Ultimatebet Trying To Win Back Old Customers (Rev!)

[The Loner]

Ultimatebet is taking steps to try and win back some of the customers that have defected to other sites, especially over the past couple of years.

Ultimatebet have seen their market share drop over the past couple of years, due to the following reasons:

-lackluster (to be kind) customer support, especially when compared to Pokerstars
-a massive site outage a few years back that led to many of their customers playing elsewhere
-a constantly changing tournament schedule
-a close association with Absolute Poker (they are owned by the same company)
-cheating allegations of their own (the still yet to be resolved "NioNio" issue)
-buggy software

There are other reasons, including excessive withdrawal fees for checks and a lack of advertising exposure compared to other rooms. This drop in market share has led players to play elsewhere, just because there is not that much action on the site. If you play a late night tournament on Ultimatebet, many times there will just be one table because so few players have entered into the tournament. If you want action, you will certainly move on to other sites such as Full Tilt Poker and Pokerstars.

Ultimatebet seems to be trying to take steps towards winning some of their old customers back.

They recently hired Annie Duke as a consultant. Annie will be overseeing the tournament schedule on the site, and has already made some changes that have drawn applause from the online poker community. So far it is looking like Duke was a smart hire for the company, as she seems to be legitimately interested in giving tournament players what they want. This is a crucial step towards rebuilding the player base on Ultimatebet. So far, so good in that department.

If Ultimatebet really wants to build some positive momentum, they need to do the following things:

1. Eat the withdrawal fees associated with certain methods of withdrawal. $8 to withdraw by check? Why? Any costs involved with processing a check withdrawal is a cost of doing business, and should be swallowed by Ultimatebet.

2. Continue to improve the tournament schedule. They seem to be proactive in this department so far, which is a good thing.

3. Forcefully deal with the "NioNio" situation. It is going to be pretty hard for some people to return to the site if this hasn't been resolved. This has been hanging like a black cloud over the company for the past few months.

4. Invest heavily in customer service. One of the reasons that people love Pokerstars is because of their exceptional customer support. Surely Ultimatebet is making enough money so that they can hire a couple dozen really strong customer service agents. It would have a big impact in terms of how people view the room. People want their issues dealt with in hours, not days.

5. Continue to improve the software. Ultimatebet's software was one of the main reasons that the site became popular in the first place. There are some issues that need to be worked out; Ultimatebet needs consult with the online poker community and ask people what improvements need to be made to their software. If people feel as though Ultimatebet is legitimately trying to make a change for the better and are listening to any feedback that they receive, then I guarantee you that people will be more comfortable about playing there again.

Are you a former Ultimatebet player? Is there anything that the company can do to win your business back, or are they a lost cause?

[The Loner]

Lost Cause

[ZoomVT]

Lost Cause

unless they are giving out so much free money that would increase my winrate so dramatically that i would have to leave stars.

[smitch124]

I used to play at Ultimate Bet for years, the main reason I have moved is really lack of players and as a result lack of choices for games. When playing an Omaha sit and go you are playing the same 9 players everytime it seems. Thats the reason I left. Twice now they have given me money to play, I have won it up to a level I had determined earlier and then made a withdrawal. Then after 2 months they would give me money again...they really must be getting desperate.

[smitch124]

They just did it recently in fact:



Steve,

You know that feeling you get when you unexpectedly find money in your pocket? Well get ready to experience it again because we�ve just filled your UltimateBet account with $10 cash.

Use the free $10 to enter a tournament or hit our cash tables whenever you like. The money is waiting in your UB account and there is absolutely no catch. If you�re a fan of free money, those ten bucks are just the beginning. Spread the word about UltimateBet and you could earn up to $100 for each friend you refer.

When you�re ready to make your next deposit, we offer several easy payment options to help you fund your UltimateBet account quickly and effortlessly.



Please note, your free cash must be used by April 28th or it will be returned to the card room for other players to enjoy.

If you require further assistance, you can contact us toll free at 1-866-605-0311 or via email cashier@ultimatebet.com.

Good luck and see you at the tables,

The UltimateBet Team

[revnecro1273]

i dont believe i will ever leave ub and play at another site...the graphics at all the other sites bother me...if i had to i gues it would be doyles room because their tables would be the 2nd best in terms of display...but still suxks in comparison

[ZoomVT]

rev for real? i would have never guessed that you cared about the looks of a site.
i am more concerned about the action available, the fairness of the site, the customer service, ease of depositand cashout, the speed and quality of the software, and finally, the look of the site. Stars has skins and themes you can install so its not as boring. and it works better than any other site for multitabling.

[smitch124]

Actually for multi-tabling, one thing UB has that I love is miniview. It lets you stack the tables one on top of the other, so you can see them all simultaneously.

[ZoomVT]

how can you see them simultaneously if they are on top of the other?
i like stars cause i can fit all 16 tables on my screen and see them all at the same time. and it automatically highlights the one that needs action.

[smitch124]

lol well I meant on top of each other from top of monitor to the bottom...and still big enough for me to read!!

Can you still see all 16 legably on your screen at the same time??

You must have a monster monitor...

[ZoomVT]

yes i can, i have a 22 inch monitor, but i used to do it in a 19 inch as well.
i changed my theme and layout to use the cards that are solid colors (4 colors), and that only have the card number in huge letter in the middle. i only need to see my cards, the board, and the amount. so yeah.

[revnecro1273]

Originally Posted by smitch124

Actually for multi-tabling, one thing UB has that I love is miniview. It lets you stack the tables one on top of the other, so you can see them all simultaneously.

the miniview sux imo...they now have resizable tables...sux for a lap top but if you have a 24inch wide screen tiling 4 rows with 2 columns makes it readable and good on the eyes...on a lap top anymore than 2 sux ass...is hard to see the cards if you tile more than 2

[revnecro1273]

Originally Posted by ZoomVT

rev for real? i would have never guessed that you cared about the looks of a site.
i am more concerned about the action available, the fairness of the site, the customer service, ease of depositand cashout, the speed and quality of the software, and finally, the look of the site. Stars has skins and themes you can install so its not as boring. and it works better than any other site for multitabling.

the appearance itself doesn't matter too much to me...when i meant graphics it is due to the automatic first person point of view...no matter where you sit you are always in the centre...i don't know any site that gives you that...plus the hand history and note taking are a bit better imo than the others...plus ub has ultra turbo 6 man's...can play 3 sets in an hr easily...i hate long tournaments...not sure if others have those

[revnecro1273]

Originally Posted by ZoomVT

how can you see them simultaneously if they are on top of the other?
i like stars cause i can fit all 16 tables on my screen and see them all at the same time. and it automatically highlights the one that needs action.

you play 16 tables? wtf...i struggle to do well if i play more than 4...i don't have time to take notes on all players if i am playing so many tables

[ZoomVT]

Originally Posted by revnecro1273

the appearance itself doesn't matter too much to me...when i meant graphics it is due to the automatic first person point of view...no matter where you sit you are always in the centre...i don't know any site that gives you that...plus the hand history and note taking are a bit better imo than the others...plus ub has ultra turbo 6 man's...can play 3 sets in an hr easily...i hate long tournaments...not sure if others have those

rev, welcome to 2008 bro.
almost every site now lets you select which is your prefered seat at any table and they will rotate your sit so you are always seeing the table frm the seat that you want. you can also move it on the fly, so right click on any seat and say "seat here" and done.
i use it a lot when i multitable, i sit on sit 1 on the top left and rotate as i go, that way i have another visual clue to know which table im on in case i get confused.
but i have set a default sit as well, so any time i join a table i always sit on the same seat.
try it out dude.