Sunday, October 18, 2009 - Michaelbinger
Well it has been quite a few weeks. After a frustrating week or two of poker in London I flew from Amsterdam to Aruba on the 3rd. I knew immediately that I was in for a great week. I managed to convince my brother Nick to come out to Aruba for the first time so I had a partner in crime. Plus alot of good friends were going to be there. I really do have more and more fun every year in Aruba.
Day 1 Sun Oct 4: Nick and I rented a Catamaran sailboat (a Hobicat) and managed to capsize it only twice. It’s a bit of a pain to get them right side up in the middle of the ocean but well worth it for the fun and adventure. It was really a blast… we went sailing another 3 times during the week. We hung a few hours on the beach with some friends then headed back to the room to get ready for the opening party. Little did I know what an EPIC night we had in store. Things started off a bit tame (by which I mean a normal fun party), but about an hour or two into it people started getting rather drunk, and well… a massive epidemic of people getting thrown into the pool ensued. I must admit that myself, my brother Nick, and some other team UB pros were the main culprits behind this. We would spot someone in the crowd who we thought should be in the pool, and like savage hunters track them down and throw them in kicking and screaming (FYI they were fake screams… interesting fact: people love being thrown in pools! ). We were good though… we always gave our victim the opportunity to empty the pockets of cell phones and other stuff and give them to a friend before getting thrown in. Before long, it seemed like the entire party was in the pool. The award for toughest fighter goes to the newest UB team pro Joe Sebok… that kid is scrappy and strong… I think it took 4 of us to get him in the pool! But once he was in the pool, he came to see the wisdom of it all!
Day 2 Mon Oct 5: This was day 1A of the main event and we had the day off. A fun mostly lazy day on the beach interrupted only by going tubing. Four of us could go at a time on our own separate tubes and boat driver was on a mission to sling us around and knock us off. Quite exhilarating and fun. Dinner out in town at an awesome restaurant Madame Janette.
Day 3 Tues Oct 6: Time to play poker! We started with 15k in chips and as usual with tournaments run by Matt Savage the blind structure was very good. I finished the day with 41k I think, a bit above average. Off to bed early.
Day 4 Wed Oct 7: Nick and I woke up early to go for a swim in the ocean and then sailing before the noon day 2 restart. The winds were fairly strong and the skies ominous. We got pretty far from shore and decided that a fun way to practice sailing would be for one of us to jump out of the boat and have the other tack back to “rescue”. I was the first overboard and my brother decided to sail past me a few times just for fun before picking me up. Next it was Nick’s turn: he jumps overboard, and almost immediately the winds pick up. I am doing my best to control the small boat, which is going faster than ever. Before I even know what’s going on the front of the boat is plowing into the water and I am at 45 degrees… very close to flipping but I managed to lean back and counterbalance. I turn around and tack back towards Nick just as it starts pouring rain and lightning and thundering. It is getting a bit scary, but as an experienced seaman (this is my 2nd time sailing) I wasn’t fazed 
. I pick up Nick and we decide to head in… the only problem being that it is raining so hard we cannot see the shore. But a good sailor has an internal compass so we made it back safe and sound, in time to play some poker. Sadly the day didn’t go well for either of us. I built up to over 80k early on and was in strong position, but everything just fell apart and I busted in the evening… so I was stuck on a tropical island with tons of fun leisure/adventure activities and a bunch of cool people. Sigh.
Day 5 Thurs Oct 8: Horseback riding! Went with Nick, UB pro Liv Boeree, and Allie Prescott who sadly had to bail at the last minute do to illness. It was a blast, we got to gallup along the beach and mosey through the Aruban countryside. Great big group dinner.
Hung out in the pool for a while around midnight with a bunch of friends and UB pros. Went out to some clubs late night with Joe Reitman and ran into a bunch of great people. Walked home at 5am.
