Friday, August 14, 2009 - ProductMan
During the political correctness craze of the 90s, many doctors abandoned the term “patient”, preferring to call a person seeking treatment a “client”. The word patient sort of implies that people are passive in the state of their health. As if they can only wait patiently for their doctor to conjure up some sort of medicinal magic before they can get better. Of course there are no patients in poker, only players. It wouldn’t really be a stretch to call UB players clients, but that would only cause confusion since we regularly refer to our software as our client.
Still, we are constantly assessing the health of our software and we’re taking an active approach by listening to poker pros and our customers to build the best possible poker experience. Lately we’ve been scouring the forums, soliciting feedback, and taking the pulse of these blogs to gauge our progress.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be rolling out some additional security features. We’re also going to clean up some of the animations to improve the game play. It’s going to be even easier to get to the table of your choice.
Now is your chance to be the doctor. Assist the poker community at large by figuring out what ails you at the tables. Give us your diagnosis. You can help us, and help yourself in the process, by giving us your feedback. Let us know what you love and hate. Tell us what features you’d like to see. Do you find something annoying? Are there things you can’t live without? You can always email us directly or blog away. Good or bad, we love hearing from you.
Tags: Product Features, Product Team, software updates, ub
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Friday, May 15, 2009 - ProductMan
The evolution of poker continues right here at UltimateBet. With nearly ten years under our belt, it sometimes seems like all the bases have already been covered. Tell that to our programmers, who have abandoned their beds and strapped themselves to their desks to help us roll out some exciting new features. Log on and test-drive our latest release. Here are a few of the changes you’ll find in this week’s update:
Ante Games:
Log on and discover the newest addition to our ultimate game selection. At our Ante Games every player at the table will be required to post an ante along with the two players that have to post the blinds. Join one of our ante games, watch the pot grow pre-flop, and enjoy even more action.
Final Table View:
We’ve redesigned the final table of our renowned Multi-Table Tournaments. You can experience our exciting new design this weekend, beginning with our 100K Guaranteed Tournament. The final table is the stuff of fantasies, and you’ll agree that it looks fantastic. The new look is unbelievable. We’re sure the blogosphere will be abuzz about our unique new look. Be one of the players to make the final table in the 100K and witness our new design firsthand.
Tournament Pop Up:
Who doesn’t love playing in our tournaments? Unfortunately, sometimes computers crash and people need to restart their machines. Players who multi-task sometimes accidentally close the main client during tournament play.
We have updated our client so that if you are playing in a tournament and the main client is closed on purpose or by accident, all you have to do is reopen the client. Players will no longer have to search for a tournament that they are playing in. Just load the main client and the tournaments in play will pop back up.
Tags: final table view, poker software, Product Features, Product Team, Software Update, tournament pop up
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Friday, April 3, 2009 - ProductMan
April Fool’s Day isn’t what it used to be. I’m not sure if I’m just more paranoid as a full-blown adult or if potential pranksters have simply scaled back their craft in these lean economic times, but this year passed entirely without incident. I probably wouldn’t have fallen for the once-classic plastic wrap on the toilet seat fiasco, although crazy glue shenanigans still get me every time. Even though there’s another 363 until the next practical joker’s paradise strikes, it is always a good call to stand on guard against threats and hoaxes, especially online.
At UltimateBet, we never bluff when it comes to safety and security.
Whether you have thousands of dollars in your account or a few small cents, your security is our top priority. It is always worth having to deal with safeguards when there is money at stake.
Unscrupulous characters can’t compete with what we have in store. Our 256-bit encryption algorithm is designed to foil hackers and keep your info safe from harm. You can rely on the same level of protection that you’d find when using online banking at the world’s leading financial institutions.
We always keep your personal information strictly confidential.
All your details always stay under wraps thanks to our highly secure database and stringent privacy policy.
