DOUGLAS, Isle of Man, Dec. 27, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- PokerStars (www.pokerstars.com), the world's largest poker site, will kick off the New Year with the fourth annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) beginning January 4 at the famed Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas' Paradise Island. Amateur and casual poker players alike will join some of the world's most well-known and respected professionals in the Caribbean for one of the premier poker tournaments in the world and a chance at the estimated $6 million prize pool.
One of only thirteen elite members of the World Poker Tour(r) (WPT) and a premiere event each year on the WPT circuit, the PCA will feature six days of highly competitive tournament play. The tournament will conclude on January 10 with a televised, six-player final table that will air in the United States on June 6, 2007, on the Travel Channel.
In order to capture the coveted first place prize, players will have to flop, fold, and bluff their way past an expected field of 750 competitors, including previous World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour champions Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker, Barry Greenstein, Humberto Brenes, and Tom McEvoy to name a few. Former Saturday Night Live star Norm MacDonald and actress Mimi Rogers will be among the celebrity poker enthusiasts playing in the tournament in an effort to add a PCA championship title to their already distinguished lists of achievements.
Reigning PCA Champion and Team PokerStars (http://www.pokerstars.com/team-pokerstars/) member Steve Paul Ambrose said, "The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is the perfect combination of high caliber poker and a tropical paradise. I cannot imagine a more scenic and exotic environment to host a world class poker tournament."
For additional information about the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, visit: www.pokerstars.com/caribbean-adventure
Also taking place at the Atlantis resort will be the grand finale of the largest free poker tournament in history, the Moneymaker Millionaire. The tournament was inspired by Chris Moneymaker, who at age 27 revolutionized poker by winning the 2003 World Series of Poker and $2.5 million after winning his entry in a $39 satellite tournament on PokerStars. The 27 player, three table conclusion of the Moneymaker Millionaire will be take place on January 6th, with one lucky player driving off with a prize package worth $1 million, including a brand new 2007 Aston Martin DB9.
For more information about the Moneymaker Millionaire free roll, visit: www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/moneymaker-millionaire
About PokerStars:
PokerStars (www.pokerstars.com) is the world's largest and most innovative online poker site. PokerStars was the first site to introduce features that became industry standard such as sophisticated multi-table tournaments, integrated game statistics, players' notes, personalized images, time bank for tournaments and big bet ring games, satellite tournaments, multi-table sit and go tournaments, and much more.
To date, PokerStars has dealt out over seven billion hands and run more than 35 million poker tournaments, awarding well over $7 billion in prize money. PokerStars is the world's largest poker room, with over seven million registered player accounts. PokerStars' support team is truly unique, as help and assistance are available around the clock from people who know and understand the game of poker and the importance of impeccable customer service.
The PokerStars site is also one of the most secure. PokerStars uses industry-leading security software to ensure the integrity of the system, including encryption, card shuffle randomness and preventative measures against cheating and collusion. Money covering player's balances is held in segregated accounts managed by one of the leading European banks, ensuring that PokerStars can fulfill its obligations to players at all times.
In February 2006, PokerStars.com became the first poker website ever to reach the 100,000 simultaneous player mark. That watershed achievement marked the largest poker event in history -- an event important enough to make the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records. Every week, the PokerStars "Sunday Million" is played, which is the largest weekly tournament on the planet with a $1 million guaranteed tournament prize pool.
PokerStars is an official member of the World Poker Tour, and the title sponsor of the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. In the fall, PokerStars hosts the world's largest online tournament, the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), which this year featured a record prize pool of over $18 million. PokerStars also sponsors major events around the globe, such as the World Cup of Poker and other exciting tournaments. For more information, go to www.pokerstars.com
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