More than 1,300 players will compete at the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure

More than 1,300 players will compete at the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure in Nassau, Bahamas, for a $2 million first prize. (CHRIS TESSARO photo) NASSAU, Bahamas — There is something unique about the atmosphere at a major poker tournament. What most people see on TV is just a snapshot of the very end of a big event, but, in reality, that’s like watching the last 30 seconds of a football or basketball game. You simply can’t get the feel of a big event without being there.

Aside from the World Series of Poker, the biggest tournament in the world is the PCA (that stands for ‘Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure’). It’s also one of the most fun, since it’s held at the posh Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. Most players come here to spend an entire week and the atmosphere and camaraderie is second to none. Usually, when a players busts out of a big tournament, they’re on the first plane home. But here, almost everyone stays to hang out, and enjoy.

But don’t let the resort surroundings fool you: this is still a poker tournament, and one with a $2 million first prize. Over 1,300 players will compete here for a chance at some life-changing prize money. It’s fitting that a walk outside the resort leads directly to multi-million dollar yachts and opulent vacation homes. It’s all part of the dream, and poker players dream big.

And on day one of any poker tournament, the dream is alive. Everyone is bright, chatty, and heavily loaded with anticipation. If there are 1300 players in a tournament, about 1299 of them think they’re going to win it.

That dream dies quickly. Within an hour or two, the hallways outside of the gigantic Atlantis Ballroom are spotted here and there with players telling their bad beat stories of how they were eliminated. For this particular tournament, a large number of players (700 or more) qualified for the event online at Pokerstars. Some are very good...and some are very bad. The bad tend to get a little more time on the beach than the good. In fact, by the end of the event, you can probably tell the players that made the final table by their lack of tans.

Part of the allure for the online qualifiers is the opportunity to play with their poker idols, and there is no shortage of big name poker pros here in Nassau. Since Pokerstars is the sponsor of the event, every member of Team Pokerstars is on hand. World Champions Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, and the newest champion, Peter Eastgate, are all on hand. Canadian superstar Daniel Negreanu is stopped every 10 feet in the hallways here at Atlantis for a photo or autograph. And, as a testament to the attractiveness of this tournament to the pros, it’s not just Pokerstars pros plying their trade. Another World Champion, Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson is playing, as well as other popular pros like Canadian Gavin Smith, and Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfendiari. Even legends from other arenas are here. Tennis player Boris Becker is playing, as well as baseball MVP Orel ‘The Bulldog’ Hershiser.

Even in a resort the size of Atlantis, the influx of a couple of thousand poker players has an effect. Every lounge and corner is filled with people having animated discussions that aren’t about deep sea fishing or scuba diving. Instead, their talk is centred on ‘bad flop’s and ‘re-raises’. Poker isn’t just an avocation or a vocation to those here: it borders on obsession. Whether seasoned pro or rank amateur, everyone shares a passion for the game, and that shared passion makes compatriots out of foes. Players who were battling head to head on the felt in the afternoon are sharing a cocktail in the evening.

And let’s not forget the action away from the tournament. Aside from a fully functional poker room with side games that often have thousands in every pot, assembling a large contingent of folks that like to gamble lead to some interesting side bets. Almost anything can become the subject of a wager, from holding your breath in the pool to eating a handful of wasabi. One person at a previous PCA spent four hours in a nightclub holding a handful of French fries to win a $400 bet. That’s life on the tournament trail.

It’s something that can’t be described easily. The best bet is to give it a shot first hand. Qualify online. Buy in. Win your way in. Or, if that doesn’t fit your bankroll, just come and watch. It will give you a whole new appreciation for an already amazing game.