One of Ayn Rand’s most iconic characters is Atlas Shrugged’s John Galt. He represents the idealistic counterpoint to the social structures. He was a true developer and a man motivated only by his own passion… He was a fearless slave of his own beliefs.
When it comes to our team, we like to think of ourselves as the modern John Galts of poker: we don’t provide a poker experience to have clients, we have clients so we can provide a poker experience. That’s our mantra. We’re unafraid of scaring the hell out of everyone with our ideas as long as they bloom from our souls’ depths. Poker is the blood in our veins; therefore, all of our actions are benefic for poker.
A brand management position is definitely not for the bleachers. Our marketing team is packed with people full of zeal. We’re the kind that zig when all the rest zag. It’s not always easy –that’s a fact– it’s simple to get dragged into the abyss of routine. When that happens, it’s not hard to see the light again. All we need to do is look inside ourselves and we’re back on track. We just remember how infatuated we are with the poker lifestyle and, suddenly, a new radiance bathes the usual, making it unusual.
We work very hard to break the mold. We live in difficult times where planet Earth turns faster every day. People run in circles, attend their daily chores, close deals, walk by and… forget to dream. We don’t. We dream all day long and that’s what sets us apart. Every single thing in life starts as a dream. Think about it! An engineer dreamed the computer you’re using. The building you’re in was the idea of an architect. Your clothes were sketched by some fashionista. It all starts as a dream driven by something way bigger than money.
So, feel happy to be part of a community that isn’t assembled around the idea of milking your cash out. You can be proud of being part of UltimateBet, a brand that cares for poker. Our absolute goal isn’t to please you. We’re at the service of poker. If poker runs through your system, then –ultimately– we’re also serving you.
The countdown has begun for the 8th Annual Aruba Poker Classic. With just five weeks away we’ve added even more luxury to the UB 10th Anniversary event by having a special poker tournament with an ML350 Mercedes as the grand prize. There will only be 10 players in the final run for the prize, so make sure you qualify through satellites starting September 1st.
Separate from the Mercedes event, if you’re still itching to get to the Aruba Poker Classic, the final big seat giveaway is going to be our 50-Seat GTD on Sept 13th. We have plenty of ways to qualify for this event, so check the tourney schedule for specific dates and times.
We’ve had a bunch of exciting changes with our pros since the WSOP, adding Brandon Cantu, Liv Boeree, Billy Kopp, and Bryan Devonshire. The marketing team is working to embrace our pros even more by highlighting them on the Web site with a special section dedicated specifically for them. Be on the lookout next week for the new pros section of the site.
If you haven’t noticed, we launched a new UltimateBet.com home page a little over a week ago. Our goal of the layout change was to get pertinent information to players faster and more effectively. Of course we want new players to download but aside from adjusting messaging for that, we’ve cut a lot of clutter and extra fluff on the main page that we knew just got in the way. The Bad Beat Jackpot is now feeding into the homepage, so you know when it’s time to jump on the tables.
UltimateBet successfully launched the first ever 7 Deuce Hold’em tables online and everyone is buzzing about it. We’ve added action to the tables that had previously only been available in live games. Watch our own Phil Hellmuth in a famous 7 Deuce hand on High Stakes Poker win the pot and prop bet with 7 Deuce.
Phil plays regularly at the UltimateBet 7 Deuce $25/50 stakes tables where, if you win with 7-2, you get paid $75 from each player at the table on top of pot, which can get massive. Good luck!
I can’t go without mentioning progress on the Aruba Poker Classic either, since we are going to have our 10th Anniversary party down there and expect the number of players to exceed 550. Now that’s a nice prizepool. If you’re staying with us in the Radisson you can have yourself a Mai-Tai, take dip in the ocean then the pool and be in your seat at the poker table all before the flop. We still have tons of ways to qualify without buying in directly, so check out the tourney schedule for details. Our next 25-seat giveaway event will be on August 30th, so don’t miss it.
Now that WSOP is over we are shifting our gears to The Aruba Poker Classic in October. It’s UltimateBet’s 10th Anniversary and we’re going to be celebrating! We’re planning our opening and closing parties to blow all others out of the Caribbean waters and should be sending more of our own blood to the tourney this year than ever. We’ve already qualified over 40 players and are looking forward to our first big seat giveaway on August 2nd. After it’s said and done, 25 lucky UB players will have their seats reserved to the Ultimate Island Poker Tournament. With at least $2 million in guaranteed cash for this year’s tourney, it’s destined to be recorded as a part of poker history.
