UBT Season 2 Schedule discussion

Here is the list of shows and players for the upcoming UBT Show for season 2 on CBS TV

Sept 15, 2007 @ 2PM Eastern 11 AM Pacific

Venetian Tournament

Players

James Nguyen
Gleb Bourianoff
John Cernuto (Miami John)
Marie Hua
Cosimo Tripodi
Gary Biedrzycki
Huan Quan Mai

Sept 22, 2007 @ 2PM Eastern 11AM Pacific

Barona Tournament

Players

Brian Soper (LeftNut)
Dave Stann (Hollywood)
John Smith
Ahmet Akdeniz
Matti Suhale
Michael Toomey
Erlinda Soto

Sept 29, 2007 @ 2PM Eastern 11AM Pacific

Palms Tournament

Players

Anthony Curtis
Blair Rodman
David Crawford
Christian Guiltron
Kevin Zarnick
John T Schultz
Antonio Esfandiari

Superstars of Blackjack vs.Superstars of Poker 1 Oct 6, 2007 @ 2PM Eastern 11AM Pacific

Players

Johnny Chan
Joe Pane (Joep)
Annie Duke
Dave Stann (Hollywood)
Jennifer Tilly
Anthony Curtis
Fred David

Superstars vs.Superstars 2 Oct 13, 2007 @ 1PM Eastern 10AM Pacific

Players
Kenny Einiger
Phil Hellmuth
Adriana Jade
Freddy Deeb
David Matthews
Barry Shulman
Martin Pollak

Superstars vs. Superstars 3 Oct 27, 2007 @ 2PM Eastern 11AM Pacific

Players

Robert Williamson III
Monica Reeves
Blair Rodman
James Grosjean
Antonio Esfandiari
Miami John Cernuto
Kenny Smith

2 winners from each of the Superstars table advance to a Final Table of No Limit Hold-Em

Finals of the Superstars Nov 3, 2007 @1:30PM Eastern 10:30AM Pacific

Players names are withheld because that would give the results of the previous shows away.


ClubUBT Venetian Nov 10, 2007 @1PM Eastern 10AM Pacific

Phil Hellmuth
Freddy Deeb
Annie Duke
Kenny Einiger
Hollywood Dave
Rene Angelil
Robert Williamson III

As a further note from Joe - Aruba,St Kitts, Palms and Ventian Tour Stops were always scheduled for Season 3 there were no changes to the scheduled showings made. I was fully aware when I taped my Palms Final table that it was for Season 3

 

Thank you for copying that to this Forum, Mace!

Deb's a little hot under the collar, to put it mildly. We were told at the Palms that "her" show would be Season 2, but apparently it's going to be delayed to Season 3. We didn't even know there was a Season 3 until now.

 

We were all told at Ventian that our episodes and some others which i can not recall are Season 3, At least this way you have something to look forward over both seaons, i have to wait until season for mine

 

Oh?

You told us they told you it was on a "fast track" !! I thought for sure we would see you, toonces and Fred very soon!

 

There are some very, very angry posts going up at the LVA side. People were not told that their shows were going to be Season 3, despite what a certain rep of UBT is saying. These folks have told family, friends, and co-workers that "their" shows were going to be on, now that's not even certain and they're embarrassed. Deb and I didn't even know there was a Season 3 in the works until this came out tonight.

I've said it before here, and I'm going to say it again. One of UBT's biggest problems is a failure to communicate. If they had kept in contact with the folks who are now so angry, and let them know what was going on, all this hurt and anger would likely have never happened.

 

Well I see that UBT has finally posted the shows that are going to air. Of course, it's nothing like they promised anyone.

Joe, you posted that you have always known that your show at the Palms was not going to air until season 3. I am guessing that you were the only one with that information, because I know the people running things sure didn't or they are damn good liars. Why would I say that? Well, here is a copy of an email that I received from UBT. I will not post the person's name, but here is a copy of the email communications - look at the date of the email.

In a message dated 8/7/2007:
I do not know the episodes yet – but will keep you posted

I was wondering I have seen the dates for the TV show up on your site, do you know which episode will be mine and Brian's? Nothing is listed for that.
Deb

Where anywhere in that email does it say your show was NEVER scheduled for Season 2 but will air in Season 3???????????

