The second-ever Pokerstars Players No Limit Hold 'em Championship is in full swing over in the Bahamas, with dozens of WSOP champions, Platinum Pass winners, and living poker legends still left in the hunt for one of the biggest poker titles of 2023.
With 1014 total runners, the event now ranks as the second-largest $25k tournament ever played, just behind the 2019 PSPC, which drew 1039 entries in total. This means the remaining players are playing for the lion’s share of a nearly $25,000,000 prize pool and more than a $4,000,000 first-place prize — numbers that few tournaments in the world can rival, especially outside the WSOP.
The 400 Platinum Passes given away by PokerStars for this event certainly play a big part in the huge turnout. Still, the venue is probably a big reason so many poker players decided to head out to play the 2023 PSPC and the accompanying PCA events.
This year, PokerStars moved the PSPC to a brand new location, Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas, moving away from the previous Atlantis Paradise Island resort. The Baha Mar Resort, which hosts this year’s PSPC, is a modern and impressive venue offering an unparalleled experience and luxury to everyone staying there.
The players enjoying their days in the sun at the PSPC seem to appreciate the new venue, especially PokerStars Team Pro member Parker Talbot. “This is definitely a better venue for sure,” the poker live streamer well-known by his moniker “tonkaaaap” told pokerfuse. “I always liked the Atlantis, I did enjoy it. I also went one time outside of the [PCA], but this is a much nicer venue.”
Considering the great feedback from everyone involved, we wanted to learn more about the Baha Mar and the kind of luxury these players are now enjoying daily.
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What Does the Baha Mar Resort Have to Offer?
The Baha Mar Resort is a newer resort in the northern part of New Providence, which hosts the capital city of the island nation of Bahamas, Nassau.
The property was constructed to revitalize Cable Beach, one of the island’s most beautiful and famous beachfront. The construction was finished in March 2017, and the resort has undergone several major upgrades, including adding two brand-new hotels.
Players at the PSPC can enjoy the full luxury of any of the three hotel properties within Baha Mar — Grand Hyatt, SLS Baha Mar, and the Rosewood. This means 2200 rooms and nearly 300 private residencies scattered across the resort.
Out of the countless amenities Baha Mar offers, many poker players are probably most interested in the 100,000-square-foot casino, which hosts hundreds of slot machines, dozens of live casino tables, and a sportsbook.
As impressive as the casino at Baha Mar may be, it fades compared to the other resort attractions. A spectacular waterpark set on 141 acres of land, 21 restaurants, 19 bars, five miles of sandy beaches, and an 18-hole oceanfront golf course is enough to make even the most demanding of customers leave a five-star rating.
While busting the PSPC is certainly a heartbreak for any poker player out there, the beautiful beaches and endless activities offered by the Baha Mar should be enough to alleviate the pain for most of those failing to make the money or who end up busting in the buildup to the final table.
- Deposit $20 and get $30 worth of free play
- One of the best mobile apps
- Biggest MTT guarantees
How Does Baha Mar Compare to Atlantis?
The Atlantis features more accommodation capacity and is located on Paradise Island, a small island just northeast of New Providence. And while guests there get to experience both the nearby ocean beaches and those of Paradise Lake, which is located just adjacent to the Atlantis, the consensus seems to be that the more upscale Baha Mar is an upgrade.
Much like Baha Mar, Atlantis also offers dozens of world-class eateries and bars, a large casino floor, and aquatic entertainment. The latter may be the one area in which Atlantis wins the race, as its pools, beaches, and slides fall into the category of the best in the world.
Atlantis’ lagoons host 50,000 aquatic animals of 250 different species, as the resort creates an illusion of an ancient civilization under the surface of the fabled Atlantis.
All things said, the PSPC and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) moving to Baha Mar is a welcome change for veteran poker players that have played in the events before.
With PSPC once again achieving massive success, it is possible that the Championship will come back in the future, and it is also likely that Baha Mar will become the new home for the PCA.
