Other, smaller gaming companies that I have dealt with have been much more honest and helpful, eager to treat their affiliates well. But Full Tilt and AP/UB… the worst. However much I hate that the USA doesn’t clearly clarify the legality online gambling, with no clear statutes, and has taken the extreme action of seizing these domains (creating a bit of a PR nightmare for them, I’ve heard), I still have very little sympathy for these companies. Thieves, when they are caught, always make victims happy. A feeling of retribution. I have felt victimized by these companies, and as such, it feels like justice being served. And I hate that. If they had been a bit more honest and responsive, and a lot less greedy, I’d most certainly be on their side in this fight. But as far as I’m concerned, they can dangle in the wind. Good riddance. Perhaps the online gaming industry will consolidate and become more reputable with these rogues out of the picture. Perhaps, at long last, the US will finally start legalizing and regulating online poker, state by state, and then at the federal level. One can only hope. To not do so is to basically make all of the millions of online poker players into criminals. And that’s just insane.

Some Thoughts About Black Friday

The launch of a new two-pronged approach to account authentication brings an added layer of personal security to players across the CEREUS Network, with the Security Token set to give them a heightened level of confidence every time they log in.

MIAMI, FL (Marketwire) – Monday, November 29, 2010 – UB.com and AbsolutePoker.com continue to put players’ safety and security first with the launch of the new Security Token. Online poker players across the CEREUS Network seeking to strengthen their personal security can now add an extra layer of user authentication, and that means war on unauthorized account access and maximum protection every time they log in.

“We are committed to doing everything possible to safeguard our network and players, and we want to provide every option to boost their personal security, particularly those who keep sick amounts of cash in their accounts day-to-day,” said Team UB Pro Joe Sebok. “The Security Token will provide the most up-to-date security solution to ensure that every player’s personal information and bankroll is always protected.”

At UB and Absolute Poker, tap into proven state-of-the-art technology entrusted by banks and other security-reliant institutions by pro-actively choosing to use the Security Token; it’s a small electronic device that once activated and tied to an account will require a player to use both their password and to have the physical device at hand.

So, even if a player’s password has been compromised, the account will be safe with the Security Token still firmly in the player’s hand; By upgrading account security with the Security Token two-factor authentication process – the password plus the unique security code generated by the ‘one-button’ device – players across the CEREUS Network now have access to unrivalled security and peace of mind.

The Security Token can be used as a stand-alone security measure, or in conjunction with the SecureID PIN, a five-digit number, chosen by the player. Once a SecureID PIN has been activated, and a player completes the usual log in with a username and password, the account holder will be asked to enter the five-digit ID PIN to complete the login process.

Players already using the SecureID PIN at UB or Absolute Poker know the value of added layers of security. By using both the Security Token and the SecureID PIN in tandem, they’ll be two critically important steps closer to combating the potential for unauthorized access to their account.

The SecureID PIN can be activated immediately by all players from the new Security menu in the UB and Absolute Poker client. The Security Token is available for purchase at UB and Absolute Poker via their RAI$E and FAME Loyalty program Rewards Stores.

The new Security Token at UB and Absolute Poker – it’s the smart choice for the security conscious online poker player, and the CEREUS Network has it now.

Visit http://www.ub.com/support/security/additional-authentication for further information on the SecureID PIN and the Security Token.
As part of the CEREUS Network, Absolute Poker players can also take advantage of these new account authentication security features, with further information to be found here http://www.absolutepoker.com/online-poker-security/account-authentication

About UB.com
Raise. Stack. Own.
Built for the passionate poker player, UB.com offers top poker rewards, optimal tournament structures and fast-paced action games in one of the largest online poker communities in the world. Players can download the free poker software, play in free ring games and tournaments, plus meet and chat online with Phil Hellmuth and other Team UB pros to learn and enhance their playing strategy. UB provides the best poker games available on the net as part of the CEREUS poker network.

About AbsolutePoker.com
Absolute Poker is part of the CEREUS poker network and is dedicated to providing players from around the world with an online poker game experience that is second to none. Players worldwide can access Absolute Poker online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any PC or Mac and experience the best multi-player game online poker has to offer. Absolute Poker is committed to remaining the most trusted and best online poker experience, created by poker players for poker players.

UB.com and AbsolutePoker Unveils New Security Features for Player Safety

Things are looking sky-high for Joe Sebok in the latest pro competition at UB.com . The Team UB Pro today confirmed that he is slated to be the host of UB.com’s first FreeRoll in the UB.com Pro Freeroll Challenge.

The February 17th free online poker tournament will feature a $2,000 prize pool plus a Las Vegas Skydiving experience with Joe Sebok for the winner.

Starting February 17th and running periodically over the next 11 months, one Team UB pro will host a Texas Holdem FreeRoll at UB.com. Each FreeRoll features a $2,000 prize pool plus a lifestyle component decided by the FreeRoll host.

A Las Vegas Experience

For Joe Sebok, the added prize will be a Las Vegas experience completely unrelated to gaming but just as thrilling. The winner of the FreeRoll, titled Sebok’s Leap of Faith, will get to jump out of an airplane over the Las Vegas desert and rocket towards the strip at 200mph. For those who prefer to remain grounded, Sebok will substitute the skydiving experience for something just as exciting.

