Phil Hellmuth leaves UB.com (formerly Ultimate Bet)

Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke leave UB (formerly Ultimate Bet)

First Annie Duke leaves UB
Annie Duke just left UB.com (formerly Ultimate Bet) in what she said was to "..explore other avenues of business and personal growth..". She had been with the company for 9 years and recently got engaged. So a change of pace was probably needed for the lady, plus it's also a good move for UB who is more or less re-branding their look to go towards a younger audience. Either way we are sure Annie Duke will be very successful in whatever she has planned.

Now the other big news: Phil Hellmuth leaves UB
Here is a post from Phil's blog:

December 30, 2010
     Over the last few months, rumors have been floating around that UB.com and I have parted ways.
     Today, I'd like to confirm yes, it's true.  I no longer wear the UB patch. UB.com and I have chosen
     to end our longstanding relationship.
     This was a mutual decision, and a difficult one for both parties to make. But I truly believe it's the
     right move for me and for the rebranded UB.com
     I sincerely wish everyone at UB.com-from management to the frontline staff to every player who
     loves this
     game as much as I do.
     -the very best.
     
     Phil Hellmuth


We think (and this is speculation only so far) that Hellmuth will probably be signed with the WSOP.com and be teaching classes. It would be a perfect fit for him, as he is a staple of the WSOP. We also believe he has made a deal with Aria Resort and Casino.
Either way we wish both super stars the very best!

"Durrrr" Challenge 2 done!

Ladies and Gents, it's over yes the Durrrr Challenge 2 is over, well at least as far as we're concerned.

Tom Dwan's "Durrrr Challenge" number two is on a break but who really cares anymore honestly. The play between Dwan and "JungleMan12" Cates never had a real schedule so you never knew when they'd be playing or for how long.  Remember the first "Durrrr Chanllenge" that took place against Patrik Antonius and basically never finished. Yeah that challenge started off pretty good but they never had a set schedule either and after awhile it just became lack luster; You could catch some of the hands played out on websites like PokerListings.com, but that's not what you wanted you wanted to see the live action not replayed hands.
Now with the latest challenge put on another break, we ask did it ever really have a chance? No not really. Dwan  probably over committed himself to various venues where he must spend more time at and trying to play here and there with poor internet connectivity is pointless anyway. The challenge may have stood a chance if they simply got out a calendar and marked all of the upcoming events they would be attending and then came together and said ok on this day of this month we can play for two hours and we'll let everyone know and then stick to it.  Maybe in the future two big names will do something similar and handle it better.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to ALL!!!!