Poker News

On Monday, it was revealed that PokerRoad CEO Joe Sebok had become the new Media and Operations Consultant for Ultimate Bet. The online poker site is fresh off releasing the list of screen names associated with the cheating scandal led by Russ Hamilton. Sebok sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss his new role.

Poker News Daily: Talk about the decision to sign with UB. Why now and why UB?

Sebok: My decision to come aboard with UB was one that I needed to take my time with.  Obviously, the superuser scandal played a huge part here, with UB’s subsequent mishandling of the situation. That was the reason I needed to fly down to Costa Rica, meet with the team, and go over the processes that they have in place in order to be sure I was comfortable with it. I have a fair amount of business experience myself, so I wanted to see how things were handled there now. During the trip, I spent hours talking with UB COO Paul Leggett about some of the mistakes that have been made and he explained to me how there needed to be a new commitment to not only never letting something like that happen again, but also acknowledging that large mistakes were made in how it was handled in the past. I was ecstatic to hear this and Paul and I were in agreement, which made me able to settle into my new role with the team, which is not only sponsored pro, but also Media and Operations Consultant.

I requested a business role within UB, as I wanted to make sure I could also be involved in the operations and help guide the path a little. Keep in mind, this deal has taken four months to put together and is a testament to Paul and the team over there, who are 100% committed to a new UB and that was what it was going to take to sign me. While I think we all know of the mistakes of the past, UB today is stronger than it’s ever been in its commitment to customers. The release of the superuser accounts and subsequent hand histories for players involved are the beginnings of closing the door on the past and moving forward. I say “the beginnings” because there is still work to be done, which I take very seriously, but the future of UB is bright right now and I wanted to have a part in leading that.

PND: How much did the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s (KGC) release of the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal report influence your decision to sign in a deal brought on by 11Management?

Sebok: It was one of my insistences before coming onto the team. We needed to get those superuser account names out in the open and make accessible all hand histories to all players who request them. The only way to close that loop is to simply be completely transparent. UB had done a poor job in the initial go-around when the scandal hit, but hopefully has learned now and will make up for it with their actions moving forward. I also want to see the names of other associated cheaters with Russ Hamilton brought into the light. I understand the legal ramifications for why it’s not as simple as releasing them outright, but am working with Paul towards doing as much as we can to get those names out there. I think it’s important for the poker community as a whole to know those names, even if it’s basically impossible to prosecute them as things stand today. It’s all about doing the right thing and UB will definitely be doing the right things moving forward.

PND: Talk about UB’s broad coalition of pros, which includes Tiffany Michelle, Michael Binger, Annie Duke, and Phil Hellmuth. Is it exciting to be in that company?

Sebok: It’s nice to see UB building up a stable of pros that are all over the map. I can say that I know each and every one in a personal way because of my involvement in the poker industry over the last five years; each of them brings something different to the table. I like to think that I bring a little something different to the party that isn’t there yet, though. With my business, media, and tech experience, I have big plans for projects moving forward with the company. Whether it’s Twitter, television, social networking, or poker media, I have every intention of helping UB be on the cutting edge and pushing all envelopes for what we have seen in the poker world so far. There’s no reason that the UB stable of pros shouldn’t be able to redefine what it is to be a poker pro and what it is to interact with poker fans. I will take that as a personal challenge upon myself to work with everyone at UB to ensure we achieve that.

PND: What promotions will you be involved in?

Sebok: We are already talking about some pretty sick and cool stuff. I can’t let anything out of the bag, but be warned that it’s on the way soon. I am going to take the same PokerRoad.com sensibilities over to UB, help to apply them there, and together we’ll come up with a whole new mix for fans and players. We are going to be aggressive and we are going to do things that are new and fun, I promise you that. Keep your eyes and ears open. It’s going to be some serious innovation!

PND: Does this affect Poker Road in any way? Will UB be involved with shows or have any presence on the site?

Sebok: UB is sponsoring me and not PokerRoad. Fans needn’t worry that PokerRoad.com will suddenly be completely taken over by UB. I have always wanted PokerRoad to work in conjunction with all sites in order to build a stronger global poker community and this doesn’t change that at all. At PokerRoad.com, we will still be working with all sites that want to work with us. The only page that will be drastically changed will simply be my personal blog page, where we will house UB banners leading back to original content that I create for UB.

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