Saturday, July 18, 2009 - Brandon Cantu
I attended UltimateBet.com’s 10th Anniversary Party at Studio 54 in the MGM. A group of us met up beforehand at a bar inside the MGM for a round of drinks before we rolled over to the party. As we got to 54, we ran into Annie Duke and Joe Reitman who showed up simultaneously. Before, we actually went inside, I shot PokerListings.com’s “Rail Rewind”, as I had the #4 rewind story, “The $50k H.O.R.S.E. Final Table Begins Today”.
UB’s party was a great time. Not only was I able to spend time with fellow UB pros, but I was able to meet some of the UB staff and put faces to names. Being there and reviewing my sponsorship decision, I am realizing I have found a good home in UB. I really feel like I am wanted, that everyone is working together, and that the future is bright. I do not feel like I could be shelved like other pros are with other sites.
The scene at the party: Hellmuth was lowered on a platform to open the night, naked body paint models in Roman theme, acrobatic dancers, live music performance, open bar, lots of pros, media and UB staff. Ultimate Bet put on a good show. It was a great way to kick off the start of the Main Event which began shortly after and to celebrate their milestone anniversary.
As it got later on into the night, I heard that some friends had tables at XS in the Encore. A group of us left the UB party, grabbed some cabs, and headed over for a little after-party. XS was amazing, as usual, and the good times continued.
As it got late, I decided to head out with a couple of people who were remaining. I had to be up to play in the morning and now is not the time to party until the sun comes up. I did, however, sit down for a few hands of black jack, which turned out to be quite profitable. Every once in a while it is nice to sit down and gamble a little bit, just release and forget about life for a bit.
- Brandon Cantu
Tags: Annie Duke, Encore, Joe Reitman, MGM, Studio 54, ub, XS
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Sunday, July 12, 2009 - HollywoodDave
Weeeeeellllll…..that’s it for me, peeps. 2 long months of grinding in the desert and here’s looking at some unavoidable final stats:
Played about 8 bracelet events, no cashes! Although on the positive side, i went sooooper deep in almost every event I played, bubblling several (including going out 94th when 90 paid the world’s largest 900+ person Omaha 8 or better event) so I am gonna take this as a sign that I am playing well. I never felt like I ‘accidentally’ went deep or had to suck out to make it…in fact, the story of almost every event for me was that I was practically a chip leader early, went cards dead for hours, managed to pick spots and leverage some hands to make it deep, then got horribly sucked out on in a key hand or 2 to cripple or eliminate me. So I actually get to walk away from the WSOP feeling good despite the less than stellar results!
As far as other events — made 13th in a Golden Nugget Stud 8 event…unfortunately the tourney was sooooo top heavy I only walked with $100 more than my buy in! I made up for it last week, however, going deep in a 400-person field at the Bellagio Cup to take 6th and $7k. And believe it or not I actually played a little blackjack this summer around town, picking up a few grand for my troubles along the way. Amazing — i’ve been playing so much poker, I almost forgot I still have a big edge in blackjack lol
One of the most exciting parts of my summer is my TV show ‘Grifting’ that I shot the pilot for, and as we speak am packing to go back to LA to finish shooting some pickups & do the voiceover for. The shoot went great — we put together a lot of footage of me playing a ton of different games (since the show is about me trying to beat a different game each episode). So for the pilot I ended up playing German skat at a real German community center, English draughts (basically checkers) in an authentic English pub, Magic: the Gathering at a comic book shop against some hardened little dudes (read: my brothers!), backgammon against a master of the game, & mah jongg and Go against some serious Asian grinders in a secret Koreatown club. Totally awesome!
I also got to have some fun this summer, especially last week at a few of the WSOP parties. Of course Ultimatebet threw an awesome event at the MGM’s Studio 54, complete with Hellmuth descending from a lier. I also went to Annie Duke’s private dinner at Lavo over at the Palazzo and got to spend some time with some good poker peeps. And along the way we worked in a pool party BBQ at my sis Erica Schoenberg’s place out in Henderson. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!
