The first night I ever logged on to Ultimate Bet, way back in 2003, I popped open a shorthanded $300-$600 triple draw table and watched as two online unknowns drilled into Phil Hellmuth's bankroll to the tune of $20,000.

Outdrawn again and again off his made eights and nines, Hellmuth went on chip-spewing tilt as he tried to re-raise these young comers out of pots to no avail and went bezerk in the chat box. "Do you know who I am?"

"Do you even know how to play poker?" Sound familiar? I thought "now this looks like a fun place to play!" as I laughed to myself and continued to watch Phil's chip stack dwindle.

You too can watch Phil steam, (or even try to tilt him yourself ) nearly every night of the week on UltimateBet.com.

Ultimate Bet (or "UB" to poker junkies) has been a major player in the internet gaming world for the last six years. Opening their virtual doors in 2000, UB is the online home to pros like Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, Freddy Deeb, and, of course 10-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Not only can players interact and chat with these pros online, but they have the opportunity to try their skills against them live at Ultimate Bet's Aruba Poker Classic held every September, which culminates in a televised final table. Always mentioned as a favorite event among the pro set for its laid-back atmosphere and fabulous after-hours parties, satellites to Aruba run on UB throughout most of the year. Winners' packages include a week's worth of island accomodations and round-trip airfare for two.

UB recently introduced a new satellite package, fittingly called "The Ultimate Satellite." Until February 24th, $1000+50 mega satellites run on Saturday evenings and are guaranteed to pay out at least one $12,000 prize package.

This award can be applied to a number of major land-based tournaments including the WPT Foxwoods, The 2007 Aussie Millions, or the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. Tournament-specific super satellites to upcoming $10K events are still available, including a weekly $300+20 satellite to the Aussie Millions on Wednesday nights and a $200+15 satellite to WPT Foxwoods running on Friday nights. Like many major online poker sites, Ultimate Bet offers a "Big Sunday" tournament, a $200+15, $200,000 guaranteed affair in which first place takes home at least $45,000. Satellites to this tournament run multiple times per day at the $5.50, $11, $22, and $44 buyin levels. This December, $2 million in guaranteed prize pools will up for grabs in the UltimateBet.com Online Championship, a ten-day, tenevent tournament series. Four NLHE events, two PLO, and one apiece in limit hold'em and limit Omaha are scheduled for December 1-8, all with $215 buyins, Elimination Blackjack,( popularized by the CBS TV show "The Ultimate Blackjack Tour") is also on the tournament menu, with a $215 buyin, $100,000 guaranteed event on Dec. 9. The series wraps up on December 10th with the $530 buyin NLHE $1 million guaranteed main event. Expect all the site pros to be on hand for that one.

Ultimate Bet's cash games run the gamut and there's a table for literally every bankroll. A couple of years back, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson challenged himself to run $1 into $20,000 at online poker, beginning his journey on UB's $0.01-$0.02 NLHE tables.

Annie Duke transferred him $1 for a buyin (which he lost), but one extra buck from Annie later, Ferguson was on his way. Limit, nolimit and pot-limit hold'em, limit and pot-limit Omaha and Omaha hi-lo, 7-stud, and 7-stud hi-lo are all spread from the microlimits to $300- $600. UB also spreads a few more rare and exotic ring games than your average poker site, including Pineapple and double flop hold'em. It is also the only place on the internet where a poker player can get their fill of the thrilling, addictive action of my new favorite game: triple draw lowball.

UB spreads both the A-5 and 2-7 versions of the game and the play is super-juicy. No need to be a specialist to succeed, just apply some solid poker sense and you'll be fine. Seriously, I can't get enough of the triple draw. I think I'm in love...

So whether you're intent on winning a seat into a WPT event, looking to turn a dollar into $20,000, dreaming about September in Aruba, jonesing to get your fill of triple draw, or think you're ready to go heads-up with Hellmuth, hop over to Ultimate Bet. The water's fine, and for U.S. players, the seas are still wide open.

Nicole Gordon is a writer and poker player from Los Angeles, CA.