Day 6 Fri Oct 9: Another day of beach bumming and sailing. Good times. Then in the evening to Phil Hellmuth’s party in the penthouse suite. As usual, a great party. Lots of free flowing Dom Perignon, plus a performance by The Dan Band, who were awesome and funny. Oh yes and there was a rapping competition between Jeff Madsen and the Poker Rapper.
Day 7 Sat Oct 10: Lazy day shopping, getting lunch, then went out on the Waverunners. Had a blast once I figured out how to do 360’s. More beach bummery with the crew. Throwing around the nerf football and such. The closing party was that night, featuring another performance by The Dan Band, and another episode of debaucherous pool throwing and frolicking (see day 1).
Day 8 Sun Oct 11: Time to leave 
Until next year Aruba!
So now I’m back home in Vegas, playing some poker at the Bellagio and just catching up on life. Played the 10k HORSE event 2 days ago, which got only 19 players. Busted on day 2 yesterday. Probably playing the 10k PLO tomorrow… check me out on twitter for updates!
Best of Luck,
Michael Binger
Tags: Amsterdam, Aruba, Bellagio, Joe Reitman, Joe Sebok, Liv Boeree, London, Matt Savage, Michael Binger, Phil Hellmuth, Poker Poker Poker, Team UB, The Dan Band, Twitter, ub pros, Vegas
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Saturday, August 29, 2009 - Brandon Cantu
Prior to signing my sponsorship deal and joining an elite group of pros on Team UB, I had played some online poker. My play was quite irregular, consumed basically with Sunday tournaments and random cash games here and there. I have become known as a live player rather than an online one. However, since signing on with UltimateBet and post WSOP, I have really begun to dig into online poker and cash games much more.
At first, I was playing at my personal $5-$10 table on UB. I realized I wasn’t mentally prepared for it. I was coming off live play all summer at the WSOP. I had some less than stellar sessions, to say the least. I dug down, I refocused and began with some $2-$4 NL tables and started grinding; 5 tabling. What I found was that I was actually enjoying playing online for 10 hours a day. Not to mention, I was playing great. I was getting cards and I was winning. I moved back up to $5-$10 NL tables and still had success. This was about the time that I found some great heads up games. I have noticed since I started playing a ton on UB, heads up games have been the most profitable for me.
I have had some pretty decent online tournament results as well. In early August, I final tabled a UB $120.00 buy-in. I was just getting warmed up for the month and finished 5th for $2000. Things were progressing nicely. On August 16, I was playing the Sunday $500.00 buy-in with a $100k GTD. One particular hand in this tournament has gained notoriety within the Pocket Fives forums. This hand was actually a huge point of the tournament for me as well; a tournament that I went on to win for $36,000.00 and beat out PSMONEY heads up. The aforementioned “misclick” truly did take place and it gave me the energy I needed to close this one out. Lots of people like to say that I “run like god” and either get extremely lucky or blow up with terrible plays. For as many fortunate situations that have rolled my way, an even greater amount of detrimental rolls have come my way. Below, you will find the PocketFives discussion:
http://www.pocketfives.com/poker-forums/7/pretty-sick-misclick-on-ft-of-100k-by-brandoncantu-4586074
I’m watching the FT and this happens. They were playing each other pretty hard. I have no idea if it really was a misclick, there was a pretty good pause before the call.
