Aruba Poker Classic
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
Yesterday we learned the exact dates for the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic–October 3rd to October 10th. That’s a week later than past Classics, and the change allows people to play in the World Series of Poker-Europe without having to worry about how the heck they’re gonna get from London to Aruba. That’s the problem Phil Hellmuth faced last year and it turns out there’s no easy way to make that island-to-island hop. Of course Phil usually shows up late to tournaments, but this time he wasn’t physically present to make a grand entrance before his chips were blinded off. He wasn’t physically present, as I said, but he was there in two-dimensional spirit:
October might seem a long time off but it’s always a good idea to start making your Aruba plans early. We’ll be running satellites soon and why not beat the rush and lock up a seat early? And I don’t know about you, but we’ve had a pretty brutal winter here in Pittsburgh. True, the STEELERS WINNING A SIXTH SUPER BOWL has made us forget the snow and ice and Arctic temperatures we’ve endured since Thanksgiving, but I’m about ready for spring to be sprung. It’s 51 degrees today and I have my windows open. I’m wearing shorts. I’m desperate, man. So you’ll forgive me if my mind returns again and again to Aruba:
Heck, I’m thinking about Aruba even though that whole week is work, work, work…
And apparently they play some poker down there, too. Setup’s pretty much the same as you’ll find in any ‘ol cardroom:
So, yeah, I’m ready to go back to Aruba. Only…234 days to go. Sigh.
Tags: 2009 aruba poker classic dates, Aruba, Aruba Poker Classic, ub, ub aruba, ultimatebet, ultimatebet aruba, ultimatebet aruba tournament
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - Miss C
Hey Everyone,
I have a first for you in 2009…the dates for the APC (Aruba Poker Classic) have been set! The dates are going to be Saturday October 3rd to Saturday October 10th. We have moved the dates slightly so we don’t clash with the WSOPE and this year Phil may even take a seat and won’t be blinded out!
Last year was my first time that I attended the APC and I loved it. I don’t know if anyone, could possibly not have a good time there. The weather, resort, beach, lizards, POKER and Aruba aribas = PERFECT, what more can I say? The tournament is once again being held at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino and Spa located in beautiful Palm Beach, Aruba (even that sounds relaxing to me:))
The 2008 APC saw players, partners, friends and all our Pros, attending 2 parties, the 1st one being the opening party which was held on the beach and the 2nd party was the closing event held around the pool where Pearl and Scott Ian played live on stage suspended over the pool. Most of the invitees ended up in the pool. There was a 3rd party which was invite only and that was Phil’s VIP bash up in his penthouse. There was plenty of French bubbles flowing and we all rocked to the live music of Pearl and Scott. I can definitely promise these 3 events will feature again in 2009 and it will be bigger and better.
UltimateBets’ Aruba Poker Classic website will be updated very shortly and everything you need to know will be on this site. The big question will be - can Matt Brady hang on to his 2008 bracelet? I am sure there are going to a lot of players trying to get to that number 1 spot. There are going to be some great deals for players coming across to Aruba, including flights and accommodation. Keep an eye out at http://www.arubaclassic.com/ for all details, but I will also keep you up to date here.
Put those dates in your diary!
Cheers,
Miss C
Tags: APC, Aruba Poker Classic, Phil Helluth, pros, Scott Ian, ultimatebet
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Sunday, January 4, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
For most people the holiday season ends on January 2nd, as most folks have recovered from their New Year’s hangover and have to get back to work. It’s a bit different for me as my birthday is January 3rd, so the good times keep on rolling for a few days more. This birthday was a biggie, the big 4-0, and my “friends” decided I should celebrate by drinking whatever they put in front of me. Which was usually something noxious in a shot glass. Let’s just say I spent much of my special day on the couch, in my flannels, gobbling Advil.
But I wanted to post a few final photos from the year that was 2008, especially those from this year’s Aruba Poker Classic. I don’t know where you are, but here in Pittsburgh it’s about 30 degrees, overcast, with a 40% chance of snow. And that’s gonna be the forecast until St. Patrick’s Day. So what better way to chase away the endless winter blues than reminding yourself that there there are Paradises upon the earth:
In life there is time for work, time for play. The Aruba Poker Classic is a time for play:
And when you’re not playing yourself you can watch other people play…like Scott Ian and Pearl Aday:
That last pic came at the farewell party, and in between that and the welcome part there was actually, like a poker tournament. The reason why everyone flew to the island in the first place:
One player who wasn’t able to fly to Aruba in a timely manner was Phil Hellmuth, who was playing in the World Series of Poker-Europe as the Classic got underway. It isn’t that easy to get from London to Aruba and as Phil winged his way south his chips were slowly blinded off. And everyone had a bit of fun with Phil’s doppleganger:
Phil didn’t make it before he was blinded out, but both P0ker H0 and Gary “debo34″ DiBernardi made deep runs. H0 and entered the next-to-last day near the chip lead…before getting a bit frisky in two big pots with Matt Brady. Pots that both went Brady’s way, leading to H0’s sudden and surprising exit. And I’m sure he’ll be thrilled that I brought that up:
When the final table was set the plan was to hold it outside, as is custom at the Aruba Poker Classic. And as the final touches were given to the stage built over the Radisson swimming pool, it looked like this would be a stupendous venue:
Mother Nature, alas, had other ideas. Some clouds rolled in, and then it got dark, and then it started to drizzle, and then an Old Testament-caliber downpour inundated the stage and sent everyone scrambling inside:
OK, it doesn’t look it’s raining too hard in that picture but it was coming down pretty good. And it’s a bit hard to play poker when the whipping wind sends cards flying into the pool and raindrops are splattering on the chips. So we went inside to see who would win the Classic and take home the $1 million first prize:
And in the end it was P0ker H0’s nemesis Matt Brady who endured a long three-way battle with runner-up Johan Storakers and Jeffrey Papola to take down the title. And the bracelet. And the mounds and mounds of yummy, yummy greenbacks:
And with the tournament over it was time for a relaxing, low-key, dignified end to the week:
So, that was the year that was. One of my resolutions is to get better at this photography thing and take better pictures. So hopefully The Year in Pictures 2009 will be bigger and (much) better than this year. If you’d like to see more pics from the World Series or Aruba you can click the links and find those sets at my Flickr page. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna take two more Advil and see if I can fully put my birthday party behind me.
