UB, It’s Time to Show Some Respect for the Poker Community
How Long Must We Wait for Honesty & Transparency?
UltimateBet has been dancing around this superuser/cheating scandal for more than six months. Everything was delayed – acknowledgment of the allegations, investigation updates and results, and developments like the alleged ties of Russ Hamilton to the scandal.
Annie Duke has become the spokesperson for UB, and she has had to conduct interviews and give politically correct answers to questions for months as UB has come under fire from every direction. While she is attempting to be the face of UB, as Phil Hellmuth clearly dodges the issue and avoids speaking publicly about it, the company itself is allowing Duke to do what its Public Relations Department – or ownership, for that matter – should be doing. Enough is enough.
Listening to a PokerRoad Radio episode from last week (dated 7/16/08), it became clear that Russ Hamilton will not be defending himself or issuing statements on the UB scandal or his alleged involvement in it. (The discussion of the issue begins approximately 30 minutes into the show.) Hamilton declined the opportunity to speak on the show and clear his name upon the advice of his attorney, though he invited Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok to visit his home and discuss the issue privately. However, Hamilton’s attorney was there, too, and would not allow Hamilton to address the UB accounts supposedly connected to Hamilton. Greenstein and Sebok insisted that they were not taking sides but felt that Hamilton was genuine in his claims of innocence. Hamilton wanted people to know that when the investigation is complete, names will come out but his will not be one of them. And his attorney wanted to tell people, “Can’t you just wait a couple months?”
No. The poker community has been forced to wait long enough. It is time for answers. Not only does Hamilton need to come clean with any information he is privy to, but Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth need to do the same. A source tells me that Duke and Hellmuth were aware that Hamilton was implicated in this scandal well before Nat Arem posted his personal investigatory findings. Russ Hamilton cannot seem to defend himself, so UB seems content to let his reputation be scarred forever – while claiming innocence from behind closed doors – while the investigation goes on…and on…and on. And UB seems to operate under the notion that no news is good news, and the less information that comes out officially, the better. Transparency seems to be a pipe dream as the story gets murkier by the day.
C’mon, UltimateBet. If there is actually a team of investigators on this issue, it shouldn’t take months to find answers. Your reputation in this industry is crumbling before your eyes, and as part of the poker community, you must step up to the plate and put your not-so-secret hole cards on the table. Show us some respect if you ever hope to get any in return.
(The opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily represent those of Pokerati. They are the sole ravings of a frustrated journalist.)
Easycure says:
July 20th, 2008 at 9:51pm
I have not, and will never play on Ultimate Bet. I have not played on Absolute in about a year, and will never again.
The only thing they understand is money. They will not get any of mine.
DanM says:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:04pm
What has you so frustrated, Jen?
In general, I don’t think a few months for investigation is unreasonable, but your overall point is well-taken. At the same time, Enron was Enron, so for us to be waiting for a company that is conclusively corrupt at the top to come clean is kinda like being shocked when a weak, amateur player, makes a call with a hand that he probably shouldn’t be playing. We could ask Phil Hellmuth about that.
***
I talked to a dude the other week who said he still plays a lot of Absolute. “Are you kidding me?” I said to him.
“I know, I know, but I keep winning, and they are really good about getting my [cash out] money to me. So what am I supposed to do?”
As to Annie and Phil, they are between a rock and a hard place, in my opinion.
***
And so long as you are moralizing a bit on this, how will you feel when a known “good guy” at Ultimate Bet such as Mean Gene is suddenly out of a job? Just curious.
California Jen says:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:12pm
I am frustrated because I am getting answers from no one, Hamilton won’t talk, and this seems to have no resolution in sight. I’m not shocked at UB’s lack of transparency, but I thought for a moment – naively, I know – that they might handle themselves better than AP. Wrong. It’s disappointing and sad for anyone who cares about poker and would like to see legitimate online poker sites continue to grow.
Of course I don’t want Mean Gene to hurt from this! I’ve talked to Gene about this issue, and I believe he understands where I’m coming from.
I’m not saying that UB needs to shut its doors. My whole point was that if UB would come clean, be open and honest (and do so regularly) with its customers and the poker public, and get real about this, they might have a shot at repairing their image. But the longer this drags on, the deeper they dig the whole for themselves to fall into.