From banking and data security to gaming security, we’ve got you completely covered, but we aren’t about to get smug. Our Security Team constantly reviews our safety measures and new developments are already in the works. You can watch this space for news about our new enhanced security features, which we will be rolling out over the coming months.
As always, we welcome your feedback. Post your feedback and thoughts about security right into the blog. Good security is truly a team effort and we want you to take part.
Tags: enhanced security features, Product Features, Product Team, Security
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Friday, March 27, 2009 - ProductMan
Change is still on the menu, but you won’t find me rattling on about some meaningless political slogan that will soon only be found on faded bumper stickers. Spring is officially in the air and the only change I have in mind involves trading in my skis for a set of golf clubs and my trademark winter hat for an umbrella. Our software development team, on the other hand, has been working around the clock to deliver some exciting changes for our latest update. Log on to UltimateBet and you’ll find tons of new tweaks and features.
These are only a small handful of our latest changes:
Disable Avatars
If you like consistency and can do without distractions, you’ll appreciate the option of disabling avatars. Experience a cleaner look by visiting the option menu to customize your game.
Full Chip Rule for Tournaments
Our live tournaments are officially more realistic. We’ve made a few worthwhile changes that will bring the whole experience in line with the industry standard. We’ve scrapped cents from our tournaments, which means players will be allowed to bet in whole dollar increments only. Pots will also be split in whole dollar increments.
You’ll also probably notice that the dollar sign no longer appears at our tournament tables. When playing in tournaments, you aren’t gambling with dollars, but with tournament chips. Our update recognizes this fact.
Registered in Tournaments Feature
It’s now easier to find the tournaments you are registered in. We’ve streamlined the way we display your tournaments so that you won’t find yourself bombarded with unwanted and out of date information.
Just visit the “Registered In Tournaments” option from the “Tournaments” drop-down menu in the lobby and you’ll see which tourneys you are registered in.
You’ll notice lots of other new changes when you sign on. You can also expect tons of new enhancements over the coming weeks and you can help us tailor them to meet your needs.
Don’t forget that we always love hearing from you. Whatever you’ve got, dish it out right into the blogosphere! Just click on the comments link below and fill up the suggestion box up with your thoughts. Tell us and the world right now.
Tags: avatars, Product Features, Product Team, software updates
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Friday, March 13, 2009 - ProductMan
It might not be spring yet, but things are already starting to bloom in these parts. It’s no secret that UltimateBet has been full-on flourishing ever since we joined the CEREUS family only a few short months ago. We’re stoked that we’ve been able to welcome new players, offer more tournaments, and deliver massive Bad Beat Jackpots to UB players and the entire CEREUS family.
Last week one particular family from Houston, Texas got some stellar news when one of their members’ bad luck instantly turned good at a Bad Beat Jackpot table. On March 3rd, CEREUS player Z8ELDRED hit our $212,546.02 Bad Beat Jackpot and bagged $69,207.23. Our Bad Beat Jackpot tables are designed to reward losers who get defeated while holding four 8s or anything better. All it took was a King-high Straight Flush to beat Z8ELDRED’s Jack-high Straight Flush.
Everyone can obviously use an immediate influx of cash. With a baby on the way, Z8ELDRED’s wallet isn’t the only thing growing. If you believe the papers, you never really know what’s going to happen next on the economic front or otherwise, and you don’t need to be the “octomom “to comprehend the joy and expenses that babies can bring.
What’s even better is that this wasn’t even Z8ELDRED’s first massive win. Less than three months ago, on December 28, 2008, the software engineer from Houston, Texas earned $44,600 after finishing first in another CEREUS Texas Hold’em tournament. Lady luck can strike whenever she feels like it and apparently more than once.
Remember, our jackpot is always ballooning and our Bad Beat Jackpot tables are only a few clicks away. Just load your UB software and visit the lobby. Be on the lookout for our Texas Hold’Em tables listed in red text with the word “Jackpot” or “Turbo JP” written in brackets after the table name.
