The oldest of the PokerStars sponsored tournaments, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, may be the most eagerly anticipated event of the European Poker Tour season. 2009 was no exception.

A whopping 1347 players showed up for the opportunity to achieve fame and fortune in the tropics. Although the entry fee for this event was $10,000, most players won their way in through PokerStars satellites, so this experience would truly change some poker player's life, and many casual players would walk away with a great vacation and a chunk of a $12,674,000 prize pool to boot.

EPT 2009 in Retrospect: The PCA

The PCA also typically attracts the youngest field in poker, since the age limit of 21 does not apply down near the equator, and no one at the final table was even ten years old when Phil Hellmuth won his championship bracelet.

Nevertheless, youth is often served in Internet poker, and the young field would be just as challenging as any final table could be, as Alexandre Gomes, Poorya Nazari, Benny Spindler, Pieter Tielen, Anthony Gregg and Dustin Dirksen would do battle.

EPT 2009 in Retrospect: Battle in the Caribbean

Successful pro Dustin Dirksen would be the first to fall, as he got it in with Benny Spindler early. Spindler's pocket tens presented a classic race with Dirksen's AK suited, but no help came to Dirksen and he was gone. When Peter Tielen moved in,

Spindler was off to the races again, with pocket eights against Tielen's AQ. Spindler won his second all-in race to send Tielen home in fifth. Spindler wasn't done and eliminated Alexandre Gomes with a terrible cooler, as Gomes held pocket aces on a flop of J J J and Spindler did indeed hold the final jack (with a king kicker).

EPT 2009 in Retrospect: Caribbean King

Spindler's rush ended when he got it all in with AK against Anthony Gregg's A8 and was sucked out on with a board of A J 8 8 2. Shortly thereafter Spindler got the rest of his chips in with QJ and was dominated and eliminated by Poorya Nazari's AJ.

Nazari kept the chip lead and finally eliminated Greg with AT against Q7 to take down a staggering three million dollar first place prize.