Atlantis Bahamas Poker Tournaments
The excitement of Atlantis Resort’s annual poker tournament has drawn the attention of comedian Kevin Hart and Emmy Award-winning actor Aaron Paul. Based on his Instagram and Twitter posts, it looks like Kevin Hart had a fun time, and Aaron Paul said, “I will miss the people of Bahamas. Such a kind and loving culture. Ramon Colillas Hundreds of the most accomplished poker players in the world flooded into Atlantis Resort to hunt the incredible value created by the Platinum Pass promotion in the PokerStars NL.
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For visitors who have toured the extravagant resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, exploring the interior of Atlantis Resort for the first time has a way of bringing you back to Sin City.
Domed ceilings and towering columns highlight palatial architecture, marble and granite span the room from floor to ceiling and modern artwork adorns every available wall. And just like in Las Vegas, that immaculate gallery-like ambience soon gives way to the sights and sounds of action: cards being shuffled, chips being stacked and slot machines sounding off to announce the latest winner.
When you near the center of Paradise Island, between Coral Towers to the west and Royal Towers to the east, Atlantis Resort reveals yet another hidden treasure: a full-fledged casino that rivals many of the megaresorts in America, Europe and Australia.
More than 700 slot machines with a wide range of coin denominations from $0.01 to $100 and the latest themes and titles are on site, many of them clustered underneath a gorgeous glass sculpture by famed artist Dale Chihuly.
The table gaming area runs up to 85 games at once, spreading classics like blackjack, baccarat, craps and roulette. Punters can also place their sports bets at the Pegasus Race and Sports Book. Perfect summertime temperatures mean that guests at Atlantis Resort never lack for outdoor enjoyment, but the inclusion of a cutting-edge casino complements the serene setting perfectly.
Many visitors to the area aren’t even aware of the casino upon booking their trip; others simply see it as an afterthought. But even five minutes inside will show why Atlantis Resorts is home to one of the most prestigious poker tournaments of the year.
Atlantis Bahamas Poker Tournament
If you consider gambling to be a regular hobby, chances are you ran a search for applicable laws in the Bahamas before booking your trip.
The results of that search may have been confusing, too, as many resources will inform readers that gambling is banned by law throughout the entire country. While this is technically true, the restrictions on casino games and other forms of gambling only apply to Bahamian citizens. Tourists arriving at Atlantis Resort, or anywhere throughout the Bahamas for that matter, are free to enjoy casino gaming wherever it is made available.
The Atlantis Resort casino is housed within an enormous 100,000-square-foot building that directly links Coral Tower to Royal Tower. The venue offers the full spectrum of casino gaming with slot machines and table games lining the expansive floor. Here are some of the games you will find:
Slots
Slots enthusiasts can enjoy the most modern themes and titles on everything from traditional three-reel designs to interactive video slots. If you’re new to slots and want to try it out without spending any cash then there is also complementary slots play available. Free Daily Slot Tournaments are great fun and have decent prizes too. Winners pocket $100 worth of free spins, the runner-up receives $50 in slot comps and much more.
Table Games
All of your favorites are here, with baccarat played in a special VIP-style lounge and blackjack running around the clock surrounding the Temple of the Sun.
Other table games onsite include mini-baccarat, craps, roulette, Let It Ride Progressive Poker, Three Card Progressive Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em Progressive Poker.
Although the last three games include the phrase “poker,” they’re actually hybrid table games, and thus don’t follow the traditional rules of poker you’re used to from tournaments or cash games. If you prefer playing classic no-limit Texas hold’em (NLHE) over table games against the dealer, read on to find out how guests at Atlantis Resort can get in the game.
Race and Sports
Even after departing home and heading for Paradise Island, you can still support your favorite sports teams – or simply put some dough down on the sharp side of a good game – by heading to the Pegasus Race and Sports Book.
The board posts up to the second odds and lines and, and every major league and race track throughout North America is available to bet on.
Gambling in the sun
Gambling can be great fun, but sitting inside while your friends frolic around the pool and soak in the sun isn’t always appealing. Thankfully, Atlantis Resort has you covered with Cain at the Cove, an exclusive swimming pool area available to adults only.
The 9,000-square-foot Ultra Pool has two separate infinity pools that are elevated above-ground level to offer stunning views of the Caribbean Sea below.
Cain at the Cove features 20 private cabanas and The Cove Pool Café. Poolside concierges will bring refreshments while you enjoy the mini-craps table and six blackjack tables on the premises.
Although the Atlantis Resort casino doesn’t contain a full-time poker room, the property’s connection to the poker world extends back for more than a decade.
Paradise Island has played host to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) since 2005 following the tournament series’ debut in 2004. That year saw the PCA held aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, but tournament organizers decided to depart for solid land, and the PCA has been an annual Atlantis Resort tradition ever since.
Offering a comprehensive schedule of events, and included within the European Poker Tour (EPT) banner between 2008 and 2010, the PCA became an essential stop along the global tournament circuit. Serving as a “spring break” style complement to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) summer camp theme, the PCA regularly attracts elite touring pros from around the world who are eager to experience poker in paradise.
The PCA’s showcase tournament, a no limit hold’em Main Event, has been won by poker luminaries like Gus Hansen (2004), Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier (2008), Galen Hall (2011) and Mike Watson (2016) over the years, lending the series a certain sense of prestige. Between 2006 and 2015, the PCA Main Event created a millionaire with each year’s champion.
In recent years, the PCA expanded to include high roller and super high roller events, creating additional opportunities to chase seven-figure scores. Elite pros like Eugene Katchalov (2011), Scott Seiver (2013), Vanessa Selbst (2013) and Steve O’Dwyer (2015) have all won more than $1 million by winning nosebleed-stake events at the PCA.
