This year, online poker fans saw one of their own compete and triumph at the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic.  Brandon Hall took the top spot in a field of 475 players and walked away from the week-long live poker event with over three-quarters of a million dollars to call his own.  The Littlestown resident brought the prize home for his home state of Pennsylvania for the second year running – last year, Havertown’s Matt Brady beat the competition and walked away with a million dollars.
When the final table was whittled down to four players – Hall, Robert Mizrachi, Chase Steeley, and WSOP winner Eric Baldwin – a delay occurred as the survivors tried to reach a four-way chop.  Unfortunately, for three of them, they were unable to agree and the gameplay resumed. Hall faced down Mizrachi, who had been the tournament chip leader for most of the proceedings and managed to take him down fairly quickly, an unusual event for at tournament known for its gamesmanship.
This year also saw poker icon Matthew Savage return as the tournament’s director. Savage had directed several previous installments of the prestigious event, and having the inaugural inductee into the Poker Room Manager’s Hall Of Fame running things helped make sure everyone enjoyed the tournament, whether or not they walked away a winner.  Savage’s experience running countless million-dollar tournaments (including the WSOP and multiple WPT events) and love of the game is one of the reasons he’s been on television hundreds of times to discuss the game.
Because of its superior management and big prizes, the Aruba Poker Classic has emerged in recent years to become a favorite tournament for players of all types.  Even if you’re a loser at the tables, there’s still plenty to do in the tropical paradise where the game is held, and there’s plenty of action to be found even if you’re out of the main event.  From cash games running in the hotel’s casino to charity events of all types, the Aruba Poker Classic makes everyone feel like a winner!