Speaking of the live circuit, he’ll have a major chance to make a name for himself at this year’s WSOP. But even then, Cates is already hitting it big, especially since he finally made ‘The Nuts’, a feature which ranks poker pros who are doing especially great at the moment.

Newcomers to the List

Between being the biggest online winner of last year and winning an additional $1.6 million this 2011 and also constantly beating Durrr at his own game and getting featured in a big time magazine, Dan Cates has managed to make it into this exclusive list.

He’s one of the newcomers to the list, the second one being Vivek Rajkumar who made ninth place. In fact, Rajkumar’s debut actually eclipsed Cates’ debut, mostly because he’s a rank higher.

Rajkumar won quite a lot of money and made a lot of waves in the WPT this year and has raised his total winnings to more than $4 million in his tournament career. What’s interesting though is that if Dan Cates’ performance continues to soar over the next few months and if he does well in this year’s WSOP (which is actually the first one he’s allowed to join), then he’ll probably feel right at home in the exclusive list.

We haven’t seen him perform yet at the live arena, but in this 2011 WSOP, Cates will certainly become one of the most watched players. The skill displayed by this guy definitely sets him apart from other players who treat poker like online roulette and run hot for a few months.

Mainstays on the List

Not surprisingly, the number one player is still Phil Ivey. He’s not much of news maker to be perfectly honest—but that’s only because people have gotten so used to him winning now that it’s hardly anything new.

According to the list, Ivey makes an average of $1 million a month in winnings. Nobody’s likely to shove this pro off his pedestal any time soon. On the other hand, Erik Seidel, previously in 6^th place, soared to the second place this month for his winning the NHUPC.

Jason Mercier, who previously occupied the second spot, has now been bumped to the third place. Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan, despite having a not-so-stellar month, is still in fourth place.

Dwan is followed by Daniel Negreanu, who managed to prove his worth by winning at the SuperStar Shodown.

Vanessa Selbst is at the sixth spot, followed by Tom Marchese at seventh place, and John Juanda at eighth place. The ones who were completely bumped from the list were Eric Baldwni and Sam Trickett.

There were a lot of new additions to this episode, along with a spiffy new opening sequence containing the three main characters, namely Chase, Tommy, and Rose.

The Story so Far

The fourth episode opens with Chase chickening out on the heads up battle he challenged Rofls with on the end of third episode, even going so far as to ask for ‘durrrr rolls’, in which they play 7,000 in a couple of years.

The comment was an obvious nod to the durrrr Challenge, which is going at an impossibly slow pace. This sets the tone for the rest of the episode, which is simply rife with little inside jokes for poker fans.

Max Rofls, of course, has no intention of backing out, not when he clearly has the upper hand. So the scene cuts to the actual battle where – predictably – Chase gets flattened by Rofls. In fact, Chase doesn’t win a single pot. He might as well have been playing online roulette.

Even the fearless Balls calls Tommy to tell him to get Chase out of the fight because he simply doesn’t stand a chance. We also find out what happens to that Snowman who helped Balls escape in the previous episode.

Balls calls Rofls ‘the Real Thing’. However, as talented as Rofls might be, he actually loses to Chase on the second half – but they’re not playing poker, only Angry Birds, a puzzle video game which Chase apparently excels at.

So, simply put, they’re at a tie when Rofls reveals that there’s more to his targeting Chase than previously thought. Rofls turns out to be the brother of that guy who Chase beat at heads up in the Mega. That guy lost his mind because of the bad beat he suffered when Chase lucked out on the King of Diamonds.

Thus, the stage is set for heads up match of Texas Hold’em between Chase and Rofls except that Rofls removes the king of diamonds for extra flair; and before anyone asks, yes, we’re left with another cliffy.

Hidden Gems

As mentioned before there were a lot of inside jokes hidden within the seven-minute episode. If you’re going to watch it, keep your eyes peeled because some of the funniest stuff in there isn’t in the actual storyline at all.

