While we have been experiencing icy cold weather in the UK, many of the world’s top poker players enjoyed the tropical climate of the Caribbean while taking part in the 2009 PokerStars European Poker Tour Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort and casino in the Bahamas.

The No Limit Hold’em Main Event had a huge starting field of 1,347 poker players from across the globe attracted by the good weather and the $3 million first prize.  746 of these players had earned their right to compete in the event by qualifying online at pokerStars.com.  The field included several World Series of Poker bracelet winners, but it was Canadian online qualifier Poorya Nazari who walked away with the title.

Nazari played some good poker and battled through the huge field to make it to the final table along with Dustin Dirksen, Alexandre Gomes, Anthony Gregg, Daniel Heimiller, Kevin Saul, Benny Spindler and Pieter Tielen.

Alexandre Gomes who had a great 2008 as he picked up a World Series of Poker bracelet, began the final table well ahead as chip leader.  It took three hours to decide which players would finish in places eighth to fifth as Kevin Saul, Daniel Heimiller, Dustin Dirksen and Pieter Tielen were all eliminated during this period of play.

Gomes despite his early lead was the next player to fall as he lost out to the German Benny Spindler.  Gomes was rewarded with $750,000 for his fourth place finish.
Three-handed play between Spindler, Gregg and Nazari was a long drawn out battle and it took over four and a half hours of play for third place to be decided.  It was Germany’s Benny Spindler who was eventually eliminated into third place but his reward was $1.1 million.

After such slow play Nazari beat Gregg with just four hands of heads-up poker to claim the title and the cool $3 million first prize as an online qulaifier.  Anthony Gregg’s consolation was $1.7 million.

There was also a high-roller event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure which was won by Frenchman Bertrand Grospellier who won $433,500 in the process.  Grospellier is currently on top of the EPT Leaderboard.

Here is how the final table finished in the main event with the prize money of the final table players:
Poorya Nazari (Canada) - $3 million
Anthony Gregg (USA) - $1.7 million
Benny Spindler (Germany) - $1.1 million
Alexandre Gomes (Brazil) - $750,000
Pieter Tielen(Netherlands) - $550,000
Dustin Dirksen (USA) - $400,000
Daniel Heimiller (USA) - $300,000
Kevin Saul (USA) - $214,000
 
The next EPT tournament is the EPT Deauville in France taking place later this month.

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