | $10,070,000 |
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Dominik Panka | $1,423,096 |
| 2 | Mike McDonald | $1,064,865 |
| 3 | Isaac Baron | $1,207,599 |
| 4 | Madis Muur | $581,040 |
| 5 | Daniel Gamez | $447,040 |
| 6 | Shyam Srinivasan | $328,020 |
| 7 | Pascal Lefrancois | $242,020 |
| 8 | Fabian Ortiz | $173,220 |
| 9 | Max Silver | $135,400 |
The $25,000 High Roller title went to Jake Schindler. He won $1,192,624 after beating WSOP Main Event winner Greg Merson in heads-up play. The $100,000 Super High Roller title went to Fabian Quoss, who collected $1,629,940 for besting runner-up Dan Shak.
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