In the latest twist in the reimbursement of players at Ultimate Bet, a subsidiary of the parent company (Tokwiro) of the online poker room has won a $15 million judgment against Excapsa, a software manufacturer and former owner of the site. The money will now be used by Tokwiro to refund players who were affected by the cheating scandal that rocked the site.

Justice Sarah E. Pepall of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Canada) handed down the ruling on Monday. Paul Leggett, the CEO of Tokwiro, commented in a press release distributed by the company on Wednesday, “We are pleased that we have finally agreed to a settlement with the previous owners of Ultimate Bet, and we are happy to announce the completion of the final refunds to players.” The cheating scandal was found to have been commanded by World Series of Poker bracelet holder Russ Hamilton, who was also involved with Ultimate Bet’s affiliate program. In July, one of the questionable accounts was positively linked to a home owned by Hamilton in Las Vegas. The cheating began in May of 2004 and occurred for nearly four years.

To put to bed any allegations that Tokwiro was responsible for the scandal, Leggett added, “Now that the main perpetrator has been named, the settlement with the previous owners is behind us, and players have received refunds, it should now be apparent that Tokwiro had no involvement in this cheating and that we have fought to correct it with every tool at our disposal.” The Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), which is the regulatory body that oversees Ultimate Bet as well as a handful of other popular online poker rooms, hit the company with a $1.5 million fine.

The KGC issued a press release of its own following Monday’s judgment, claiming that Ultimate Bet will shell out around $21 million in refunds to players, consisting of $15 million from the judgment and $6.1 million in reimbursements that have already processed. The KGC originally gave Ultimate Bet until November 3rd to comply, but because of ongoing litigation with Excapsa, the organization will allow its licensee extra time to comply with its mandates. The KGC’s press release states that its “final decision in this matter is expected to be issued once all player refunds have been confirmed.”

Although its litigation against Excapsa is now finished, Leggett implied that additional legal action may be forthcoming: “We continue to reserve the right to pursue further legal action against any individual or individuals involved in stealing from us or our customers.” The wrongdoings at Ultimate Bet and its sister site, Absolute Poker, may among other recent developments be the subject of a feature by CBS news program “60 Minutes.” An air date has not yet been announced. Its show lineups are typically released every Thursday and available on the “60 Minutes” website. Each episode usually consists of three features.

Blast-Off Ltd. was the actual beneficiary of the $15 million in damages. It is owned by Tokwiro and “originally acquired Ultimate Bet” from Exapsa, according to Tokwiro’s press release. In September, MSNBC printed a story stating that a $75 million claim had been filed by Blast-Off.

Meanwhile, the online poker room is gearing up for its third Ultimate Bet Online Championship (UBOC), which kicks off on January 9th and concludes with a $1,050 buy-in $1 Million Guaranteed Main Event nine days later. In the middle of the schedule is a $5,200 buy-in Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em Championship that boasts a $1 million guaranteed prize pool. There are 12 events in total in Hold’em, HORSE, and Omaha. Deep-stack, Sniper, short-handed, and heads-up tournaments will be featured. In 2007, Ultimate Bet members Maria Nuccia and Fred420 each took home $168,450 from the UBOC Main Event.

Due to ongoing litigation involving software manufacturer Excapsa, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), Ultimate Bet’s regulatory agency, may give the online poker site an extension on its mandates that were set forth on September 29th. Frank Catania, who leads the independent investigation on the matter, confirmed the possible extension to Poker News Daily. Tokwiro, the current owners of Ultimate Bet, have asked the KGC for a hearing to determine a new timeline.

The original KGC mandate read that by November 3rd, which was yesterday, Ultimate Bet shall “commence refunding all players accounts found to have been adversely affected by the cheating of individuals under the control and supervision of the licensee.” It was estimated that Ultimate Bet had paid out over $6 million as of September 29th. About 10 days before the KGC’s directive came was released, MSNBC printed a story which stated that Excapsa was undergoing “voluntary dismemberment” of its assets.

