UltimateBet – Historical Review & Superuser Scandal
📜 Historical Review: This poker room is no longer operational. This page serves as a historical archive for reference and educational purposes.
💀 UltimateBet – Historical Review
UltimateBet (UB) was one of the most prominent online poker sites of the early 2000s, endorsed by poker legends like Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. However, UB became the subject of the largest cheating scandal in online poker history when it was revealed that insiders had been using superuser accounts to see opponents’ hole cards, stealing an estimated $20-50 million from players over several years. The scandal, involving high-profile poker figures, remains the darkest chapter in online poker history.
📋 Key Facts
| Active Period | 2001–2011 |
| Network | Cereus Network |
| Peak Traffic Rank | Top 5 globally (2004-2006) |
| Reason for Closure | Black Friday (2011) + superuser cheating scandal |
📖 History & Rise
UltimateBet launched in 2001 and quickly rose to prominence during the poker boom. The site attracted top poker professionals as endorsers and advisors, including Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, and Russ Hamilton (a 1994 WSOP Main Event champion). UB’s affiliation with famous poker names gave it credibility and drove player acquisition. By the mid-2000s, UB was among the top 5 most trafficked online poker sites globally. In 2007, UB merged with Absolute Poker to form the Cereus Network.
⚡ What Made It Special
UltimateBet was known for its strong association with poker celebrities and professionals. The “Ultimate Poker Challenge” TV show and high-profile endorsement deals made UB a recognizable brand. The site offered competitive tournaments including the UBOC series. The software was advanced for its time, and the player community was active and passionate.
💥 The Downfall
The UltimateBet superuser scandal dwarfed even the Absolute Poker cheating episode. Investigation revealed that insiders — with strong evidence pointing to Russ Hamilton and potentially others — had been using superuser accounts since at least 2004, able to see every player’s hole cards at the table. An estimated $20-50 million was stolen from players over several years. Hamilton was eventually identified in leaked audio recordings but faced no criminal charges. The scandal tainted many associated poker professionals. Combined with Black Friday in 2011, UB was shut down permanently, and most player funds were never fully returned.
🏛️ Legacy & Impact
The UltimateBet scandal is the most damaging event in online poker history. It destroyed trust in unregulated poker operators and accelerated the push for proper licensing frameworks worldwide. The fact that prominent poker professionals were associated with the site — and some may have known about or benefited from the cheating — shook the poker community. UB’s legacy serves as the ultimate cautionary tale: without proper regulation and independent oversight, even the most prominent poker brands can harbor devastating corruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the UltimateBet cheating scandal?
- Similar to its sister site Absolute Poker, UltimateBet was found to have a superuser account that allowed insiders to view opponents’ hole cards. The cheating was believed to involve high-profile players and site insiders. An internal investigation confirmed the fraud, which was estimated to have cost players millions of dollars over several years.
- Were UltimateBet players ever repaid?
- Unlike PokerStars, which repaid Full Tilt players as part of its DOJ settlement, UltimateBet and the Cereus Network never fully repaid affected players. While some partial refunds were issued for confirmed superuser-affected hands, many players lost their account balances when the site closed after Black Friday in 2011.