Recently in 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Category

"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi se soir?" No? I don't blame you. And here's why.

Even though the house band crank out this most rhetorical of questions numerous times on a fitting night of excess, this is not the occasion that you settle for fifth, fourth, third or even second best. You are standing on the Royal Deck of the Atlantis Hotel and Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. And by getting there you have already stated your claim to the big time.

You're here because you've noticed that there's two million bucks up for grabs to the winner of a poker tournament. Of course it's not just any poker tournament: it's the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). But the winner of that won't just coucher avec anyone tonight because that's not why we're here. This, folks, is the most important poker tournament hosted anywhere outside of the United States. And doesn't everyone just know it.

Tomorrow more than a thousand players will attempt to parlay their monstrous buy in into something even more ridiculously sized. But tonight all of those competitors and their guests joined the characteristically Bahamian-styled party, which meant dancing, gorping, pondering and drinking until we couldn't do it no more.

A friend departed to the bar and we expected him to return wearing a headdress of white feathers when he brought the rum back to our table. Another compadre suggested she was hungry - she turned around and walked two paces and there was everything she could eat. "Where are all the poker players?" another newcomer queried. He turned around and saw Daniel Negreanu with his arm around a tourist posing for a photo. No one actually opened their mouth to answer. This was the PCA.

All of this by way of introduction to Paradise Island. Tonight we had the PokerStars welcome party. And if anyone was ever in any doubt that this represents the good time, then the bar-b-qs, bars and their gleeful patrons could stand witness to the greatest poker party in the world.

As the parade snaked past the wave-pool on the Royal Deck, Greg Raymer mingled with the pretenders to his World Champion status. Joe Hachem checked that the meat was cooked to the degree of perfection expected of grillers from Melbourne to Nassau. Isabelle Mercier, Bill Chen and Noah Boeken chatted merrily to anyone who took to their shoulder; these were some of the only people I could see among the ocean of revelers, each and every one with their story to tell.

And yet I know there were more. The whole of Team PokerStars Pro is here and enjoying their passport to the Bahamas. And what do Peter Eastgate, Ivan Demidov, Dennis Phillips, Ylon Schwartz, Chino Rheem and Darus Suharto have in common? Yep, all the PokerStars Million Dollar Men were here at the welcome party to the latest renewal of the PCA.

Over the coming week, we hope to bring a number of the less heralded stories to you as well. The PCA is where everyone can write their own fairy-tale. The main event starts tomorrow alongside the Battle Boris (Becker) tournament and we'll have coverage of both. And that's by no means all. We have the PokerStars battleship tournament. We have the $25,000 High Rollers event. And we have the World Cup of Poker, which also plays to its conclusion this week. It is the most concentrated week of poker action that we've known.

So let's forgive the party-goers wearing feather headdresses. Let's praise the revelers knee-deep in rum. Let's take off our hats to the festival of poker we're about to experience. If you're here, we'll be here too,

The competition begins at noon tomorrow EST. See you then.

The Atlantis Resort and Casino is the largest destination in the Caribbean. It spans most of Paradise Island's beach and enjoys such an enormity that first-time visitors are bound to be lost for most of their first day here. The fortunate element of one losing his way here is that Atlantis is a fine place to be navigationally challenged. It's not a stretch to suggest someone might be happily lost and never seek to be found.

After hosting the first Caribbean Adventure on a cruise ship in 2004, PokerStars knew it had a hit on its hands. The people behind the Caribbean's biggest poker tournament knew there was no way one boat could hold all the action. And so to Atlantis PokerStars came. It rented out a modest ballroom in 2005 and set about convincing the Bahamian gaming officials that poker was a good idea. That first year at this resort hosted so many first-time events, it's impossible to list them all. Most notably, that year was the first a hand of live cash-game poker had been dealt. The $10/$20 limit hold'em game captured the attention of everyone in the room. An ace-ten of hearts cracked pocket kings on the river. From there, history started making its way toward this week.

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure has produced such notable winners as Gus Hansen, John Gale, Steve Paul-Ambrose, Ryan Daut, and Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier. ElkY's win in 2009 came in an event that drew more than 1,000 players, most of whom qualified on PokerStars. Playing in one of the largest fields ever outside the United States, ElkY won $2 million.

This year promises to be even bigger. Atlantis has opened up its biggest ballroom after the PCA long ago outgrew its original home.

PokerStars has built the PCA into more than just a tournament. It is a literal festival of poker. Over the course of the next week, we will witness not only the giant main event, but also several other big tournaments including $1,000, $2,000 and $5,000 No Limit Hold'Em events.

Once again, we will get to see the ever popular World Championship of Battleship Poker (an event created at the 2006 PCA) and the live finals of the World Cup of Poker.