According to Catania, the liquidation is still ongoing. He claims that Excapsa is ultimately responsible for returning money to players who were adversely affected by the cheating scandal at the online poker room. Catania told Poker News Daily, “We didn’t know in the beginning that we were going to have this problem. Excapsa is Ultimate Bet’s previous owner. Most of this occurred under the management of Excapsa, so we’re trying to work it out so people can get their money back.”

Poker News Daily has also confirmed that Tokwiro has won a lawsuit against Excapsa, which may also have been holding up the disbursement of funds to players. Although the amount awarded to Tokwiro has not been made public, officials of Absolute Poker, which is also owned by Tokwiro, expect player refunds to begin soon. The judgment was handed down on Monday.

Despite the setback, Catania maintains that the KGC’s overarching objective is to reimburse players for their losses: “The Commission’s number one goal is to make sure that everybody who may have lost money will get it back. We might have disagreed on how to handle it, but the players remain our top priority.” The KGC hit Ultimate Bet with a $1.5 million fine for the cheating scandal itself. No update was available as to whether this sum of money has been paid. On the overall delay, Catania noted, “It’s better to proceed slowly and accurately than to screw up down the line.”

UB also had until yesterday to “remove any and all persons deemed as ‘unsuitable’ by the KGC from all involvement with the company, which shall include all levels of ownership, management, and operation.” Since that mandate was handed down on September 29th, the online poker room has signed a bevy of players to serve as members of its “Star Players” team. They include blackjack personality “Hollywood” Dave Stann (announced on October 16th) and online poker pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy (announced on October 15th).

Other members of its Star Players team include “Best Damn Poker Show” Season I winner Tracy Scala and the last woman standing in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, Tiffany Michelle. The team is anchored by online poker legend Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and one of the top online players in the world, James “P0KERPR033” Campbell.

In its findings, the KGC identified Russ Hamilton as the “main person responsible” for the cheating scandal. Hamilton and company exploited an antiquated auditing tool that allowed them to see the hole cards of other players at the table. The cheating began in May of 2004 and lasted until January, 2008. One of the accounts involved in the scandal, Sleeplesss, was traced back to a home at 1725 Glenview Drive in Las Vegas owned by Hamilton. Other accounts involved in the wrongdoings were NioNio, NoPaddles, nvtease, flatbroke33, ilike2win, UtakeIt2, FlipFlop2, erick456, WhackMe44, RockStarLA, stoned2nite, monizzle, FireNTexas, HeadKase01, LetsPatttty, NYMobser, and WhoWhereWhen.

Online poker pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy became the newest face of Ultimate Bet Tuesday. The Orlando, Florida native joined the likes of Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, James “P0KERPR033″ Campbell, Tiffany Michelle and Tracy Scala as the fifth member of the Ultimate Bet Star Players Team.

One might recognize Levy as the “internet donkey” that was berated by Phil Hellmuth at the ESPN featured table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. But what most – including Phil – don’t know is that Levy is one of the most accomplished players to ever play Texas Hold’em on the internet. He has more than $1.6 million in online tournament earnings and showed his supreme talent on the live circuit by cashing five times at the 2008 World Series, including a 48th place finish in the Main Event, where he began getting some notice from sponsors.

“As I started getting deeper in the Main Event my manager looked at some different logo deals and we started talking with Ultimate Bet,” Levy told Poker News Daily. “I liked some of the things we talked about with them and decided to wear their gear for the remainder of the tournament. After the WSOP was over we continued communication and began working on a longer term deal with them.”

According to Annie Duke, Ultimate Bet’s Cardroom Consultant, an Ultimate Bet Star Player is one who has an undisputed high level of skill, lots of integrity, and is well respected in the world of online poker. The classification was a perfect fit for Levy, who is excited to join the Star Players Team as its fifth member.

“I’m happy to be on their team”, he said. “Having met all of them this year at the Aruba Classic they are all great people with fun, vibrant personalities as well as a passion for the game that is needed to truly excel in this industry.”

