AP and UB Merge to Form Criminally Questionable Supersite
Bodog loses position as industry badboy
Ah, it reminds me of the good-ole-days of the Dallas underground … when a bunch of rooms got ruffled every so often you’d see the merger of a few “bad guys'” games and would be kinda surprised but not really.
With an investigatory explanation due out in a few days, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet are merging to form a new site — now the third largest in the world — called “Cereus” — the name for a desert cactus that stands strong and stays prickly in even the harshest environments. A related species is the Cereus uruguayanus, which may or may not lend credence to Oliver’s prediction that very soon the WSOP will move to Montevideo we could see the WSOP in Punta del Este.
The name could also have been inspired by the night-blooming variety:
One of the strangest plants of the desert, the Night-bloomiing Cereus is a member of the Cactus Family that resembles nothing more than a dead bush most of the year. It is rarely seen in the wild because of its inconspicuousness. But for one midsummer’s night each year, its exquisitely scented flower opens as night falls, then closes forever with the first rays of the morning sun.
Aww, so sad, and yet so precious and sweet …
Another operation with a claim to the Cereus name is Bacillus Cereus:
an endemic, soil-dwelling, Gram-positive, rod-shaped, beta hemolytic bacteria that … is known to create heavy nausea, vomiting, and abdominal periods.
Supposedly, according to the first link in this post, this site is gonna be great — it’s the result of all sorts of innovative technology and customer service. The announcement says nothing about it being all cleaned up with the best security out there — and from a PR perspective can you blame them? — even though theoretically this company should have more knowledge than anyone else about how a site’s integrity can be compromised.
olivert says:
July 24th, 2008 at 6:08pm
> … Oliver’s prediction that very soon the WSOP will move to Montevideo
I didn’t say that.
I did say that there is only one building available if WSOP Latin America were launched and if the WSOP were still owned by Harrah’s/Caesars Entertainment: Conrad Punta del Este Resort and Casino in Punta del Este, Uruguay
http://conradhotels1.hilton.com/en/ch/hotels/index.do?ctyhocn=PDPCICI
DanM says:
July 24th, 2008 at 6:44pm
Duly noted and corrected, Oliver.
Short-Stacked Shamus says:
July 24th, 2008 at 7:00pm
Okay, I’ll ask the question. I know everyone else wants to…
Are they Cereus?
menacing_1 says:
July 24th, 2008 at 8:03pm
No, olivert said it will be held next year in Dubai, UAE. One of his more off-the-wall opinions if you ask me, but I’ll quit posting forever if he’s right.
California Jen says:
July 24th, 2008 at 9:21pm
Oh, Dan. LOL to your entire post.
Oh, Shamus. No one else wanted to ask that question. 😉
DanM says:
July 24th, 2008 at 9:34pm
Actually, Shamus, Tropical Steve kinda-sorta did already:
https://pokerati.com/2008/07/24/kahnawake-gaming-commission-speaks-about-ap-ubkgc-claims-decision-regarding-ultimatebet-is-forthcoming/#comment-154165
DanM says:
July 24th, 2008 at 9:36pm
M1, welcome to the Pokerati fray. Though he probably doesn’t get credit for it, Oliver T is one of the funniest mo-fos out there with any (off-table) poker knowledge in his mind … and sometimes I even think he’s trying to be!
Poker on TV says:
July 24th, 2008 at 9:54pm
There’s no new site, just a new network. AP and UB will be sites on the network.
DanM says:
July 24th, 2008 at 11:50pm
Ah, I don’t think I understood that. I was thinking it would be a brand new site itself.
Got a link to anything more explanatory than a press release from Cereus?
Poker on TV says:
July 25th, 2008 at 12:06am
There isn’t much else out there, but UB has a short statement on their site, reading, in part:
“We’re joining one of the industry’s biggest and most exciting poker networks, CEREUS, which will offer more of what players want – new features, more action, and ultimate rewards.
CEREUS is the result of more than 12 months innovation and development. What does it mean for UB players? As part of the network, UltimateBet will retain all the unique assets that create the ultimate poker experience, but we will share more players, more action, more tournaments, and add incredible new features.”
Short-Stacked Shamus says:
July 25th, 2008 at 6:32am
“theoretically this company should have more knowledge than anyone else about how a site’s integrity can be breached”
FYP
DanM says:
July 25th, 2008 at 9:53am
FYP … hmm, I’ve been doing my Rosetta Stone for l33t-speak, but can’t seem to figure out FYP …
For your, um, perusal?
pants?
Phuck-up?
Kevin Mathers says:
July 25th, 2008 at 10:12am
FYP=Fixed your post.
donkey says:
July 25th, 2008 at 12:05pm
Nice photo, Dan, looks kinda like Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, a couple of “pricks”
BJ Nemeth says:
July 25th, 2008 at 2:07pm
I always assumed that the first two words of “FYP” were more along the lines of “F*ck you” … but I couldn’t figure out which P-word people were calling me.
Ed says:
July 25th, 2008 at 2:34pm
prick?
I just assumed it was “for your pleasure”.
greylocks says:
July 25th, 2008 at 6:45pm
I’ve got a somewhat different take on this whole matter. Response posted on my blog.
http://randomshuffle.blogspot.com/2008/07/sometimes-one-head-is-better-than-two.html