Aruba Classic highlights health of online poker
Online poker is booming and could soon be more popular than the live version with the world’s top players, the organisers of the 2007 Aruba Poker Classic have concluded.
With the tournament having recently drawn to an end, the state of the online poker industry can now be assessed. According to the figures released by UltimateBet, the operators behind the tournament, 548 players tried their luck, three times more than the field at the recent Turks and Caicos event hosted by the World Poker Tour.
Such a strong playing field meant that the Aruba Classic boasted a total prize pool of $2.74 million in comparison to the $996,675 on offer at the live tables of the Caribbean islands event, with the respective winners walking away with $800,000 and $436,675.
“The 2007 Aruba Poker Classic was one of our most successful events ever,” stated UltimateBet spokesperson George MacLean.
“The fact that this year’s tournament featured more players and a bigger prize pool than in 2006 speaks volumes about the state of the online poker industry and the success of the UltimateBet site.”