Stage #1835606603 Tourney ID 4539058 Holdem Multi Normal Tournament No Limit 4,000 – 2009-08-16 21:13:14 (ET)
Table: 24 (Real Money) Seat #4 is the dealer
Seat 4 – WAMMERMOUTH (106,719 in chips)
Seat 5 – BRANDONCANTU (275,282 in chips)
Seat 6 – BLEWJOB (202,157 in chips)
Seat 7 – POCKETSET444 (104,229 in chips)
Seat 8 – PSMONEY (74,995 in chips)
Seat 9 – XWYWROTX (88,618 in chips)
WAMMERMOUTH – Ante 400
BRANDONCANTU – Ante 400
BLEWJOB – Ante 400
POCKETSET444 – Ante 400
PSMONEY – Ante 400
XWYWROTX – Ante 400
BRANDONCANTU – Posts small blind 2,000
BLEWJOB – Posts big blind 4,000
*** POCKET CARDS ***
POCKETSET444 – Folds
PSMONEY – Folds
XWYWROTX – Folds
WAMMERMOUTH – Folds
BRANDONCANTU – Raises 99,999 to 101,999
BLEWJOB – All-In(Raise) 197,757 to 201,757
BRANDONCANTU – Calls 99,758
*** FLOP *** [10d 8h 10s]
*** TURN *** [10d 8h 10s] [Ac]
*** RIVER *** [10d 8h 10s Ac] [10c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
BRANDONCANTU – Shows [Jd 8d] (Full house, tens full of eights)
BLEWJOB – Shows [Qh Kc] (Three of a kind, tens)
BRANDONCANTU Collects 405,914 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot(405,914)
Board [10d 8h 10s Ac 10c]
Seat 4: WAMMERMOUTH (dealer) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 5: BRANDONCANTU (small blind) won Total (405,914) HI:(405,914) with Full house, tens full of eights [Jd 8d - B:10s,B:10d,B:10c,B:8h,P:8d]
Seat 6: BLEWJOB (big blind) HI:lost with Three of a kind, tens [Qh Kc - B:10s,B:10d,B:10c,B:Ac,P:Kc] Seat 7: POCKETSET444 Folded on the POCKET CARDS Seat 8: PSMONEY Folded on the POCKET CARDS Seat 9: XWYWROTX Folded on the POCKET CARDS
The chat:
BRANDONCANTU: misclick
BLEWJOB: fml
<< Result for Hand 1835606603 >>
XWYWROTX: lol
BRANDONCANTU wins (405,914) with (Full house, tens full of eights).
XWYWROTX: misclick ftw
Player BLEWJOB has finished the tournament in # 6 place.
PSMONEY: jesus
BRANDONCANTU: OMG
WAMMERMOUTH: wow
BRANDONCANTU: whata misclick
XWYWROTX: haha
XWYWROTX: so sick
WAMMERMOUTH: obvious misclick but damn it worked well
<< Result for Hand 1835608931 >>
Two days after the $100k GTD win, I was playing a VIP 45 Seat tournament. I had a bounty on my head and I was about to make the VIP players earn it. I got off to a slow start as I wasn’t really picking up any hands. I was also playing some other cash games at the time. I then made some plays, doubled up and was moving. I got real focused real fast. I ended up finishing 4th which netted me $400.00. The final table had some really good players. I watched the remainder of the tournament and NIGHTMAREFIS ended up outlasting DONKINITUP, who each took home $1,200.00 and $800.00 respectfully. I must say, these VIP 45 Seat tournaments are a good time.
Mentally, the last few months being a member of Team UB, has improved my game. I feel so comfortable logging into the UltimateBet client, it continues to feel like a home game for me. I am so relaxed and focused. I have easily played the best online poker of my life since joining UltimateBet. I am going to keep working on my online game to improve even more but I cannot lose focus of my live playing goals for the remainder of 2009.
Good luck everyone with all the upcoming travels and tournaments. See you on the road. Look for me playing on UltimateBet.com at both my $5-$10 NL 6-handed and $5-$10 NLHU tables.
Brandon Cantu
Tags: Brandon Cantu, cash games, Online Poker, Team UB, ub, Ultimate Bet, VIP, WSOP
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Thursday, August 27, 2009 - UB Marketing
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.
Tags: Aruba Poker Classic, Marketing, mercedes aruba, mercedes qualifier, Team UB
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Friday, July 3, 2009 - UB Marketing
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.
Tags: Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Team UB, Ultimate Bet, world series of poker, WSOP
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Friday, June 12, 2009 - UB Marketing
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.
Tags: Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Team UB, Ultimate Bet, world series of poker, WSOP
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Sunday, June 7, 2009 - Scott Ian
The WSOP is here! Non-stop poker and partying for six weeks! Vegas is ripe with cash for the taking!!
