Thursday, 28th March 2024 10:34
Home / Uncategorized / PCA 2015: Andrew Wayman on what we didn’t tell you about the PCA

The players on table 12 were delighted to be back for Day 2, but seemed to know instinctively that there was a cost to their personal success so far.

“I guess we’re not going to get to the water park any time soon,” said English player Andrew Wayman, who knows the value, coming from England, of getting some winter sun. Then, as if divine providence wished to prove a point, the player sitting opposite found a pair of sunglasses on the floor, and handed them in to lost and found. That’s right. There will be no need for sunglasses today, no need for pools and water slides.

It’s a confession we have to make, and don’t like to tell you when you qualify for the PCA on PokerStars, like Wayman did for $11. It’s a great venue, a beautiful island, with water parks, slides, pools, a beach and wonderful scenery to enjoy. If only the poker didn’t keep you inside until all that fun stuff closed, or was too dark to see.

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Live images from outside right now


Not that Wayman is really complaining. He knows full well where his priorities lay.
“I’m still in so it’s going fantastic!”

Wayman, making his first trip to a place like this, is one of hundreds of qualifiers who woke up one day in the Bahamas.

“Because I qualified relatively late my flights were a limited selection — tough life. So I had to wait in Miami. By the time I got here it was dark so I hadn’t even seen the place. I woke up on the first morning and opened the curtains. ‘Oh my God, where am I? What is this? What is that up there?’ I’ve got sun cream but I haven’t used it yet. But if I bust I’m going to be in the Bahamas. Literally this is the best place to bust in the world. I’m not in Luton.”

Wayman has played the World Series Main Event a couple of times but this is his first PCA/EPT. His usual hunting ground is the UK poker scene, whether it’s near his home in Essex, or in the place he first developed a taste of the game.

“I went to University in Loughborough near Nottingham, where a new poker club opened up (Dusk Till Dawn) which was open 24 hours. So University attendance shrunk. DTD attendance though was very good. I got really into it then and haven’t really stopped.”

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Making the best of the indoors: Andrew Wayman


And so, after playing a few $11 satellites, he found himself looking at a pop-up on the PokerStars client congratulating him on winning seat to the PCA. A few weeks later and he’s quite literally running into the best players in the game.

“I keep bumping into people who are ridiculous super stars,” said Wayman. “In the airport on the way here, I literally bumped into Faraz Jaka, Mikey Petersen and Barry Greenstein. I keep seeing people and thinking ‘why do I know that person?’

“None of them have any idea who I am, but I know them and nobody else in Atlantis has any idea who these people are. Players just walk around like random people. I keep thinking ‘you should see this guy’s graph, if just goes up!’

As for his own performance he’s reached day two and so far is holding his own.

“I’ve swung about a bit but I don’t think I’ve made a fool of myself. Neither have I played like a super star.”

That then, for the man who still can’t quite believe he wakes up each day in the Bahamas, is a result already. Who needs the water park. The fun stuff is in here.


Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.

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