As if that wasn't enough, we'll also see a brand new event here at the PCA. PokerStars is hosting a $25,000 high roller event on January 8 and 9 that will see some of the world's top players playing one of the biggest buy-in events in the world.

Earlier this season, PokerStars ran its brand new PokerStars Poker Camp at the Barcelona EPT. Now we'll see it again as PCA qualifiers and the public get a chance to improve their game with hands-on training from the sharpest minds in the game.

Finally (as if that wasn't enough), we will get to watch tennis great Boris Becker face off against several qualifiers in the Battle Boris event.

This entire festival will be bookended by two of PokerStars' signature parties--home to good food, good drink good music, and a veritable reunion for poker's elite, including nearly every member of Team PokerStars Pro. Over the next 24 hours, we'll watch those players stream into the Atlantis, get lost, and then find themselves just in time to play in the big event.

The PokerStars Blog will have non-stop coverage beginning with tomorrow night's welcome party and lasting until the last river falls. Join us here for one of the world's top poker festivals.

So, you've dallied. It happens. We all get busy around the holidays. What with all the gift shopping, yuletide cheer, and family vacations, we can all be forgiven for not winning our Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure seat yet.

Seriously? You haven't got your seat yet? Get on the ball, folks, because time is running out. Fortunately for you, PokerStars is preparing for a giant weekend of PCA qualifying. On the weekend of December 27 and 28 PokerStars is going to give out 40 PCA seats in just two days.

On December 27 at 16:30, PokerStars is running the first of the two big qualifiers. The $650 qualifier will award a guaranteed ten seats to the PCA. Then, on December 28 at 18:00 PokerStars will roll out the big guns. The PCA satellite on Sunday will award a startling 30 seats.

If you don't have the $650 to drop into the satellites directly, that's no problem. PokerStars is constantly running feeder satellites to the big qualifiers. Just click on Events and PCA in the PokerStars tournament lobby to find the right price for your bankroll. You could soon enter the ranks of previous PCA winners Gus Hansen, John Gale, Steve Paul-Ambrose, Ryan Daut, and Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier.

For complete information on the PCA, visit the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure page.

Maybe you've been around the block a few times. Maybe you have sat across the poker table from the big name pros, called their bluff, and stacked their chips. But have you ever sat across the dinner table from them and shared a plate of chips? What about prop bet on a round of golf? Seen a Team PokerStars Pro with no shirt? Okay, ignore the last one. We're all still trying to forget that.

PokerStars has just announced a special promotion for the hundreds of people who have won seats to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure next month. Not only do the players get their buy-in, hotel, and travel money, they now get the chance for some once-on-one time with people like Daniel Negreanu, Humberto Brenes, Chad Brown, and Vanessa Rousso.

This Sunday, PokerStars is running three freerolls that will give satellite qualifiers a chance for a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Luxury dinner with Chad Brown & Vanessa Rousso (14:00 ET)

The top two players in this event will get a seat for themselves and their guests at a six-top table at the Seafire Steakhouse at the Atlantis Marina (recommendation: medium rare filet with a good dirty martini).

Dolphin swimming with Humberto Brenes (14:15 ET)

The top player in this freeroll will head out to Paradise Island's 14-acre dolphin sanctuary with Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes. There, you will swim with the shark himself as well as a bunch of exceedingly cool dolphins.

Golf with Daniel Negreanu (14:30 ET)

You might have heard a little bit about Daniel Negreanu's passion for golf. He may not be the best shot in the world, but he's getting better every day and doesn't mind a little side action to keep things interesting. All of that aside, he's planning to take three people out with him for a friendly round of golf in the Bahamas. The top three players in this freeroll will get 18 holes with Negreanu at the Ocean Club Golf Course.

For full information on the promotion, visit the Team PokerStars Pro Bahamas Experience page.

PokerStars has developed a reputation for sending its players to the best live events in the world. When the players go into the fray, PokerStars likes to give them the best chance they can. That's why some of the top Team PokerStars Pros have started hosting Poker Camps around the world.

We've just learned the next poker camp will be held in the world's most beautiful classroom. PokerStars and its pros are opening up class at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January 2009. Scheduled to be led by 2004 World Series Champion Greg Raymer, the PokerStars Poker Camp will feature instruction on how to make it to the final table in deep-stack multi-table tournaments. Not only that, the two-day camp will give its participants a chance to play in a live tournament with a $30,000 prize pool.

PokerStars is running satellite qualifiers for the 60 available packages, each worth $4,500 apiece.

To see how you can qualify, visit the PokerStars PCA Poker Camp page.

See you in the Bahamas!

Just last week we told you about a PokerStars player who managed to turn 1,000 Frequent Player Points into a $13,300 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure prize package. Modfan might have been the first to do it, but he certainly wouldn't be the last.

Since Modfan's accomplishment, we have been flooded with stories of people turning a relatively small amount of FPPs into a massive tournament packages.