The other nite my hottie girlfriend MB and I went over to the Orleans to see Bill Maher perform, only to find Gus Hansen sitting right next to us. We had a good chat about backgammon before the show started…and it rocked. I’ve seen Bill perform before but he is definitely only getting better with time.
And with that, I gotta get back to the Left Coast for the weekend… rock on & good luck to my friends who are still fighting the good fight in the Main Event, I will be back to sweat you Day 6! Unfortunately SOME of us got locked out of Day 1D as they decided to shut down registration an hour before the event started for the day & then not allow any alternates. I’ve heard the arguments from Harrah’s perspective, but at the end of the day, the one rule should be this: no one should EVER be turned away from the Main Event. EVER. I understand several other bracelet events fill to capacity; that shouldn’t be an issue at the ME. I understand having so many more people on the last day creates an imbalance in the Day 2’s and creates challenges to playing down in 7 days; that still shouldn’t be an issue for the ME. If on Day 5 or 6 you realize you haven’t built in enough time, oh well. Adjust. Add a level to a day of play. Lord knows we’ve seen plenty of final tables go until the next morning after ridiculous heads-up matches this year (50k HORSE went until 10 am or so!). Let the people play. Make adjustments. NO ONE should ever be turned away from the ME. Period.
Alrighty then, rockstars, I’m out!
-hd.
Tags: Annie Duke, Bellagio, Bill Maher, Golden Nugget, Grifting, harrah's, Hollywood Dave, MGM, Phil Hellmuth, Poker Poker Poker, Studio 54, tv, ub, WSOP
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Monday, June 29, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
It’s a full house today at the Rio–actually it’s a too-full house. Because of the $1,500 No-Limit Hold-Em event that drew over 2,800 players there weren’t enough empty tables to re-start the $3,000 Triple Chance or $1,500 Stud/8 events on time. And those delays snowballed to the point where the Deuce-to-Seven event starting at 5pm was delayed about twenty minutes.
But better too many players than too few, yes? Among those at play today are Annie Duke, who’s had a slow start on Day 2 of the $1,500 Stud/8, and Phil Hellmuth and Liv Boeree, who are playing in the $1,500 NLHE tournament. Liv seems to be off to a blistering start–PokerNews has her sitting with 17,100, while Phil arrived late, chipped up to 7,000, and apparently left again. I saw him walking through the Amazon Room after break and it looked like he was returning to his seat, but now PokerNews is reporting that they lost him again, though whether he was just swallowed up by the crowd (hard to believe, knowing Phil) or eliminated from the event is still a mystery.
If Phil WAS eliminated, there’s at least one small consolation waiting at the end of the day–the UltimateBet party at Studio 54 at the MGM Grand. It starts at 9pm, ends around ???, and chances are the whole UB team (and lots of the folks who play at UB) will be there to enjoy the start of the WSOP party season. I wasn’t able to go to last year’s UltimateBet party as I had an (expletive deleted) final table to cover that lasted well past midnight, but I visited the UB suite the next day and, uh, it seemed like everyone there was feeling a little rough. Hopefully Annie and Liv will be very late arrivals to the party (because that means they played deep into the night), but I plan on arriving at a fashionable hour and enjoying a cocktail or two. Or three. Wonder if the bartenders will be briefed on the procedure for making a Debo…that’s my drink of choice when I’m in Aruba (those of you who’ve attended the Aruba Poker Classic know what I’m talking about) and it seems like it was translate well to Vegas. And of course with Phil there chances are there will be quite a bit of Dom Perignon on ice. But I think I’ll stick with a couple of Debos and some witty conversation. Maybe three Debos.
Tags: 2009 world series of poker, 2009 wsop, Annie Duke, Debo, Liv Boeree, Phil Hellmuth, Studio 54, UB Party, ultimatebet party, world series of poker, WSOP
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - David
Finally, everyone! This is the last call and it´s time for us all to grab our UB luggage and run to Vegas. Sin City won´t wait for any of us, so I´ve heard! The real action is about to begin and I am expecting to see all of you around.
