Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007

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2008 APC guarantees $1 million first prize

By Earl Burton

Already becoming one of the most prominent stops on the yearly poker tournament circuit, the Aruba Poker Classic promises to get even better in 2008.

The 2008 Aruba Poker Classic will start on Sept. 27 and run for a week before it crowns its champion on Oct. 4. A guaranteed first-place prize of $1 million means this year's event will be a standout, even among the other prestigious tournaments held in the APC's seven-year history.

"We're heading back to Aruba for the biggest poker celebration of the decade," said George MacLean, spokesman for UltimateBet.com, sponsor of the tournament. "And we're bringing the largest first-place prize in our history with us." Thanks to the increase, 2008's winner will earn approximately $200,000 more than the 2007 winner, Travis Rice, garnered.

The Aruba Poker Classic, which was previously part of the World Poker Tour, has consistently been one of the best-attended tournaments around. It usually inspires a smorgasbord of top pros and online qualifiers to meet in the Caribbean and battle it out for poker supremacy.

Rounders who've walked off with the Aruba Poker Classic title in the past include online star Devon Miller, Freddy Deeb, Eric Brenes, Erik Lindgren and Juha Helppi.

The field generally sees a strong infusion of high-profile celebrities too, both from the poker arena and from the entertainment world. Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Tilly, Phil "The Unabomber" Laak and Annie Duke have all appeared at Aruba and last year Scott Ian, the guitarist from Anthrax and a confirmed poker junkie, joined the crowd.

MacLean notes that several Hollywood celebrities have already confirmed their intention to attend the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic, but no names have been revealed yet.

Qualifiers for the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic will begin online in early January 2008. These will be hotly contested tournaments. If you play your cards right, you could be sitting in the sands of the Caribbean - or, if you're really lucky, at the final table - in fall of 2008!

Related Articles:

• Travis Rice Wins Aruba Poker Classic
• Aruba Classic Hits the Re-Run Circuit on GSN

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