Starting in 2017, the PCA’s name was officially changed to PokerStars Championship Bahamas, but aside from that, the series’ spirit lives on. The poker world will descend on Paradise Island between Jan. 6 and Jan. 14 for the first-ever PokerStars Championship Bahamas, to be held at Atlantis Resort.
In total, 92 events will be on the schedule, with most days featuring a dozen tournaments running concurrently. The festivities kick off on Jan. 6 with the highly anticipated $100,000 buy in Super High Roller. Players who can’t afford to drop six figures so easily can hop in several events with low buy-ins between $110 and $330 on opening day alone.
While NLHE is obviously the game of choice in most events, poker variants like pot-limit Omaha (PLO) and seven-card stud, along with mixed games like H.O.R.S.E. and H.O.S.E., also get their due.
The PokerStars Championship Bahamas Main Event begins on Jan. 8 with the first of two starting flights.
Atlantis Bahamas Poker Tournament 2019
If you’ve never been to the an event like this before, or just want to win your way in on the cheap, PokerStars is running a full schedule of online satellites and qualifiers. Buy-ins for these PokerStars Championship Bahamas qualifiers range from the micro stakes to mid-range and up, but you can secure a $10,000 PokerStars Championship prize package, which includes a $5,000 Main Event seat, by landing the jackpot in a $10 Spin & Go tournament.
The PokerStars Championship Bahamas doesn’t start for more than a month, so players all over the world have plenty of time to win their way to paradise courtesy of PokerStars.
PokerStars announced itslive events would be rebranded in 2017, beginning the schedule with the PokerStars Championship Bahamas, formerly known as the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
The series will begin this Thursday, and PokerStars will be sending over 250 poker players to the inaugural PokerStars Championship Bahamas main event at Atlantis Resort. More than half of those qualifiers won their way to Atlantis for just $10 by playing special Spin & Go satellites on PokerStars. The Spin & Go prize package included a Main Event seat and an additional $5,000 for travel and accommodations.
The qualifiers range from experienced players to rank amateurs. They embody poker’s ability to bring a diverse group of people together from across the globe.
As Edgar Stuchly, PokerStars’ Director of Live Events, said: “We’re very excited about the first PokerStars Championship stop. Our aim is to host an event that will be enjoyed by players of all kinds — from the world’s biggest high rollers to recreational players who have perhaps never played at a live event before.
“With over 90 tournaments on offer, this year’s schedule adopts a ‘something for everyone’ formula. So, for all our regulars, as well as newcomers, we extend a very warm welcome to the Bahamas and hope a great experience is enjoyed by all – both on and off the tables.”
Here’s a look at some of the more interesting players heading to the Bahamas after qualifying online at PokerStars.
Atlantis Bahamas Poker Tournament 2019
Young and old at PCB
The youngest of the 250-plus qualifiers is a 19 year-old from Denmark who will be playing in his first live event. When he realized he had hit a Spin & Go jackpot and would be playing for the PokerStars Championship Bahamas package he said, “The adrenaline rushed through my body like crazy, I was shaking so much.”
On the other end of the age spectrum is Morris Dadoun, an 84-year old insurance broker and financial advisor from Canada who qualified via a charity tournament. Morris has been playing poker for over 40 years, but the PCB will also be his first live major tournament.
Dadoun took a shot at qualifying because he dreamed of participating in a big tournament after years of watching tournaments on TV. When asked what he’s most looking forward to, he said he wants to, “meet some champions and have the opportunity to play with them.”
From PokerStars New Jersey…
There were a total of three qualifiers from PokerStars’ New Jersey site, including 55 year-old Wayne Geritchen, who won his way to the Bahamas through a freeroll. Remarkably, Geritchen also qualified for the inaugural PokerStars Festival New Jersey held at Resorts in September by way of a freeroll. He went on to cash in the main event for $2,300.
Geritchen’s son also plays poker, and happens to manage the pool hall across the street. That led to Geritchen, unbeknownst to him, having an impromptu rail for his big win.
“The minute I won the freeroll, my phone exploded because my son was immediately calling me telling me how everyone at the pool hall across the street was watching live online,”Geritchen said.
“He immediately demanded that I come over and celebrate (with the rail that was watching me, that I didn’t even know existed, as I was playing).
“The five minutes it took me to walk across the street I felt like I was floating on a cloud, and then when I walk through the door of the pool hall everybody was hugging me and shaking my hand and congratulating me like I had already won a championship.”
…to PokerStars players from the other side of the world
Several online qualifiers will be flying some 10,000 miles to play in the PCBs Main Event, as a small contingent of players from Australia won online satellites.
One player who will also be taking a very long flight to the Bahamas is Sacheen Ramchandani from India. Like so many qualifiers, he has never played in a live poker tournament.
Ramchandani is the only qualifier from India, but that will likely change in the coming years as India is in the midst of its own poker boom.
“Poker has picked up a lot in India,” Ramchandani said. “It’s like every third person you meet knows or plays poker.”
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This could be a huge development for poker globally, considering India is the second most populous nation in the world with 1.25 billion (with a B) people.
Atlantis Bahamas Poker Tournaments Payout
Ramchandani’s path to the Bahamas began with a $27 Step satellite, and from there things took a bit of a Moneymaker-esque turn.
“The funny thing is I totally forgot about the next stage and I was almost asleep,” Ramchandani said. “I was like, hang on, I think I have a game where I qualified, let me check if it’s today or next week.”
It’s a good thing he checked, because the tournament was just two hours away. That meant an already tired Ramchandani would be staying up all night… which turned out to be worth it. Sacheen won his ticket to the Bahamas at 4 a.m.
Atlantis Bahamas Poker Tournaments Official Site
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