The newsfeed at the bottom of the screen, for example, has a statement that says “UB spokesman Joe Seb—wait, UB’s still in business?! WTF!”. Fan reception for the episode was more or less mixed. Some enjoyed the episode, saying that it was the best so far and that they liked that the storyline was advancing. Others were annoyed to see that the story is no longer really about ‘The Micros’.

Prahlad Friedman first made big waves in the poker world by participating in some of the most epic heads-up battles in the word against Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby. Back when 50/100 was the biggest no-limit game on the internet. Prahlad Friedman (aka “Spirit Rock” and “Mahatma”) used to go to war with Taylor Caby at the high stakes UB poker tables. These were some of the first high stakes games on the internet and they generated quite a lot of buzz in the online poker world.

Not only were these matches super high stakes at the time, but they were also characterized by ultra-aggression. Prahlad Friedman was an extremely aggressive poker player who would push all-in with several buyins ($20,000 or more) like it was nothing. He was not scared to put everything on the line at any given moment –and that made him a formidable opponent.

Since then, Prahlad has continued to dominate both live and online cash games around the internet. Early this year, he returned full circle to become the newest member of Team UB. We’re excited to see more action from Prahlad Friedman now that he has an official poker home (and probably a nice staking agreement with UB Poker).

A Little About Prahlad Friedman

Prahlad Friedman is primarily a high stakes cash game player, but he also has a few notable tournament wins to his name. He won a WSOP bracelet in 2003 and made it all the way to 20^th place in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. In addition to those wins, he also won a World Poker Tour title in 2009 and $1,000,000 in prize money.

Prahlad is an interesting person outside the poker tables as well. He is known for being a vegan, a tongue-in-cheek freestyle rapper and skilled basketball player. He supposedly holds a world record for the most made free throws in a minute, but we can’t tell if it’s official or not. In the following video, you can see him make 23 free throws with relative ease. We’ve seen people make more than that in a minute – but not with a single basketball.

Prahlad Friedman Free Throw Record

Prahlad Friedman Rapping

NOTICE: UB Poker No Longer Accepts USA Players

USA Players Visit PlayersOnly Poker Instead

Use the bonus code POBONUSPK for a $1000 bonus

The Ultimate Bet instant play application is a solution for poker players to play poker at UB without actually downloading any software. Instead of having to download anything, the instant play software lets you play poker through your web browser at the Ultimate Bet website.

Think about those free games you can sometimes find on the internet and you’ll have a good idea of what the instant play software is like. The Ultimate Bet instant play software uses the same technology to display the poker tables through your web browser. This makes it handy for those of you who don’t want to download the full software application.

Ultimate Bet Instant Play Advantages

Most importantly, the Ultimate Bet instant play solution is easy to use. If you’re in a hurry or can’t download the software for whatever reason, you can use the instant play option to play through your web browser.

Another nice thing about the Ultimate Bet instant play software is that it is compatible with all types of computers. It doesn’t matter if you have a PC, Mac, Linux or anything else – all you need is a connection to the internet. This software is designed to display in any web browser that can access the internet.

With the instant play software, you still have full access to the poker lobby, your account and the cashier. So if you need to check your balance or make a deposit, you can do so from within the UB instant play software. You can also sign up for a new account if you need to.

Ultimate Bet Instant Play Security

Ultimate Bet uses encryption technology to keep all your information secure when you play through your web browser. This is the same type of technology that other companies use to protect your credit card information when you make online purchases. As long as you keep your information secret, nobody else will have access to it.

However, that does remind me: make sure you only use the Ultimate Bet instant play software at a computer you trust. Public computers at the library or school are probably not a good place to play online poker for real money. You’ll probably be fine, but it’s just not worth the risk. Always play poker at a computer you know and trust.

Getting Started with the Instant Play Feature

You can get started with the Ultimate Bet instant play software by first visiting the UB.com website. On the front page, they have big “download now” links all over the place, but that’s not what you want. You can find the instant play link at the bottom of the page within all the footer links.