Levy can be found playing multi-table tournaments on Ultimate Bet under the name “Roothlus”. While the site has been under scrutiny of late for a cheating scandal perpetrated by its former owner, Levy has ideas to take Ultimate Bet in a positive direction under the company’s new ownership:

One thing I would like to focus on is streamlining the tournaments and making them competitive with the other sites as far as structures, starting stacks, time banks, etc. Also, I truly feel that the worst is behind UB and you can only move forward now and hope that people forgive you over time. As long as UB stays focused on winning back their customers and righting their wrongs, I’m 100% confident UB will be a top tier site again.

At the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic over the weekend, it was revealed that poker pro Annie Duke will appear on the second celebrity installment of NBC’s “The Apprentice.” She’ll join a cast that has been rumored to include singer Brian McKnight, former NBA star Dennis Rodman, and talk show host Joan Rivers according to TMZ. Contestants on the show vie for money for charity from real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Duke will appear on the eighth season of the hit reality television series. Each week, contestants on two teams are asked to perform a task. The winning team reaps a reward, while the losing team must meet with Trump in the board room where one person (or sometimes several) will hear the dreaded phrase, “You’re fired.” The show has been highly successful worldwide and has spurned a series of spin-offs.

On Friday night, Ultimate Bet’s official Aruba blog, which is authored by Gene Bromberg, stated the following: “Annie Duke wasn’t able to attend (or play in the Aruba Poker Classic) because, as you may have heard, she was selected to be on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice this season. She had to fly to L.A. for the premiere party and she’ll be competing for the Ante Up for Africa charity. Annie and Donald Trump in the same boardroom… that should make for some interesting TV.”

Duke and actor Don Cheadle have been the main faces behind the charity Ante Up for Africa. Because the Celebrity Apprentice awards money for charity, she may elect to play to raise funds for the victims of the crisis in Darfur. Last season on the first version of the Celebrity Apprentice, “America’s Got Talent” judge Piers Morgan took home the title. He played for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. In the finals of the television series, he defeated country music superstar Trace Adkins, who was playing for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. Others on the show included model Carol Alt, boxing star Lennox Lewis, actor Stephen Baldwin, reality star Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, and fighter Tito Ortiz. It received rave reviews.

Prior seasons of “The Apprentice” pitted contestants against each other on two different teams. The grand prize was the opportunity to hear the words “You’re hired” said by Trump. The winner joins the Trump Organization and is charged with leading a major new real estate development. Its first season aired back in 2004. Trump is joined in many episodes by his son, Don, and daughter, Ivanka. In 2005, a spin-off called “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” aired, but it was not renewed for a second season.

Duke is one of the main spokesmen for Ultimate Bet and has been behind the online poker site’s revamped tournament offering. She won her first and only World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004 after winning a $2,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better tournament, pocketing $137,860 in the process. She won the first ever World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions for $2 million. Duke stormed onto the poker scene by finishing 26th in the 1994 WSOP Main Event, which was eventually won by Russ Hamilton.

Her brother, Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer, is one of the top minds in poker. Dubbed “The Professor,” Lederer also works closely with the Poker Players Alliance, which is the main lobbying group for the online poker industry. Lederer is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner and made the final table of the $5,000 buy-in Mixed Hold’em event this year.

When asked for comment by Poker News Daily, Duke stated that she was unavailable to discuss “The Apprentice” until January. It remains to be seen if that will be the series’ air date.

The 2008 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic wrapped up on Saturday night from the Radisson Casino and Hotel on the sunny island. Matt Brady emerged victorious from the pack of 551 players en route to a $1 million payday in the online poker room’s marquee live event. Brady defeated Johan Storakers heads-up. The runner up took home a $486,000 consolation prize.

In the tournament’s final hand, Storakers pushed all in over the top of a raise by Brady holding A-J on a flop of J-10-10. Sure enough, Brady held 10-7, leaving Storakers needing two running jacks or running cards to make a flush to win. Neither occurred and the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic was officially over. Brady joins an illustrious list of players who have won the Aruba Poker Classic. Others included Travis Rice (2007), Devon Miller (2006), Freddie Deeb (2005), Eric Brenes (2004), Erick Lindgren (2003), and Juha Helppi (2002), who was the first ever Aruba Poker Classic winner.

