Gilbert Arenas took part in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event
Gilbert Arenas is a former NBA All-Star and while he is not currently playing in the league, he took some time to travel to the Bahamas in order to relax and play some poker. After getting a few cash games in at the luxurious casinos, Arenas decided to take part in the highly popular Caribbean Adventure Main Event, powered by PokerStars.
The NBA star paid over $10,000 for a seat on the first day of the tournament but failed to keep his stack healthy early on and was eventually eliminated before Day 1A ended. Despite the fact that he didn’t make it to Day 2, Arenas didn’t play bad according to reports, and he wasn’t a fish for the many poker pros to push around at the table. His poker skills might not be at the same level as his basketball talents, but he is no slouch on the poker felt.
The 32-year-old NBA star is not officially retired and will continue to get paid until 2016. He signed a $111 million contract for six years with the Washington Wizards in 2008 but the Orlando Magic traded for him three years later and restructured his contract. According to a recent interview for TMZ, Arenas is looking at a potential comeback in the NBA and is currently training for this goal. Some time away from the court and at the poker tables in one of the best destinations to play the game is just a way to relax and not a change in careers.
Arenas is not the only professional basketball player to try his skills and luck on the felt in recent years. Paul Pierce, Shawn Marion and Jordan Farmar are just some of the big players who took part in big poker events recently. There is also the late Jerry Buss – former owner of the Lakers – which was a familiar face in high stakes cash games and major tournaments in the United States. Kobe Bryant was invited to take part in the World Series of Poker Main Event last year, on behalf of Buss, but he had to refuse due to health concerns.
In a recent charity tournament organized by PokerStars, some of the biggest sporting legends in the world played poker at the same table with PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. At the end of the day, tennis legend Rafael Nadal won the title.
PCA Main Event surpasses $10 million guarantee
Day 1B of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event took place on Wednesday and players had until the start of Day 2 to register for the tournament. For the first time in the Bahamas, PokerStars offered a guarantee for the Main Event, insuring players that the prize pool will be worth at least $10 million.
With impressive numbers for the past several years and almost one thousand players taking part in the prestigious $10,000+$300 event last year, it seemed quite likely that the $10 million mark will be exceeded this year. The bad weather in North America that caused thousands of flights to be canceled or delayed had some people worried about the success of the PCA in 2014. Only 295 players entered on Day 1A, meaning that Day 1B had to have 705 entries just to reach the guaranteed prize pool. 710 players took to the tables on the second starting day and another 26 registered before Day 2 got underway, making the total prize pool worth $10,070,000.
A total of 632 players survived the two starting flights and got together on Day 2. The final table of the tournament will be played out on Monday, January 13 and the winner of the prestigious tournament will get over $1.8 million to go with the PokerStars trophy and the title.
