Home / Poker News November 2010 / Is Phil Hellmuth done with Ultimate Bet?
Is Phil Hellmuth done with Ultimate Bet?
Posted by: James Carter. - Sun, 2010-11-21 15:26
It's far from us to raise unfounded rumors about any aspect of the poker world, but this one had to be done. What is going on with Phil Hellmuth and Ultimate Bet? The biggest name Pro of the
online poker site has apparently not worn a UB badge on his attire in more than a month, during which time he appeared in several high-profile live events, including the
PokerStars NAPT’s Los Angeles Main Event, as well as the Bounty Shootout side event.
The fact that UB's most notorious representative was playing without showing any kind of support for the entity he was supposed to promote was first spotted by a poker forum member and that's how the speculations took flight.
Of course, Hellmuth may have chosen to play without his badges simply to break away from the norm, but the fact that such badge-less appearances are not common at all in the world of professional poker places a huge question mark over the player's relationship with the site and brand he’s successfully represented for several years now.
What's puzzling for the poker community is the fact that while Hellmuth has indeed appeared without the promotional material signifying his
UB pro status, no official statement regarding a possible split has been made by either UB or the Poker Brat himself.
It is also subject to speculation what other poker room would pick up Hellmuth, following a possible termination of his relationship with Ultimate Bet.
Hellmuth’s possible departure from UB would have far-reaching negative effects on the brand, which got more than its fair share of bad press a couple of years ago, and which made full use of Hellmuth’s image to rebuild and to polish its own.
Hellmuth’s official site still bears the UB branding, which may well mean that there is absolutely nothing wrong and speculations of a possible split are just that: speculations.
