Looking for something to do this weekend? Are you in need of some entertainment? How about winning a trip to Aruba? On Saturday, Ultimate Bet is offering a tournament that gives away 50 prize packages to its annual Aruba Poker Classic, which starts on September 27th from the Radisson Aruba Resort and Casino. All you’ll need to pack is your sunscreen. Get ready for the white sandy beaches of this island paradise. It’s hard to believe that this is the seventh year that the Aruba Poker Classic has been played. Previously a stop on the World Poker Tour circuit, it’s one of the top tournaments offered today that’s held outside of the United States.
Here are the quick details on the 50 Seat Guarantee that you need to know:
Date: Saturday, July 19
Time: 5:30pm ET
Buy-In: $500+30
The prizes are what this tournament is really all about. The top 50 winners will take home an $8,500 prize package and more could be doled out depending on the number of people who register. Each package includes a $5,500 Main Event tournament buy-in and $3,000 to use for travel and hotel. After all, in many cases, the winners will be flying several thousand miles to play in this tiny island nation. Daily qualifiers are also available if the $530 price tag is a bit out of your budget.
Past winners include inaugural champion Juha Helppi, who won the event back in 2002. It marked a stop on the very first season of the World Poker Tour. Helppi took home $50,000 for the win, a small amount by today’s standards, but relatively unheard of at the time. Remember, that was before anyone knew who Chris Moneymaker was. Helppi now has over $600,000 in lifetime WPT winnings. It all started by winning the Aruba Poker Classic.
Erick Lindgren took down the second Aruba Poker Classic, which was held in 2003. It was one of two WPT tournament victories for him during Season II. In the Classic, Lindgren took home $500,000. He’d follow that win up with a victory in the PartyPoker Million several months later. Lindgren just won his first World Series of Poker bracelet during the 2008 tournament series.
In 2006, Devon Miller went head to head with the best online poker player around, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy. Miller defeated the goliath heads up, pocketing $774,960. Josephy won a bracelet in Event #8 of the 2006 World Series, winning a $1,500 buy-in Seven Card Stud tournament for $192,100. Online, he’s an instructor for a poker training site called PokerXFactor.
So who will it be in 2008? Maybe it will be you. Check out the Ultimate Bet 50 Seat Aruba Guarantee this Saturday at 5:30pm ET. Don’t miss it out on this unique opportunity.