I have no idea why the link is hidden way down at the bottom of the page, but that’s how you get started. After you click on that link, you’ll be taken to a page that explains the UB instant play software and tells you how to get started. If you click on the big “instant play” button on that page, a program will pop up and ask for your permission. Click on “yes” or “OK” and then wait for the lobby to load.

Once the instant play software has been fully loaded, you will be taken straight to the Ultimate Bet poker lobby. From here, you can log in to your account, sign up for a new account, visit the cashier and hit the tables. Have fun and good luck!

Click here to visit Ultimate Bet

NOTICE: UB Poker No Longer Accepts USA Players

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Players have been asking about the Ultimate Bet mobile app for some time now but I regret to inform you that they no longer offer a mobile poker download. At one point, Ultimate Bet experimented with a mobile version of its poker software but it never really caught on. This all happened a couple years ago so there weren’t as many people back then with advanced cell phones and unlimited data plans.

Which poker sites offer mobile poker?

I’ve checked PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet and haven’t had any luck yet. These are all the biggest poker sites and none of them offer mobile poker. I’m sure we’ll see it from one of these poker sites soon but that day still rests in the future.

In the meantime, my suggestion to you is to go ahead and create an account at Ultimate Bet and play through a normal computer. For now, the most “mobile” you’re going to get is logging in on your laptop. This probably isn’t the answer you were hoping for but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ultimate Bet mobile make a comeback sometime soon.

Mobile poker has always been an interesting idea but it’s a risky proposition. Phones such as the iPhone are making it easier for people to do more on the go, but cell phones do have limitations. In particular is the size of the screen. Would people really want to hunch over a small phone screen and play poker for real money? Maybe. It’s hard telling and that’s why it’s a risk. What I can tell you for sure, though, is that iPhone betting is already hugely popular among sports betting fans.

Future of Ultimate Bet Mobile

Considering the fact that Ultimate Bet once offered a mobile download of its software, it would be a safe bet that they will offer it again in the future. Nobody knows when this will be but as time passes, it becomes more and more likely. Mobile gaming will only continue to grow in popularity as more people buy advanced cell phones and get hooked up with unlimited data plans.

When Ultimate Bet releases a mobile form of its poker, we’ll be right here with all the details. If you have an account with Ultimate Bet, you’ll probably get an e-mail from them when they release their mobile poker client. Until then, stay comfy with that laptop and enjoy the soft games at Ultimate Bet.

Other Mobile Gaming Options

Real money mobile poker is still a ways in the future so for now you’ll have to stick with play money games on your phone. As far as mobile gaming goes, the options are almost limitless. A friend of mine owns a website dedicated to Blackberry poker. There’s not much to talk about (yet) but he will update the site as poker rooms add mobile poker apps.

Play at Ultimate Bet Today

NOTICE: UB Poker No Longer Accepts USA Players

USA Players Visit PlayersOnly Poker Instead

Use the bonus code POBONUSPK for a $1000 bonus

In preparation for the 2010 World Series of Poker, Ultimate Bet has announced several very nice promotions. There are three different promotions related to the 2011 WSOP. Each of these promotions is potentially worth a lot of money for anyone out there interested in winning a trip to the WSOP through UltimateBet.com.

Show Up and Get Paid

This one is my favorite WSOP promotion of the three. The basic idea is that if you win a trip to the WSOP through any Ultimate Bet satellite tournament, you’ll win cash just for showing up. The minimum cash prize you’ll win is $1,000 but that number goes up depending on how many people qualify for the WSOP at UB.

Ultimate Bet will add money to the prize pool for every player who qualifies for the WSOP. At the WSOP, 75% of the entire prize pool will be split evenly between everyone who shows up. The remaining 25% is divided up among anyone who makes the money in the Main Event.

The amount of money added for each player depends on how many people qualify for the WSOP through Ultimate Bet. The chart below is straight from the UltimateBet.com website and shows how much money is added per person.

Let’s say for example that 25 people qualify for the WSOP at UB. That would make the prize pool for this contest worth $2,000 x 25, or $50,000. Out of that money, 75% would be split among each player. In this case, each player would receive $1,500 at the end of the tournament. Let’s say that one person makes the money. That person would receive the remaining prize pool of $12,500. If nobody makes the money, the entire prize pool is split evenly among each player.