You can discover all the details and learn how easy it is to qualify at the following link:
http://www.ultimatebet.com/poker-promotion/bad-beat-jackpot
Don’t forget that we always like hearing your Bad Beat tales. Feel free to post your experiences directly into the comments section of the blog. If you really play your cards “wrong,” you might find yourself featured in a Bad Beat blog of your own.
Tags: Bad Beat Jackpot, Product Features, product updates
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Friday, March 6, 2009 - ProductMan
Everyone loves a good debate. Whether it’s the battle of the spoon vs. the fork, ale vs. lager, or The Beatles vs. The Stones, who can resist getting wrapped up in a heated war of words and pulling out all the stops for their favorite? When the argument starts, it seems like everybody not only has an opinion, but contends to be some sort of authority. I guess there’s nothing wrong with a little loyalty and passion.
There’s certainly no shortage of heated debates in poker. We all love quarreling over strategy, recounting old hands, and offering expert opinions on endless what-if situations, but there is another argument unfolding on the felt and it is really just a matter of personal preference. Which do you prefer, Texas Hold’em or Omaha? Even though Texas Hold’em deserves its legendary status and top billing on TV and at major events, I’ve always found Omaha to be more refined, almost like the natural evolution of poker. Where do you like stacking your chips?
Some players like to stay in their comfort zone. If you haven’t yet taken advantage of our Omaha tables, you can access them in the lobby. Just click on the “Omaha” tab located under the “Games” tab or browse through our scheduled and sit and go Omaha tournaments. You can choose from Omaha High and Omaha Hi-Lo. Learn the ropes at our free tables or find a game at all stakes.
Let us know what you think of all our games. How do you like our offerings? What in particular do you like about them? Which games do you prefer? What do you want the future of poker to hold?
Let your voice be heard by voting in the poll below, and/or posting your opinions right into the blog. You have the power to help shape our games. This would be the time to take a stand, or at least let the world know where you like to sit!
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Tags: omaha, online poll, Poker Strategy, Product Features, Product Team, texas holdem
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Friday, February 6, 2009 - ProductMan
Thanks to the rise of CEREUS our Bad Beat Jackpots are bigger than ever. Who can resist the prospect of everyone winning, especially the loser? Log on and watch the riches roll when you suffer a Bad Beat, by losing a hand holding four eights (8888) or better.
Naturally, there’s been some confusion about exactly how The Ultimate Bad Beat Jackpot is doled out, but the payout structure is now easier to understand.
When the Bad Beat Jackpot gets hit:
* 25% rolls over to the next Bad Beat Jackpot
* 10% goes to the house
* Of the remaining 65%:
* 50% goes to the Bad Beat victim
* 25% goes to the winner of the hand
* $1000 goes to every other player at the Bad Beat table
* The rest is divided among everyone playing the same game type and stakes when the Bad Beat takes place, provided they meet our qualification requirements.
You can see complete terms and conditions, including details on how to qualify, at the following link:
http://www.ultimatebet.com/poker-promotion/bad-beat-jackpot
Good luck (or bad luck, if you prefer) at the tables!
Tags: Bad Beat Jackpot, badbeat payout structure, payout structure, Product Features, product updates
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Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - ProductMan
One of the things I love most about online poker is that you can play by your own rules. I’m not going to pretend that you can magically transform a pair of twos into a lucrative royal flush, but there are major advantages online that even the most opulent spot on the Vegas Strip can’t compete with. Who doesn’t love playing six hands at once, all while catching up on your email, watching random video clips, and blasting the hottest tracks without wearing any pants?
You might have noticed that we altered the UltimateBet soundtrack when we joined the CEREUS network. Although many players drown out the sounds when they hit the tables, our sounds help keep players up to speed. I always thought silence was supposed to be golden, but apparently some players miss the old effects.
We have some changes in store, but we need your feedback. What would you like us to do about the sounds?
• Would you like us to restore the sounds from the old UltimateBet?