I´m going to Vegas in a few days and all I can hear right now is a loudly ka-chin´ bouncing in my head. Fortunately, I had the chance to talk to some of you and share how thrilled we feel about all the cool stuff that is going on and about the whole WSOP 2009 experience.
I got to be totally honest here; I never realized how huge these kinds of events were until now! Everything makes sense, from singers to actors, everyone has something do to with Vegas these days, quite a way to be part of the flow…have you noticed all the poker related songs we have been hearing lately? How about the movies? Honestly…this is beyond my expectations! I confess myself a travelling-lover. I´ve always thought travelling and going around the world is the finest source of learning you can ask for. Nothing like catching that plane and fly directly where the fun is. This will be my first time in Vegas, but based on what I´ve heard…this will not be my last one.
Little Paris…little Venice…top clubs, best entertainment available in the world, the finest restaurants ever, hundreds of the most famous shows in history…all gather in one of the most luscious cities in the entire world! I think no one will ever decline such an invitation…
I mean it when I say this, it will be a pleasure to get to meet all our players, there is no doubt you guys represent our real foundations. We are planning to show the poker community what UNION stands for. We know we are backed up by the most loyal and skillful poker team…Ultimate Bet players will definitely shake that rug and brag about how strong our community is!
As you probably noticed from above, my name is David. I will be in Vegas this Sunday: ready for the action. I really hope we will have the best time ever this year. This year you can count on the VIP Team live in Vegas, so just get in touch with us and we will strive to do the best at our end. There´s no excuse to stay home…spotting the BEST poker and a top city in the same landmark it´s not as common as we all would like it to be. Thinking about the cultures? Food? People from all over the world? …how about the p-a-r-t-y? Don’t even get me started on that one!
UB is turning 10th years old this year…and this has to be a blast. I will also be around at our Main Party at Studio 54 and hopefully we will have the chance to have a few drinks and party like Vegas Rock-Stars.
Don’t waste more time thinking about going or not, just grab your cards and glasses and join the biggest action in Sin City. After all: What happens in Vegas…stays in Vegas!
PS: **UltimateBet will not be responsible for any accidentally consummated marriages during the WSOP 09´ season.**
Tags: Community, Paris, Sin City, Studio 54, travel, union, Venice
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Thursday, June 18, 2009 - Shawn Rice
I know the WSOP is well underway and I had to do a little business before heading out and I will be out there this weekend off and on til the main event. If at all possible please try and come by on June 29th , UB will be having a monster party at Studio 54 at the MGM. Let me tell you if you have not been before the UB party’s ROCK! Its great to see old friends and meet many of the players you play online with often. I just got a call from Gary “Debo34″ Debernardi and he invited me to a Stone Temple Pilots concert at the Palms on July 2nd, we seen them there last year with Scott Ian and Pearl Aday and a few other friends, It was a killer show and we all hung out at the bar after the show and tons of people wanted pics and autographs from Scott… he handles that stuff so well. I have seen my share of jerk who hate to be bothered when in public, Scott was way more than happy to take the pics and all. He is a very down to earth type of person who has a strong passion for the game we all love and has been kicking ass online. In fact he won the Sunday 200k a couple of months back. I won it in December and he had to go and show me up! I am super happy for him. If you go and read his blog he writes about being really sick that weekend and having to miss a family reunion.. It’s no fluke I know Scott well and his game is really solid. I can honestly say he is the most improved player I know over the past year or year and a half.
After the WSOP I plan on playing lots online and getting ready for Aruba. That’s always the best trip of the year, I am the type of guy who never really gets sick and when I do it’s really bad. I was really sick last year there for too many of the days there. I even missed Phil’s party in bed with the cold sweats and running a very high temperature. I can’t wait to make it all up and bring your camera as this will be filled with a lifetime full of memories. Last year Annie had to leave a lil early and head to New York to film the Celebrity Apprentice. I must admit I was addicted to the show, I loved them in years past and this last season was the best ever. I so hated the ending as it was given to one of Donald’s pals. Annie was so deserving and I am so sick about the results I know I can’t stomach to watch another season after feeling punked.
