Thank you for that link I had not read that information, but I am afraid that it does not contain the full answers to my questions and if true opens up many more troubling questions.

The huge glaring question for me at this point is if the claim is that the database of hand histories was lost then why are only 10% of them missing? In other words, from a technological/data storage perspective, what is the difference between the 90% of hand histories that are available and the 10% that are missing? Below are some of the still unanswered Qs from original post.

1. Was the database in which the hand histories were stored part of the Excapsa software package or was it a different commercially available database software package?

This pertains to how the data was stored on the disks (RAID array) and to their absurd and false claim that the database was too big to backup.

2. What type of RAID configuration was used on the server? Hardware or software level array? How many disks, etc...?

This one may have been answered. They claim to have a RAID 5 configuration but here seems to be some general confusion in the thread. I am going to assume that they were using Linux Server and a software level array in which the Linux OS is responsible for the RAID configuration.

3. Was array rebuilt? Were there errors? Was the disk sent to data recovery specialist?

The claim is two drives failed at once (not unlikely imo, probably identical drives put through same stress levels) but then there is a claim they tried to rebuild the array and destroyed it by using a wrong block size. This needs to be clarified.

If two drives failed and the array was unrecoverable, how/why could they try to recover it and mess up by using the wrong block size?

Either the array was not able to be rebuilt through the RAID manager (2 drives dead) or it was, you can't have it both ways.

If they tried to rebuild the array by manually recovering the data (through data recovery specialist) and recreating the array with two new hard drives but accidentally used the wrong block size then it wouldn't matter, they could simply re-do the process using the correct block size since they had already manually recovered the data.

What could have happened is that someone didn't know they couldn't rebuild the array with two dead disks and accidentally created a new array with two new disks on top of the original disks without making any sort of backups AFTER the original disks had died. This would be grossly incompetent, but still is a possibility. Is this what happened? In any of these cases, data recovery specialists still may be able to recover the data.

UB has claimed to have sent the disks in question to two different data recovery specialist companies, but will not mention which ones. Is UB willing to publicly submit the entire array of hard drives for testing to a respected data recovery company?

I share your sense of irony. Seebs even includes Trav in the list of "investigators" he hopes solves the case. Travis is likely a criminal conspirator who is currently engaged in a wholly unrelated felony case in Utah. If ever somebody existed who could be squeezed, its him. Unfortunately, we have to get the info blacked out, selectively chosen and guided to assist him in accomplishing whatever it is he wants. His excuses don't hold water.

Since Leggett seems intent on calling for Travis to release his info, I again call on Joe/Paul to release everything they have on Account number 16054, an account created in the first two years of UB's existence. You cannot say the KGC will not allow it, because your company already released his account details and the KGC is not doing anything to resolve the case anyway.

It's been answered several times. At one time Twitter had a suggested users list, which included Sebok, Ali Nejad and others. That list went away in early 2010: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives...st_is_dead.php

Here's an article from 2009 over at PND about Sebok breaking 1m followers - http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/joe-se...ollowers-6384/

Attention-seeking itt.

Part of what I find so bizzarre about this whole UB train wreck is this kind of secret spy intrigue. I just don't get it, are the stakes that high haley that you need to escrow damning evidence against Mason? What's the point?

It's not just this instance, and I think this stuff really gets in the way of understanding what's really going on. This isn't an attack on the work you are doing, Haley which seems incredibly productive as far as I can tell.

I'm also going to repost a question from the old thread that didn't get answered:

Haven't you acknowledged yourself that they tried to cover up the scandal at first? Doesn't that count as "actively help[ing] the individuals who cheated to.. get away with it" AND "attempt[ing] to hide facts to pay less money out in refunds"?

--end--

I'd also like to point out that I'm very deliberately asking you questions that you can answer, joe, and I think that they're all quite relevant. I'd appreciate actually getting a response.

how many times can a person lose their cool and then apologize for it only to do it again. You bi-polar bro? I mean this not as an attack but as a serious question you might want to look into it, at least then you will have an excuse.