• How would you feel if we created a whole new soundtrack filled with more sound effects that are both sweet and soothing? Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but what if the sounds were fun and functional?
• Perhaps you couldn’t care less and usually mute the UltimateBet soundtrack and bellow your own tunes.
Whatever your perspective is, we want to hear it! We always welcome your input. Feel free to contact support or post your feedback directly into the comments section of this blog. Our music isn’t going to snag any Grammy nominations, but we hope you’ll still chime in with your sound thoughts.
Tags: Cereus, customer input, Online Poker, poker soundtrack, Product Features, software features, software updates
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Friday, January 23, 2009 - ProductMan
Everything is good in moderation, or so the old adage goes. Of course, what passes for moderation is not only debatable, but varies from person to person and certainly depends on the act in question.
We’ve all heard the horror stories of the seemingly successful family man who once had it all, only to lose his house, job, wife, and kids to the perils of the bottle or the allure of lady luck. Such stories, although typically true, seem so dramatic that it is hard to take them seriously. How many times have you thought that this kind of thing could never happen to you? The average person thinks they have total control, or that they can catch themselves if they ever happen to slip up. While most people do play responsibly, there are some players who can’t control their desire to gamble.
At UltimateBet, we take responsible gaming very seriously. We do our best to work with players who develop problems. The entire UltimateBet Team is committed to responsible gaming practices and providing resources and discreet support to players who feel that their gaming is becoming a problem.
A lot of people incorrectly assume that gaming problems are all about money. Like all addictive behavior, the symptoms are diverse.
Have you ever:
* unsuccessfully attempted to reduce your gaming habits?
* spent more money on gaming than you originally intended?
* argued about gaming with family and friends?
* lost, then had the urge to return as soon as possible to win back your losses?
* felt guilty about gaming or had a severe mood swings?
* borrowed money to gamble and had difficulty with repaying?
* considered obtaining money illegally for gaming?
* sold personal belongings to obtain money for gaming?
* been absent from work or home due to gaming?
* risked or lost a relationship due to gaming?
We are dedicated to helping you take preventative measures if you’ve experienced any of these symptoms. We will gladly restrict you from our real money tables, either permanently or temporarily. Our players are also subject to deposit limits, which effectively act as a safety net.
UltimateBet also offers a wealth of responsible gaming resources, which you can access from our game client by selecting “Responsible Gaming” from the “Game Info” dropdown menu.
Please be sure to visit http://www.ultimatebet.com/responsible-gaming for tons of valuable information, including links to some of world’s best organizations. Even if you always stay calm, cool, and collected, you might know someone who needs a helping hand away from the tables.
Tags: Product Features, Product Team, responsible gaming, responsible gaming resources, Security
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Thursday, January 22, 2009 - ProductMan
Our engineers might not have the cure for the winter blues or whatever flu bug seems to be spreading like wildfire this week, but they definitely have the prescription for those recent snags in our software. Thanks in part to your valuable feedback, our diligent development team has ironed out a few of those annoying minor glitches. You can take advantage of the fixes outlined below by installing our latest software update.
Special Characters:
You might not be a special character, but if your name features special characters outside the bounds of the standard alphabet, you may have experienced difficulties registering your name correctly. Our servers will now accept names that include a space, hyphen, or apostrophe. If your surname is O’Brien, Zeta Jones, Parker-Bowles, or anything else for that matter, we’ve now got you covered. You shouldn’t have to give up your roots and change your name—and now you don’t have to.
Tournament Listings:
You might have noticed that information for some completed tournaments was displayed incorrectly. Despite being completed, some tournaments erroneously showed remaining players and active running times.
We are pleased to report that details for all completed tournaments are now up to date and will be accurately displayed in real time.
We’re dedicated to making sure our poker software is second to none. If you experience any issues or have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to let us know. Feel free to contact support or post your comments below. We always welcome your valuable feedback.
Tags: Product Features, product updates, software updates
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