PCA 2013: Paradise ten-fold

Ten years. It seems as impossible as the color of the Caribbean Sea, but it's just as true.

Tomorrow begins the tenth PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. It was 2004 when the annual poker reunion began on the Voyager of the Seas cruise ship with just a couple hundred people. Now as we begin 2013, within just a few days, thousands of people--players, dealers, families, and friends--will be at Atlantis to celebrate the PCA's tenth festival.

Reflection of Atlantis in the Caribbean Sea

By the time you read this, PokerStars bloggers Stephen Bartley, Rick Dacey, and I will all be in the air on our way to join the legions of PokerStars and PCA event staff who are building the tournament rooms and lounges at Atlantis. Lee Jones is there, too, and he has already filled us in on what that critical process looks like.

Before long, the PCA will be aswarm with hundreds upon hundreds of players from around the world. The PCA will soon begin running its biggest tournaments. We will also see a number of new and interesting events and contests. Keep your eye out for:

The first Open-Face Chinese Poker tournament

The PCA Instagram Photo Pimp Off

Your chance to win up to $100 from home in the PCA Last Longer Bonus

Atlantis

This PCA will also mark the first Zoom Poker challenge, an official PCA tournament that will play out online in the PokerStars Zoom Poker rooms over several days.

We will start our coverage Saturday at noon ET with the kickoff of the 2013 $100,000 Super High Roller. At last report, 30 people had already signed up for the big event. We expect there to be more than that by the time action gets started Saturday.

Here's what you need to bookmark for the next week and half:

Full PCA 2013 coverage on the PokerStars Blog

PCA $100,000 Super High Roller live reporting and features beginning Saturday January 5

PCA 2013 main event live reporting and features beginning Monday January 7

PCA 2013 $25,000 High Roller live reporting and features beginning Saturday January 12

PokerStars Blog Twitter updates from Paradise Island

Beach, anyone?

We'll also be updating you on all the side event results and other news surrounding the PCA during the week and half of action.

Oh, and I probably shouldn't mention this just yet, but if you're going to be at Atlantis and feel like swimming with the dolphins at Dolphin Cay, you'll want to fire up Twitter and be ready for an announcement here on the blog in the next few days.

For now, we're wheels up for Paradise Island where we hope to get a quick night's sleep before heading into the land of a $100,000 re-entry tournament on Saturday. Next time you hear from us, it will be through a filter of Bahamian sun.

Until then, have a great weekend. And if you're on the way to the Bahamas, make sure you stop and say hi to us. We're always looking to make new friends.

Brad Willis is the PokerStars Head of Blogging