I have been pretty busy doing some private poker lessons and let me tell you. You better be on your toes with the questions I get. They are very very deep type questions. I think it’s a really smart thing to do to try and better your game. I’ve been playing lots of Pot Limit Omaha 8 or better live in Amarillo and I have learned a lot from the local guys here. Mostly from a player named Nathan Wiesner who sometimes comes over to the house to play online tourneys and lets me watch him and ask tons of questions. Last time I seen Annie I asked her a few questions that helped me tons in that game. I feel like my PLO game is very solid and has been for years as that’s the game I was first taught how to play about 20 years ago. It would seem that it’s not hard to adjust from one game to the other but on a higher level it’s played very different. I took forward to learning it as that’s where the money is at around here in the local games. West Texas has been famous for having good players over the years and let me tell you there are still many here. I just know it’s a matter of time before you will hear of them, they just need a little volume to get these great results, They are already kicking butt online and play live really well.
I have also been playing a lil golf on the par 3 course that was formally owned my Amarillo Slim with a lot of the guys I regularly play cards with. It’s great exercise and I even hit a hole in one about 6 weeks back, let me tell you it was all 100% luck. I know many good players who have never hit one including my dad who used to play 6 days a week and was close to a scratch golfer. I know better than play the bigger course as the last time I was out there I lose a lil over $10,000 to some guys from a surounding town. I played in a scramble and I was never any help to my partner. I am hoping to match up again so I have lots of incentive to better my golf game.
Come by and say hello at the WSOP and hope you can make the party in Vegas, If not win your seat to Aruba, It’s the time of your life. Hope to see many of you soon and if you have any poker questions, please write into to “Ask a pro” and we will try our best to get your game back on a winning course.
Proud UB Team Member
Shawn Rice
Tags: Annie Duke, Aruba, Celebrity Apprentice, Debo34, MGM, New York, Palms, Pearl Aday, Phil Hellmuth, Scott Ian, Stone Temple Pilots, Studio 54, ub, Vegas, WSOP
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - P0ker H0
As I reported in my last blog, round 1 of the WSOP was a great one, even though I didnt play 1 event. I was busy winning bracelets in BlackJack rather than Poker:) This time, would be different. Poker wise it was somewhat of a let down, as I went 0-3 in the 1500’s and 500 venetian, but the rest of the trip was Vegas as Vegas should be.
The first night I found myself really intoxicated in the SNG room, and bought into a 550 single table. Normally this wouldn’t be anything to talk about, but as the table filled up, I noticed a couple of faces that stood out. Grammy Winning Recording Artist Nelly was in 1 of the seats, while the owner of the Lakers, Jerry Buss was in another. Well as you know, when I’m drinking it’s my job to make sure people know who I am. Even Nelly and Jerry Buss. After singing and dancing to “It’s Hot in Her”, Nelly definitely knew who I was. And how bout Jerry Buss. Here the Lakers are playing game 4 of the NBA Finals, and he’s sitting with me playing a 550 single table satellite.
The Next day I would play the 1500 NL WSOP Event. Thing went great all day. I was up to 12k never seeing a river. About 5 hours in I would see a flop of 10 6 5, and have my opponent shove his entire 12k stack into a 900 chip pot. I held 1010 so I obviously called, and my opponent tabled 7 8 for an open ender. GG me. This kind of put me on tilt for a couple days and I really wasn’t into to much poker for the rest of the trip.
One thing I miss doing that I did this time, was going out to nice restraunts in Vegas. There are so many great places to eat that you can’t eat anywhere else. I tried NOVE which is an Italian restaraunt at the Palms. I highly recommend that. Also Cafe Mortarano in the RIO has the best Pasta Carbonara if you are into that.
I came home for a couple days once again, but I will be heading out again soon, and staying for the remainder of the summer. The UB Party is on the 29th at Studio54 and it will be a blast just like every other year. Best of luck to everyone this Series and see you out there.
