Poker Discussion
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CarbonPoker · Full Tilt · Cake Poker · PokerStars · Ultimate Bet · Players Only · Bodog
So...I have been contacted by a bunch of friends and by a ton of people on several web forums in the last week regarding the nionio thing at UB. I want to thank everyone all for your comments and your passion on the topic.
First, I want to let you know why I didn’t respond initially. I am not conducting the investigation so didn’t really feel it was my place to comment. My role at UB is limited to revamping the tournament schedule and re-energizing the UB brand, a brand I am very emotionally invested in. Although several people have suggested otherwise, I do not have a direct line of contact with the senior management at UB on a day to day basis nor do they write my posts for me. I do all that myself. I do not have any direct information from management day in day out as to what is going on with the investigation into alleged cheating on the UB site.
I can say that before agreeing to take on a larger role at UB, I needed a high level of comfort with the way the investigation was being conducted. That it was being conducted in an upright and forthright manner that was thoughtful and thorough. I definitely sought those assurances from the management team at UB was thoroughly investigating this issue and working in a way to come to a quick resolution the issue of alleged cheating. After some super frank discussions, during which I have to say I was not kind and, in fact, rather blunt about my feelings on the issue, I came away satisfied with both the intent of the management team to deal honestly with the allegations, as well as with the integrity of the management team itself. That is coming from someone who was as skeptical as could be. As skeptical as you all might feel, trust me, I was more skeptical than that going into meeting this new team. But I have to say they are seriously guys who “get it.” Let’s all remember this management team inherited this investigation and I am satisfied with how they are approaching it. I have no reason to believe that management is not pursuing the investigation fully and completely.
That being said, I want to see the results of this investigation and UB’s final report as quickly as possible, and as quickly and badly as all of you do. I know that the management team is eager to make its findings public within the month, and I am hopeful that all the details will be released very soon, I have been told perhaps within two to three weeks. I fully expect that management will be true to its word and that we will see a full and accurate report on these serious allegations.
Until then, I will continue to promote the UB brand because it is a brand I believe in and love and am deeply emotionally invested in. I sincerely want thank you all for your comments on the schedule and I hope you will keep them coming. This is a group effort. Dialog is the only thing that will make all this better and better and give you the most kick ass schedule on the net! (At least that is my goal!).
Annie
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I will take it for what it truly is. BULLSHIT. They're paying you a ton to talk shit and that's exactly what you've done. If full tilt or pokerstars were doing this you would also be complaining with the rest of us but since it's UB and you WORK for them and make MONEY for them, it's all fine and dandy in your little deluded world. Fuck UB and fuck you too for support them. Take that for what you will.
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Numbskull 21 - Have to say that the name fits if you are really going to play UB more often.
The forthcoming "report" wont change my opinion that AP and or UB should be shut down or die from financial ruin. There are only two things they can say in this so called "closure". They will give an explanation, lots of facts facts, some massaging dreamed up by Spin Doctors, and all of it read and approved by expensive corporate lawyers.
1) Management knew and did nothing. Oh they wont say it this way, as that would create a liability and kill the cash cow. They might acknowledge that it is possible on their software for an outside player (Not security nor tech support et al) to play a tournament live and see all the hands in real time. I doubt you will see an explanation as to why this would be necessary,
(Pokerstars has explicity stated cant be done on their software in case you were wondering).
2) Management didnt know. Then they are incompetent. Since the owners chose the management, they cant be trusted to choose responsible people to care for yours, mine and the other persons hard earned money.
The only thing they can really could do here for credibility would be to have someone with a squeaky clean rep and high profile to manage the site (ala Baseball and George Mitchell) but odds are they have a bunch of their no name cronies running the show and investigation.....just more of the same old same old. Same crooks different names.
This is more Public Relations spin to try to sweep this whole thing under the rug so they can get back to the business take our money any way they can....and dont think they want it and will say anything to desperately get to it. The only power we have is to vote with our pocketbooks. So If you play there, and I really mean this....."Good Luck!"
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Annie, Thank you for finally addressing this. No you aren't conducting the investigation, but you are clearly the public face of UB right now. No one should ever be expected to market a company that is going through such a public crisis and not be armed with at least the basic info that will allow the consumer (that you are trying to sell to) to trust the brand enough to want to buy it. UB has done a deplorable job in handling this. People like yourself who have at least a little more insider info have been coming on here saying that its not being ignored. Yet management has made no effort whatsoever to convince their customers of that. Thus perception becomes reality. UB brass needs to be way more open and accessible to those they want gambling on their site. I've suggested a podcast in the past. They need to make that kind of effort to look us in the eye (as much as you can over the internet) and tell us why they want us and why we should bother trusting UB again. The new management team had a real opportunity to be forthright and outspoken about this issue and they've declined. They could have at least said, "Hey that didn't happen under our watch but we are working like dogs to figure out what the hell happened and to make damned sure it doesn't happen in the future." Period. End of story. People would have admired that. Instead they've hidden in the dark corners of the internet and ignored it. What a shame and a missed opportunity.
Finally, you've said over and over that you love, believe, are emotionally involved with this product and brand, but you've never said why. And saying that, in light of what's happened there, is a really curious statement. You love a product that has been associated with two of the largest scandals online poker has ever known? This just doesn't make sense. Apart from the new t'ment schedule, talk to us about what's to love about an internet poker site with a sordid immediate past?
