Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - Mia
They say third time’s a charm, hopefully for me, second time around will suffice! I think this time I’ll stick to less controversial subjects on my blog…
My name, as you may have noticed is Mia, yours truly a VIP Host and UB Auction assistant! This blog project is very exciting for all of us at UB and it’s a way for you guys to get to know the hosts and our projects a bit more. I bet you guys have already spoken or chatted with most of the hosts and you probably even have your favorite one; but I am here to offer you the inside scoop on each one of them!
This week we’ll start with Cristina, one of the most experienced and well known hosts. I work very close to her cause she is in charge of the UB Auctions and the Store. As many of you may know, Cristina is a lovely and dedicated host. Usually she is very happy and cheerful, but when she gets upset you don’t want to be around!
Cristina has set the VIP Hosts standards extremely high cause she really demands excellence from us as hosts as from agents on other departments. Her first concern is the customer’s well being and she constantly strives to make sure this is paramount for all of us here. Cristina was also the lucky VIP Host that went to the Aruba Classic this year to attend our Icon players. She helped out in the VIP Booth and lounge and also worked a bunch on the UB Store at Aruba. She says she had a blast and made lasting friendships with many of our customers.
But I bet all of you are waiting for the juicy details about her! Well, here we go: Cristina loves sweets and food in general to be exact… She also gives the best massages in the world so I always try to bring her cookies (FYI: my passion is cooking!) to get her to give me a massage! I think it’s a fair exchange and I think she does too! She is always ready to party and her laugh can be heard for miles away.
Well, now you know a bit more about Cristina and I think there is almost no need to say this, but she is here to help you guys anytime! Keep tuned to my next blog to see who the lucky winner is that I’ll blog on; or if you want to know more about a specific host let me know and I’ll talk the talk…
Tags: aruba classic, Loyalty Program, Rai$e Loyalty Club, Rai$e VIP Team, UB Auctions, UB Store, VIP, VIP Booth, vip host
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Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - ProductMan
Yes, it’s that time of year again. The calendar clearly reads January, but I know it’s going to take me at least a month before I can successfully write a check that acknowledges that it is actually 2009.
I’m not afraid of change or the future for that matter, but I’ve grown fond of (or at least accustomed to) 2008 and all her glory. Since it is too early for nostalgia, I guess I’ll get back to the equivalent of business. Yes, these are the days where I get to kick my Christmas tree to the curb and unravel that intricate web of holiday lights. Attention shopkeepers: I’m about to return a lot of unwanted gifts this week. Also, I need some new pants to accommodate my new waistline courtesy of that once-coveted festive cheer, or maybe just some time and a gym membership.
Those New Year’s Eve champagne stains I neglected to clean up are probably going to be a permanent fixture on my carpets, but at least they’ll remind me of the brilliant year that was, especially at UltimateBet. We rolled out exciting changes last year and we’re glad you could be a part of them. Here are a few highlights:
• Tour Of Duty Challenge: More than a few good men joined the UB army and fought hard during vigorous tours that transformed our poker tables into the ultimate battlefield. With chips in your arsenal you struggled for honor, victory, and the glory of a piece of $260,000.
• RAI$E: We reinvented the wheel with the ultimate poker rewards program that grows with you. The more you play, the more you earn. With free cash, tourneys, auctions, and shopping, and countless exclusive benefits, other poker rooms are going to need a ladder to even think about competing.
• Ultimate Leaderboards: Our new leaderboard makes it easier to get the recognition you deserve. With the best and most straightforward system in the biz you can compete and follow your favorites. Cash in just by hitting the tables!
• CEREUS: Things instantly got serious when we joined the CEREUS poker network. With more players, bigger tournaments, heftier jackpots, new software, and loads of new features, the action is better than ever.
Thanks for helping make our poker room a massive success. The best is yet to come in 2009!
Happy New Year!