King of Satellites

Satellite specialists will like this promotion because you don’t have to quit playing satellite tournaments after you win a seat to the World Series of Poker. For every additional entry you win after the first one, you’ll receive $12,000 in cash. On top of that, you’ll be ranked on the King of Satellites leaderboard.

At the end of the promotion, the top players on the leaderboard will earn the following prizes:

1. $5,000 in tournament dollars
2. $2,000 in tournament dollars
3. $1,500 in tournament dollars
4. $1,000 in tournament dollars
5. $750 in tournament dollars

These prizes aren’t exactly mind blowing when compared to the $12,000 cash prize you’ll also receive for each additional WSOP seat you win. Even so, an extra $5,000 never hurt anyone. If you’re that good at tournament play, who knows what you might win with all those tournament dollars.

Final Table Sponsorship

If you make it to the final table of the Main Event this year, UltimateBet.com will give you a sponsorship agreement worth up to $750,000. In return for your endorsement of Ultimate Bet for one year, you’ll be handsomely compensated. These prizes are determined by your final position.

1. $750,000
2. $350,000
3. $225,000
4. $200,000
5. $175,000
6. $150,000
7. $125,000
8. $100,000
9. $75,000

Get Started now at UltimateBet.com

Use the referral code UBCASHNOW when you sign up for an account

NOTICE: UB Poker No Longer Accepts USA Players

USA Players Visit PlayersOnly Poker Instead

Use the bonus code POBONUSPK for a $1000 bonus

The Ultimate Bet Sunday $200K Guaranteed is the biggest weekly tournament at UB.com. The Sunday $200K is a tournament that guarantees a minimum prize pool of $200,000 every single Sunday at Ultimate Bet. The total prize pool usually exceeds $200,000 but if there’s ever a week where not enough players show up to generate a $200,00 prize pool, Ultimate Bet will add money to the prize pool.

This tournament represents a great value for players for two reasons. First of all, you always know the tournament is going to be a big one. You don’t have to hope enough people show up to make it worth your while. Second, the tournament is an even greater value if Ultimate Bet has to add money to the prize pool. In that case, you have fewer players competing for an inflated prize pool. It’s a win-win situation.

Ultimate Bet Sunday $200K Info

The Ultimate Bet $200K Guaranteed costs $215 to buy in direct. If that’s a strain on the old poker bankroll, you can always play in satellite tournaments and win your way in for as little as $5.50. I’m not much of a math guy but I can tell you it wouldn’t be a bad return on your money to turn $5.50 into $44,000 (the average first place prize) in a single day.

Players begin the tournament with 3,000 chips and then play from there. This is a traditional freezeout tournament so there are no rebuys, add-ons or bounties. Once you get your 3,000 chips, the rest is up to you. The last man standing wins the big prize and all the rest win progressively smaller prizes.

The average number of players in the UB 200K Guaranteed is about 900 but every week it’s a little different. Some weeks there are 800-ish player and other weeks there are well over a thousand players. The tournament takes up a good amount of time but the prizes are well worth it.

Play in the Ultimate Bet $200K Guaranteed

You can play in the UB $200K by visiting the Ultimate Bet website and downloading the UB software. There are versions for both the Mac and PC but if you don’t want to download anything, there’s also a no-download version available at the UB website.

Once you have the software installed, you can run it to create an account. The first time you access the Ultimate Bet network, you’ll have to create an account and type in your referral code. The referral code UBCASHNOW will get you a 111% deposit bonus for up to $1,100 extra.

After you get logged in, you can visit the cashier to make your first deposit. Once you get that out of the way, you can play in the Ultimate Bet $200K Guarantee by visiting the tournament lobby. You’ll see all sorts of tournaments and will have the option to buy in directly to the $200K or play in satellite tournaments for free seats.