And I’m on a plane from Paris to Madrid.
DAMN!!
Schedules can really be an asshole!!
Last year I played a whole bunch of events in June but had to leave town the day before the main event.
This year I am missing all of June and I get to Vegas in time to play day 1D of the main event. How’s this for a schedule: I play the Sonisphere Festival with Metallica in Hockenheim Germany on July 4th, drive to Frankfurt after the show. Fly Frankfurt – Dallas – Vegas on July 5th and should be checking into the Hard Rock around 6PM. I’ll head over to the Rio that night to buy-in for day 1D and then hopefully be able to sleep (jet-lag is an asshole too) and be 100% for the tourney. After I play days one and two I have to fly to Tulsa on July 9th for a show and then right back to Vegas the morning of the 10th for day 3. I’m sure you’re probably thinking, “Jesus Christ, that’s nuts, he’ll never make day 3” by now but I look at it as a sign that I am supposed to be there. Usually my schedule is so insane I have to miss a lot of stuff that I want to do in my life so the fact that it’s worked out that I can be there makes me feel good. It’s put a fire under my ass that I’m gonna ride to the final table. Oh yeah, I fly back to Europe on July 16!! The planets are in alignment!! Now I just need my hands to hold up.
I am currently in Europe on a promo tour for the new album, on a plane flying from Paris to Madrid.
I was just in London for two days and Paris for one doing interviews (29 so far) and the reaction to the record has been massive. Everyone is loving it. It feels really good to hear this kind of response after working so hard on Worship Music. I haven’t felt this kind of anticipation around a record release in forever.
I was in the studio in NYC up until two weeks ago and now the entire recording for the new Anthrax album Worship Music is finished. We were working non-stop, late night, early morning, 24/7 to make sure this record is going to be everything we’ve wanted it to be for the last two years. Dave Fortman (Slipknot, Mudvayne, Evanesence) started mixing and there are five songs finished so far; Earth On Hell, Bleed, New Noise, Burn The Past and Crawl. It’s sounding fucking great!!
Over the last week it’s been great to finally hear these songs with all the parts done. I can finally really feel what this album is about and it’s definitively Anthrax. There are so many little things on the record that bring me back to 1987 or 1993 and somehow it all works and sounds like 2009. All I can say is I’ve been listening to the mixes over and over and it’s so fucking cool and heavy and I can’t wait for all of you to hear this. OK, enough of me talking about myself, you my friends will make up your own minds!
I did get to take a break the other day and go see the Iron maiden movie Flight 666. The theater was packed and the atmosphere was more that of a concert than a movie.
The movie is amazing. The cameras follow the band on their World Slavery tour all around the globe with band, crew and all of their gear on the plane (Ed Force One!!) and Bruce flying it!! The movie looks and sounds great and the narrative is compelling. It’s really a great window into an amazing organization that we’ve been lucky enough to work with over the years (and hope to again!). If you’re a Maiden fan you have to see this. Actually, even if you’re not a fan of Maiden or Metal or even music you will like this. Maiden will
make you love them!!!
OK, I’m out. We’re starting our descent into Madrid.
I’ve been hitting the tables ($50 – $100 SnG’s) late night here in Europe. Maybe I’ll see you there. If not, I’ll see you in Vegas!!!
Cheers,
Scott
PS Good luck to Team UB this month. Take’em down to Chinatown!!!
Tags: Anthrax, Evanesence, Hard Rock, Iron Maiden, Mudvayne, Slipknot, Team UB, ub, Vegas, World Slavery Tour, WSOP
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Friday, February 13, 2009 - P0ker J0
Well happy Friday!!
T.G.I.F is all I can say. This week has flown by faster than any I can remember. BAM it’s Friday again and I have to say I’m looking forward to the weekend. Not because it is Valentine’s Day and I have delusional thoughts that my hubby might actually remember – and shower me with flowers and attention. Nope – I’m not bitter!! I’ll fill you in next week on the outcome!