Team UB pros are hosting FreeRolls at UB.com throughout 2010 as part of a yearlong online poker popularity contest. At the end of the year, the host who attracts the largest number of online poker players to his or her tournament will win the UB.com Pro Freeroll Challenge. The winning Team UB Pro will receive $2,500 from UB for a night on the town in Vegas to spend any way they choose. The Team UB pro who attracts the lowest number of players will be forced to play concierge, doing anything the winner asks to facilitate the night on the town.

Earn a Spot in Sebok’s Online Poker Freeroll

To earn a spot in Sebok’s Leap of Faith online poker player FreeRoll, Texas Holdem players can follow @ultimate_bet on Twitter. More information on Sebok’s Leap of Faith can be found at SkyDiveWithSebok.com.

About UB.com

Built for the passionate poker player, UB.com offers top poker rewards, optimal tournament structures and fast-paced action games in one of the largest online poker communities in the world. Players can download the free poker software, play in free ring games and tournaments, plus meet and chat online with Phil Hellmuth and other Team UB pros to learn and enhance their playing strategy. UltimatBet (UB) provides the best poker games available on the net as part of the CEREUS poker network.

Joe Sebok’s UB.com Pro Freeroll Challenge

After taking the poker circuit by storm and tearing up the tables for $1.5 million in 2009 alone, Eric Baldwin has landed at UB.com, the site today confirmed. The announcement comes just days after Card Player declared Eric Baldwin the 2009 Player of the Year.

Eric Baldwin isn’t just a new UB pro, he is UB. Eric loves this game more than anything in the world, he plays to win, and he’s respected for his passion at the tables. We really couldn’t be more ecstatic to have the Player of the Year on our team.

Annie Duke
Cardroom Consultant @ UltimateBet.com

Since beginning his poker career just a few years ago, Baldwin has built a reputation as one of the most dangerous poker players to ever play the game – online and off. He’s also garnered the respect of his peers for his down-to-earth persona, building a name for himself without losing the everyman qualities that have made him so revered.

Along the way, 26-year-old Baldwin has also amassed a small fortune, winning over $2.6 million at the land-based and online poker tables. In 2009, Baldwin earned $1.5 million playing poker, a figure that matches the lifetime winnings of some seasoned poker pros. This year alone, Baldwin has made 17 final tables, including one at UB.com’s signature Aruba Poker Classic. Baldwin finished in 4th place of the $5,500 Main Event for a $126,710 payday. He holds the record for most final table appearances in 2009.

But it’s not just about final tabling tournaments. It’s about winning them. Most recently, Baldwin finished first in Event #15 of the 2009 Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio, securing $256,600 for his win. Other notable first place finishes in 2009 include a $198,933 win in Event #24 of the 2009 Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza II, and a $521,932 bracelet win at this year’s World Series of Poker.

I am eager to be a part of UB’s new brand direction. I carefully weighed my sponsorship opportunities over the last couple of months and after meeting with UB officials and the Team UB pros, it’s very clear that UltimateBet.com is the perfect fit.

Eric Baldwin
Card Player Magazine Player of the Year

Eric Baldwin plays at UB.com under the name eric_baldwin. Online poker players at UltimateBet can employ the online poker site’s free UltimateBuddy feature to discover where Eric Baldwin is playing.

About UB.com

Card Player Magazine Player of the Year Lands at UB.com

UB.net celebrates the all-new magazine-style line-up fronted by Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, and there’s over half a million dollars in tournament entries to be won in the Poker2Nite Freerolls

Newest addition to Team UB.com, Joe Sebok and longtime poker journalist Scott Huff debut tonight at the helm of Poker2Nite, Fox Sports Net’s (“FSN”) hottest new weekly poker news program. Pull up a chair every Wednesday at 11pm EST to share all the behind-the-scenes fun and action of the poker world as you’ve never seen it before. Miss it the first time, and you can catch it again on Thursdays at 4pm and Fridays at 11am and 6pm ET, or visit UB.com for full viewing of the show.

Poker2Nite is a ‘fly on the wall’ perspective set to deliver the week’s breaking poker headlines, so expect it to be relevant, and above all, always highly entertaining. Enjoy the same high-level energy and hi-jinx from the co-hosts that built them a loyal following as radio’s foremost poker authorities.

Poker2Nite’s mission is to create something that hasn’t existed in the poker community yet: a unique poker TV show that takes fans into our world, seen through our eyes, and in our voice. Experience poker the way we do – with excitement, wit and a keen sense of humor. We’re creating our own little club, but all you have to do to gain access is love poker along with us. It’s going to be a wild ride so get on board

Poker2Nite linchpin Joe Sebok

The ‘Seebs’ and Huff dynamic is genius casting at its finest, as the co-anchors are renowned for only ever agreeing to disagree. Watch the PokerRoad.com pair make the move to the small screen to debate the latest news stories and events from around the felt, be it live or the virtual kind.

