Zona de Azar Bahamas- PCA 2018 Main Event Champion to Pick Up u$s 1,081,100 and Platinum Pass

Bahamas.- January 11,2018 www.zonadeazar.com The $10,300 PCA 2018 Main Event attracted 582 runners who created a $5,645,400 prize pool.

The crowned champion will walk away as a millionaire, claiming a handsome $1,081,100 first-place prize and the title. In addition to that, the winner will take home the coveted trophy and a Platinum Pass to the 2019 PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship, valued at $30,000.

Click for: Prize pool | Players | Nationalities | Schedule | All Files from PCA 2018 | Photos

The top 87 finishers will lock up at least $17,500 with the bubble expected to burst on Day 3. All finalists will be guaranteed to bank a six-figure cash.

Final table payouts:
1st – $1,081,100
2nd – $672,960
3rd – $481,560
4th – $372,600
5th – $293,560
6th – $229,760
7th – $169,920
8th – $116,860

Reigning champion Christian Harder was eliminated midway through Day 2 while PCA 2010 champ Harrison Gimbel still eyes his second Main Event triumph from The Bahamas. Gimbel is the only former champion left in contention. He’s already been to a PCA 2018 final table, finishing fifth in the National event last night.

It comes as no surprise that North America provided the largest contingent of PCA 2018 Main Event contenders. A quarter of the field arrived from the United States with 142 Americans taking a shot at the title. Canada had the second strongest representation with 96 runners (16%) while Germany came third with 44 hopefuls (8%). Brazil (38 players or 7%) and Russia (31 or 5%) rounded out the top five. In all, players from 52 different countries competed. A full breakdown of nationalities can be found here. See below for the pie chart.

POKERSTARS CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE MAIN EVENT HISTORY
2004: 221 players, $1,657,500 prize pool, Gus Hansen from Denmark for $455,780
2005: 461 players, $3,487,200 prize pool, John Gale from the UK for $890,600
2006: 724 players, $5,647,200 prize pool, Steve Ambrose from Canada for $1,388,600
2007: 937 players, $7,063 842 prize pool, Ryan Daut from the USA for $1,535,255
2008: 1,136 players, $8,562 976 prize pool, Bertrand Grospellier from France for $2,000,000
2009: 1,347 players, $12,674,000 prize pool, Poorya Nazari from Canada for $3,000,000
2010: 1,529 players, $14,831,300 prize pool, Harrison Gimbel from the USA for $2,200,000
2011: 1,560 players, $15,132,000 prize pool, Galen Hall from the USA for $2,300,000
2012: 1,072 players, $10,398,400 prize pool, John Dibella from the USA for $1,775,000
2013: 987 players, $9,573,900 prize pool, Dimitar Danchev from Bulgaria for $1,859,000
2014: 1,031 players, $10,070,000 prize pool, Dominik Panka from Poland for $1,423,096
2015: 816 players, $7,915,200 prize pool, Kevin Schulz from the USA for $1,491,580
2016: 928 players, $4,500,800 prize pool, Mike Watson from Canada for $728,325
2017 *: 738 players, $3,376,712 prize pool, Christian Harder from the USA for $429,664
2018: 582 players, $5,645,400 prize pool, $1,081,100 for the winner
* (held as PokerStars Championship Bahamas in 2017)

THAI HA CLAIMS HIS PLATINUM PASS IN PCA’S FIRST DRAWING
While the Main Event is still away from paid positions, one player has already been rewarded. Vietnam-born Philadelphia resident Thai Ha won the first drawing for the Platinum Pass which was held just before the shuffle up and deal today.

“It feels awesome, I didn’t expect to win. And it just happened,” Ha said.

Interestingly, Ha had no idea about the drawing and arrived late for the competition. When he got to his table, he was shocked.

“I was at Starbucks. There was a line so was a little late. I didn’t know what was going on at my table because all the cameras and everything was around my table. So I stood in the rail to see what happens and then someone explained to me that my table was chosen to win the Platinum Pass. I was excited, I didn’t even sit down,” Ha said.

Ha is one of the first players to claim the Platinum Pass with hundreds of lucky winners to follow as PokerStars will be giving away over 300 of the Passes through 2018. Those who have already booked their tickets to the inaugural PSPC include PokerStars Championship Prague bubble boys Mihai Manole and Andrzej Siemieniak, IPO Campione champion Andrea Benelli and PCA National winner, PokerStars Ambassador Maria Konnikova.

