The PCA is being discontinued
One of the most iconic tournament stops on the poker calendar will not return next year, after 16 consecutive years.
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure began as a World Poker Tour event in 2004 but became an official European Poker Tour event soon after (despite not being in Europe). A strong roster of big names have won the PCA title including Gus Hansen, Galen Hall, Ryan Daut, ElkY, Christian Harder, Maria Lampropulos and Chino Rheem.
It was also home to the first ever PokerStars Players No Limit Hold'em Championship. That appears to be the reason for no PCA in 2020, so PokerStars can concentrate on the next PSPC in Barcelona. As Eric Hollreiser commented to PocketFives:
It’s no secret that after 15 successful years, the PCA has been losing momentum and there’s been increasing player criticism of the location. As such, we will not be returning to Paradise Island in 2020. PokerStars and our players have had some great success at the Atlantis Resort & Casino in the Bahamas over a strong 13-year run, and we have very many fond memories of ringing in the New Year with our PCA. Our research, alongside player feedback, has shown, however, that it is time for a change to keep things fresh and give our players what they are asking for.
Declining numbers
It is indeed true that overall Main Event numbers have been in decline. In 2011 it attracted a record field of 1,560, but this was just before Black Friday and the field was as low as 582 in 2018 (this year it attracted 865).
The PCA has always been an unusual proposition for PokerStars post-Black Friday as it has always been an event that mostly attracted American players at a time when they did not have access to the PokerStars client.
It is still a big surprise, however, that it won't be returning next year as it is one of the mainstays of the poker calendar, arguably one of the biggest festivals of the year outside of the World Series of Poker. It also has a unique atmophere being the first big event of the year with a 'Spring Break' vibe that made it stand out as one of the flagship festivals in poker.
Will you miss this event? Let us know in the comments:
