Rumors circulating around the poker world have 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth potentially parting ways with UB.com. Hellmuth has been spotted at recent live events, including the televised PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Los Angeles Bounty Shootout, void of UB.com logos.
Hellmuth wore Aria and WSOP Academy patches at the NAPT Bounty Shootout, which was filmed in front of ESPN2 cameras. The absence of UB.com patches caught the eye of many in the community, including a wealth of posters on TwoPlusTwo. As to where Hellmuth could end up, one TwoPlusTwo member remarked, “I really cannot see him with Full Tilt because he doesn’t really fit their image, but I can see him on the Cake Network or PokerStars (although if Daniel Negreanu keeps criticizing him, this might be a problem).”
UB.com officials told Poker News Daily that Hellmuth remains a sponsored pro of the USA-friendly online poker site. His likeness still adorns the skinned background of Poker News Daily and Hellmuth is still listed as a member of Team UB on the CEREUS Network’s website.
On his affiliation with Aria, Hellmuth commented in a blog written on August 10th that he met Bill McBeath, President of Aria, and the two hit it off. “While we had a few drinks, we negotiated a deal whereby I would wear an Aria logo on the side of my hat for a year whenever I could,” Hellmuth wrote. “My wife is happy because the Aria is a ‘Green Hotel’ and it has amazing technology.” Hellmuth wore a black Aria hat during the NAPT Bounty Shootout.
Longtime tournament reporter B.J. Nemeth added that Hellmuth was spotted without UB.com logos during a recent taping of “Poker After Dark,” which airs on NBC. In a blog of his own, Nemeth speculated on where Hellmuth could head to if he parts ways with UB.com: “Neither of the two big sites in the U.S. (PokerStars and Full Tilt) really seem like a great match for Hellmuth. Sure, he’d be an asset, but he doesn’t really match up with their current marketing, and Hellmuth, as we know, always likes to be featured front and center – something that wouldn’t happen at either Stars or Tilt.”
The details of Hellmuth’s contract with UB.com aren’t known, but it’s believed to be a five-year deal that was negotiated in 2009. However, regardless of what Hellmuth’s contract situation may be, Nemeth believes that his future could lie with WSOP.com: “I’ve contended before that one of the first sites likely to pass the Commerce Department’s regulation board would be WSOP.com. Harrah’s has done everything ‘right’ in terms of respecting the UIGEA, and as a corporation, they already have legal and regulated casinos scattered around the United States.”
A for-profit WSOP.com online poker site currently makes its home on the 888 Network and does not accept players from the United States. However, if online poker were to be legalized in the USA, then it could seemingly be a short turnaround to open the site to American-based players. Nemeth explains, “With all its history and TV exposure, the WSOP has been pre-sold to the American gambling public. But what the site would need is a face, and a spokesperson. And all-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth would fit that role perfectly.”
Many posters on TwoPlusTwo argued that Full Tilt could be a proper fit as well. One poster summed up the primary arguments for Hellmuth joining the world’s second largest online poker site: “Makes the most sense for Tilt to sign him IMO. They already have the best stable of cash players. They are way behind on tournament players though. Getting Phil is a big step in the right direction from a PR standpoint. Hellmuth is probably the most televised tournament player. FTOPS Main Events would always be hosted by Hellmuth from that point on.”
Hellmuth wore UB.com logos during the 2010 WSOP and in a recent cycle of the PokerStars-sponsored “Big Game,” which airs on FOX.