But thanks for coming on here and at least acknowledging this at long last.
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When you say "new team", I'm assuming that you mean the new management team that has taken over for the management team that was found cheating at AP. I'm assuming this because as far as I know AP and UB are under the same management/ownership. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but if this supposed "new team" "gets it", wouldn't they be the ones to discover the cheating that went on at UB and not a bunch of the players who were cheated? I'd also like to know why the player behind the UB superuser account played much smarter then the player behind the AP superuser account. It was obviously two different cheaters.
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I don't think there was any question that it was two different cheaters. As far as I know, the folks over at 2+2 who documented the entire scandal have proven as much. The cheater in the cash games apparently had various accts that he logged in and out of. Some of the handles were changed and some were deleted altogether, as the cheater(s) were looking on and following the thread closely.
My question is how long has this new mgmt team been in place? And if they really "get it" how did all of this happen right under their noses? (My understanding is that all of this handle swapping deleting was going on as recently as two months ago. So if they've been in place longer than that I really wonder how compentant they are.)
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There is no investigation still going on it was all done in less than a week on twoplustwo. All UB are doing now is trying to figure there best way out of this. That wasnt a update she just gave either which bit was acctually the update? She obviously doesnt care about the poker commuinty, she just cares about the money. What kind of person would represtent the shadiest site on the internet that has been proven cheaters and still havent done anything about it. STOP the UB advertising on this site. Why should UB be allowed to advertise on this site when AP got taken off. Are pocketfives trying to promote that people go play on a cheating site that hasnt done anything about it.
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Time will heal things, right?
Remember this? When Annie's boyfriend won the UB tourney the first time he played and she announced it?
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/jan/23/busy_day_annie_duke/?sports
Joe Reitman, who didn’t even know he was playing that day, was handed a laptop in bed by his girlfriend, Annie Duke. He responded by saying “Annie, leave me alone, I’m trying to sleep.” Duke replied, “Phil Hellmuth is playing, and I can’t because I’m doing the final-table commentary, time-delayed. So I want at least a chance to win some of that ‘gi-normous’ prize pool. Honey, you’re playing!”
Reitman, who stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming film “Lady in the Water” and is executive producer of “Annie Duke Takes on the World,” on GSN has no poker pedigree whatsoever, other than being Duke’s longtime boyfriend. In fact, the first time he ever played no-limit Hold ‘em, at the Spider Club in Hollywood (for a charity event), he moved all-in on the first hand with 5-2 off suit. At the time, Duke laughed and thought, “If he can go broke on the first hand with 5-2 off suit, he obviously knows nothing at all about poker, and he’s dating me for me, not because of my poker expertise.”
He then goes on to win $260k or so. Lucky?
Fast forward to this past week where Annie is fighting our good fight saying that poker is not "luck":
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b8a15295-0a40-45b8-b03a-6767ade42c06
She rejects the notion that luck has anything to do with winning at poker.
Conclusion:
my head asplodes, but I'm sure it's all coincidence, no allegations being made here.
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 annie duke: | |
But I have to say they are seriously guys who “get it.”
well thank goodness, now i can sleep at night
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debo34
(United States)
477
Posts.
Joined
03-27-2005.
05-07-2008 10:27 AM
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In reply to
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She obviously doesnt care about the poker commuinty, she just cares about the money. What kind of person would represtent the shadiest site on the internet that has been proven cheaters and still havent done anything about it.
A few things here - Don't shoot the messenger. Annie doesnt know all the ins and outs of the investigation, she was simply replying because she was being called out on this forum. She apparently was able to get a timeframe for closure on the investigation and posted it on here.
Shes not in charge of the investigation, shes in charge of the tounament schedule.
"She obviously doesnt care about the poker community, she just cares about the money"
Um- yea im pretty sure she was just fighting for all poker players in Washington. Just an ignorant statement.
" what kind of person would represent the shadiest site on the internet tha has been proven cheaters and still havent done anything about it".
I think annie answered this one as well but-
The kind of person who is emotionally invested in a brand she wants to help improve and make a better site for all online players.
I understand the anger and frustration towards the cheating allegations. |
I understand people want and deserve answers, and it looks like you will be getting them soon.
What i don't understand is all the negativity towards Annie.
Debo |
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Not sure if you are replying to me, but I think Annie is doing many great things for poker and I have no negativity towards her whatsoever. I sincerely mean that.
However, what I wrote above your post does warrant mention.
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i think we should all lay off annie a bit. she is actually tring and taking the time to listen to the players and address U.B's problems. last week i was like everyone else ragging on annie and UB. my opinion as since changed. i still think the schedule change sucked, but after talking to her and i realize how difficult it actually is. she is listening to us and changes will take place soon. UB is desperate for an image change, and i truly believe they are going to accomplish this is the long run. i have dogged UB on P5 as much as anybody, but the fact is its still my home site and i would love to see it earn its trust and respect back. the bottom line is: if you dont like it, dont play there, but its not annie's fault, shes at least taking the time to communicate with us!
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From the Hellmuth article linked in RF's post:
"Of course, looking at Duke’s staking result here, I realize that I may have made a mistake by not staking my wife in one of these events, LOL (Internet lingo for “laugh out loud”)."
I laughed out loud.
Anyways, don't blame Annie. It may have just been that nionio dropped by Joe's place and helped him out.
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