Jeff Papola hit the rails in third place, cashing for $250,000. On a flop of 10-6-4 with all spades, Papola shoved with K-K (holding the king of spades). However, Brady had already flopped a flush, leaving Papola needing a fourth spade to make a higher flush. A two of diamonds on the turn and four of clubs on the river sealed the deal for Papola, sending him packing off of the tournament’s island stage.

Allie Prescott was bounced from the tournament in fourth place. He found himself all in pre-flop with A-K against Storakers’ pocket jacks. The board did not improve Prescott’s hand and he headed towards the exit. The hand featured an out of turn raise by Prescott, which escalated the action pre-flop. His fourth place finish was worth $150,000. The tournament had a buy-in of $5,500.

Brandon Terry was eliminated in fifth place from the Aruba Poker Classic. He moved all in with A-9 of diamonds, but was called by Brady, who held pocket aces. Already a big underdog pre-flop, the board did not help Terry, who was sent home in sixth place, but $116,400 richer.

Brian Malczewski was ousted in sixth place. Like several critical hands that you’ll find in poker tournaments, the confrontation between Malczewski and Prescott came down to a coin flip. This time, Malczewski held A-K of clubs; Prescott held pocket threes. The made hand held up after the flop, turn, and river, giving Prescott the win. Malczewski’s seventh place finish was worth a healthy $83,120. Jason Pohl was eliminated in seventh place to open final table play, cashing for $58,500.

The final table began seven-handed in a rather unusual decision by Ultimate Bet tournament officials. Blind levels at the final table were one hour in length and what the Ultimate Bet blog termed a “rain delay” occurred shortly after the tournament got underway.

The action on Saturday followed a $200 rebuy tournament on Thursday night to benefit the Ante Up for Africa charity. Players in attendance helped raise over $20,000 in total. Among those who participated were Layne Flack, Don Cheadle, Phil Hellmuth, Anthrax’s Scott Ian, and Tiffany Michelle. The event showed that poker players everywhere can contribute positively to society.

By Annie Duke, Ultimate Bet

I think the world would be surprised if they knew the truth about the generosity of the poker community. The image of the “gambler” - visored, smoking a cigar, not caring about anyone but themselves - has been so indelibly burned into the national consciousness. Think Edward G. Robinson in The Cincinnati Kid. Could you imagine Lancey Howard stepping up to the plate, selflessly, to give his time or his money to cause that didn’t directly benefit him? I certainly can’t. And I imagine that is part and parcel of the misperception the American public has about who poker players are as citizens of this planet.

The truth is so far from perception. Since poker players became famous, I have seen so many of us step up and use that notoriety to benefit those who truly need it. Whether it is for Make-A-Wish or the Children’s Hospital of Boston or countless other charities, call a poker player to make an appearance to help raise money at an event and they will come. And I am personally so thankful for that because I tend to call on those players more than others. I call on them to lend their names and reach deep in their pockets for a cause that I am so passionate about: Genocide.

Back in September of 2006, Don Cheadle, Norman Epstein, and I founded a charity called Ante Up for Africa. The idea was that all of us had participated in so many successful poker events over the years that we wanted to found an organization that would use the popularity and success of poker to raise money to benefit Africans in need. In particular, we have been very focused on the situation in Darfur where there are over half a million dead and over two million displaced due to the crisis there. When we founded the charity, we thought we would run a few small events, raise a little money for the cause, and help where we could. But those plans would seem silly in retrospect because we underestimated exactly to what degree the poker community would step up to the plate.