Plus, the on-camera profile gets a glamorous touch up with the addition of popular poker reporters Lacey Jones and Dana Workman. A familiar TV sitcom face, Dana will present a segment titled The Weekly Misdeal, while Lacey will hit the road as roving reporter in a regular spot We’ll Do It Live! , which deals out the scoop on the real men and women in poker’s land based pro circuit.

Other recurring segments include exclusive guest interviews, Talk Soup, Classic Hands v2.0, and Check, Raise, Fold?, tipped to quickly become an audience favorite as the co-hosts in the know banter about what’s hot and what’s not in the fickle world of UB.com. 
To celebrate the launch of the poker show, presenting sponsor UB.net is hosting a series of daily, easy and free to enter online Poker2Nite Freerolls, scheduled between 8am and 2am ET and running every two hours. Finish in the top 125 in any of the daily freerolls to qualify for the massive Main Event on Sunday at 4pm ET.

Go on to grab a spot in the top 500 in the weekly Main Event for a share of some fabulous Poker2Nite Freeroll prizes, including tournament entries and Step tickets that lead to major online and live events. Compete for over $20,000 in tournament entries each month and chances to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizemoney every week in the UB.net Poker2Nite Freerolls.

Find out more about the UB.com Poker2Nite and watch the latest Poker2Nite videos.

About UB.net
Raise. Stack. Own.
 Built for the aspiring poker player, UltimateBet.com offers top poker rewards, optimal poker tournament structures and fast-paced action games in one of the largest online poker communities in the world. Players can download the free poker software, play in free ring games and tournaments, plus meet and chat online with Phil Hellmuth and other Team UB pros to learn and enhance their playing strategy. UB.com provides the best poker games available on the net as part of the CEREUS poker network.

UltimateBet.com UB.com and Poker2Nite TV

Winning Big via UltimateBet

For two years running, a Pennsylvania resident has won the UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic Main Event. Brandon Hall won the Aruba poker tournament Saturday night, a first place prize of $753,330. Last year Matt Brady, also from Pennsylvania, won UltimateBet’s 2008 Aruba tournament for a pay day of $1 million.

For the 8th year in a row, the Aruba Poker Classic returned to the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino. Online poker players were invited to win their way to Aruba for the Texas Hold’em tournament through low-cost satellites at UltimateBet.com for amounts as low as $0.10. The festivities included many parties, non-stop poker tournaments, cash tables and VIP treatment for the highest rated members of UltimateBet’s RAI$E program.

Star poker players such as Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Joe Sebok, Adam Levy, Billy Kopp, Bryan Devonshire, Brandon Cantu, Liv Boeree, Tiffany Michelle, and many others were also in attendance.

Poker Pool Worth Over $2.3 Million

Four hundred seventy five (475) enthusiastic poker players took their seats in the $5,550 Main Event to face-off for a slice of a prize pool that reached $2,303,750.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary dealing cards online, UltimateBet also included a number of other land-based poker tournaments in Aruba with noteworthy top prizes.

Below are the results of the final table, which played out on Saturday, October 10th, 2009:

• 1. Brandon Hall $753,330
• 2. Robert Mizrachi $414,680
• 3. Chase Steely $218,860
• 4. Eric Baldwin $126,710
• 5. Jose Santos $ 92,150
• 6. Brock Parker $ 66,810
• 7. Matt Ross $ 41,470

On October 9th, a 10-player final table for a Mercedes ML-350 played out in the lobby of the Radisson. The seats were awarded to players at UltimateBet through a series of qualifiers at the online poker site. Elliot Smith left the table with the keys to the Mercedes.

Also held in the tournament room of the Radisson were nightly $500+40 poker tournaments, two separate $2,000+100 No Limit Hold’em tournaments and a $1,000+60 event, providing poker players with ample opportunity to profit from poker while in paradise.

An inside peek at the 2009 Aruba Poker Classic can be found on UltimateBet’s poker blog, accessible on the UltimateBet site.

Ultimate Bet Prize Pool Reaches Over $2.3 Million

Epic 9: UltimateBet.com

The final table of the WSOP gets underway this November, but the real excitement is at UltimateBet all October long.

That’s because you’ve got a massive shot at scoring a seat in our Epic 9 event, a 9-player tourney featuring Phil Hellmuth and $50,000. There’s also $2,000 a day in leaderboard cash at stake

WSOP UltimateBet.com

We’re proud to partner with WWE on the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and to offer one lucky player the ultimate entertainment experience to be part of all the drama and action of this pop culture extravaganza

Annie Duke
Cardroom Consultant for UltimateBet

WrestleMania is scheduled to take place on April 5, 2009 at the city’s 71,500-seat Reliant Stadium, which has a retractable roof and is home to the Houston Texans NFL franchise.

UltimateBet will reward one lucky Canadian player with an all expenses paid trip for two to the event. The Kahnawake-licensed site will be running a series of Texas Hold’em qualifier tournaments offering a prize of return airfare to Houston for two along with hotel accommodations and $500 in spending money. UltimateBet.com is also throwing in tickets to WrestleMania alongside two replica WWE championship belts and a framed WrestleMania 25 poster.

Ultimate Bet Set to Sponsor Wrestle Mania