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17 January 2006
2006 PokerStars Caribbean
Adventure Attracts Record Turnout
The
centre of the poker universe moved to the Bahamas during the
first two weeks of the new year as Poker Stars hosted the
third annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). The poker
tournament took place at the Atlantis Casino and Resort, on
the beaches of Paradise Island. Most of the players
attending won their tournament entries and paid vacations by
qualifying online at Poker Stars, the world's largest and
most innovative poker tournament website, some for as little
as $6.
The championship event
attracted a whopping 724 entries, over 60 percent higher
than last year's number, with a total prize pool of
$5,647,200. The winner was Steve Paul-Ambrose, a 22-year-old
college student from Canada. Ambrose, a student at the
University of Waterloo (in Ontario), outplayed the huge
field - including the last three world poker champions -
over a five- day span and won $1,363,100 for first place. He
was cheered to victory by his mother, sister, and several
friends who watched anxiously as the final table was taped
for broadcast on the World Poker Tour. Ambrose won his way
into the PCA via a satellite tournament held on Poker Stars
for a total investment of $102.
"I don't think it has
fully sunk in yet," Ambrose at a post-tournament press
conference. "I was just so excited to be playing with some
of the greats like Raymer and Moneymaker, but I never
thought I would win it all. I am so glad PokerStars put
together this great event to allow someone like me to
compete, to win, and now - to defend my title next
year."
Five of the six players
who made it to the final table were relative newcomers to
the poker tournament scene. Most who made it into the money
were cashing in a live tournament for the first time ever -
proving once again that online poker can be a significant
training ground for major televised tournaments. The PCA
also attracted several notable professionals and superstars,
including current and former World Series of Poker champions
Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, and Tom McEvoy.
But in the end, it was the young Canadian college student
who walked away with the top prize.
The PCA also featured six
secondary tournaments, which awarded over $1 million to
winners. There were also a number of high-stakes cash games
which attracted players from the United States and many
countries throughout Europe, Central and South America. But
perhaps the most memorable juncture at the PCA, aside from
the record-setting main event, was the inaugural World
Championship of Battleship Poker, launched exclusively by
Poker Stars. Sixty-four online poker players paid the $1,000
entry fee and played a series of heads-up matches
reminiscent of the traditional parlor game, called
"Battleship." The matches were played online on Poker Stars,
but in a unique twist, each set of opponents was seated
across from one another, battleship-style. Michael Banducci,
from Traverse City, MI was the first-year
winner.
"This year's PCA was even
bigger and better than we expected," said Lee Jones, poker
room manager for Poker Stars. "And that's really saying
something based on our high expectations from last year.
This tournament brought everything together - great poker
action, a multi-million dollar prize pool, and world-class
amenities at the Atlantis. Best of all - the PCA
demonstrates once again that Poker Stars is leading the way
when it comes to originality and turning regular poker
players into champions."
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