2016 PCA Schedule Announced with 104 Events, Main Event Buy-In Now $5,300
On Friday, Aug. 28, big news hit the airwaves courtesy of PokerStars headquarters, with the announcement of the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure schedule. With a whopping 104 events taking place from Jan. 6-14, 2016, the series "promises to be the biggest PokerStars festival ever held." The biggest piece of news to come from the announcement wasn't the size of the festival, though, but rather the decrease in buy-in for the 2016 PCA Main Event.
In 2009, the PCA Main Event took on a $10,000 price tag, and in 2010 it became the marquee $10,300 buy-in event that we've all grown accustomed to marking the halfway point of the yearly poker schedule. For 2016, the buy-in has been chopped to $5,300.
"We have seen extraordinary growth in our live events in Europe and we're excited about emulating this success at the PCA," said Edgar Stuchly, Director of PokerStars Live Events. "EPT Barcelona, which is running right now, is breaking records on a daily basis and our aim is to give PCA players the same kind of experience. We will do this by tripling the number of tournaments and offering a wider variety of buy-in levels to suit every player."
In 2015, the PCA featured 35 different events, making this year's jam-packed schedule triple in size. Last year's Main Event was won by American Kevin Schulz, as he took home nearly $1.5 million after finishing atop the field of 816 runners.
The 2016 PCA $5,300 Main Event will take place Jan. 8-14.
Although the buy-in to the PCA Main Event has been halved, there are still plenty of big buy-in options on the schedule to whet the appetite of high-stakes players from across the globe. The $100,000 Super High Roller will be returning once again, making its six appearance on the PCA schedule. There will also be a one-day $50,000 High Roller event, the regular $25,000 High Roller, and three $10,000 events. If that's not enough, add in 10 events with a price tag of $5,000.
There are also events as low as $120 to allow for players of all levels to stay involved in the action each and everyday.
"People come from all over the world to compete in the Bahamas and enjoy the Caribbean climate, in the middle of winter for the Northern Hemisphere," Stuchly added. "However, what our players really relish is the chance to play lots of poker. So this coming January, that's exactly what we'll be offering."
Players attending the 2016 PCA will retain the chance to earn cash back via the Refer a Friend promotion that will be available once again. By referring a friend who hasn't played the PCA in the last two years, the referrer will receive $500 for each friend they introduce to the event so long as both of them play the Main Event. Find 11 friends to refer, and you will be able to freeroll the Main Event.
Click here for more information on the 2016 PCA festival.
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!