After more than a decade of donning an Ultimate Bet patch, Phil Hellmuth and the poker site could be parting ways.
Speculation is growing that the longest relationship between pro and poker site is coming to an end, as the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner has been playing on camera without any Ultimate Bet logos for the first time since 1999. WickedChopsPoker attempted to question Hellmuth on the breakup, but were informed that he could not discuss his UB agreement due to “confidentiality reasons.”
The poker world began buzzing when “The Poker Brat” posted a photo on his Twitter feed after taping a new Poker After Dark episode. Hellmuth was the only pro at the table without a patch. A couple weeks later, Hellmuth strolled into the PokerStars NAPT Los Angeles Bounty Shoutout wearing a cap for Aria, the new hotel and casino in Las Vegas’ $11 billion City Center. The NAPT Bounty Shootout was even filmed for an ESPN2 December broadcast, so UB missed out on good tv time when Hellmuth again decided to go without their logo.
Ultimate Bet was purchased in late August by Blanca Games for pennies on the dollar, but with both sides remaining tight lipped, we do not know if the rumored split is a part of new management looking for a new company image, or cutting a major cost. The decision to split could very well be Hellmuth’s, perhaps due to growing tiresome of UB’s scandals, or the thought of being a monster free agent. But would he be a good fit for the PokerStars or Full Tilt stables? Could he handle playing second fiddle to Phil Ivey or Daniel Negreanu? If not one of the big two sites, where will Hellmuth end up?
While UB has been absent from Hellmuth’s wardrobe, Hellmuth is still very much plastered on UB.com as the hub of Team UB. Hellmuth’s Team UB bio calls him “instrumental in creating the UB poker software,” and now almost sarcastically reads: “Perhaps one of his biggest achievements, at least to the poker players that call UB home, is his relationship with this poker site.”
Hellmuth’s 11 pieces of WSOP gold bling is the largest collection of all time. With over $11 million in career tournament winnings, he trails only Ivey, Negreanu and Jamie Gold on the all time list.
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