Professional poker player and WSOP bracelet winner, Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy has recently announced his decision to leave UltimateBet’s exclusive roster of players only six months after he was signed by the online poker room. Josephy signed a contract to join UltimateBet’s team of Star Players in May, 2008 and took his place at the online poker room along with other pros including Shawn Rice, Scott Ian, Mark Kroon and Gary DeBernardi. Josephy won his bracelet at the 2005 WSOP, Event #8, however, his most lucrative win so far happened in September of 2006 at the UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic, where he cashed about half a million dollars after finishing in second place.

"Just wanted you guys to know that you will no longer see me as a redlined pro in their lobbies, nor will you see me wearing their patches at live events any more," Josephy wrote in a message board last weekend.

Josephy said he parted ways with Ultimate Bet basically because he stopped receiving payments for his honoraries. Josephy said that Ultimate Bet offered him a “standard deal” that other players have received, but that he refused the deal. Josephy didn’t have a formal with Ultimate Bet; instead, he only had a spoken agreement based on the assumption that he was going to receive a monthly payment.

In a press release distributed by the company in May, Annie Duke, UltimateBet.com Cardroom Consultant, praised the decision of signing Josephy, saying: “A Star Player is one who has an undisputed high level of skill, lots of integrity, and is well-respected in the world of online poker. One look at his impressive record reveals that JohnnyBax epitomizes a Star Player and is the perfect addition to our roster of respected and talented poker players.”