Welcome to the 13th PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event
Today, at 12 p.m. local time, the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event will commence. This year's tournament comes with a new buy-in of $5,300, which is a change from the more recent $10,300 price tag it has held over recent years. Predictions have it that the smaller buy-in will help to spike a positive uptick in the field size, as another massive, seven-figure prize pool should be up for grabs.
Last year's event attracted 816 players and was won by American Kevin Schulz for nearly $1.5 million. Schulz defeated Peru's Diego Ventura ($907,080) in second place to earn the title. Others making the final table included Chance Kornuth (3rd - $641,140), Rami Boukai (6th - $285,740), Pratyush Buddiga (7th - $203,420), and Dylan Linde (8th - $140,900).
The event began in 2004 with a co-sponsored endeavor by the World Poker Tour and PokerStars, but in 2008 the event shed the WPT branding and joined the European Poker Tour ranks. In 2010 and 2011, the event was a featured stop of the North American Poker Tour, and then it returned as part of the EPT in 2012. Currently, the PCA makes his home as the highly anticipated midway point on the EPT schedule.
Throughout the years, the PCA Main Event has been a marquee event attracting players from all over the globe and millions of audience eyes. Other winners of the event besides Schulz are Dominik Panka (2014 - $1.423 million), Dimitar Danchev (2013 - $1.859 million), John Dibella (2012 - $1.775 million), Galen Hall (2011 - $2.3 million), Harrison Gimbel (2010 - $2.2 million), Poorya Nazari (2009 - $3 million), Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier (2008 - $2 million), Ryan Daut (2007 - $1.535 million), Steve Ambrose (2006 - $1.388 million), John Gale (2005 - $890,000), and Gus Hansen (2004 - $455,000).
The PCA Main Event will run until Thursday, Jan. 14, complete with two starting days. The opening day will see competitors begin with 30,000 in chips, and play will last eight 60-minutes. With no dinner break scheduled, Day 1a should end around 8:45 p.m. local time.