2006 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Attracts Record Turnout: Awards More Than
$7 Million in Prize Money College Student Steve-Paul Ambrose Wins $1.3 Million
First Prize In Championship Event
BY:
Nolan Dalla
PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS - January 17, 2006 - The center of the poker universe
moved to the Bahamas during the first two weeks of the new year as PokerStars.com
hosted the third annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). The poker tournament
took place at the Atlantis Casino and Resort, on the beaches of Paradise Island.
Most of the players attending won their tournament entries and paid vacations
by qualifying online at PokerStars.com, the world's largest and most innovative
poker tournament website, some for as little as $6.
The championship event attracted a whopping 724 entries, over 60 percent higher
than last year's number, with a total prize pool of $5,647,200. The winner was
Steve Paul-Ambrose, a 22-year-old college student from Canada. Ambrose, a student
at the University of Waterloo (in Ontario), outplayed the huge field -- including
the last three world poker champions - over a five-day span and won $1,363,100
for first place. He was cheered to victory by his mother, sister, and several
friends who watched anxiously as the final table was taped for broadcast on the
World Poker Tour. Ambrose won his way into the PCA via a satellite tournament
held on PokerStars.com for a total investment of $102.
"I don't think it has fully sunk in yet," Ambrose at a post-tournament press
conference. "I was just so excited to be playing with some of the greats like
Raymer and Moneymaker, but I never thought I would win it all. I am so glad
PokerStars put together this great event to allow someone like me to compete,
to win, and now - to defend my title next year."
Five of the six players who made it to the final table were relative newcomers
to the poker tournament scene. Most who made it into the money were cashing
in a live tournament for the first time ever - proving once again that online
poker can be a significant training ground for major televised tournaments.
The PCA also attracted several notable professionals and superstars, including
current and former World Series of Poker champions Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer, Chris
Moneymaker, and Tom McEvoy. But in the end, it was the young Canadian college
student who walked away with the top prize.
The PCA also featured six secondary tournaments, which awarded over $1 million
to winners. There were also a number of high-stakes cash games which attracted
players from the United States and many countries throughout Europe, Central
and South America. But perhaps the most memorable juncture at the PCA, aside
from the record-setting main event, was the inaugural World Championship of Battleship
Poker, launched exclusively by PokerStars.com. Sixty-four online poker players
paid the $1,000 entry fee and played a series of heads-up matches reminiscent
of the traditional parlor game, called "Battleship." The matches were played
online on PokerStars.com, but in a unique twist, each set of opponents was seated
across from one another, battleship-style. Michael Banducci, from Traverse City,
MI was the first-year winner.
"This year's PCA was even bigger and better than we expected," said Lee Jones,
poker room manager for PokerStars.com. "And that's really saying something based
on our high expectations from last year. This tournament brought everything
together - great poker action, a multi-million dollar prize pool, and world-class
amenities at the Atlantis. Best of all - the PCA demonstrates once again that
PokerStars.com is leading the way when it comes to originality and turning regular
poker players into champions."
Coverage of the 2006 PCA will be shown later this year on The Travel Channel
as part of the network's hit show -- the World Poker Tour. |