DanM says:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:16pm
Sorry, can’t seem to shut up about this. The bottom line is that companies like UB won’t “come clean” until the US government forces them to, through new online poker laws, regulation, etc. Because otherwise, how can we go after a company based in Malta?
And to that extent — I know I haven’t posted details about this yet, but will — both Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke are being leaders toward this effort. In fact, it was Phil at a recent PPA strategy briefing who brought up the idea of spending $5 million of UB money to put up commercials trashing/exposing-as-hypocrites the congressional members opposing bills that would help hold companies like Ultimate Bet to higher standards.
Bottom line for a guy like him (and even more so, Annie Duke) is that that $5 million wouldn’t be available without the likes of UB.
California Jen says:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:27pm
Hypocritical, if you ask me.
Hellmuth and Duke might have good ideas. Shit, Duke did an outstanding job of testifying on Capitol Hill a few months ago, and I admire her for doing so. But how can they keep working for a company that would clearly be under the highest scrutiny from the government if regulations were in place?
If they’re so concerned with hypocritical politicians, they should take a look in the mirror first and make sure they can defend their relationship with UB – and possibly Russ Hamilton – as they continue to tout the site’s greatness.
DanM says:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:38pm
So you are OK with costing Mean Gene his job? Duly noted. I hope you are reading this one, Bromberg, because when you are suddenly unemployed and have to leave the surreal world of poker media, it will be all the fault of
the semi-corrupt company that signs your checksCalifornia Jen.***I thought for a moment – naively, I know – that they might handle themselves better than AP***
Interesting. I thought all along they were basically the same company, and we’d discover they do things similarly.
Sorry Jen, just giving you a hard time … but I know your frustration. It’s the same frustration that kinda-sorta led me to the poker media. Back in the mid-90s I discovered that the pedophile priest(s) who molested a bunch of my childhood friends weren’t just bad apples — that it was something systemic from high-up in the Catholic Church — and yet it took 10 years before any real actions began to be taken to correct the problems. Don’t even get me started on the current Pope and his role (as a cardinal) in making the problem worse, not better …
OK, I know the above comparison seems out of left field an extreme stretch, but really, it’s very similar when dealing with a corrupted entity that is for the most part out of reach of the American legal system. And yet as rotten as the Catholic Church really was as an institution, I was setting myself up for disappointment to expect all the “good” priests and Catholics to turn anti-church all of the sudden.
***
***Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok to visit his home and discuss the issue privately. However, Hamilton’s attorney was there, too,***
And this is ultimately (har har) the issue in a nutshell right here … how can we expect anything substantive to happen when Hamilton and his lawyer only have to face questions from Poker Road, and not the American jurisprudence system, answering to the people they actually harmed?
DanM says:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:50pm
***But how can they keep working for a company that would clearly be under the highest scrutiny from the government if regulations were in place?***
See my first comment to this post. It’s hard to walk away when you aren’t doing anything wrong and the money keeps coming in. That’s why Gene still works for them. I’m just having a hard time understanding how you expect Annie and Phil to ditch UB on principle and yet you don’t expect the same from Gene.
***If they’re so concerned with hypocritical politicians, they should take a look in the mirror first and make sure they can defend their relationship with UB – and possibly Russ Hamilton – as they continue to tout the site’s greatness.***
I hear ya, but it just takes time … protecting people from sites like Ultimate Bet is a process that will take years, not months. Maybe Annie would be much beloved by all the poker moralists out there had she fled UB right from the start … but really, what would that do for the rest of us long-term?
DanM says:
July 20th, 2008 at 11:58pm
Just for Jen — everyone else can skip this comment, as it has nothing to do with UB — but here’s the pedophile priest story that took YEARS before the masses began to understand (and again, that took major court action and more than a billion dollars in lost revenue for it to happen):
http://www.dmagazine.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=5C1933F1D01C4247A724BAB13C6E670B&nm=test&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=7155F7796F354F21B1183937D847D6DF&AudId=29CB3DCAC7E94A08B642EC371FE6E70B&tier=4&id=337838FDA7234B4080B56319B88F5774
and here’s the story that tells (at least in part) how the current pope (cardinal ratzinger) did things at the time on moral principles that made matters worse, not better:
http://www.dmagazine.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=5C1933F1D01C4247A724BAB13C6E670B&nm=test&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=7155F7796F354F21B1183937D847D6DF&tier=4&id=4DEF0D96766245788BD9C2340989DCA8&AudId=29CB3DCAC7E94A08B642EC371FE6E70B
OK, back to Ultimate Bet … ya know, a lawsuit brought on by UB players against Russ Hamilton, regardless of whether or not he personally did anything malicious, might go a long way to shedding more light on the matters. God, I would LOVE a lawsuit — not so much for damages as discovery! Any takers? Since Hamilton lives in LV, I think you would have cause for civil and/or criminal action based on the simple concept of theft.