Let's get to the list of how UBT has been since I won the online tournament, and see just why I am now the BIGGEST LIAR in the state of Michigan because of them.

LIE #1. I won a trip to Aruba, wow! I can't believe this, it's too good to be true! But since I know someone who has already won another trip from UBT and has the plane ticket in hand, this had to be for real. So I start telling everyone I know that I won a trip to Aruba to be on TV. HHHHHMMMMMM - Wait a couple weeks, then get an email - the Aruba trip is cancelled. Sent an email asking questions, wait, still nothing, send a repeat email, wait wait wait, still nothing, suddenly the Aruba info is taken off the UBT web site. What the heck is going on .......send yet another email asking questions. They are busy getting ready for the L.A. taping, so I wait, fly to L.A. with one of the other Internet qualifiers, let the people in charge know that I am the one who won the Aruba trip. Lots of congrats, and you should be hearing from us soon. Wait a couple weeks upon returning, send yet another email asking questions, finally a reply. I can now choose between the Palms in April and Venetian in July. OK, now I have to go back and tell everyone I know that I won't be going to Aruba but I will be going to Vegas so that's ok.......I guess. I am starting to get the look from everyone of "Yup, you were suckered"..............

I was promised transportation upon arrival in Vegas, that didn't happen except for a reimbursement of cab fare from the airport. Some limo! I wasn't met at the hotel, "just come find me when you get there." I knew this from already going to one taping. My stay at the palms was lacking any kind of "We are happy to have you here" from UBT. On top of that, if it were not for cell phones, I would have been stuck with the entire room bill which was to be covered by UBT, although a staff member did hustle right down and cover it.

LIE #2 "So, when is the show going to air"......."you will be on season 2 starting sometime in May." I started telling everyone I knew this information, including my company which has an internal web site and are waiting for the final date to put this info up for hundreds of fellow employees to see. I won't even go into the part of my Navy son who has bragged to all his buddiess about the show. Uuuuuuummmm - now it is not going to show in May .......it has been pushed back to September. OK, I start telling everyone this news. Now I am getting the look of "we don't believe a word you're saying now.").

LIE #3 Here it is August, and wow - look - they have finally put the dates for the shows on the Internet. I am getting lots of questions about which show will be yours, because by now everyone is checking the web site to see when the show will air. And guess what.......... I WAS LIED TO, there will be no airing of the show in September. They never had any intention of showing it then, maybe in some distant future when no one would ever believe me that show might air. And now I have to go back to everyone and say "Guess what, I lied to you for the third time." You know what they are going to say back......... Don't call us, we will call you, your word isn't worth a hill of beans any more.

I have been a huge supporter of UBT since starting to play on the website, and even after everything leading up to the third lie, I was still willing and proud to say I was on that TV show and I play on their website and I would love to help get Elimination Blackjack tournaments near me. Now, all I can say is I am ashamed of myself, and hope that someday I can get someone to believe a word I say. I will not be a supporter of UBT any more, I sure as heck won't tell anyone if my show ever gets on air, because I know no one will believe me any more, thanks to UBT.

 

Duped

Dont be so hard on yourself! You are NOT a liar! You were managed to believe something and it didnt come true. I feel terrible for you and the other people too, but its a fact you are NOT a liar!

jmo.

 

Reality TV

Wow, I can’t believe this tempest in a teapot!

Yes I said I would take a break but I feel the need to inject some sanity into this mix because a lot of players are missing a bigger point here and it’s a point that is unspoken.

Let’s deal with the internet winners first shall we?

1. Did the internet winners get a trip to the final table they were promised? YES (Now Deb your case is an exception and I’ll PM you later about that)
2. Did the internet winners get the money that was promised to them from playing – even BEFORE their episodes air? YES
3. What actual COSTS did the internet winners put out for their tournaments? NONE
4. What strings or stipulations were placed on the internet winners, such as you must continue to play or we won’t air you show? NONE
5. What page of the 16 page release that you signed did it specifically state that your taped episode would EVER be aired and if so WHEN? I can answer for you NONE.
6. Who told you, as players, to go home and tell your family and friends that you were going to be one TV when in fact it was never confirmed in the first place? NO ONE AT UBT (they don’t know in the first place)

So why all the big fuss and commotion? Are you THAT desperate to have yourself and your episode on TV, to bask in your 15 minutes of fame, that you trash the company and the people who provided you with that opportunity in the first place?

