UltimateBet.com isn’t resting on its laurels. Just two months after wrapping up the 2007 Aruba Poker Classic and garnering nonstop praise from the international poker community, the popular online poker site today announced plans for its 7th annual land-based poker tournament on the Caribbean island.

“We’re heading back to Aruba for the biggest poker celebration of the decade,” stated UltimateBet.com spokesperson George MacLean. “And we’re bringing the largest first place prize in our history with us.”

The 2008 Aruba Poker Classic will kick off on 27 September, 2008 and run through 4 October. For the 7th year in a row, the poker tournament will be held at the luxurious Radisson Aruba Resort and Casino.

UltimateBet is guaranteeing a first place prize of -million, a startling 0,000 more than what was won by Travis Rice, the poker player from Fort Worth, Texas who finished first in the 2006 Texas Hold’em tournament.

The popular weeklong island tournament gives online poker players the chance to celebrate their successes at the tables and on the beach with poker’s best professionals. Matt Savage, one of the world’s most respected poker tournament directors, will return to oversee the event. Savage made his Aruba debut at the 2006 event.

Past Aruba Poker Classic participants include Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Jennifer Tilly, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak and Scott Ian from Anthrax. MacLean notes that several Hollywood and entertainment celebrities have already confirmed their intention to attend the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic. Details on those celebrities will be announced next year.

Qualifiers for the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic will begin online at UltimateBet.com in early January 2008. Further details on the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic are available at www.ultimatebet.com.