UBT Barona tournaments cancelled ! ??

toonces

The last qualifier at Barona was in fact cancelled. Club UBT is in jeopardy here without a doubt. The TV program didnt grab enough payers as it is still showing very few new players. The TV show was critical for the Club. The Club has a strong cash burn rate right now, it is treading water. I hope it makes it, but we need to see the participation double next few weeks, IMO.

Believe me, I want the Club to survive.

 

during a "real" blackjack tourney that i was playing tonite, (not the carnival ubt style), i received another call from barona. does look after being told we were registered to play, they switched their decision. so, it looks like one must be a roller to play in their substitute tourney.

once again ubt shafts the little guy. i am sure that most players had their travel plans made. now, it looks like we will have three days of vacation in san diego.

for all the hype, ubt was a joke. they had their good ole boys regime. promised the moon and ended up being just a bunch of hot air.

 

Hunch

I have a strong hunch that I need to quickly pull my winnings out of Club UBT. After reading the last few days, it looks like the club may not be around long. Would it not be nice to have Global Player back for all our online tourny needs.

 

What a legal mess!

and

What about those who took the offer to play in their brick-and-mortar TOC for the "guaranteed $1Million Grand Prize"?

 

where

WELL 2 YEARS AGO WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT LARGE TOURNAMENTS AND WAS BEGINNING TO LOOK GOOD FOR ALL PLAYER S TO PLAY IN LARGE,OPEN TOURNAMENTS
NOW THERE IS DOUBT ABOUT ALL TOURNYS OF ANY SIZE
WE SEEM TO NO LONGER HAVE THE WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK(MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT FOR ME):sad: :sad: AND NOW UBT TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS AND EVEN A LACK OF PARTICIPATION IN TBJPA AT THE TROPICANA:sad: :sad:
THIS IS REALLY A SAD DAY FOR US PLAYERS WHO ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO OPEN AND LARGER PRISE POOLS
FOR THOSE PLAYERS WHO HAVE EXPERIANCED THE WSOB AND UBT FINALS WHAT A GREAT MEMORY TO HAVE EVEN THO SHORT LIVED FOR FUTURE EVENTS SO WITH THAT SAID IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE BACK WHERE WE STARTED NOT BEING INVITED TO TOURNAMENTS(NO OPEN TOURNAMENTS) AND BLACKJACK TOURNAMENTS BEING A RICH MANS GAME WITH ALL THE EXPENCES THAT GO WITH IT

 

Important Information...

FRIENDS:

I just posted this over at the Las Vegas Advisor! Let's everyone remain positive and trust that the Management of UBT, from Russ Hamilton on down, is trying to do everything they can from a personal and business standpoint to insure the future success of ClubUBT...

.......................................................................................................


Blackjack Friends:

I just got off the phone with Ken Einiger and as a result, want to share some things from my heart...

First of all, I am as saddened by the very recent turn of events as the rest of you. Having said this, as a former business owner many times over, I fully understand the thought process of the management of UBT, from a business standpoint that is now foremost in their minds and subsequent decision-making.

I want to personally thank Ken for promptly posting what he has on this Forum. In addition, he has asked and authorized me to add to what he has said. He also stated that we will be hearing from him again on this Forum with additional information within the next day or two.

I want to personally express my appreciation to Russ, Kenny, Bonnie and the various others within UBT who allowed all of us the opportunity to be a part of the UBT experience. For many, it has offered us the opportunity to play for some huge cash prizes in various venues and ultimately on National TV. I for one, had the opportunity to be on one of their very first telecasts subsequent to my qualifying at Lake Las Vegas during the inaugural stages of UBT. I also made the show at the Palms which was taped earlier this year for future telecast. I continue to be thankful for all that Russ Hamilton has brought to the Blackjack Community, by allowing ALL of us the chance to play for some serious sums of money while on TV.

From a business standpoint, it's my understanding that Russ is actively and very conscientiously doing everything humanly possible to insure the future success of ClubUBT. Success which by the way could benefit all of us who continue to actively participate in the "Tournament Blackjack Experience". For those of us who know Russ, we need to step up to the plate so to speak, especially at this time, and offer our continued thanks to him, in addition to our encouragement and POSITIVE input as he strives to take this business into the distant future...