The Donkament is in full effect on the site and dragging in the best of our sharks and donkeys. With only points to lose and cash to win, these games are getting feverishly active. Get in on the action from as low as 200 points and qualify for up to $50,000 in cash.
We have some exciting product releases coming up, including our UB Mac software launching next month. Be on the lookout later for a client download that is compatible with your Apple Macintosh so you can get rid of those tedious parallels to run Windows on a Mac. As the release gets closer we’ll keep everyone posted on the launch date and new features to be expected.
The extreme action game of 7-Deuce is coming to UltimateBet in the next few weeks and they’re being brought in with a bang. These permanent tables will introduce a 7-2 side pot to throw a wrench into everyone’s poker strategy. They’ll be available in both low and high stakes so be ready to bluff your faces off.
July 3rd…. This can only mean 1 thing: The MAIN EVENT just kicked off.
That’s right, we have reached that precious day for every poker player when the biggest and most prestigious No limit Holdem event begins. This will be the 40th time the Main Event has taken place and of course things have changed a bit since 1970.
The World Series of Poker will hardly be replaced by another poker event. It has become such a tradition where the best players meet to test their skills and it is quite improbable for another Poker event to take over the WSOP.
So how many people will attend the main event? No idea, but probably a record could be set. This year we have seen Holdem events with amazing figures but one tourney that had a major deficit in attendance was the 50k H.O.R.S.E. Championship which was recently disputed.
What about UB and the Main Event? Well, we achieved to qualify over 170 players and the $10,000,000 promotion has caught the eye of more than one player. So if you are still in Vegas, look for UB staff and sign with them… who knows, if you win the main event you could end up $10,000,000 richer on top of the prizepool of the Main Event.
Also, if you are in Vegas be sure to be close to the Rio prior the Main Event begins.. it seems Mr. Phil Hellmuth is preparing to make use of his 11 Bracelets bragging rights so don’t be surprised if he crashes a car in to the lobby or lands on a Helicopter in the middle of the strip…
For everyone at the WSOP 2009 Main Event, good luck and hope to see you at the best poker tournament in the Caribbean…. ARUBA CLASSIC 2009.
The week so far has been a lot of planning and preparation for the WSOP main event. We’re gearing up for Phil’s big entrance to the main event, which will be nothing less than spectacular, I’ll promise you that. Just keep in mind that when the emperor enters Rome, everyone knows it and is waiting. That’s all I can really say.
On the web site and poker client, we are preparing for the June 21st 50-Package guaranteed event, which will add to the 115 players we’ve already qualified to the World Series of Poker. We actually have a player who is qualified a total of 4 times. FOUR TIMES! Leave some for the rest of us already. No really, congratulations to you.
After June 21st we’ll be switching our focus to the Aruba Poker Classic, the ultimate island poker tournament. We have already started qualifying players through STEPS but will be adding a ton of other qualifiers in the upcoming weeks. AND, we will be offering another $10M bonus to players for the continuation of the 10th Anniversary celebration. Stay tuned for details on that.
Additionally on the UB site, we have the Daily Highlights page up and running. This page is a quick snapshot of the best tournaments and promotions we have to offer that day. You can navigate up to a week in advance to schedule your busy poker schedule. This way, you don’t have to sift through the endless tourney schedule to figure out when the good events are happening.
Can you believe it? It’s June 12th already and over 20 bracelets awarded at WSOP 2009? Time really flies when you are playing poker and why wouldn’t it? It is one of the best forms of entertainment nowadays.
So, much to discuss… First of all congrats to Ms. Annie Duke who was already cashed over $50k at WSOP 2009 and we’re pretty sure we’ll see more of her. She was able to rank 8th at Event 18 (Omaha H/L $10k buy-in) which definitely proves what she is really made of after she won her WSOP Bracelet in a similar event some years ago.
The big subject these days is WSOP for sure, which is almost half way through. One of the events most people will have their eye on is the famous H.O.R.S.E $50k buy-in Championship which was won by Scotty Nguyen in 2008. But let’s get real. Poker is well known around the world because of the one and only MAIN EVENT, that’s right the biggest No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament on the face of the planet. With a $10,000 buy-in and expecting over 8,000 players registered, this tournament has become the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for all poker players around the world.