P0ker H0
Tags: Jerry Buss, Lakers, NBA, Nelly, Poker Poker Poker, Rio, Studio 54, ub, UB Party, Vegas, WSOP
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - Debo34
The WSOP is past the halfway point, and at this point nothing too exciting has happened for me in Vegas. I have been working hard spreading my action all around Las Vegas hunting for values and tournaments I feel fit my game. So far I have only 2 cashes in 9 tournaments played. Both were small cashes in smaller buy in tournaments. I have spent a fair amount of time on side action as well. All in all I feel like I’m playing pretty well, and I am definitely working hard at it. Between live and online I have been playing about 80 hours a week in the 2 weeks I have been in Vegas.
I am heading home tomorrow to spend a week with the family and take them camping next weekend. This will be a much needed break from the current grind I have been on. Sometimes in poker and in life it seems like you are running uphill constantly. That has been my past several months in a nutshell. A ton of hours with very little positive results. This is one of those things that poker players deal with from time to time. I try to stay positive about things, and if needed take a step back from it like I will be doing this week. I will be heading back down to Vegas in a week to play a couple of more tournaments, go to the UB party and then gear up for the main event.
I am really excited about the main event as usual. I’ve talked about it in the past about how the main event fits my style perfectly. It has the greatest structure on the planet, and it got even better this year. In past years players started with 20k in chips and 2 hour levels. This year it’s 30k in chips and 2 hour levels. I have been able to make day 3 of the main event 3 out of the past 4 years simply by using patience and not putting many chips into a pot unless I’m certain I have the best hand. I know it sounds funny and boring but every year I see someone go broke on level 1 with one pair when he’s sitting 600 big blinds deep. There is really no reason for that in a tournament with this structure.
I hope to see some old faces and meet some new ones as well on June 29th. That is the night of the UB WSOP party. It will be at 9pm that night at studio 54 at the MGM. I’m sure it will be a blast as usual. Hope you can make it.
Good luck
Debo
Tags: MGM, Poker Poker Poker, Studio 54, ub, UB Party, Vegas, WSOP
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - Miss C
Hey All,
Boy doesn’t time fly here in Vegas? It has been a good week, a quiet week! (I don’t think I saw the sun come up this week:)) This is going to be quite somber compared to the last couple but nevertheless it is all still happening. The WSOP has seen 30+ tournaments been played and I hate to count how many others there are throughout Vegas.
The weather here in Vegas has been really bearable and not that over the top heat it normally has. It has been very overcast, but still warm. I think we are all waiting for the sky high temperatures to happen and like everything else in Vegas I expect it to happen over night. Since my home is Bellagio and I refuse to drive here (well I can’t drive here , but that is another story for another blog) I have been getting taxis everywhere. They have upped the price of cab fares and now a minimum fair would be $10. They are also doing road work all over the place. I have never seen as much construction in this town as I have seen on this trip. The county have a lot to answer for when they do road work on Flamingo and Tropicana at the same time, it makes no sense at all. Okay that is my vent for this week.
On the poker side though, Annie Duke did really well in Event 18 – Omaha HiLo 8 or Better 10K. Annie finished 8th out of 179 players and picked up $58049 for the trouble. UB’s latest addition – Liv Boeree made the money of Event 28 – No Limit Holdem and came 57th out of 2638, for her efforts she picked up $7237. Liv is coming to us off a great run at the Bellagio and WPT tournament here in Vegas in April. We welcome her to the team!
The party hype in Vegas is starting to show its head. The week leading up to the Main Event is generally the week when companies in the business throw a party. This is the time I need a social coordinator so I know where to go each night. It is not unusual to have to go to 3-4 parties in the same night. Agh the joys. Remember to put Monday, June 29th in your calendar as it is UB’s party at Studio 54 at the MGM. The party will start at 9pm and Phil will be giving away an Aruba Poker Classic package inclusive of a ticket for 2, to his VIP party to be held in the penthouse at the Radisson Aruba.
Okay till next week, hope the cards work for you.