PokerStars player Phoelex has been playing on the site nearly as long as it has been operating.

"The effective rakeback of the Pokerstars VIP program basically makes it so that it makes the most sense for me put the majority of my play there," he said.

Turns out, that was a smart move, because he turned his FPPs right into a PCA package.

Twenty-nine year-old Sander "snazje" Smits from the Netherlands had been playing on PokerStars for about a year when he won his PCA seat for a 1,000 FPP entry.

"The 2009 PCA is my first major event and I'm very excited," Smits said. "To me the Bahamas seem to be a perfect environment for such an event. I'm really looking forward to it."

The same goes for PokerStars player oilslinger who is a longtime player on the site.

"I have been playing on PokerStars from the time that the peak number of players was 7,000," he said.

After winning a seat with his 1,000 Frequent Player Points, oilslinger will be making his second trip to the PCA.

"I played in 2007 as a VIP seat winner also," he said.

The stay-at-home father to two kids is already planning his golf outing at the PCA,

"I am grateful to Pokerstars for offering me this opportunity," he said. "I plan to make the most of it, win or lose."

At this hour, more than 260 people have qualified for PCA seats on PokerStars. That number is bound to grow significantly over the next two months of qualifying.

We've also recently learned that PokerStars is now allowing players to buy the big prize packages in a variety of different ways, including through PokerStars accounts fund, W$, and with Frequent Player Points. For full details, check out the PCA Frequently Asked Questions page.

It's not been too many weeks ago that PokerStars sent out word it was kicking off satellites to the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

With the announcement came the news the event would once again be held on Paradise Island in the Bahamas (January 5-10 of 2009). This time, however, the event would have a bigger buy-in, this year ringing in at $10,000 buy-in.

Since that time, we've started to hear word about players who are winning their seat for no more than Frequent Player Points. Among those players is PokerStars' modfan.

Modfan started playing on PokerStars in 2006. That year, he won his seat to the World Series on PokerStars.

"I didn't cash," he said, "but it was great and PokerStars treats their players so well."

With that in mind, he started trying to win his next seat. This one was a 1,000 FPP qualifier on PokerStars. Modfan won his seat after a tournament bubble that lasted for 111 hands.

"I can't tell you how thrilling it was to win in the first FPP PCA satellite event and how great it is that PokerStars gives back to the players through the VIP program," he said.

Now, modfan will be headed off to the PCA for hundred of other qualifiers. Nearly 200 people have already won their seat with more than two months to go before the event.

Last year, the PCA became an event on the European Poker Tour and Team PokerStars Pro Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier won the title for $2 million (see the whole episode below).

The 2009 PCA prize package is worth a whopping $14,300. Everybody who wins one will get a buy-in to the main event, a sweet hotel room, and some cash for travel expenses. You can win your seat for as little as $7.50 or 500 FPP credits.

To check out the whole array of satellites, look under the EVENTS and PCA tabs in the PokerStars lobby.

For more information on the PCA, visit the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure page.

Imagine how many people who have trembled as they looked across the net and saw Boris Becker staring back at them. Looking into the champion's eyes on the competitive field is something few people can do. Now, you have your chance and a seat to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is on the line.

As you might already be aware, Boris Becker has been spending a lot of time with the PokerStars folks these days. Now, he's decided to play some PokerStars players heads-up in the Bahamas. The winners will end up with seats to the hottest tournament in the islands.

PokerStars has just started running a series of daily freeroll tournaments that feed directly into the weekly finals. The final table players from those events will make it to the November 16th grand finals. The top three players from those two tournaments will go to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and play heads-up with Boris Becker. Win that match and proceed directly to your PCA seat across the room.

To learn more about the Boris Becker event, visit the Play Against Boris Becker page at PokerStars.

To get started, click on TOURNEY and ALL in the PokerStars lobby and look for the "Battle Borris" freerolls.

Good luck!

Don't put away your sunglasses and beach blankets just yet. You might just be needing them again in a few of months.

PokerStars has just announced the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. The excursion will once again take you to Paradise Island in the Bahamas. January 5-10 of 2009, the PCA will see its first-ever $10,000 buy-in and a brand new $25,000 High-Roller's tournament.

This will be the second year the PCA will be an event on the European Poker Tour. Last year, Team PokerStars Pro Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier won the title and $2 million, the kickoff to what has proven to be an amazing year for the young pro.

With the tournament announcement, PokerStars has kicked off satellites for the events. The 2009 PCA prize package is worth a whopping $14,300. Everybody who wins one will get a buy-in to the main event, a sweet hotel room, and some cash for travel expenses. You can win your seat for as little as $7.50 or 500 FPP credits.

To check out the whole array of satellites, look under the EVENTS and PCA tabs in the PokerStars lobby.

For more information on the PCA, visit the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure page.