Tags: 2009, Cereus, new years, Rai$e Loyalty Club, Rai$e VIP Team, raise, tour of duty challenge, ub army, Ultimate Leaderboards
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Saturday, December 27, 2008 - Scorpian126
A poker story…
When I was 20 years old I started playing Poker because of my father’s influence, I used to watch him play and that is how my interest for Poker began. My dad used to be a good card player. I used to work in a Plant for 5 years and one day when Christmas came I saw my father play and I thought “I am going to play poker, I need some extra money”. I learned on this game that when you can afford to save money, that is playing poker. In poker you are waiting for decent cards to play, a good advice is to be patient and wait for some players to step out and then you play your hand.
That night I started playing Poker and I never asked my dad how to play, we never talked about me playing, and I just sat there and the first hand I played was AQ suited and I was playing Limit, which is my favorite game, I had $200 invested and I made a nut flush but a buddy of mine was playing as well… I bet, and he raises me, and I thought “I’m sure he has a Full House!” and he ended up winning the hand! So I am sitting there with $70 and I am waiting for good cards to come to me and the end of the night I got my $200 back plus $50!
The day after that my father asked me if I wanted to go again with them. They used to play on Friday and Saturday night. We played from 6-12mn, and that was the closing time for this place where we were located and the Poker game had to stop, so at that moment I won $500 more and I just enjoyed it so much and I was doing just fine, so, in 2 months I paid everything I owed and I bought a really nice car. A month later a quit my job and started playing from 5-6 nights a week.
Later on I had some personal situations I needed to deal with first and I stopped playing Poker for quite some time, maybe a year. After a while I began playing again and the first hand was a KJ suited, 3 other people were in and I folded. Why? Well, another player raised the maximum and he was a good player (or so I noticed during the time we were sitting at the table), but guess what? I folded. A friend of mine asked me: “Why did you not play with that hand?” And I said: “I don’t know this people but I can tell he is a good player and it’s better if you start knowing your opponents and taking mental notes on them. At the end I would have never won the hand, the winner had 3 Kings, so my “feeling” did not betray me and I ended up winning $100, so it was ok.
After some time, I moved to online poker, I wanted to see what they had to offer, so I began playing online on Poker Stars and I only invested like $300, then a buddy of mine told me about UB on 2005, and told me that this site was very good so I started playing here, and I could definitely confirm that this is not only a good poker site, it is the best one for me in the Poker Industry. I met many good players back then and I realized that placing notes on the players is very important at the moment you sit at a table with them, just like on live events, but with technical tools.
Then RAI$E was launched, I enjoyed it very much and still do, even when I was already happy by playing here. One of the things I like the most about the new Loyalty Program are the UB Auctions. I am currently one of the highest bidders there and I love the competition by bidding away and one of the best things I have done by using the UB Auctions is that I got all my family Christmas presents! They were so happy about it and I certainly was I as well, come on! Using your Ultimate Points at the UB Auctions is the best way to go! RAI$E also came with the VIP Service that has always been very good and helpful with any needs I may have. I have my own personal VIP Host, and I can say that things have been easier since I tried this new benefit. I definitely love and recommend to play at UB to all players, this is where the real deal is at! They care…
Tags: poker players, Rai$e Loyalty Club, Rai$e VIP Team
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Wednesday, December 24, 2008 - Sydney
As a VIP host on daily basis you have the opportunity to be in contact with some of the best online poker players in the entire net. Every now and then some have enough time to speak about poker, all the hoops and loops about it, and make you feel as if you’ve been soaked on poker techniques and lingo to the point in which you feel that digesting so much information is close to impossible. I am a poker player and enjoy the game tremendously and to be able to have such an experience is just amazing and unlike no other.
One day I had the chance to speak to a very nice lady via phone line. I was amazed to find out she is an outstanding poker player and found it as an inspiration. I just couldn’t let go the chance to ask her about her experience in the poker world as a woman, not only online but in the real live games. I ought to admit it is quite intimidating for someone as myself to walk into a casino, head for my place in the poker table and come to realize the only girl in the tournament is me, after I said this her words resembled those of The Duchess – “Poker is one of the few sports where a woman can compete on a totally equal footing with a man”. Not long after our conversation was over.