If ANYONE has a gripe about their episodes not airing it would be the players who PAID FULL ENTRY FEES into the events in Aruba and St. Kitts, whose episodes were filmed well BEFORE your episodes.

Now let’s look at possible reasons WHY this has happened, in a calm, cool, rationale and collected manner shall we?

The purpose of the UBT is what? It is a marketing tool to promote EBJ. In season 1 it was Bet21.com/.net. For Season 2 it is a marketing tool to promote ClubUBT. Now I will say what the official people at UBT can’t say. The UBT is a “paid promotional” advertisement. Yes. UBT PAYS CBS to air those episodes. They (UBT) recoups some of that $ from advertisers but the whole purpose is to get viewers excited enough to join Club UBT.

Now as to why certain episodes were chosen and other not? Name recognition and ratings – it’s as simple as that. Remember final tables were/are cleverly disguised telecommercials for ClubUBT. Now the participants, particularly the internet players looked at these as their Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame but that wasn’t the purpose. So how do you get players to sign up and play Club UBT? Let them see names and faces that are recognizable, on TV that will be playing on The Club. In fact throw in recognizable poker faces and it is brilliant marketing.

Was this deceptive on the part of UBT? I don’t think so. All internet players, (remember Deb I’ll talk to you later) got what they were promised.

Let’s face it if UBT Season 2 doesn’t put more players into Club UBT will there be a season 3? I doubt it. After all it is a business and it needs to be profitable. So where is there a bigger potential of getting new players? From watching unknown internet winners play a game that people aren’t familiar with (YAWN) or from watching celebrities play, act like they’re having fun and excitement and the possibility that YOU at HOME could play against them?

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out folks. Hold you shirts your episodes will eventually air – if and only if – Season 2 is successful. By successful that means more members to Club UBT and them turning a profit. Otherwise your episodes, as well as mine, will be victims of lack of interest and money. Cest la vie!

PS - I don't care if my episode never airs! (especially after that last hand fiasco! :flame:

But seriously I would rather have MORE live EBJ tourney and NEVER see my episode than see the episode and have UBT come to a screaching halt! JMO

 

Good points, Fred, but you're missing something here. It may be a teapot to you, but it's a huge deal to others.
Even "Life Event" would be appropriate for some.

The core of the problem is not that the shows in question will be missing from Season 2, it's that folks weren't informed that it may happen that way, at least not until the bomb was dropped yesterday. Reading through the posts by the directly affected people here & at the LVA site, the recurring theme is shattering disappointment over the Season 2 non-scheduling, and the resulting embarrassment in front of family and friends at home. All someone had to do is tell them that it might turn out that way.

 

I concur with you about that. However jumping to conclusions from some of the internet people started this thing. Communication is, was and has ALWAYS been a problem with UBT. I could list all the misques but I don't want to bore people.

The point is the decisions to air the episodes was made for very specific marketing decisions. Personally I think it was the right decision to make from a corporate viewpoint.

From a personal viewpoint I can understand the disappointment and even betrayal that some internet players must feel. However - the show(s) must go on.

Now how do you think the people in St. Kitts and Aruba feel? They paid FULL FEE, including airfare, hotel, food and in the case of someone here, advertising fees. Now the 1st and 2nd live UBT stops are going to be season 3 and not season 2?

Those players have a legit beef - just my opinion

 

Wpt

didnt make it to where it is today recycling players like UBT is for this season. This years UBT schedule is good ol'boy nepotistic. WPT is a great success, UBT should have marketed Deb and Leftnut as WPT would have.

JMO

 

Is that a cheapshot because I did the same thing earlier this morning?

You might be right about that, but it was still handled in a very insensitive manner.

