If you’re itching for unique poker tournaments, head over to Ultimate Bet this weekend. Two promotional opportunities exist on Saturday and Sunday that will afford Mac poker players with access to Parallels or Boot Camp the ability to Ante Up for Africa or head to the sunny island nation of Aruba. You read that right. This weekend on Ultimate Bet, take advantage of an important charity opportunity or put your money down for a trip to one of the most luxurious island nations on the planet. Fresh off the conclusion of the investigation into the cheating scandal in which still unnamed parties exploited an antiquated piece of software that allowed them to see everyone’s cards at the table, UB continues to try to build goodwill in the public eye. Let’s take a look at the action taking place at the popular online poker room this weekend.
On Saturday, Ultimate Bet is running another 50 Seat Aruba Guarantee. I can’t stress enough the value that players in these tournaments receive. The last one was held about four weeks ago and was a smashing success. This time around, the tournament begins at 5:30pm ET. You can buy in directly for $530. Satellites are also available, although by the time you read this, it may be too late. Keep your eye out for future Aruba satellites.
The 2008 Aruba Poker Classic will once again take place at the Radisson Aruba on the island just north of Venezuela. The tournament runs from September 27th to October 4th. Past winners include Juha “Peasant” Helppi, Erik “Ticker” Lindren, Eric “Liga26” Brenes, Freddie Deeb, Devon Miller, and last year’s $800,000 winner Travis “TravestyFund” Rice. For the first four Aruba Poker Classics, the Ultimate Bet tournament was a regular stop on the World Poker Tour circuit. When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in the United States, the WPT halted filming of all tournaments associated with online poker rooms. The other two included the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (which is now a European Poker Tour event) and the PartyPoker Million.
Tonight through Sunday night, UB is also holding tournaments to raise money for Ante Up for Africa, a charity that provides financial support and awareness for the crisis in Darfur. Online poker personalities slated to appear include Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon, Gary “Debo34” DeBernardi, Shawn Rice, Tiffany Michelle, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and James “P0KERPR033” Campbell. In addition, “Oceans 11” and “Crash” actor Don Cheadle will also be in attendance, marking one of the only times I can remember that an actor as popular as Cheadle has ventured onto the online poker world.
Ultimate Bet will be running six tournaments in total over the three-day period. Instead of taking a rake on each multi-table event, UB will donate its usual take to Ante Up for Africa. Added to the prize pool, according to Ultimate Bet’s official press release, will be “Aruba 100-seat entries for September 13th; UB gear; iAmplify Phil Hellmuth White belt to Black belt courses; AUFA Christian Audigier autographed T-shirts; magazine subscriptions; gas cards; and tournament entries.”
As if all of this charity wasn’t enough, last week UB sponsored the first annual Tony and Eva Parker Celebrity Casino Night benefiting Eva’s Heroes. Tony Parker is the starting point guard for the San Antonio Spurs. Eva Longoria Parker is an actress whose credits include “Desperate Housewives” and “The Young and the Restless.”
Check out our review of Ultimate Bet today.