How big a plate? So far, a $2 million dollar plate! That is pretty sweet and amazing for the beneficiaries of our fundraising efforts: The !Enough Project and Not On Our Watch. Both of these charities benefit the survivors of Darfur, but in different ways. NOOW is focused on getting aid to the survivors, while !Enough is focused on executing political change for a lasting solution to the issue. Both types of help are equally important. Clearly, the survivors need aid and protection, but without a change in the political climate, there the aid because just a finger in the damn. Until our own government and governments around the world (particularly China) start behaving differently in regards to Darfur, there will not be a lasting solution to the issue.

Progress is certainly being made. A United Nations peacekeeping force has been deployed. China and Russia seem to be falling in line with the rest of the UN Security Council on the issue, but focus still needs to be maintained, particularly in light of the economic crisis in America. Oftentimes, these kinds of activities are likely to be the first to go. Charity definitely goes under the category of discretionary spending. With a tightening economic belt, discretionary spending is the first to go. It is hard to donate money to charity when people are worried about filling their gas tank up or buying food. Not only that, but government policy is likely to be focusing away from the situation abroad when what is happening domestically is so urgent. My fear is that we will see a big backslide in the Darfur situation.

Even in these tough times, though, the poker community hit a home run again on October 2nd. Now, granted, poker happens to be one of the more recession proof industries and all of us in the gaming industry should be really thankful for that. Not only that, but I believe the generosity of the players is pretty recession proof too. What happened in Aruba is proof. Ultimate Bet has been a great partner to Ante Up for Africa this year. They have been running fund raising events on the site, letting people donate their points to the charity, supporting the event at the WSOP, and running some land-based fundraisers like the one this week. How much do you think you could raise down in Aruba off of $200 rebuys alone? I know the answer and it is pretty sweet: $20,800. The event was a $200 buy-in event where all of the buy-in money went to the prize pool. The kicker for the charity was the rebuys and add-ons and they went rebuy wild down there. Imagine raising that much money on a little island in the Caribbean, $200 at a time.

My only regret is that I could not be there since I had to be in New York, but Don Cheadle came down there for the event. I could not ask for a more dedicated co-founder. That and he is a genuinely nice guy who really cares about the issues and is willing to take the time to fly down to a smaller event to support the charity.

There are some pretty great pictures and an awesome description of the event on the Ultimatebet.com website.

I am so lucky to be a part of the poker world. Where else could someone who just really likes games be able to participate in raising over $2 million dollars for something so important? I never imagined when I first sat down at a poker table to try out the game that it would lead to being able to contribute in such a big way. That is the real luck in what I do.

Saturday will mark the final table of the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic. After four days of play, the tournament is down to its final seven players and perched atop the pack is Swedish poker pro Johan Storakers. He’s no stranger to the Aruba Poker Classic spotlight, having finished third in the tournament in 2005.

Storakers and Matt Brady have a sizeable lead on the other five players at the table. In a rather unconventional move, the final table of the 2008 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic will begin with seven players, an increase from its regular six. Play will start on Saturday at noon on a stage perched over the pool at the Radisson Hotel and Casino in the sunny island nation. Blinds will begin at 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 chip ante. Here are the starting stacks:

Johan Storakers - 2,027,000
Matt Brady - 1,776,000
Brandon Terry - 1,211,000
Jeffrey Papola - 1,163,000
Allie Prescott - 770,000
Jason Pohl - 685,000
Brian Malczewski - 356,000

Storakers finished third in the Aruba Poker Classic in 2005, cashing for $300,000. That tournament, which was the last one held as a stop on the World Poker Tour, was won by Freddie Deeb. Storakers finished second to Costa Rica’s Alex Brenes in the 2005 WPT Invitational, cashing for $50,000. All told, he’s piled up over $530,000 in career WPT earnings. In 2002, he finished fourth in a $1,500 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em event for $28,760, his largest World Series of Poker Cash to date.

Papola made a deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, finishing 90th and pocketing $64,333. In the online poker world, this young prodigy goes by the name “jpapola.” He’s taken down the $100 rebuy on PokerStars for $50,000 and also won the $75,000 Guaranteed on Ultimate Bet for $20,000. He’s proven himself to be successful in both the live and online poker arenas.