Tags: 2008 aruba poker classic, Aruba, aruba poker, Aruba Poker Classic, johan storakers, matt brady, P0ker H0, Phil Hellmuth, Poker Poker Poker, Scott Ian
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Sunday, December 7, 2008 - Debo34
I believe one of the most overlooked, underrated factors in poker is preparation.
I’m sure the majority of players have fell victim to this more than once in their poker life. After all some of the places we play are exciting, fun and full of distractions. Take for example the Aruba Poker Classic, or the current tournament I am at in Nuevo Vallarta Mexico. The night before a main event, I always plan on getting a full nights sleep.
Doing this for several years now, I have developed a bit of a routine that helps me to be prepared to take on the multi day tournaments that lie ahead. First off I always try to arrive at the venue at least 2 days before the main event starts. I like to have some fun, check out the sites and hopefully have a full day to do nothing before the tournament starts. I have arrived to several tournaments the day of, or the night before and find I don’t seem to play well. I have been prey to the “night before parties” and ended up feeling bad the next day wishing I were still in bed. These are hard to resist, but I recommend attending with the idea of not staying out too late and keeping the drinking down as much as possible.
Rest is obviously the biggest factor in preparation, but what are some others? I’m sure it’s different for each player, but here are some of my routines.
• Make sure the ipod is fully charged.
• Get my seat assignment the night before.
• Research the players at my table if possible. Usually you can only do this before day 2.
• Have a good meal a few hours before I sit
• Go for a long walk an hour or so before I play.
I know a lot of people that like to play poker the night before a big event. I am not one of those people. Mostly because I feel I am a lot fresher the next day if I don’t. Many of the tournaments hold a super satellite the night before the main event. Many times I have played these for lack of something better to do. There is nothing worse than grinding in one of these until late in the night only to come up a few spots short. It makes coming out focused the next day tough for me. I normally try to avoid any kind of poker the night before.
Of course a lot of poker players are superstitious by nature and do a lot of the same things in preparation. I would say I fall somewhere in the middle of that group. If I find I’m doing well I usually try to keep the same routine. For instance I ate the exact same breakfast in the same restaurant 4 days in a row this year in Aruba. I don’t think this thrilled my wife too much, but she understands to a degree and humors me.
I would recommend doing anything that makes you relax and feel good about putting in a battle that could and hopefully will last several days.
Debo
Tags: Aruba Poker Classic, Debo34, Poker Strategy
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - Tiffany M
Life has been wonderful, fun, busy and crazy since the World Series, and to think it’s only about six months before it’ll be here again. I already won my Main Event seat for next year in the Road 2 Recovery Charity Tournament so by the time May/June of 2009 rolls around I’ll be ready to give the WSOP Championship Event another stab!
I’ve gotten to travel to some awesome places. I went to Cannes, France with the Poker Battle crew for the Partouche tournament then Atlantic City with Maria Ho where I cashed in the WPT Borgata Main Event but the trip that topped the cake was definitely spending two weeks in Aruba for UB’s Aruba Poker Classic. Layne Flack has now officially gotten me hooked on Blended Cherry Coladas!
I’ve been spending lots of time playing online at UltimateBet and I have to admit the little $1/$2 and
$2/$4 NL cash games that I’ve been frequenting are lots of fun. It’s been cool getting to know and play with all the online grinders although when my eyes start going buggy from staring at the computer screen for so long I know it’s about time to get out there and play live.
I’ll be playing a few of the Commerce Holiday Bonus tournaments this week now that I’m back home in Los Angeles but before you know it I’ll be back in Vegas for the WPT Five Diamond Championships.
Just want to give a shout out to everyone who has bombarded me with love and support… thanks for making this ride a blast!
Wish you Always Aces…….. that don’t get cracked!
Tags: Tiffany "Tiffany M" Michelle
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