Cheers,
Miss C
Tags: Annie Duke, Aruba Poker Classic, Bellagio, Liv Boeree, Main Event, MGM, Phil Hellmuth, Radisson Aruba, Studio 54, ub, Vegas, WPT, WSOP
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Friday, May 15, 2009 - P0ker J0
Well hello UB Land
Wow – I just have to start with Celebrity Apprentice. It’s all over the net how appalled most people are that Joan Rivers walked away with the title. NBC even has a poll on their website. Check this out - some of the comments made me giggle. Well I can tell you it was even more dramatic to watch it all pan out live! I was lucky enough to be in the audience of the finale and what an experience that was. It was cool to actually stand by and see all these players that I have been watching on TV over the last few months. Clint Black is way shorter in real life than I thought and Donald’s hair is even worse close up! Wow he and I could surely have a long conversation about hair if given the chance. Melissa seemed as out of control in person as on the show and Joan’s face moved less in person. All in all – a great experience with a lot of money raised for charity, but I won’t lie – I think the Donald made a big mistake!
So Mr. Hellmuth has decided to grace the Canadians with his presence eh? He is currently up in Canada playing in the Canadian Poker Tour event in Calgary. He even was awarded the White Hat in Calgary. So you may be asking white hat eh? Well it is not just any white hat, it is almost like getting the key to the city. So I guess they must think he’s a big deal eh? He is doing well in the heads up and we are cheering him on from the sidelines. Go Phil go!
Rumor has it that Players Sports Bar will be a buzz this weekend with some of our favourite UBers in attendance for the annual poker party. I’m sure we will hear all about it from the Wisconsin networks. I hope you all have fun and don’t forget to have a merlot for Jo!
So I guess the WSOP is upon us. There will be drama, there will be entrances and I’m sure there will be laughter. Mr. Hellmuth will be making his big entrance on July 5th and Ms. Duke just may have a funky entrance of her own. Stay tuned for details. The UB party is at Studio 54 on June 29th so make sure you drop by if you are in Vegas. I will share more details with you next week but UB will have a presence there and there will be opportunities to come and meet Team UB in person. Hope to see you there.
Well as I close off here – I reflect on a busy week and wish I was on a beach somewhere like my buddy Ryan. Nothing better than looking out your window (even if you are working) and watching the ocean. A girl can dream right??
Until next week……
P0ker J0 out!
Tags: Annie Duke, Celebrity Apprentice, Clint Black, Donald Trump, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Phil Hellmuth, Studio 54, ub, Vegas
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009 - Miss C
Hey All,
I need to let you all know there has been a slight change of plans since last weeks blog…the big news being that we will be having a “Phil Hellmuth” suite at Bellagio. This will be the one stop place where you pick up your swag, sign up for UltimateBet’s 10th Anniversary $10,000,000 promotion and go into the draw to win an Aruba Poker Classic Package. All you need to do is come to the front desk at Bellagio, find the house phone and ask to be put through to “Phil Hellmuth” and we will come down and get you.
The WSOP for UltimateBet in 2009 and will be all about you. We have secured great rates at the MGM Grand, to get these all you need to do is call is +702 891 1111 and say “UB“. You will get 15% off West Wing/Deluxe Standard/ Bungalow Suite/ Celebrity Spa Suite/ Hollywood Suite/ Glamour Suite. If you want something a little more comfortable the same will apply for the Signature by MGM for a Junior Suite or a 1 Bedroom Suite. We will have a shuttle service running from the MGM to the Bellagio and then from Bellagio to the Rio and then return. You wont be able to miss it, it will have Phil’s face on it.
As it is out 10th Anniversary and also 20 years since Phil won his first WSOP bracelet, we will be celebrating in style and we would love for you to join us. Keep the 29th of June free, we will be partying at Studio 54. You will be able get your invites from the Phil Hellmuth suite at Bellagio when you come and see us. Just before you enter the party you can sign up to go into a draw to win an Aruba Poker Classic package and entry into Phil’s VIP party in Aruba, this package will be given away at the party by Phil himself.
There is only 3 weeks till I get to Vegas and I can’t wait. I look forward to meeting you.
Good Luck and see you in Sin City.
Cheers,
Miss C
Tags: Aruba Poker Classic, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Phil Hellmuth, Rio, Studio 54, The Signature, ub, ultimatebet, Vegas, WSOP
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