JOSEPHY LEAVES ULTIMATEBET

5 December 2008

Poker pro says he was told he would not be paid

 

Online poker forums were abuzz this week with the news that World Series of Poker bracelet winner and online poker ace Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy is to sever his promotional relationship with UltimateBet.com.

A member of the website's Star Players Team, Josephy agreed to promote the poker firm in May this year. At that time, an UltimateBet press release announced: “A Star Player is one who has an undisputed high level of skill, lots of integrity, and is well-respected in the world of online poker. One look at his impressive record reveals that JohnnyBax epitomizes a Star Player and is the perfect addition to our roster of respected and talented poker players.”

Josephy parted ways with UltimateBet on financial grounds, claiming: “I was approached by Paul Leggett (COO of UltimateBet owner Tokwiro Enterprises) in Aruba. When I e-mailed him and told him I was ready to talk, Paul told me that someone else would speak with me. We set up a conference call last Friday and the other gentleman said, ‘Before the others get on the line, I wanted to tell you that we’re no longer paying you starting next month.’”

UltimateBet then apparently offered the poker pro a “standard deal” which Josephy declined. The sudden reversal in attitude by UltimateBet came as a complete surprise to him. “It was as out of the blue as anything can be. I thought it was surprising. I still haven’t heard from the people who were in favor of having me originally,” Josephy said.

Unfortunatly for Josephy, who is also a lead instructor at PokerXFactor, he had not signed his original agreement with UltimateBet, instead working on good faith with the company that he would be paid.

A disappointed Josephy said that he had done everything UltimateBet had required of him. "Maybe they just wanted to use my name through their rough times to add credibility to the site,” he said.