Prescott is a WSOP and WPT veteran. On the WSOP and Circuit Event felts, he’s cashed 14 times for a combined $123,000. He finished 12th at the Bay 101 Shooting Star event during Season III of the WPT, cashing for $50,000. He also has a 15th place finish in the World Poker Open during Season IV for $31,000. Malczewski has one WSOP in the money finish to his name, a $3,792 take in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event in 2007.

Tomorrow’s final table will literally be played over the pool at the Radisson, making for a unique experience for players and fans alike. Gene Bromberg, a blogger for Ultimate Bet, commented, “I think the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic will be the first poker tournament with a $1 million first prize to be played over water in its liquid form. Tomorrow will truly be an historic day.” Play up until this point has been inside a massive ballroom.

With both the European Poker Tour’s London stop as well as the World Series of Poker Europe going on concurrently, the Aruba Poker Classic has primarily attracted young online players who have qualified their way into the tournament. Here is a look at the last 10 players to have hit the rails in the Aruba Poker Classic, according to the official coverage on CardPlayer:

8th Place: Chris Morrison ($58,500)
9th Place: Rajiv Motwani ($33,400)
10th Place: Steve Frasure ($33,400)
11th Place: Brian Gates ($16,700)
12th Place: Mark Standerfer ($16,700)
13th Place: Karl Stark ($13,340)
14th Place: Tim Kahlmeyer ($13,340)
15th Place: Joseph Serock ($13,340)
16th Place: Lynn Samples ($13,340)
17th Place: Al Riccobono ($13,340)

There were 551 entrants in total, which means the tournament will pay out as follows. Everyone at the final table is guaranteed at least $58,500:

1st Place: $1,000,000
2nd Place: $486,000
3rd Place:$250,000
4th Place: $150,000
5th Place: $116,400
6th Place: $83,120
7th Place: $58,500

So who will it be? We’ll find out on Saturday and report it for you right here on Poker News Daily.

The 2008 Aruba Poker Classic, sponsored by Ultimate Bet, is in full swing from Aruba. In the background of the Main Event, which will crown a winner on Saturday, news spread across the island that one of UB’s former affiliate managers and consultants, Russ Hamilton, was named as the main perpetrator behind the scandal that rocked the online poker room to its foundation. While the rest of the industry reacts to the latest news, the mood remains light in Aruba, where a bevy of Ultimate Bet staff and players are focused on tonight’s Ante Up for Africa charity tournament.

In press release distributed on Monday, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), the licensor for Ultimate Bet, stated, “Between the approximate dates of May 2004 to January 2008, Russell Hamilton, an individual associated with Ultimate Bet’s affiliate program, was the main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents.” A source in Aruba told Poker News Daily that Hamilton being named was now known throughout the Radisson Hotel and Casino, the site of the event. However, the revelation was not the central topic of discussion and the mood remained light.

Meanwhile, Poker News Daily has learned that players in Aruba have been signing up for cash games under the name NioNio, which was the most well-known account involved in the scandal. An unsuspecting person in the casino’s poker room would then say that a $5/$10 seat for NioNio was open, which would incite a round of laughter from the crowd. Other accounts cited as being part of the scandal included Sleepless, NoPaddles, nvtease, flatbroke33, ilike2win, UtakeIt2, FlipFlop2, erick456, WhackMe44, RockStarLA, stoned2nite, monizzle, FireNTexas, HeadKase01, LetsPatttty, NYMobser, and WhoWhereWhen.

The KGC has mandated that Tokwiro, which is the parent company of Ultimate Bet, remove all persons deemed to be “unsuitable” by November 3rd. Who those individuals will be is not currently known. In addition, the KGC has imposed a $1.5 million fine and demanded stricter control of the online poker room in the future. The KGC’s investigative team is led by former New Jersey gaming regulator Frank Catania, who also helped formulate the regulations that the organization uses today.

