Many skeptics predicted that online poker would dry up because of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. But, what took place at the Atlantis Resort Casino on the tropical island of Grand Bahamas during the second week of January proves otherwise.
PokerStars.com, arguably the largest online poker room in the world, worked its marketing magic and attracted a record-breaking field of 937 players to the
PokerStars.com Caribbean Adventure, a
WPT event. This huge field, filled with many players who aren't old enough to play in U.S. casinos, shattered the
WPT's attendance record. The $7 million prize pool and $1.5 million first prize weren't too bad, either!
Our extensive tournament reporting team was there to provide complete live updates, photos, and multimedia coverage, including videos and our Internet radio show,
The Circuit. If you can't get to these events, as a player or fan, remember that CardPlayer.com is the place to follow your favorites and experience the excitement of these destination tournaments.
The
Caribbean Adventure is unlike most major tournaments. At the Atlantis, like many casinos outside the U.S., you have to be only 18 years old to play. Because of this, the talent of online poker's young guns, and perhaps the breed of champions, is on display.
PokerStars' face-man and 2005
World Series of Poker Champion Joseph Hachem didn't make it to the second day of his title sponsor's event, but he had gotten his validation a few weeks earlier. In this issue, we feature the $15,000
Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic Championship, an event that Hachem won for more than $2 million. This win makes Hachem one of only four players to win both a
World Poker Tour title and a
World Series of Poker main event. Carlos Mortensen, Scotty Nguyen, and Doyle Brunson are the others. Joe is a great ambassador for the game and someone who I think will find himself in the winner's circle often during his poker career.
Our cover story this issue shows just how international poker truly is. Poker is booming in Europe, thanks (again) to PokerStars, which sponsors and heavily promotes the
European Poker Tour. It also runs satellites for
EPT events for as little as $11. Roland De Wolfe made history last year after he became the first player to win both a
WPT and
EPT title. De Wolfe had a great 2006, finishing eighth in
Card Player's Player of the Year race and earning close to $2 million. We look at Roland's rapid rise in this issue.
