Parting ways with UB.com recently were Matt “mattg1983” Graham, Michael Binger, and Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp, who no longer appear on the room’s list of sponsored pros. UB.com makes its home on the USA-friendly CEREUS Network along with its sister site, Absolute Poker.
Graham’s contract originally ran for one year and the young poker gun was working on a month-to-month basis, according to UB.com officials. Graham’s agent, Katie Lindsay, told Poker News Daily on Thursday that Graham was planning to “take a break” from grinding poker and pursue other interests.
Despite parting ways, officials from UB.com wished their former sponsored pro the best, telling us, “Matt is an amazing poker player and we wish him every success.” Graham has mustered nearly every accolade possible in the online poker world. He’s a Triple Crown winner on PocketFives.com and owns over $1 million in earnings from tournaments that the popular poker forum tracks for its Rankings. He’s taken down such tournaments as the PokerStars Sunday Second Chance, Absolute Poker $100,000 Guaranteed, and PokerStars $100 Rebuy.
Graham owns a pair of World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets. His first came in 2008 by virtue of winning a $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout for $278,000. That event, which wrapped up around breakfast time in Las Vegas, saw Graham best former Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande heads-up.
Graham’s second bracelet came in 2009, when he took down the World Championship of Pot Limit Omaha for a whopping $679,000. Graham defeated Vitaly Lunkin heads-up in that event, whose final table also featured Aussie pro Van Marcus, PokerStars pro Barry Greenstein, and Josh Arieh.
Binger owns more than $5 million in WSOP earnings alone, $4.1 million of which came after final tabling the 2006 WSOP Main Event. Jamie Gold took down that tournament, which saw Binger bow out in third place. The 2006 Main Event was actually the second contest that he had final tabled that year, as Binger grabbed sixth in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament for $101,000.
In 2008, Binger scored a WSOP Circuit ring after taking down the Championship Event at Harvey’s Tahoe, outlasting a feature table that included Allen Kessler, online poker pro Jake Solis, and two-time bracelet winner Scott “BigRiskky” Clements. Binger, like Graham, has yet to final table a World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament.
Kopp finished 12th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, exiting in dramatic style in a flush-over-flush situation against eventual runner-up Darvin Moon. Kopp has over $1 million in WSOP and Circuit earnings. His contract with UB.com expired at the end of this year’s WSOP in Las Vegas and, according to the Hendon Mob database, he has not turned in a major live tournament score since October 2009.
Who is left on the roster at UB.com, you ask? Reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth lead the group, which also includes Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Brandon Cantu, Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, Gary “debo34” Debernardi, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Joe Sebok, Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon, Scott Ian, and recent “Amazing Race” contestant Tiffany Michelle.
According to PokerScout.com, which keeps tabs on online poker room traffic, the CEREUS Network is the ninth largest worldwide, with a seven-day running average of 1,900 real money ring game players. It is the third largest to accept action from the United States behind PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, which sit at first and second worldwide, respectively.
