If you’ve never been in a poker room in the waning hours before a major event begins, you are missing out on a frenzy that is so chaotic, it can sometimes be beautiful. The satellite area teems with players so bent on winning a cheap seat to the big event that they hop from one satellite table to the next and push every edge to its full potential. I’ve even heard of ten players sitting down at a table and simply drawing a high card for a seat.

While the frenzy is not yet as chaotic on PokerStars, it is getting there. Less than a week remains for players to win the $12,000 package to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. With that onus on them, the players are fighting hard for their seat. It is a pleasure, both painful and wonderful to watch.

It’s been nearly a year since I made the trek down to Paradise Island and watched PokerStars turn a huge ballroom into the first and biggest poker room in all of the Bahamas. I stood tableside as the first-ever hand of live poker was dealt. It was a little game of $10/$20 Limit Hold’em. This guy took down the first hand, rivering a flush to crack a pair of kings.

Looking back, it was one of the more fun poker weeks I’ve had, despite the fact I didn’t get to play a single hand the entire time I was there. Atlantis is a fantastic resort with more fun than you can imagine. What’s more, the weather is a lot better than the 5-degree temps in the American north right now.

Players fortunate enough to win a seat will face the big players they see both online and on TV. Team PokerStars will be in attendance, along with just about anybody else you can imagine.

So, if you have a jones for paradise, this is the week to turn up your satellite skill. It could be your last chance at a Bahamas trip and a week you won’t forget.

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