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The main event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, or PCA, received so many registrants that the event had to include two official starting days: Day 1a and Day 1b. 913 players came to prove their poker prowess on Day 1b, adding to Day 1a’s roster and bringing the total number of players to an astounding 1,560. The PCA main event, which grows in size every year, had 1,529 players in 2010.

The listing of players who joined the action on Day 1b read like a who’s who of poker professionals: Bertrand Grospellier, Joe Hachem, Victor Ramdin, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, Daniel Negreanu (who already cashed $1 million by placing 2nd in the PCA Super High Roller), Chris Moneymaker, and freshly unmasked online star Viktor “Isildur1″ Blom joined Day 1a entries including Antonio Esfandiari, Sorel Mizzi, Praz Bansi, Jennifer Tilly, Vivek Rajkumar and Bryn Kenney.

The proceedings on Day 1b also included the official unveiling of the PCA main event prize pool, which is valued at $15.1 million. The top 232 competitors will receive cash prizes, including a massive $2.3 million award for 1st place. PokerStars modified their prize schedule recently, preventing the 1st place prize from reaching the $3 million peak it met in 2009. That prize went to online poker phenom Poorya Nazari.

Day 1b ended with only 373 players remaining, including Viktor Blom, Dwyte Pilgrim, Daniel Alaei, and Chris Moneymaker, all of whom are near the top of the leaderboard in terms of chip counts.

The action at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event is scheduled to resume at noon on Monday, with the remaining contestants from Day 1a and Day 1b combined to form a 645 player roster. The 2011 edition of the PCA will continue until January 16th at the Atlantis Resort and Casino, located in the Bahamas. The final table will be played on January 15th beginning at 4:00pm. Look for additional updates in the coming days.