DanM says:
July 21st, 2008 at 1:32pm
Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to kill the convo on this one. Talk of
child sex abusedastardly religious malfeasance always seems to have that effect at dinner.So let’s sue Russ Hamilton, no!?! Just for fun …
Poker Shrink says:
July 21st, 2008 at 3:21pm
Time heals all wounds and also allows a lot of nasty shit to get swept under the rug. The key is that UB (and previously Absolute) are running their own investigation on their own timeline. Why the hell would they act fast? From a business perspective the longer they stall the better, as Dan pointed out, lots of folks play on both sites and do not care what happens.
Just as a flashback example, six months after the 2 million chips were introduced into the 2006 Main Event, I interviewed one of the final table players about it and he asked me: “What two million chips? I have heard nothing about it.”
Time, time, time.
BJ Nemeth says:
July 21st, 2008 at 6:26pm
Dan said, ***It’s hard to walk away when you aren’t doing anything wrong and the money keeps coming in. That’s why Gene still works for them. I’m just having a hard time understanding how you expect Annie and Phil to ditch UB on principle and yet you don’t expect the same from Gene.***
The key difference between Mean Gene and Annie/Phil is that Annie/Phil are paid to give their professional endorsements to the site. They are using their influence within the poker industry (and beyond) to represent the site and attract players. If this was Hollywood, they’d be considered “above the line.”
Mean Gene is a contractor who provides a service. I don’t think UB expects Mean Gene to draw them traffic by virtue of his name any more than the World Poker Tour expects me to draw traffic to their site because of my name. If this were Hollywood, we’d both be considered “below the line.”
So I think it’s fair to have different expectations for Annie Duke/Phil Hellmuth and Mean Gene.
BJ Nemeth says:
July 21st, 2008 at 6:28pm
Poker Shrink said, ***Just as a flashback example, six months after the 2 million chips were introduced into the 2006 Main Event, I interviewed one of the final table players about it and he asked me: “What two million chips? I have heard nothing about it.â€***
This explains SOOO many things in the world.
Ed says:
July 21st, 2008 at 8:26pm
“This explains SOOO many things in the world.”
That (most) people suck?
BJ Nemeth says:
July 21st, 2008 at 9:19pm
I was thinking more along the lines of general ignorance and lack of awareness, but your line works too, Ed.
Ed says:
July 21st, 2008 at 9:46pm
Of course it works. Who do you think think has “general ignorance and lack of awareness”? MOST people. 😛
DanM says:
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:25am
***So I think it’s fair to have different expectations for Annie Duke/Phil Hellmuth and Mean Gene.***
You make some good points, BJ — especially about the difference between partnership and contract labor. I will give them due consideration.
I just think it’s a little unrealistic to expect Annie and Phil to abandon in any way a
countrycompany that they clearly have tons of positive associations with just because we found out what they knew all along — that there were some bad people running it. I mean we all still support America with ourraketax dollars and aren’t making any plans to move, even though we know people at the top have been engaged inillegal torture, questionable detainments and killings, environmental destruction, etc.some very bad things, right? Same situation, obviously.James D Dubee says:
July 6th, 2009 at 11:15pm
Watching and listening this rattle and bottle ego call a player an idiot numerous times on a different show; and just now call a player named Shaundale his Boy, confuses me to the point where Philly, Philly, Philly, should go to a parking lot for another attitude adjustment.(have Mr. Hellmuth bring Honey to view Philly get adjusted, again ). I feel his language and rants are not good for the game. His diaper, mouth, did on these two shows extend beyond the allotted space designed for dignity.
James D Dubee says:
July 6th, 2009 at 11:30pm
Philly; my normal game would have your chips quite quickly and have you running to mommie or Honey screaming I am a donk……You are a Donk sans a game. When did you discover walking on two legs?