Nah, I'm just really really really tired of people ****ing with me. You know what? It's time for a siesta from this site.

Here comes the puppet for the cheater sight, just reiterating everything that everyone already knows. I mean this is getting a bit old already. Sebok, I don't know you, I understand you're just doing your job but really, stop trying to get a community to trust a tarnished site. Whatever you guys do over there to try and makes things better, it's not going to work.

I just fail to understand what goes on in these threads.

Joe is ballsy enough to walk into opposition's turf and answer as many questions as possible, and we spend our time talking about Haley and Mason's childish drama, and Joe and FatalError's Twitter war?

This is a very good opportunity to have a progressive discussion about a lot of things regarding the scandal. A scandal that raped some players of millions of dollars, might I add.

...and some of us are busy talking about TMZ-level drama. Sigh.

omg.

that said, kudos for another attempt at dialogue Joe. 2+2 is rough and rowdy and awesome and full of dumbasses and extremely intelligent people. Running away from it is the easy thing to do. You didn't do that.

I think that UB has been put in the position that if they refer to Travis as the thief he is, UB will be accused suppressing information. So they have to play the game of kissing Travis' butt and deputizing him as an investigator.

Well, at least Travis has the flashing light for his car and a handgun, or at least that is what the recent arrest said...

Don't you guys realise we arn't going to get anywhere here? JS isn't going to come on here and give us any information that will help uncover anything and we all know it. He's just going to come on here and dish out more lies and try to cover his ass and repair his reputation. There no way he will give us anything when he still works for UB and we know that the current management/owners were involved in everything. He basically already said "I went to UB to try and uncover the cheating, but im only a sponsored pro so I havn't/carn't do anything. I don't know anything more than you guys and im sorry."

I know some of you guys are taking this very seriously but nothing will come of it.

Haley, I understand your frustration but this is probably the worst possible time to leave this forum.

If Paul in fact ever shows up here, we'll need your expertise above anyone else's to confront him and make sure he is asked the right questions.

The restricted thread is imo a much better idea than a radio show that depends on monitoring by people who don't know anywhere close to enough about UB.
It would turn into a mess and let them get away with too much.

EDIT: Thread with limited access to certain mods and Haley/Mook, end of story.

Joe, make it happen

dream come true, for elevengrover.

But he doesn't have any answers.

She's right wrt either Sebok or Leggett truthfully and openly sitting for a real dialog. Sebok doesn't have the answers and Leggett isn't intellectually capable of a joust and parry session with people who really understand the case. All his PR has been carefully structured to allow him to avoid confrontational questions and more importantly the critical followups. Arguing about which show or which forum or which format is mental gymnastics.

And, he doesn't have to. After last year's legal struggle the company is now well-positioned to earn a profit on a projected flatline revenue curve. They will try new marketing initiatives, we will keep wailing on them and it will remain a standoff. But they are making money again and likely laughing at these dust-ups.

Very classy by Mason

Same goes for me. I had over $1,000 in bonus money that suddenly disappeared one day when I logged in.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm still owed that money.

Joe, can you fix this?

Joe, my issue with you is that it was/is intrinsically dishonest for you to claim you're investigating UB while they employ you. As you've admitted, you haven't uncovered the additional details necessary, and instead you're acting as a "conduit of information" -- essentially saying you're a PR mouthpiece for UB. And that's fine. Now if you could get Paul or another UB representative with more information to answer questions along with you, it'd be even better.

Another threat?

Another thread?

UB is a case study in how *not* to manage a major company scandal. Either current management is (1) completely incompetent, or (2) they were almost certainly involved in the previous criminal activity, or at the very least are now actively covering up for those that were.

Responding to a scandal like this, transparency is key: you must convince your customers and employees that a new regime is in place, and everything is now completely legitimate. Transparency could include 3rd party audits, release of requested info, a designated company spokesperson (ideally the CEO in the beginning) who is often seen answering questions in public forums, etc. The message should be that the new regime has nothing to hide.

