Comments on: RE: Tiffany Michelle Signs with Ultimate Bet (2) Let’s not forget about her other teammates — do we have to hate them, too?

By: DanM

DanM — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:53:49 +0000

The fat bald middle-age white guy, uh duh!

By: Tom Schneider

Tom Schneider — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:37:26 +0000

which one is Tom?

By: DanM

DanM — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:27:54 +0000

I think I fall more on your side, BJ — sorry Jen and Shronk. I had a friend who used to work for Enron, and she didn’t walk away from that gig until she was asked to shred documents (after the FBI was stationed outside the doors).

By: BJ Nemeth

BJ Nemeth — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:07:21 +0000

*** But yes, we should be disappointed that these folks are sticking with UB through this mess, too. ***

None of us know the specifics of their contracts, but I have to think a couple of these guys have no other sponsorship options. The life of a professional poker player is not an easy one, and if UltimateBet were my only option to continue playing the game I love with any semblance of a reliable income, I’d take it.

I think we’re lacking some big picture perspective sometimes, because our little poker world is being rocked by a scandal that seems so big to us. But corporate scandals happen all the time, and it’s unheard of for everyone involved to jump ship out of some righteous indignation.

None of the guys in this picture did anything wrong. Neither Phil Hellmuth or Annie Duke have been implicated in any wrongdoing. And none of them are in a direct position of power over any internal investigations. (Sure, Phil and Annie have enough influence at UB to rattle some cages, but that’s not their role.)

Our “hatred” (if that’s the word) should be directed at the individual cheater(s), and the management/ownership that was more interested in covering this up and making it go away than solving the problem and setting things right.

Beyond that, we should point the fingers at Card Player, Bluff, and (until recently) PokerNews, who were all more interested in cashing advertising checks than investigating poker’s biggest scandal. (To their credit, I think PokerNews had the most coverage, but not like the good old days of Calistri/Lavalli investigating the 2-million-chip scandal.) As the top of the poker media, they *do* have a responsibility to investigate this problem, much more than Phil, Annie, or Mark Kroon.

Pokerati (and Cali Jen in particular) has done more to keep this scandal in the public eye than any of the major media outlets.

By: DanM

DanM — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:46:03 +0000

Karridy: True, but Ian arguably has more “stage presence” than Kanuck, even though he will probably make fewer final tables. He probably fits with Tiffany Michelle better than he does with Tom (and the other guys already on Team UB), too.

Jen: Don’t hate tha playa, hate the game!

By: California Jen

California Jen — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:32:15 +0000

Hate is such a strong word. I don’t hate anyone in this mess… But yes, we should be disappointed that these folks are sticking with UB through this mess, too.

By: Karridy

Karridy — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:17:34 +0000

Jim Worth is WAY too photogenic for this mob. Holy crap… This is horrible.

“Ok, Shawn, just sqeeze in the middle somewhere. …Okay nevermind. Umm… Just stand up. And Scott, don’t worry, we’ll just photoshop you in. We found some floating tattoo arms on Flikr, so it’ll work. And please, guys, please DON’T smile. It makes you look Jolly.”