Annie Duke and UB Poker part ways

After nearly a decade Annie Duke is leaving UB Poker as a sponsored pro. As one of the most recognizable poker players in the world, Duke, along with Phil Hellmuth, was the face of the online Poker Room virtually since its inception. Having been with UB Poker in its Ultimate Bet incarnation which was marred by the Super-User scandal, and then through two sales of the company Duke has seen the good and bad of the industry, and is now moving on to new endeavors.

Duke explained her reasons for leaving UB Poker in a statement on her blog:

“It’s bittersweet, but I’ve decided to leave UB.

I have nothing but positive things to say about UB and my experiences with the brand, management team, and dedicated employees who work hard every day to deliver a terrific online poker experience for players like you.

I’ve sincerely enjoyed wearing the UB patch, but it’s time for me to move on.

So why am I leaving UB? In a nutshell, professional and personal growth.

I’m going to explore and pursue other business opportunities on a full-time basis. And, while I will no longer be a part of UB, I will remain a part of the online and offline poker community and am confident that we will continue to cross paths playing this amazing game that we all love.

See you at the tables - always,

Annie”

Just days ago Duke announced she would be marrying longtime boyfriend Joe Reitman, as the two got engaged over the Christmas Holiday, and Annie has a number of other poker, and non-poker, related projects on her agenda.

UB Poker also issued a statement stating:

“Annie has been a key part of assembling today’s Team UB, an amazing group of passionate Poker Pros who love this game more than anything else. While Annie’s presence on Team UB will certainly be missed, Team UB will go on loud and strong. We wish Annie well in all of her future endeavors.”

Duke’s departure comes on the heels of wild speculation over the fate of Phil Hellmuth at UB Poker -Hellmuth has not sported a UB Poker logo since sometime in October, despite appearing at a number of major tournaments, as well as an episode of Poker After Dark.

Should UB Poker lose both Duke and Hellmuth the site would likely be decimated, leaving them with a stable of solid yet unspectacular Poker Pros, and mainly poker celebrities like Maria Ho, Tiffany Michelle, Hollywood Dave Stann, and PokerRoad creator Joe Sebok -who would likely take over as the face of the site.

It’s unlikely Duke would land at rival PokerStars due to her longtime tiff with PokerStars front-man Daniel Negreanu, not to mention Duke’s brother Howard Lederer is one of the leading members of Team Full Tilt Poker.