In a move that was revealed on Saturday on several online poker forums, World Series of Poker bracelet winner and accomplished online poker star Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy announced that he was no longer affiliated with Ultimate Bet. Previously, he had served as a member of the site’s Star Players Team after signing in May.
In a press release distributed by the company in May, Ultimate Bet’s tournament designer Annie Duke stated, “A Star Player is one who has an undisputed high level of skill, lots of integrity, and is well-respected in the world of online poker. One look at his impressive record reveals that JohnnyBax epitomizes a Star Player and is the perfect addition to our roster of respected and talented poker players.” He would eventually be joined on UB’s Star Player squad by online poker star James “P0KERPR033” Campbell, blackjack guru “Hollywood” Dave Stann, “Best Damn Poker Show” Season 1 winner Tracy Scala, and the last woman standing in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, Tiffany Michelle.
Josephy parted ways with Ultimate Bet because the online poker room stopped paying him. He told Poker News Daily, “I was approached by [Tokwiro COO Paul Leggett] in Aruba about some kind of opportunity. When I e-mailed him and told him I was ready to talk about it, Paul told me that someone else would speak with me. We set up a conference call last Friday and the other gentleman said, ‘Before the others get on the line, I wanted to tell you that we’re no longer paying you starting next month.’”
He revealed that Ultimate Bet then offered him a “standard deal” that other players have received, but Josephy declined the offer. He noted that he didn’t see the change from Ultimate Bet coming: “It was as out of the blue as anything can be. I thought it was surprising. I still haven’t heard from the people who were in favor of having me originally.” In addition, Josephy did not sign his original agreement with Ultimate Bet, instead working on good faith with the company each month that he would be paid.
Josephy is also a lead instructor at PokerXFactor, a major poker training forum. He finished second in the 2006 Aruba Poker Classic, the annual live tournament hosted by Ultimate Bet, which like its sister site Absolute Poker is owned by Tokwiro Enterprises. His WSOP bracelet win, which solidified his name as one of the world’s top all-around poker pros, came not in Hold’em, which he’s known for, but rather in Seven Card Stud. He won a $1,500 buy-in event in that poker genre in 2005, scoring $192,100 in the process.
In terms of his future as a sponsored pro by another online poker room, Josephy told Poker News Daily, “I would love to have another deal. I felt like I did what I needed to do for Ultimate Bet and did what they asked of me. Maybe they just wanted to use my name through their rough times to add credibility to the site.”
Josephy won a $200 buy-in event during the most recent Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS), taking home nearly $50,000. He finished second in the Super Tuesday on PokerStars in July for $60,000. He has multiple wins in the $100 rebuy on PokerStars, including two in a 10 day stretch in June. On PocketFives.com, a site that gained notoriety by ranking online poker players, Josephy was number one for over a year.
On Sunday, cheating scandals on Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker were featured on CBS News program “60 Minutes.” Last week, the player bases of both sites were merged to form the CEREUS poker network, which is currently the seventh largest poker network according to PokerScout.com.