Tonight, a $200 rebuy Ante Up for Africa tournament will occur, with the proceeds benefiting that charity. Ultimate Bet has run benefits for Ante Up for Africa online, with “Ocean’s 11” and “Crash” actor Don Cheadle serving as its primary spokesperson. Cheadle and Ultimate Bet’s Annie Duke served as the faces behind an Ante Up for Africa tournament held as part of the 2008 World Series of Poker.

The Main Event of the Aruba Poker Classic drew 551 players to the sunny island. The final table is typically held outdoors and is a favorite stop for many of the tournament regulars. This year, it occurred simultaneously with the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event and European Poker Tour’s London stop. The tournament will pay $1 million to its winner and at the time of writing, the field is being led by Jason Smith. Here are the top ten stacks as play winds down for the afternoon in Aruba according to CardPlayer’s tournament coverage:

1. Jason Smith, 380,000
2. Steve Frasure, 307,000
3. Matt Brady, 275,000
3. Mark Standerfer, 275,000
5. Joseph Serock, 267,000
6. James Mordue, 265,000
7. Jamie Vigliarolo, 247,000
8. Cristiano Garmeni, 220,000
9. Johan Storakers, 216,000
10. Karl Stark, 215,000

The Main Event of the Aruba Poker Classic will dole out its million dollar prize on Saturday at the six-handed final table. Each person at the final table is guaranteed to pocket at least $83,120. The buy-in was $5,500.

With the excitement of the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event going on in London, it’s easy to forget about a poker tournament going on thousands of miles west, the Aruba Poker Classic. The flagship event for online poker site Ultimate Bet is a popular destination for players from around the world, who travel to the sunny isle in search of their share of poker riches. Tuesday marked the conclusion of Day 1B.

The combined Day 2 field entered the tournament area this afternoon with the remaining players scheduled to complete five blind levels with no dinner break. Ultimate Bet claims that the schedule for the day was developed in order to give “players a chance to get out of work early and enjoy the island a bit, which might make the Aruba Poker Classic the most civilized tournament in the world.” Each blind level is 90 minutes, which means play today will be for 7 ½ hours straight with 10 minutes given in between each level.

There were 551 entrants who began the $5,500 buy-in event today and the tournament will pay out as follows:

1st Place: $1,000,000
2nd Place: $486,000
3rd Place: $250,000
4th Place: $150,000
5th Place: $116,400
6th Place: $83,120
7-8th Places: $58,500
9th-10th Places: $33,400
11th-12th Places: $16,700
13th-18th Places: $13,340
19th-24th Places: $11,670
25th-30th Places: $10,000
31st-36th Places: $8,340
37th-45th Places: $6,670
46th-54th Places: $5,500

At the time of writing, here were the top 10 chip stacks in the room, according to coverage found on CardPlayer:

1. Cody Slaubaugh, 187,000
2. Jason Smith, 160,000
3. Boris Kravets, 128,000
4. Matt Brady, 118,000
5. Joe Cutler, 102,000
6. Joseph Serock, 98,000
7. Jason Gray, 96,000
8. Keith Donovan, 95,000
8. Mark Kroon, 95,000
10. Robert Cunningham, 89,000
10. Steven Jacobs, 89,000

Besides the Main Event in Aruba, there are a bevy of side tournaments going on including a new $2,100 buy-in event. Tournament officials also promote the event’s proximity to the beach, meaning that after a player busts out, they can spend the rest of the day lounging in the sun. Here is a look at the rest of the week’s events at the Radisson Hotel and Casino in Aruba:

Thursday, October 2nd
$5000 +500 Aruba Poker Classic Championship Event – Day 3: 12:00 noon
$225 Continuous Single Table Satellites for the $1,000+60 Event: 11:00am
$120 Cash Sit and Gos: 12:00 noon
$1,000+60 No Limit Hold’em Tournament: 3:00pm
$2,000+100 Two Day No Limit Hold’em Tournament (Day 2): 3:00pm
$200 Re-buy Ante up for Africa Charity Poker Event: 7:00pm