Now for the NEWS that Ken just shared with me...

For anyone who has WON a seat into the Tournament of Champions which was to have been held at Barona, a seat which was a part of any prizes that may have won in a previous qualifying tournament, a seat worth $10,000; your $10,000 will be sent to you before the Christmas Holidays. In addition, for anyone who has personally previously paid the Tournament Entry Fee for either of the last two tournaments which were to be held at Barona, you also will receive a full REFUND of the amount you paid. This refund policy obviously doesn't apply if you were comped into either of the two remaining tournaments by Barona.


As I stated earlier, we will be hearing more from Ken Einiger soon, but while we are awaiting further information, we all need to keep any negativity away from this and other Forums, as the harsh words and criticism will only act as a poison, and subsequently serve no useful purpose at all...

Everyone keep the faith and make it a "Great Day"!

Respectfully,

Skip Samad

 

Skip – Several points. I normally would do this as a PM but we’ll all grown ups here aren’t we? So here goes:

1. Thanks for calling Kenny E. I respect that Kenny came forward and gave an “unofficial – official” notification about Barona. Asking players to call him in person is a good step – kudos’ to Ken.

2. Skip – while I find it admirable for you to post information about UBT – stop it. You are NOT a UBT official and while I do not doubt what you wrote I’ve read promises like that before from Hollywood and Joe. It’s time that UBT had THEIR people step up and set the record straight – otherwise YOU’RE setting yourself up as the fall guy.

3. I think it’s great of you to be so thankful to the UBT people who gave you the freeroll opportunity at Lake Las Vegas – I would be thankful too had I been given a free entry with the possibility of being on TV – I however had to pay for that opportunity. I paid an entry fee on top of that - so I paid my way. Tell me Skip were you this "thankful" to Kevin Bellikoff and WSOB for hosting the super satellites? No? Why not? Oh you paid for that didn't you? So you'll excuse me if I'm not so gushing in my praise.

4. Business model and investor viewpoint – as a former small business owner I can commiserate and understand about overhead, payrolls, and negative cash flow – but who cares! It’s not YOUR business Skip. If this is a business decision – so be it but it’s a private company, not a publicly traded company. It’s none of our business about how much they make or in this case what they are losing.

5. On the flip side of this company they need to fulfill their contractual obligations to those players who supported them: i.e., UBT tour stop winners, internet winner, etc., UBT owes everyone else NOTHING!

6.

This is where I get troubled on several levels:

(a) harsh words and criticism – show me where
(b) serve no useful purpose – it got Kenny E to post something didn’t it? Without this thread and people asking questions how much longer do you think UBT would have waited? 1 week more? Maybe when people flew in from Florida and arrived at the casino?

7. If the LVHMD tourney can be lambasted in ALL IN magazine for their failure to live up to their promises why shouldn’t UBT be held to the same standard? If the players who paid the monthly qualifier for the Hilton event had a right to be pissed what about players who were taking time off from work, to travel, entry fees, etc., At least the Hilton had the disclaimer attached and when the Hilton pulled the plug they contacted players. UBT – the just don’t learn do they

8. ClubUBT and UBT – you really expect us to support ClubUBT after this?
Hey Skip are YOU gonna assure me that if I pay for 6 months on ClubUBT they’ll still be in business?

Skip would YOU purchase airfare to Miami in March for the Club UBT cruise?

Skip what’s next? Will you be telling me that my deposit bonus from Bet21 check is “in the mail?”

Ok, ok, that #8 was probably uncalled for but I hope I’ve made my point. WHOEVER runs UBT needs to be making the announcements and stop sending others out to do their “housekeeping”.

Right now I’m so frustrated that what I had envisioned as a great opportunity for playing in BJT with an EBJ format has been run into the ground only 14 months after its initial launch.

I’m frustrated when I read people writing the players didn’t support UBT nevertheless the people at UBT never acknowledged any fault of their own – pricing, locations, dates, etc.,

I’m frustrated that this happens on the heels of the WSOB failure and the likely demise of TBJPA.

I’m just frustrated and stonewalling doesn’t make me feel any better so I guess I’ll just rant ok?

