The Final Schedule

Mark your diaries and keep the dates free! The schedule for the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic has been set and you don't want to miss out – all the details here.

The much anticipated 2009 Aruba Poker Classic tournament has had its schedule finalized and the dates revealed. It is now known that the poker tournament will kick off on the 3rd of October at the Radisson Resort, and continue right through to the 10th. The main sponsor of the event will be Ultimate Bet, and it is expected that approximately 550 players will compete for the title and major prize.

The Main Event of the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic will take place on the 5th of October, and will feature a $5,500 buy-in. Among the competitors will be many recognized faces, such as poker professional Phil Hellmuth, who has already won 11 World Series of Poker titles and 12 bracelets. Hellmuth has told reporters that the Aruba Poker Classic is the event that he is most looking forward to this year. What with the millions of dollars in prize money, Ultimate Bet's 10th birthday celebrations, awesome parties and an unrivaled number of players, who can blame him?

Matt Savage, the Co-founder of the Tournament Director's Association, will be the active officiate for the event in Aruba. Other big names expected to show at the Aruba Poker Classic include Annie Duke, the Ultimate Bet expert and participant on the Celebrity Apprentice show, who also managed to raise three quarters of a million dollars for the Refuges International charity organization.

The 2008 major winner of the Aruba Poker Classic is Matt Brady, who took home a million dollars. The year before that it was Travis Rice (aka "TravestyFund") who pocketed $800,000, and in 2006 it was Devon Miller. Winners prior to 2006 include Cliff Josephy, Feddy Deeb, Eric Brens, Erick Lindgren and Juha Helppi. The 2005 tournament was a specifically memorable one, since it was the last time that it would serve as a stop on the World Poker Tour following the introduction of the UIGEA. It is now an independent event. Ultimate bet plans on hosting a party to kick it off on the first day.