Ultimate Bet $200K Pros

The members of Team UB play in the $200K Guaranteed every week. Team UB includes the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Eric Baldwin and more than a dozen others. These are tough players but it’s still cool to play against people you’ve seen on TV in major live events. And plus, you know it would be fun to see if you can needle a reaction out of the notorious Phil Hellmuth.

NOTICE: UB Poker No Longer Accepts USA Players

USA Players Visit PlayersOnly Poker Instead

Use the bonus code POBONUSPK for a $1000 bonus

Like several other major online poker sites, Ultimate Bet has a list of professional poker players who sponsor, promote and play at Ultimate Bet. The most notable of these pros is Phil Hellmuth but there are more than a dozen other very successful poker pros on Team UB. Some of these players are live poker players and others are young internet hotshots.

What is Team UB?

“Team UB” is what Ultimate Bet calls its list of poker pros. In the same manner that certain golf courses have their own pros, certain poker sites do the same thing. Ultimate Bet has found notable poker pros who have agreed to help promote Ultimate Bet and play online.

The purpose of Team UB is to keep new players coming and keep existing players interested in poker. When you have the opportunity to chat with and play against people you’ve seen on TV, it keeps the game refreshing and interesting. Not many people can say they’ve played a hand against Phil Hellmuth or Annie Duke but now the possibility is much more realistic thanks to the internet.

The poker players who play on Team UB can play online at any time and they also frequently play at major tournaments. Sometimes Ultimate Bet runs special promotions that offer you $500 if you knock out a member of Team UB during the course of a special tournament. You can always count on seeing the pros in the Ultimate Bet Sunday $200K Guarantee.

Who are the Ultimate Bet Pros?

Ultimate Bet adds new pros on a regular basis but as of this writing, seventeen people make up Team UB. Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke are the two most prominent members but the other players on Team UB are also quite skilled.

If you haven’t heard of Phil Hellmuth, he’s the guy you see at major tournaments usually berating someone for being a fishy player. People love to hate Phil Hellmuth but his record is one of the most impressive in the world. With 11 World Series of Poker bracelets to his name, Phil is one of the most accomplished poker players of them all.

Annie Duke is one of the most successful female poker players and is a great example that women can do just as well at poker as men. She got her start in poker at a young age while playing with the family and continued playing ever since. She’s the sister to famed poker pro Howard Lederer and has more than $3,500,000 in live tournament winnings to her name.

The Full List of Ultimate Bet Pros

Team UB is comprised of the following poker pros:

• Phil Hellmuth
• Annie Duke
• Adam “Roothlus” Levy
• Billy Kopp
• Bryan Devonshire
• Brandon Cantu
• Debo34 (Gary Debernardi)
• Eric Baldwin
• Hollywood Dave
• Joe Sebok
• Liv Boeree
• Matt Graham
• Michael Binger
• Poker H0 (Mark Kroon)
• Scott Ian
• Shawn Rice
• Tiffany Michelle

NOTICE: UB Poker No Longer Accepts USA Players

USA Players Visit PlayersOnly Poker Instead

Use the bonus code POBONUSPK for a $1000 bonus

Poker2Nite is a new television show that takes a close look at current events in both live and online poker. Most poker shows take place in a tournament format but this one is more of an analysis on the state of poker. Hosts Joe Sebok and Scott Huff offer interviews, commentary, analysis and poker strategy in this interesting new show.

Poker2Nite Schedule

Poker2Nite airs three days a week on FSN:

• Wednesdays at 11 PM ET
• Thursdays at 4PM ET
• Fridays at 11AM and 6PMET

About Poker2Nite

There’s not another show on TV like Poker2Nite. The shows covers all sorts of things from recent tournament results to the legal status of online poker in the United States. The show’s two hosts are successful poker players and offer their own takes on the happening in the poker world.

Ultimate Bet pays for and produces the show so don’t surprised if you see ads or references to Ultimate Bet during a typical episode. Team UB players such as Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke often make appearances on the show to offer their own analyses and poker strategy advice. Other poker celebrities such as Doyle Brunson and Joe Cada appear occasionally for interviews and general poker talk.