Absolutely they have a legit beef! Perhaps more so than the Internet qualifiers, but haggling over who has the biggest gripe won't do much more than string out this issue.

 

I think everyone here has missed the point. The point is word of mouth is what is going to get people watching season 2, or any season for that matter. If it were not for the internet and even the people who paid to play telling family, friends and who ever to watch the show. Who is going to watch? Some guy waiting for the football game to start who just happens to flip to that channel?

There once was a really great commercial (all though at this point I don't remember for what) but the commercial went you tell 2 friends and they tell 2 friends and so and so on.

I know for a fact that there were at least 50 people who had never heard of UBT or the show untill I started telling them to watch, becouse I was going to be on it. These are people who I know once see the show, will more than likely sign up for the club and try there luck. And if they were to tell 2 freinds as the commercial goes. But now once they hear well sorry maybe another time do you really think they will tune in on the show?

 

Word of mouth is definately the BEST and most cost effective advertisement, on that I agree. But the purpose of UBT ISN'T to get viewers but to motivate viewers to sign up to play at Club UBT.

The 50 family and friends you mention - will they still watch even if you aren't in the episode? If not then it's highly unlikely they won't joing club UBT and THAT is what the CBS show is all about.

In the end it all comes down to marketing and money.

But don't worry you'll get your 15 minutes of fame - just a little later. Until then you'll have to root and cheer for LeftNut! Unless you start a boycott of UBT (trust me on this one it won't do any good! :laugh: )

 

hard to believe what happened.

I feel your pain Deb, you were treated badly. You might not have invested any money but how much time did you spend to win the trip to Aruba? Cost of time can be of equal or of higher value than money. None of us has the right to value your time or your feelings. I would have enjoyed being able to brag about winning a trip to the UBT tournament in Aruba.

My wife and I spent a lot of time trying. My wife came in 2nd to the St. Kitts event and was told that if the winner could not make the trip she would get to go. We told a lot of our friends and were excited about that slight possibility.

UBT and its defenders seem to be putting stock holder concerns above the players that make their existance possible. Accusing the UBT of being insensitive is being very kind.

tgun

 

Tgun,

Maybe it's me but I think that people have missed the point:

The internet winners ALREADY received what they were promised (I know Deb is the exception).

The got airfare, hote, final table and money for nothing! What more can you ask for?

Their episodes are taped and in the can. When they are aired is the major contention and the point is this:

If Season 2 UBT flops there will be NO SEASON 3 and the whole operation goes down the drain.

I mean if you're a coach on a little league team and you're down 9-8 in the bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, 2 outs do you put in your best hitter or let little Johnny (.100) bat because it's his turn and it's the "right" thing to do because his family came out to play?

You bump Johnny and put in the best DH, Bruno (.333) and hope for a home run!

Now unlike little league there are hundreds of thousands riding on the line here. It's a business decision - nothing more and nothing less. Deb will get her 15 minutes - she's just gotta be patient.

OMG Somebody stop me! I'm beginning to sound like a UBT Shill or promising something I can't deliver.

Help me I'm turning into Joep :yikes:

 

You're doing fine, Fred. The fact is that the demographic that UBT is shooting for is not "friends and family of the players". If it was than all of these reality shows would be a huge success. After all, we've got 25 contestants competing for the love of another guy. Think of all the friends and family there.

However much it sucks, this stuff makes some sense from a business standpoint. They have invested a decent amount of money in "Team UBT", so they are spending their time into making them stars. The biggest disappointment is that they don't have enough faith in their product to work on its own.

I'm surprised not to see any comments about how 1 of the 8 shows that the UBT will be airing this fall will be entirely No-Limit Holdem Poker!

 

If it's of any interest in this thread, my championship was filmed in October of 2005 and didn't air until December of 2006. I didn't like the waiting so much at the time, but after it was aired, it was great and I wasn't disappointed.

Having said that, I concur with some of the complaints about this and all the other things like ClubUBT and bonus money and such. There is some room for improvement and perhaps even reconciliation in some areas.

I think some of the people giving criticism are really offering constructive criticism. I hope UBT sees that the people taking the time to express their displeasure may be the best customers they've got.