Obiaks Blog

Meet Team Ultimate Bet

Ultimate Bet Poker was developed for poker players by poker players -- and not just any poker players: the best! Or at least consistent contenders and periodic titleholders. Champions Russ Hamilton, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, and Jack McClelland started it all, to be joined later by equally impressive upstarts "Magic" Antonio Esfandiari, KrazyKanuck, John Vorhaus, and Roxy Rhodes.
Not only have these poker celebs put their exhaustive collective input into the Ultimate Bet software and operational system and procedures, but they continue to make themselves readily available at the Ultimate Bet site to teach you poker, to improve your game and to give the stout of heart among you a chance to try and win their money.
In 1994 Russ Hamilton won the World Series of Poker. He takes an active role in developing Ultimate Bet's ever-evolving tournament structure. You can find on the Ultimate Bet site a Q&A with Russ and a letter written by him for all poker players to benefit from, as well as several articles he penned, including "How to Bet Sports Like a Professional" and Poker Philosophy".
Annie Duke is a mother of four who makes her living winning at poker. She had started the University of Pennsylvania's doctoral program in psycholinguistics before giving it up at 26 to follow in her famous brother Howard Lederer's footsteps as a professional poker player. According to Binion's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Annie Duke is the leading money winner among women in World Series of Poker history.
Ultimate Bet is proud to have Phil Hellmuth on the team, being he still holds the title for the youngest person ever to win the World Championship of Poker. Eight World Championship titles later, Phil Hellmuth has won over 50 poker tournaments. In 2000, he was the first American to ever win the European Poker Championship.
In just 2004 alone, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott won the Annual World Poker Open and placed in the money twice at the Bellagio 5-Star Classic and again at that year's World Series of Poker. He won the World Series of Poker twice, in 1997 and again in 2003, as well as the 1998 European Omaha Championship. Devilfish started playing poker in northern England with a game called Strip-Deck-Stud. After a few years, he switched to pot-limit Omaha before finally moving on to Texas Hold'em. A Q&A with Devilfish is available on the Ultimate Bet site.
Jack McClelland has spent 25 years in the Las Vegas poker industry, including as a reputed tournament director and coordinator. He spent 15 years, in fact, with Jack Binion hosting the World Series of Poker. He currently holds the position of tournament director and host at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. His expertise is called upon far and wide, even landing him a role as Ladbrokes' tournament director and consultant for their Ladbrokes' Poker Millions tournament. Ultimate Bet is proud to have this veteran tournament director hosting the Ultimate Bet Poker Classic in Aruba each year. He also pens articles that can be found on the Ultimate Bet site, such as "Trust, Patience, Perseverance, and Tips", "For the Love of the Game", and "Making the transition from online tournaments to brick and mortar".
Ultimate Bet has hosted Team UB Seminars (and hopefully will again) most notably their 2003 "Poker by the Experts" held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Now, for around $9.95 per seminar of 30 minutes to 1 hour or so, Ultimate Bet players can download various segments of the event, such as:
Howard Lederer on Limit Hold'em Strategies -- what works and what doesn't

- Annie Duke on Online vs. Brick and Mortar Ring Games -- what's the difference

- Mark Gregorich on Eight-Or-Better Strategies

- KrazyKanuck on Online Tournament Play -- the secrets to success
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