 

Skipper, my bowling and TBJ buddy - I have to side with Fred on this one. You're really setting yourself up to be a target in this matter, and I'd hate to see that happen!

In the short history of UBT, they have a strong pattern of keeping secrets and not telling people things they need to know. I could fire up a long list of examples, but this is not the time. It's also not the time to sit by the campfire and sing Kumbaya while blindly trusting them to make things all better. History makes that a slightly tough pill to swallow.

Kudos to them for refunding the $10K Barona money to those who were owed it anyway, but what about the people who have already arranged to burn precious vacation time from work and have paid for airfare, car rental, & other expenses? Who is gonna make things right by them? This isn't the first time, either, not by a long shot. On top of that, UBT still has not officially addressed this whole TOC debacle. I'm impressed that Ken E. stepped up and posted some information, including offering his own cell number for chatting about the situation. You Da Man, Ken, that took guts. But that doesn't exactly count as an official release of information from the UBT front office.

One also needs to remember that the online winner of the Barona seat isn't the only one still hanging out to dry.
There's at least one other for sure, and probably at least two who "won final table seats" to UBT TV tournaments.
Has UBT contacted any of them? Especially the poor guy who won the Barona event?
Does he or she even know about any of this?????

It breaks my heart that UBT matters have reached this point. Like Fred and others here, I was so deeply hoping that this whole thing would fly like the eagles. Or like poker. Perhaps, if UIGEA finally goes away and the Club still exists, another try can be made at the Tour. I sure hope so.

 

Yes we are all upset but I certainly not let down By Russ, Bonnie, Joe, Ken or anyone else who has worked so hard at UBT's office,

At the end of the day Past cancelled,changed Tournaments, Be it from the Hilton, UBT or a whole load of others if i researched the subject have one thing in common, Besides diappppointed players they were all run by casinos, Here is where the problem is for Casinos are the only ones in this equation who strangly enough don't gamble!
In other words they they don't want to take a chance they are simply there to take as much money from people as possible and give as little back whilst still keeping their customer base. The result advantage players come along and get 86'd Events come along that when put onto a balance sheet may show a loss or do not create enough of a profit compared to something else they can be doing in the same square footage, thus get axed or changed.
They also hate listening, are stone set in there ways and certainly don't give two hoots about small time customers like us who lets face it are more likely to take money from there cash tables then give compared to some Japanese loon shouting 'easy money' throwing thousands of chips at a roulette wheel!
The problems with the TOC were obvious to all including UBT, Barona had been told the entry fee was to high, That entry sats and sit n go's would draw in more customers and that the prize pool needed to be adjusted to make sure it was not a winner takes all event, Ideas where given to them many that we had all suggested like rebuys etc, They choose not to listen and then pulled there financial backing from the event leaving UBT no choice but to pull out, We know the production costs and commitment that UBT throw at these events so would have only happened if no other avenue existed.
Yes this has left a lot of people in situations, 2 Days ago i booked our airfare to San Diego for the event at over $2000, Had a new pair of glasses made for me last week especialy for chip counting and the list goes on! I now more so will continue to support UBT the Club and any other formats that cross my path,
But as you said as far as Barona is concerned my aviater has finally come true

Hell no Mace won't go
What this has meant more then the tour or money lost is the chance to meet so many of you again some who i have met before and others who i was looking forward to meeting for the first time.
The good thing about cruise tournaments is there are no money greedy leeching casino bosses messing up our fun!
So lets look forward to this, We already know cabins have been paid for so bar the ship sinking prior we will have our game
Players Wanted

 

Mace...have cabins actually been paid for?

Mace, you said, "We already know cabins have been paid for."

Do you know this for a fact -- 100%? Or were there just deposits made on the 100 cabins? Because if the Club is paying for prizes as they are being given away, why would they have paid $200,000 back in September for prizes that will be won from September through March -- with most happening from January through March?

And why have I not heard from Bonnie Leinhos, their Director of Tour Operations? I was promised a reservation form and paperwork over two months ago. And my email to her yesterday has not been replied to.

