Online qualifiers, free-to-play Pub Poker events and live qualifiers in Miami and Louisville are giving players more ways to earn their way to the Moneymaker Tour in Aruba.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — August 2026 — There is more than one road to Aruba.
This year, the Moneymaker Tour set out to create more ways for poker players to earn their way to one of the Tour’s biggest destination events of the year. The result is a Road to Aruba qualifier campaign spanning online poker, traditional live poker rooms and free-to-play local Pub Poker events.
Players have been able to pursue Aruba packages online through ACR Poker, at free-to-play Pub Poker events in South Florida, and through live qualifiers at Hialeah Park Casino in Miami and the Moneymaker Social Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
While each path looks different, they were created with the same goal: make the opportunity to experience a Moneymaker Tour destination event accessible to more players.
“The Moneymaker Tour has always been about giving players a chance to take their shot,” said Chris Moneymaker. “My own life changed because poker gave me an opportunity, and I want our Tour to keep creating those opportunities for other people. You never know where one opportunity can lead, and that’s a big part of what makes poker so special.”
Bringing the Opportunity to the Players
The Road to Aruba campaign reflects the different ways people play poker today.
Through ACR Poker, players across the country have been able to compete online for Moneymaker Tour Aruba packages, creating a direct path to the destination without having to travel to a live qualifier.
For traditional live tournament players, the Moneymaker Tour partnered with poker venues in two different markets.
At Hialeah Park Casino in Miami, players can compete in $150 Road to Aruba qualifiers for the chance to win a $3,500 package featuring a $1,700 Main Event entry, four-night hotel stay, $700 toward airfare and an invitation to the VIP Player Party.
The Road to Aruba also reached Louisville, Kentucky, with a live qualifier at the Moneymaker Social Club, bringing the opportunity to another regional poker community.
And in South Florida, the Tour introduced another path entirely through its partnership with Pub Poker.
Free-to-play events at O’Shea’s Irish Pub in downtown West Palm Beach give recreational and social poker players an opportunity to qualify without the traditional tournament buy-in, opening the Road to Aruba to an even broader group of players.
For Niall Costigan, part of the management team at O’Shea’s and an accomplished poker player himself, the concept represents something particularly meaningful: connecting the local poker community with an opportunity that can take a player far beyond their regular game.
“As a poker player, I know how special it is when an opportunity comes along that can take you somewhere you never expected,” said Costigan. “What I love about this is that someone can walk into O’Shea’s, sit down and play poker with their local community, and potentially find themselves in Aruba playing in a major event. Making an opportunity like that accessible through a free-to-play game is great for the players, and it’s great for the growth of poker.”
Different Paths. One Aruba Experience.
The Moneymaker Tour heads to Aruba this September as part of the Caribbean Poker Series, September 17–27, 2026, bringing together players from different poker communities for an international destination poker experience.
At the center of the Moneymaker Tour schedule is the $1,700 Main Event with a $400,000 guarantee, beginning September 24. For the players who earn their way through the Road to Aruba, however, the experience extends well beyond a seat at the table.
They’ll arrive in Aruba with the opportunity to compete on a major stage, meet players from different poker communities and experience everything that comes with a destination event in the Caribbean.
For the Moneymaker Tour, that is what the Road to Aruba is ultimately about: creating opportunities that can take players further than they imagined when they first sat down to play.
For more information about the Moneymaker Tour, Aruba and upcoming qualifier opportunities, visit MoneymakerPT.com.
The Moneymaker Tour
The Moneymaker Tour continues to show why it is one of the fastest-growing tours in the game, combining world-class tournament action with experiences that bring fans closer to poker’s legends.
About Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the Main Event at the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). His victory was groundbreaking because he was the first amateur to win the championship after qualifying through an inexpensive online satellite. The press has referred to the surge of new players and global interest that followed as the “Moneymaker Effect.”
About The Casino Aruba at Hilton
The Casino Aruba at Hilton offers premier gaming, dining, and entertainment in the heart of Palm Beach. Its poker room welcomes players from around the world during the Caribbean Poker Series and has become an international destination for the Moneymaker Tour.
About the Caribbean Poker Series
The Caribbean Poker Series brings together players from around the world to compete in one of the most exciting poker destinations on the globe. Hosted at The Casino Aruba at Hilton, the series features a wide range of events and generous guarantees, combining world-class poker with the unmatched atmosphere of the Caribbean.
Contacts
Dyanna Lopez
Marketing and Communications
Moneymaker Tour
dyanna@moneymakerpt.com