PCA 2018 participants will have a chance to win their own $30,000 Platinum Pass, which includes a $25,000 buy-in to the inaugural 2019 PSPC along with accommodation and expenses, in two more drawings:

▪ In The Money Winner: When any PCA 2018 tournament reaches the money all remaining players will be dealt a single hand of poker. The winner from each table will be entered into a Phase II draw at the end of the event, which will award one pass
▪ Wild Card Winner: When any tournament reaches the end of its registration period all remaining players will be dealt a single hand of poker. The winners will be entered into a Phase II draw at the end of the event, which will award one last pass

POKERSTARS TV FANS WITH A CHANCE TO WIN A PLATINUM PASS
While a total of five Platinum Passes to the 2019 PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) are up for grabs for the players competing at the PCA, there’s also a chance to win your $30,000 package from your couch! Follow the PokerStars TV broadcast through the eight days of intense PCA live streaming action to get a chance to win a spectacular trip to the inaugural PSPC. More details will be revealed on the stream.

POKERSTARS KICK-STARTS 2018 BY DONATING MORE THAN $30,000 TO RAISING FOR EFFECTIVE GIVING
A total of 17 players took part in a special $26,000 High Roller charity tournament, which took place before the $10,300 PCA Main Event. $25,000 of each buy-in went to the prize pool, which with 11 re-entries reached $700,000, while $1,000 was donated to Raising for Effective Giving (REG). German player Stefan Schillhabel took down the charity tournament for $213,977 after cutting a three-way deal and a total of $30,000 was raised for the charity.

REG employs a ‘cause-neutral’ reasoning in its philanthropy to ensure that donations make the biggest positive impact. It also empowers donors to make better giving choices by providing advice on how to help the causes that tackle the greatest sources of suffering.

“We are delighted to work with PokerStars again, organising another event where a donation is made to REG,” said Team PokerStars Pro Igor Kurganov, who played in the tournament. “As we start the New Year, we would also like to thank all those who have supported our charity, taking part in events and making donations.”

In 2017, PokerStars partnered with REG and donated fees from the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) and World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) High Roller tournaments, raising in excess of $230,000.

PCA 2018 Charity Tournament Results
1st – Stefan Schillhabel, Germany, $213,977
2nd – Koray Aldemir, Germany, $185,776
3rd – Daniel Dvoress, Canada, $151,497
4th – Rainer Kempe, Germany, $82,250

5th – Steve O’Dwyer, Ireland, $66,500

ABOUT POKERSTARS CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE 2018
The iconic PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) returns to the Atlantis Resort, The Bahamas with the illustrious live poker festival running January 6-14, 2018.

Established in 2004, the PCA has quickly become one of the major annual events on the world’s poker map where the top players from North America and beyond meet with various celebrities and poker aficionados from all corners of the world, including first-time qualifiers who all get to experience the unique atmosphere in a stellar poker event held on the famous Paradise Island.

For more than a decade, PCA has played a spectacular host to some of the most remarkable moments in the history of the game, with dozens of millionaires emerging from the winners.

This year’s PCA features 31 tournaments across nine days of intense poker action. The schedule is filled with a handful of top-notch, unmissable events including the $10,300 Main Event (January 8-14), the $100,000 Super High Roller (January 6-8), the $25,000 High Roller (January 12-14) and the $1,650 PCA National (January 7-9).

To celebrate the return of the PCA, the 2018 event will also include a wide variety of promotions, additional rewards, and activities for players to enjoy both on and off the tables, such as a $50,000 Freeroll and a $50,000 Player Giveaway. Full details can be found here.

MAJOR TOURNAMENTS AT PCA 2018:
* $100,000 PCA Super High Roller: January 6-8, 2018
* $1,650 PCA National: January 7-9, 2018
* $10,300 PCA Main Event: January 8-14, 2018
* $50,000 High Roller: January 8-9, 2018
* $25,000 NL Hold’em Single Re-Entry: January 11, 2018
* $25,000 PCA High Roller: January 12-14, 2018

USAIN BOLT AND KEVIN HART TO WRAP #GAMEON SERIES AT PCA 2018
The fastest man in the world, Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt will face off against famous Hollywood comedian Kevin Hart in The Bahamas as the #GameOn series culminates at the PCA. Bolt and Hart will be aiming to outsmart one another in the challenge presented by PokerStars. Hart is also set to compete in the $100,000 Super High Roller yet again, following his debut in 2017.

PLAYER LOUNGE
The Player Lounge is located inside the main tournament room and will be open daily from 11 a.m. – 12 a.m. local time, January 6-14. With a bar and comfy seats to relax, gaming and VR stations, and a whole host of additional activities, make sure you stop by.

PLAYER PARTY
The official Player Party of PCA 2018 will take place January 13, from 8 p.m. local time, inside the Atlantis Casino night club. Party wristbands can be collected from the Information Desk through the event, and every player is entitled to two. There will be free drinks for wristband holders from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m., after which the club opens to the general public.

Aura doesn’t have an unlimited capacity, so the party is first come, first served. Get there early to avoid disappointment. Aura is a licensed premises – only those aged 18 years and over will be able to access Aura.

TOURNAMENT LOCATION
The license holder and operator of this event is Atlantis Resort & Casino.

Atlantis Resort & Casino
Paradise Beach Dr
Paradise Island, Bahamas

Editó: @_fonta   www.zonadeazar.com