- Ted

 

Ted it was you who posted over on LVA that your mind had been put to rest that all cabins had already been booked, As for Bonnie i think considering what has gone on this week she probably has more then just a few emails to answer besides other things seeing her email address is the only one listed on UBT's site so may take her a few days longer then usual, I would suggest as common coutesy everyone tries to keep emails etc to UBT at a minimum whilst they are sorting Barona mess out.

 

You're right, Mace, I may have said "cabins had already been booked."

You said they had "been paid for."

Big difference.

I just wish a true "official" from the Club would post something -- not Ken, not Anthony, not you. I'm not trying to "pot stir" here -- just want some accurate information about prizes already won, specifically, the cruise. If you don't know for sure, then don't make it sound like you do.

As for Bonnie: She had two months to get me the paperwork. It could have been an oversight. I'll give her that much. But with the latest developments, it gives me a reason to be concerned.

Has anyone else who won a cruise on the Club received any paperwork? zweeky? pinklady?

 

Hi, I have won the cruise but I have not recieved anything yet. Yes the cruise is still on.




pinklady

CLUBUBT ROCKS!!!!!!

 

Ted i sorry if i misunderstood your old post, it was the one a week after you had critisiced the club, Then you won the cruise spoke to someone at the club for around an hour and then posted that your worries had been put to rest, you had checked everything out etc etc I can't be bothered to find the original post just had a quick flick through but lots has been said since lol :laugh:
So when i said we know that Cabins are booked i was doing so from that info, Joe i believe has been at Ricks event last 2 days so assume thats why he has not posted,
And i also don't see any need for people saying that Skip should not post when he is simply giving a bit more info from his phone call to Ken E., Ken has kindly stated that anyone can phone him with any questions so if you have unanswered questions am sure he will be happy to chat.

 

first, very, very well stated fgk and leftnut.

bjmace,

are YOU stating that barona cancelled the tour stop. that is not what i heard via officals at barona. they stated, ubt cancelled, as they have done in several past tour stops.

do correct me if i am wrong. for being just a little guy in the eyes of the great ubt, i do care about the future of bjt.

just maybe, ubt should have signed up for business 101 and customer relationship, instead of singing its' praise daily. it might have been better time spent.

 

Ted thought i'd go back through the posts on LVA as i was convinvced that you had said the cabins where paid for, and low and behold let me remind you of your word!


TedinNaples

[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica]Posts: 79
[/FONT]' I also just received an answer to another nagging question. The cabins on the Carnival cruise in April have been pre-paid. So, I guess, my concern about whether the Club will be around in April to pay for the cruise, no longer applies. Kudos to them for prepaying for these cabins.'


So as you can see Ted when i said "We already know cabins have been paid for."

I was using you as source of this info, are you now saying you are not a reliable source of information

 

Mace: "2 Days ago i booked our airfare to San Diego for the event at over $2000, Had a new pair of glasses made for me last week especialy for chip counting and the list goes on!"

I guess this proves that you truly do not have any inside information, Mace!

I'm truly sorry to hear that you shelled out all that cash, and made all those plans, for nothing.

Do the glasses allow you to see the dealer hole card as well?

 

My bad

"So as you can see Ted when i said "We already know cabins have been paid for."
I was using you as source of this info, are you now saying you are not a reliable source of information "

I guess I am truly not a reliable source of information. Did you really expect me to remember what I said months ago, when I can't even remember what my secret bet is? Luckily, they changed the software so I can now see my bet!

Hopefully, I was working on accurate information when I posted that. Thanks for pointing it out, Mace, and going through hundreds of posts to find that post.

 

They only allow me to see hole cards on UB why do you think ive been playing so much poker lately
Yes the airfare is a bit crap, I'm trying to see if there is anything else worth coming out for, Strangely another Tournamnet at Imperial Palace on exactly same dates as TOC has been cancelled, the only other is
Viejas Casino - Alpine, CA
BJ Tournament 50K Guarantee
$100.00 entry fee, $100.00 reentry. $50,000 prize pool. 1st=$7,500.00. (Open)
Does anyone know any more about this event,

No probs for digging your old post out thought i was going nuts for a minute.

 

The Viejas Tourney looks like a good deal. Too bad I was scheduled to fly back early on Sunday (with plans to reschedule if I made the million $ final table).

I may still be in San Diego that week, and if I am, I'll let you know.