The first show of season one begins with an interview of Joe Cada, the most recent winner of the WSOP. In that show, they discuss the strong cheering section and winning streak that accompanied Joe at the final table. A long time poker commentator from ESPN is also brought on to discuss how commentating on poker has evolved over the years. At the end of the show, they introduce beautiful Dana Workman while she covers the first Weekly Misdeal.

In a more recent episode, co-host Lacey Jones takes the viewers on a tour of the new poker room inside the Aria Casino and interviews the poker room manager. After that, a couple poker pros are invited to the show to discuss their playing styles and a recent hand that was played at a WPT tournament. The show concludes with a discussion of the possible legalization of poker in NJ and several WSOP rule changes, including new personal hygiene requirements.

My Take on Poker2Nite

Overall, it’s a cool poker show. It gets a little old watching tournaments all day on TV so it’s nice to see a poker show that offers something completely different. The hosts are on target with most of their comments and are good at finding great poker players for interviews. Dana Workman and Lacey Jones look beautiful every episode and that definitely doesn’t hurt anything.

I’m still a bigger fan of getting my poker news online but Poker2Nite does a nice job. I think it does a great job introducing casual players to some of the finer aspects of the game. If you have a little free time, you should check it out. At the very least, Poker2Nite will keep you entertained.

PS – Check out Ultimate Bet for a $1,100 deposit bonus. Use the referral code UBCASHNOW.

Visit Ultimate Bet Now

Tired Of Online Poker?

Getting tired of online poker? Take a break from the tables and learn how to bet on sports. There are a lot of sportsbooks out there that offer bets on football, baseball, cricket and just about every other sport out there. Find the best NFL spreads and more at Bodog Sportsbook.

NOTICE: UB Poker No Longer Accepts USA Players

USA Players Visit PlayersOnly Poker Instead

Use the bonus code POBONUSPK for a $1000 bonus

New players at UB (Ultimate Bet) can get up to $1,100 extra if they use the bonus code UBCASHNOW when they sign up for a new account at UB.com.

Note – UB.com is the same site as UltimateBet.com. Ultimate Bet recently rebranded itself to become UB.com because players have been referring to Ultimate Bet as “UB” for so long. Ultimate Bet finally decided to just go with it. Both websites still work.

How to Use the UB Bonus Code

I’m going to break this down all the way to help all you new poker players out there. The first thing you need to do is visit the Ultimate Bet website and download the poker software. There are versions for both PC and Mac computers.

Next, install the software and run it for the first time. You’ll be asked to enter your username and password but there’s also an option for you to create a new account. Click that option and follow the instructions on the next screen.

When you sign up for an account at UB, you’ll see a place that asks for your “UB referral code” or “UB bonus code.” In that box, just type in the word UBCASHNOW and your account will be tagged to receive a 111% match on your first deposit there. You can get up to $1100, making this the best legitimate poker bonus in the industry.

After you type in your UB bonus code, go ahead and finish creating your account. It will only take a few more seconds. You can then log in and visit the cashier to make your first deposit. There are quite a few deposit options but they all work well. Just pick the one that looks the best and you’ll be greeted with simple instructions for making your deposit.

UB Bonus Code Details

The UB bonus code gives you a 111% bonus on your first deposit at Ultimate Bet. This means that any amount you deposit will be more than doubled by Ultimate Bet. If you sign up and deposit $200, for example, UB will give you $222 extra – giving you a total of $422 to play with.

This bonus only works for your first deposit so my recommendation is that you make your first deposit count. Get the most you can and take full advantage of this massive deposit bonus. The bonus maxes out at $1,100 so you have plenty of room to make a lot of extra money.

Clearing the UB Bonus

You have to play real money poker to release your bonus money. After you make your first deposit, your bonus money will be sent to your bonus money account. That money is released in increments of $5.00 until you release the entire bonus.

From the day you make your first deposit, you’ll have 60 days to clear the entire bonus. This time frame is plenty for most people but it’s worth keeping in mind. The more poker you play, the faster the bonus money is released.

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Use the referral code UBCASHNOW