All through the night I felt intrigued, thrilled and excited. I wanted to get out of the office right away and head back to the poker table, take my seat and pay more attention to my opponents for a moment set aside all the odds and just see all the psychology involved in every aspect of poker, look in more detail to those little things most of us poker amateurs pass by.
As days went by the same question was asked to any VIP who would lend me a small portion of their precious time. I analyzed their answers and tried to understand why gender for some people plays a potential role, in the game technique of a poker player, and even sometimes in the outcome of the game. The opinion of everyone varied, one player told me –“When I have to face a woman on a live game I feel intimidated, as if I am being dissected and every blink, twitch and drop of sweat are studied and analyzed” meanwhile another stated –“I feel nothing, I think women shouldn’t feel intimidated to play against us men. In a poker table we’re all the same and that makes no difference”.
After exposing myself to all sorts of opinions I decided to do some online research and read about whom I like to call The Queens of Poker. Find out about their rankings, earnings and personal experiences before and after every event they played in. I came across names like Barbara Enright (who is the first women in the Poker Hall of Fame), Jennifer Tilly, Cyndy Violette, Jennifer Harman, Tiffany Michelle, Nani Dollison and my personal favorite Annie Duke. It was so reassuring and encouraging to find out that most of them got very nervous and shaky before a game and how they managed to get a hold of their nerves on the poker table and overcome several of the best players all around the world and even reaching the top and proudly be called some of the best poker players which have ever been around.
Enjoying a sense of encouragement after reading for hours and listening to many opinions for days I reached the conclusion that it makes a difference only if you want it to. It comes down to your personal opinion of yourself, your game and how confident you are. To all those girls and boys out there who want to give a shot at poker, I’d say do it! It is exciting and an opportunity not to only meet amazing people but to learn more about one another as human beings and how things in our minds work.
Tags: Rai$e Loyalty Club, Rai$e VIP Team, VIP
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Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - Luciana
I would like to kick off by saluting all of you shoppers out there! Even though I’m quite sure that I must have shared some words with a couple of you regarding your order inquiries, let me introduce myself. My name is Luciana and I’m one of the agents in charge of the Ultimate Point Store. I have been working at the Store Department for some time now and I must say it has been quite an experience!
First, it was a little bit crazy: I had to learn all the chores and procedures in a fast, and most importantly, efficient manner. There was no time to stop and think about it, nooo way: it was basically learning while doing since there are always lots of e-mails that need to be responded and customers anxious on receiving their newly acquired possessions. Well, what can I say? I just started absorbing all the information that I could like a sponge, and it was just a matter of time before I found myself being able to help all of you guys on resolving any issues you might have regarding your orders; and let me tell you one thing… there is absolutely nothing as gratifying as receiving an email from a customer stating that he has received his package and that he is happy and enjoying it. That makes it all worthwhile.
Sometimes, I must admit, it has been hard since, as customer service agents, we will always strive to do the best we can to try to help you all; however, we sometimes find ourselves with our hands tied… and that’s the worst feeling ever! Nonetheless, there’s nothing to worry about, you can rest assured that there will always be someone here fighting in all possible ways in order to ensure that your package reaches its destination…sooner or sooner, because, yeap, there’s no later accepted here!
I have also learned a lot more about the Poker culture and the importance and value that all of you, our loyal customers, give to our exclusive branded merchandise. I have learned how wearing an Ultimate Bet T-shirt not only says to the world “I play with them”, but it is also a sign of belonging to a big family. Not only that, but wearing this merchandise will confirm you in front of everybody else -in any part of the world- as a person that not only believes in us as a company, but most importantly believes in himself, and in the way that Poker can get to be everything you want and more if you find yourself in a place like the one we have to offer, which is simply the best.
Tags: Rai$e Loyalty Club, Rai$e VIP Team, VIP
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