So a relatively quiet week on the pro front. I think everyone is gearing up for the LA Poker Classic. I have a pretty full line up there including Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Tiffany Michelle, Hollywood Dave to name a few. There will be lots of yellow and black – hopefully at some final tables too! Go Team UB go!
What you will see very soon is an onslaught of pros playing in the new STEPS tournaments on UB. After much anticipation, they are launching on February 15th! With more chances to win more tournaments with smaller buy ins – why wouldn’t we see more pros??!! Enjoy them – Team UB will be sure to.
So I have some cryptic messages for you – all will become very clear soon enough! Promise! There is a HUGE promotion launching in the next week or so involving our very own guitar playing rock star Scott Ian. This will be something you will want to follow – trust me! I’m a Bon Jovi fanatic – but this promo has me ready to say “Have A Nice Day” Jon – I”m an Anthrax fan now!
Don’t forget to listen in to The Ultimate Poker Show on Rounders Radio this Sunday at 8:00 PM EST with the great P0ker H0 and Annie Duke. They have a special surprise guest!
Well that’s all she wrote this week. As you can see I’m not feeling hopeful about Valentine’s Day but at least i know P0ker H0 loves me. He actually named a sandwhich on his bar menu after me – the “P0ker J0 chicken sandwhich” at Players Sports Bar in Madison. I really need to head that way and sample it for myself one day!
Have a great week!
P0ker J0
Tags: Anthrax, Bon Jovi, LA Poker Classic, rounders radio, Scott Ian, STEPS, Team UB, Valentines Day
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Friday, January 9, 2009 - P0ker J0
Hello from the Pro Corner where things are never boring and always changing!
Well I’m excited to be a new part of this BLOG community. Check back here every Friday for updates on Team UB – you could learn all kinds of cool stuff. What is Phil Hellmuth’s favorite breakfast food? How many times a week does Annie Duke do yoga? Where is Michael Binger playing this week? When does Scott Ian start recording his new album? Come back often – P0ker J0 has the scoop for you!
So this is a big week on UB. UBOC is about to kick off tonight and Team UB is in a frenzy. Watching these guys get ready for action is like watching a school of piranha ready to feast. There is a pro hosting each one of the UBOC tournaments and since they won’t be playing with a bounty on their head for once it will be interesting to see how aggressive or tight these guys will play. You will see most of them at most of the tables regardless – I guess it’s easier to play when you don’t have everyone gunning for you! Come check out the UBOC and see the pro’s make waves!
In addition to the UBOC event itself, Annie and Phil have actually agreed on something. (which rarely happens!). They have now joined forces on the UBOC poker leagues (http://www.ubpokerleagues.com/UBOCLeagues.html) and have made it known that they want to show the world that they are the real poker players! Come on guys – show them you can outplay them and join the league today!
Speaking of Annie and Phil – the second season of Best Damn Poker Show airs on Monday January 12th on Fox Sports Net. Check it out to see who really is the better poker teacher. Our very own Hollywood Dave will be the show’s host and will inevitably provide us with some witty and even possibly sarcastic banter! With better than ever hand analysis and of course inevitable bickering between Hellmuth and Duke – it is sure to be a great watch! Who do you want to win? Team Hellmuth or Team Duke?
And as I close this first BLOG – please don’t forget to check in on Rounders Radio every Sunday night (www.roundersradio.com) at 8:00 PM EST for The Ultimate Poker Show hosted by the infamous (or should we say famous?) P0ker H0. He is very often joined by Annie Duke as his sidekick; and when she is not around there is always someone around to fill her big shoes! (For the record – I’m not saying she has big feet!)
That’s all for now! Have a super week!
P0ker J0
Tags: Annie Duke, Best Damn Poker Show, Hollywood Dave, P0ker H0, p0ker j0, Phil Hellmuth, Poker Pros, pro corner, rounders radio, Team UB, ub pros, UBOC, uboc poker leagues, uboc tournaments
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