At the current moment, the World Poker Tour is in Ireland and the World Series of Poker Circuit is in Los Angeles, but really the start of 2012 is all about the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. For the next nine days, the poker world turns to the beautiful Atlantis resort in the Bahamas for basically non-stop action in a convention area that rivals a small portion of the Rio. A total of 41 events, which range from the massive $100,000 Super High Roller to a number of small $300 buy-in events, are part of the 2012 schedule. There's an event for everyone, but if the players were to unfortunately bust there's also a ton to do outside of the hotel, which is just part of the reason why players love the stop.

In past years, we'd look at PCA and talk about how it's the gathering of the best online poker players in the world. It's "one big party" was the line that Gary Wise often delivered when speaking about the event, and in all reality, it was. The legal age to enter these events is only 18, bringing down all the youngest and brightest. Satellites have also been going on for months on the event's sponsored site, PokerStars, bringing in everyone else looking to take their shot. A week in the Bahamas with some poker mixed in sounds terrible.

I was in the Bahamas for last year's event, and from personal experience, it was just amazing to see. The hotel accommodates the masses with ease, and fans and other tourists were able to watch their favorite pros day in and day out. Players were everywhere, side events were huge and the only thing spoken for the nine-day stretch was poker. Poker strategy, poker players, poker prop bets -- you get the point. I wish I was there this year because, honestly, I'm interested in knowing if the tone had changed in the least at the venue.

This year, we'll look at PCA and see who is still standing. With the impact of Black Friday still hanging over the virtual felt, American players, who once comprised a solid portion of the participants in the Bahamas, may not be in full force. Some may have relocated to continue to play the game they dominated; others have bailed for, gulp, a "real world" job.

The negativity cast aside, PCA will still be the second-largest poker festival that appears on the 2012 poker calendar. It is going to be the premier event of the month with players kicking off their player of the year campaigns in a big way. The $10,000 buy-in main event already has more than 600 players registered, and you'd be hard-pressed to find another main event that offers a turnout like that besides the WSOP main event.

Just like the WSOP, PCA is a beast, and that's why I'm confident the turnout will not disappoint. Players love the opportunity to go to a great location and play their hearts out. For the next nine days, players will walk around the Atlantis and refer to each other by their screen names, and at the end of next week, we'll be referring to someone as one of the poker world's newest stars.

Here are some highlights on this year's schedule:

• $100,000 Super High Roller -- In 2011, the $100,000 buy-in turned heads with a turnout of 38 players. Eugene Katchalov earned $1.5 million as he defeated one of the toughest fields you'll ever see, and Daniel Negreanu's second-place finish for $1 million turned out to be the tournament highlight of his year. This year, will the same group show up? Many pros no longer have their cushy endorsement deals, which provided buy-in assistance a year ago, but new players are ready to step into the spotlight and event coordinators are expecting a larger turnout in 2012. To make this event even better for the fans, the final table will be broadcast on TV later this year.

• $25,000 High Roller -- Sure, it's not as glamorous as the $100,000, but this is still one of the highest buy-in events you'll find all year. After two consecutive runner-up finishes, Will Molson won the event in 2011. Can he put up another final table in 2012? An impressive 151 players turned out for this event a year ago.

• $5,250 Heads-Up -- How many of PokerStars Supernovas and SuperNova Elites earn their VIP points by playing heads-up? A lot of them. You may not know many players by their real names in this event, but that's part of the fun.

• $2,100 Battleship -- Two laptops back to back with a virtual table in front of each of player. One of the most innovative tournaments offered during PCA.

• $10,000 main event -- Galen Hall put on a show last year as the final table was broadcast with hole cards in its entirety on ESPN. This year, it's not on ESPN, but you can watch it live on PokerStars.tv on Jan. 13. A number of players are going to get really, really rich with a deep run in this event.

Small blinds: The 2011 players of the year have been determined. Eugene Katchalov earned Bluff POY honors while Ben Lamb earned the Cardplayer title. … Randy "nanonoko" Lew will be offering a Guinness World Records attempt at PCA. Lew will try to play the most hands of poker in a span of eight hours while remaining profitable. … John Duthie and J.P. Kelly are no longer part of Team PokerStars Pro. Duthie also left his post as the CEO of the European Poker Tour. … It was great to see arrests made in the Jonathan Duhamel case. Now someone better find that WSOP bracelet. … Maria Ho re-signed her endorsement deal with the WinStar Casino. … The WPT's debut in Ireland began on Thursday with a field of more than 300 players. …