The main event kicks off July 3rd and UB wants you to join the best poker players in the world for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we make it easy to happen. Right now you could win your seat at this prestigious tournament with just $0.10…. no kidding… either by climbing the STEP ladder or playing our daily qualifiers with just a couple of mighty raises you can end up with Phil, Annie and the rest of team UB at the main event. Several options are available: the $530 buy-in satellite on Sundays, the $200+15 satellite on Wednesdays, STEP tourneys and of course, mark June 21st on your agenda because UB will be hosting a WSOP 50 Package Satellite!! The buy-in is $530, but you can also qualify through Step 7A or through the daily scheduled satellite for cash or points.
Prepare your suitcases, train hard, eat right and we’ll see you at the WSOP 2009 Main Event.
All the buzz is about WSOP, and for good reason. We have more players at WSOP this year than any other year. The UltimateBet swag-bags are ready for you to pick up in the Phil Hellmuth suite at the Bellagio, so make sure you stop by in between playing poker, chilling at the pool, and eating at the AAA 5-diamond restaurants. The first player has already registered for the $10M bonus promo and is proud to wear our sweet 10th Anniversary gear. The tables at the Rio are going to be full of yellow and black this year.
In other marketing news, we are adding a ‘Daily Specials’ page to the UB site that helps players sort through the packed list of games and tourneys available through the software client, and find the short list of the best events we are offering for that particular day. This page allows you to browse through the upcoming days of the week as well to help you plan your schedule and find the best of what’s available for any given day. Be on the lookout for this feature in the Promotions section of the site.
Tournament Leaderboards have had a power surge and are getting more action than ever. We’re now offering over $1,000,000 in prizes and added $80K to the MTT Yearly leaderboard alone. We are giving players money for doing what they do best, play poker. Find out more info here.
Can you believe that there’s only 5 days before WSOP 2009 begins? Amazing how time flies when you play poker 24/7, isn’t?
This also means we are on the middle of the year and it has been a good year for poker.
The second part of 2009 will be very exciting with events such as the WSOP 2009 Main event which begins 2009 and we are expecting to see a final table with 9 Ultimate Bet players. Remember that making it to the final table means hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional prizes for those wearing Ultimate Bet gear. A fantastic and breathtaking $10,000,000 prize will be awarded to the Ultimate Bet player who has the skills to win the main event. So, check the tourney schedule to find ways to qualify through Steps, the $530 satellite on Sundays, the $215 satellite on Wednesdays and the brand new WSOP 50-Package Guaranteed event on June 21st to qualify for the biggest and most popular No limit Holdem event on the planet.
Furthermore, the second half of 2009 will offer the WSOP Europe and of course our own Aruba Poker Classic that has become one of the most exciting tourneys due to its fantastic location and high level of poker offered. Go to the Steps tab and you will see Step 10 – Aruba which pays not 1, but 2 Aruba Classic packages worth $8,500 each.
Tuesday is our last round of the Beat the Brat promotion, be sure to check the satellites running throughout the day that qualify you to this $30+3 buy-in exclusive Ultimate Bet tourney where you will be able to play with the one and only Phil Hellmuth. The player that is able to knock him out wins a seat to the WSOP 50-Package Satellite June 21st worth $530. Last week’s tourney saw prize pools as big as $13,000 so be sure to catch some of this on the final Beat the Brat tourney on Tuesday.
Stay tuned and keep checking http://www.ultimatebet.com/poker-promotion for the most exciting poker promotions on the net.
It’s been a great week for the creative group. Somewhat chaotic, but it’s coming up on WSOP season, so of course there’s a lot to do. It comes with the territory of being an online poker community for 10 years. We’re planning some killer events for the WSOP to celebrate Phil’s 20th anniversary from his first bracelet and a 10th Anniversary party at the Aruba Poker Classic. It’s gonna be awesome.
To whet your appetite for what’s in store for the next few months, we’re about to add new table skins, one of which is pictured below. Get ready to feel like an emperor while you play at UltimateBet. Still not sure how to qualify for the Series? Our 50-Package giveaway is set for June 21st with a buy-in of $500+30 or through low buy-in qualifier or STEP 7a.
One of our team members is meeting up with Scott Ian this week while he’s in LA. Which reminded me that he is going on tour starting June 13th and gets back just in time for day 1d of the WSOP main event. Ahhh, the rock-star life. We love our pros and as a tribute (not like a bad tribute cover band), we are revamping the pro pages on the Web site and adding a new face or two, so keep visiting the UltimateBet blog for more info.