Friday, October 3rd
$5,000 +500 Aruba Poker Classic Championship Event – Day 4: 12:00 noon
$120 Continuous Single Table Satellites for the $500+40 Event: 11:00am
$120 Cash Sit and Gos: 11:00am
$500+40 No Limit Hold’em Poker Tournament: 3:00pm

Saturday, October 4th
$5,000+500 Aruba Poker Classic Championship Final Table: 12:00 noon
Awards Banquet: 7:30pm

Last year’s Aruba Poker Classic was won by Travis Rice, who plays on Ultimate Bet under the screen name “TravestyFund.” There were 548 entrants in 2007, meaning that attendance remained constant from last year to this year. Past winners of the Aruba Poker Classic include Devon Miller (2006), Freddie Deeb (2005), Eric Brenes (2004), Erick Lindgren (2003), and Juha Helppi (2002). For the first four seasons of the World Poker Tour, the Aruba Poker Classic was a regular stop. The last tournament to air as a WPT event was in 2005.

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which is held at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino on Paradise Island in The Bahamas, is currently a stop on the European Poker Tour. It too is a former WPT event. The tournament takes place every January.

On Tuesday, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) posted a press release on its website outlining the sanctions that the organization has imposed against one of its licensees, Ultimate Bet. In addition, the report pointed at Russ Hamilton as the “main person responsible” for the scandal. Hamilton’s Las Vegas home was linked to one of the accounts involved in the actions on Ultimate Bet, “Sleeplesss,” back in July.

The KGC report was publicly released on Tuesday and states, “The Commission found clear and convincing evidence to support the conclusion that between the approximate dates of May of 2004 to January 2008, Russell Hamilton, an individual associated with Ultimate Bet’s affiliate program, was the main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents.”

Following the positive linkage from the Sleeplesss account to a home owned by Hamilton in Las Vegas, poker pros Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok sat down with Hamilton after his lawyers advised him not to appear on the PokerRoad Podcast. Greenstein stated that he came away from the interview feeling as if, when the final report was released, Hamilton’s name would be cleared. The KGC’s findings also hint at other parties being involved: “The KGC is currently in contact with the appropriate law enforcement agencies and intends to fully cooperate in the prosecution of all individuals involved in the UB cheating incidents.” Who the other parties are remains to be seen.

In addition to confirming that Russ Hamilton was the main person behind the scandal at Ultimate Bet, the following actions were taken:

1. By November 3rd, UB “shall commence refunding all players accounts found to have been adversely affected by the cheating.” The report states that, to date, the online poker site has refunded $6.1 million in money to its players.
2. By November 3rd, UB “is to remove any and all persons deemed as ‘unsuitable’ by the KGC.” This could include any employee in the company. In addition, gaming and operational records must be turned over to Frank Catania, who is leading the KGC’s investigation.
3. Ultimate Bet must keep all “web logs and game logs” open for inspection by Catania’s team.
4. Ultimate Bet has been assessed a $1.5 million fine “for its failure to implement and enforce measures to prohibit and detect fraudulent activities.”

If UB fails in any way to abide by the above guidelines, the report states that its gaming license will be revoked. It also remains to be seen who the “unsuitable” employees are and what effect their removal will have on the online poker room, which is now owned by Tokwiro. Ultimate Bet was slated to join with Absolute Poker to form the CEREUS network. However, no official changeover has been made. Absolute Poker was itself the subject of a large-scale super user scandal involving the screen name POTRIPPER.

In the case of Ultimate Bet, Hamilton and others involved exploited an auditing tool to see the hole cards of other players at the table. The Commission’s report stated that this occurred for nearly four years. In a press release distributed by Ultimate Bet on July 8th, the site states that the cheating began in January of 2005. The KGC report pinpoints the beginning of the scandal as May of 2004, or eight months prior. In addition, the popular television news program, “60 Minutes,” is slated to air a report about the Ultimate Bet scandal on October 26th.

Ultimate Bet is currently in the middle of its Aruba Poker Classic, which is the site’s marquee yearly live event.