And it baffles me why any poker pro would want to be associated with the tarnished (at best) UB brand without having rock solid proof before joining that new management has truly done everything to bring past criminality to light. Joining UB - linking your reputation to that brand - and then only later trying to bring to light what really happened there, is insane.

I’ve not spent much time following the whole UB/AP scandal until the last few days, but somehow got sucked into the Jonathan/Joe DM threat thread and now this. After reading the vast majority of this thread and doing a little background research (primarily the work that Haley has done) I’ve come to a few conclusions regarding UB, Joe and their association. First, I am a software company CEO with extensive experience in dealing with crisis management caused by a loss of customer confidence, both as a marketer and an executive. I know the right and wrong ways to handle situations such as this and feel qualified to comment on what is going on here. With that being said, a few thoughts and/or conclusions:

- UB management has handled this entire issue about as badly as a management team could handle it. The playbook for dealing with something like this is clear and every MBA student in the land studies multiple cases on how to do it. The formula is really simple:

- Come clean. Completely clean. Identify every problem that existed and who was responsible. Punish (i.e. fire) those responsible. Bring to light every piece of data on what happened and why it happened. Do it with complete transparency and let outsiders crawl through it all. Let the authorities prosecute criminal activity. Make restitution.

- Develop and publish a plan to ensure that what happened before never happens again. Announce to the world who will implement the plan. Make them available to the world to answer questions. Again, let outsiders dissect your plan to make sure it will work.

- Execute the plan with complete transparency. Publish your milestones and your progress against them. Let outsiders review all the progress reports. Explain when you miss a milestone. Don’t make excuses.

It’s really not that hard. UB management either is not willing to or is not capable of following this process. I’m actually not sure which is worse, but I would say that it is probably the latter. They just plain don’t have the skills to execute in a way that will restore the confidence of the poker community.

- The next task is to make sure that every public face in the company (including Sebock, Baldwin, Levy, Friedman, etc…) understands the situation and can explain what has been done and what is being done to rectify the problem. It is clear that they have not done that. Either that, or their most prominent spokesperson (based on Twitter audience) is incapable of communicating a clear set of talking points. There have been those who have said (including Joe) that it is a good thing that UB is not controlling what he says. I think just the opposite, as it indicates a real lack of management control over the situation. I realize that many here would than say that Joe is nothing but a mouth-piece. But don’t you think if they were solving the problem they would want the world to know and that Joe would happily Tweet that success to the world? This isn’t happening and it is a further indication of the dire situation at UB.

- I can only conclude that Joe was sponsored by UB for two reasons – his family ties bring some legitimate poker industry credibility and his 1M Twitter followers. In fact, based on his posts in these two threads, I’d say that Joe is actually being used by UB, as he is basically flying without a net. He hasn’t helped himself with his own actions, but it is clear that he is an untrained, uneducated spokesperson for an at best incompetent , and at worst, wholly corrupt organization. I don’t know what this says about Joe personally, other than he probably has really poor judgment. And the money he’s being paid is really good.

Oddly, I believe that UB could actually still recover from this whole mess by executing the plan above. Consumers (and that is what we are here) are a very forgiving lot. But, I seriously doubt that the management and leadership skills are there to pull it off, let alone the willingness to do the hard work to get it done. Either way, this whole situation could make a really interesting business school case one day.

So Joe, you are bound to be wondering if joining UB has been worth it. Let's see....

On the plus side, you are earning a reported $30K a month. And also on the plus side...... er, nothing else.

But, were you to leave, you could regain your composure, rid yourself of all the #### that goes with representing UB, and start stopping the damage being done to PokerRoad. And lastly, if you chose to leave UB for the reason that you were unable to uncover the nitty-gritty on the scandal, as you promised to do when joining, it would start to rebuild your credibilty within the poker community.

Is it really worth continuing to sell out for?