Poker Forum

Phil is kind of a side-show character now, so I get that. Annie had a big win at the Heads Up event, but she hasn't been interesting in years. Wonder if this is related to UB's ongoing problems or if they think the two are past their primes at ambassadors of the game.

When it comes to Annie, we really don't see her much around the tournament trail as much as a few years ago. This is the case for a lot of the notables pros who were the big faces when the poker boom came around. Traveling can be a hassle and wear on many so as time goes on, you get older and with family and all, it becomes harder and harder to attack tournaments with the passion the younger guns have today. Still, without playing a massive schedule of events, Annie was able to top the tough field at the NBC Heads-Up.

As for Phil, he may still be the most recognizable face by the common poker fan. Even with his constant side-show antics, it's his character and that's what attracts people (the fans) to him. Even as media members, we rely on those antics. They are stories and they bring color to poker. Poker would be dead without this sort of necessary evil. Yes, the entrances can be a little over the top and annoying, but no one wants to see a bunch of people without personality playing poker, that's boring. This is why it may be surprising that Hellmuth has left, but shouldn't hinder him from finder other opportunities out there relatively soon. His record, reputation and recognizability all speak for itself and who wouldn't want his face on their team?

What about their future. I think it is pretty obvious Annie Duke sign's with Full Tilt seeing as how her brother Howard Lederer is a 5% owner. I think Hellmuth would lean towards pokerstars, I imagine they will be offering him ridiculous money, money even full tilt poker couldn't compete with. These are just guesses, anyone else have any ideas?

I actually don't think he'll go with either, gangsta_crunk. Hellmuth will want to be the top guy at a given site and it may not be good for either Full Tilt or Stars to bring him aboard. At Tilt, he'll have to play second to Ivey and at Stars, Negreanu is the top dog there. Hard to imagine both Hellmuth and Negreanu being part of the same team, seems like it may be a little too much. Although out of those two, Stars would suit him best as they are a mainly focused on tournaments and Hellmuth is a tournament superstar.

It seems that the WSOP brand would be the best fit for Hellmuth. They are looking to get into online poker and what better face to have right from the get go than Hellmuth? He is tournament poker and is the WSOP. He's the leader in bracelets and WSOP cashes so it'd be a natural fit if they plan to enter the online poker market, especially within the U.S. That seems like the most logical fit for him and he wouldn't be battling for the top spot with another big name, face pro.

i can def see duke at tilt...seems the obvious choice, im sure hellmuth would be offered a very attractive package by stars....but has anyone considered wsop? they would give him the spotlight and it does seem fitting...idk. TBH i dont think die harders really care too much....but maybe im wrong. Happy new year all anyways.

just read dons post above mine...so yes wsop has been considered. lol story responsaments

I think UB's surprise signing could be Phil Galfond or maybe Isaac Haxton

Anyone else suggest who they might bring on as the new pro?

Andrew Robl? Is he anywhere yet? What about Tom Marchese? Or Scott Seiver?

I've heard a lotof rumors about Prahlad Friedman. He was one of the biggest victims of the UB cheating scandal so it would be a huge surprise, but that would fit Sebok's claim that the poker world would never guess who it will be. In addition, Friedman hinted at a sponsorship deal a few weeks back on his Twitter account.

The only "doozies" that aren't already signed I can think of are Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak. I guess Friedman would be a good fit too, but I'm not sure he'd be willing.

Cannot imagine a serious pro signing long-term with a site that has failed to put in place third-party security on their site after the multi-user scandal. Phil and Annie moved away because the UB site has been unable to shake the aftermath of the scandal and (more importantly) unwilling to put in place the third party investigation that would set the record straight on the scandal. There are still a number of high profile pros that lost a ton of money due to the scandal and have not received a dime.