Calling Out Brandon (Aced Poker)

[pokerprop]

Brandon when you get a chance perhaps you could share more about your experiences at Aced, what your position with that company entailed, when you actually left and for what reason and also share some insights on why the room failed, and why there was at least a couple hundred thousand dollars of unpaid debts racked up over at least one year while you were running the affiliate program and acting as the poker room manager.

I'm sure you'll agree many of your success in this industry have been the result of this forum and the position your friendship with Jeremy helped push you into. Affiliates were good to you over the years and I'm sure you made good money as a result.

Also based on Aced racking up $200K in debts they never paid at some time there must have been some money in this poker room at one time as surely this couldn't of been an outright scam or complete ponzy scheme from the start. So, Where did that money go? In what ways was it missuses. how do you sail a ship that failed to this large of an epic proportion and then seep quietly into the night without giving anyone the courtesy of an explanation.

Maybe you've had large finances outside of this forum so perhaps it doesn't relate. However I recall it not being too long ago you purchased a house.

The list of mistakes Carbon Poker made in this situation are MANY so if the existing debts are unpaid I don't feel they should be let off the hook. However, while it is possible I'm being duped I really feel PDC/Carbon/Ianw come off as sincere and made these mistakes without acting in bad faith or malicious intent.

What I want to know is why you've essentially disappeared while an all out attack is likely in the making against the company who bailed out the company you were the face behind.

Also why did someone I've always viewed to be a close friend of Jeremy tell me on my first ever phone conversation with him that he believes Jeremy is looking to cover this up and it is a long story.

You have to know this situation now also reflects negative on him as well and there are good posters simply gone from the boards now that just had enough dealing with this, and there is a lot of fingers being pointed at a trio which is Jeremy Enke and his two side kicks Brandon Berndt and Greg Powell. Are you comfortable with the position you've put Jeremy in. I don't know the under workings of that deal or you guys relationship or if he is someway involved, but from the way this topic has been avoided I'm not alone in thinking Jeremy has something to cover up here, and one of his friend came totally out of the blue and said he feels this is something Jeremy wants to cover up.

Now of course nothing in this thread would be any of my business and there is no reason at all i'd pry had the transition happened smoothing. But now seeing there were a few people stiffed for a couple hundred grand built up during a period of a year or so while you were the poker room manager running the affiliate program and acting as there contact on the topic and continued to promise they would be paid. Seriously man it is a huge wtf?

All the spotlight has been somewhere else while your off doing whatever it is you are doing, when really Brandon the spot light should be on you.

If you fail to answer these questions and address the situations, unless someone steps up and bails out this debt, I can't see how you possibly return to this industry again. $200K is a lot of money you were the man making the promises for. Now that members of the group that have fed you for so long have been stiffed, at the absolute very least we deserve a full explanation. I see no reason Ianw should be left taking all the slack.

[PTC]

link to cliff notes?

[pokerprop]

link to cliff notes?

Are you not the guy that reads peer review journals?

If your looking for back stories, there are a few relevant threads:

Aced Poker seriously delinquent on $120K debt

^^ latest thread.

For past threads on the topic there is a search button in the top header.

To be clear there is nothing I had ever learned outside of the thread, prior to making any posts except for in the past 24 hours. It could appear I had advanced knowledge in some posts, but this is not the case it was only suspicion. In the past 24 hours I had someone initiate phone contact with me, and had two others send me reports. One chat logs and tons of info I haven't read yet and the other just a quick share of his story which is fairly fucked up as well.

[Lenny]

Prop For President.

[Prenut]

Prop can you explain further what you mean by Jeremy has reason to cover up? Are you implying that he had a large financial interest in Aced, or you are stating this because Brandon is his buddy?

[PTC]

Are you not the guy that reads peer review journals?

Funny you remembered that argument from who knows when. Ill respect that, but still not a fan of this thread. I'll boycott if roger asks me to but I dont like dragging this out.

[pokerprop]

Prop can you explain further what you mean by Jeremy has reason to cover up? Are you implying that he had a large financial interest in Aced, or you are stating this because Brandon is his buddy?

I'm honestly not implying anything. I have no info at all in that regard. I had looked at it more as "swept under the rug". it was someone else that made comment in private "covering up" which made me suspicious only. I have no info other that that, so my post should be taken at face value. it did not suggest or imply anything it was not explicitly meant to suggest.

[Ridge]

Man I seriously don't get this guys. I mean Roger is my hero, and I hate the whole situation. Having known Jeremy for years and having spoke to him about Aced on and on since it opened, I'm confident J didn't have an actual investment in the room and other that one of his best friends was involved didn't care one way or the other for Aced.

As for Brandon, I think he is just in a super shitty spot. He has to make money and he took a chance on a room and used his reputation to do his job well. I mean to me its like any other job, you do the best you can do and if it fails you look like shit, but at the end of the day he isn't the owner or boss. I'm sure Brandon is smart enough to know how this reflects on him and I seriously doubt he is enjoying this situation.

So I guess my point is this.

Yea I'd like to hear details of the whole thing. But c'mon Aced thought Jaime f'ing Gold was a GOOD idea?? So that tells me right there they were out of touch and probably had no clue. Sounds to me like some guy shad a bunch of money, wanted to start a skin, Brandon took the opportunity to make a living, and of course the room failed.

For the records, I have not spoke to J or BB in a while. Brandon probably not at all this year. So I don't want to hear the "oh this is a cliche" or wtfe - It just is what it is. I guess I don't think Brandon or J want to cover this up. Prop I would suggest you contract BB or J personally and see what they say rather than posting here. But I get why you are, and I don't have an issue with it. I know you feel you are doing the right thing.

[MJ]

Let's be honest about this - and I'm only talking about Aced in general and not J or B.

This was a poker room tha was never promoted - affiliates like myself begged for a site redesign and begged for banners to work with. Aced never made a single attempt at retention of players - no emails, no newsletter, no promotions whatsoever.

Bottom line either Brandon was restricted in his job or just never gave a fuck - you'd think he might have a comment one way or another but a holiday weekend is not the best time for this thread to pop up.

[pokerprop]

I've talked to Brandon in great detail starting from after making this post and this situation is a lot more complex and serious than appears in this thread and fully understand why he needs to take some time now to respond.

Now to point out beyond that:

Brandon made CPA deals with these affiliates. He also from my understanding controlled affiliate money in having the ability to fund affiliate accounts of the players.

How it works is that Merge handles all player balances processing etc. The profit the site makes from these players is paid to Aced. I believe (though am not sure) Brandon then controls that money and distributes funds as his roll as the poker manager.

This company though made a mistake. They made CPA deals for money that was due immediately but there was no immediate money to pay them.

Over the course of a year Brandon told affiliates owed CPA payments many times they would be paid.

Now in private there are fingers being pointed an accusations being made, however what I posted here in this thread: All these questions I do not find to be unfair.

A tab of god knows how much. $120K, $250K, $500K (my guess is $300K range - as $120K has been publicly stated and I am sure there are others as well because where there is two there are more) of CPA debts were racked up while Brandon was running the ship and these went unpaid while he repeatedly told people they would be paid.

This is why I put focus on him and made this thread. Someone at Aced is to blame for that aren't they? A CPA deal is due immediately, you can only make that deal with money you have not money you'll earn over the next year. A CPA deal is a marketing expense, Rev share is not.

I don't find it all that unreasonable here to ask for an explanation. I told this to Brandon in private in MSN right now this is the part that needs addressing.

I feel the need to reiterate this because several are brushing it off and I even got a few man "dude why are you hitting Aced so hard". This topic however has sparked more private conversations that I ever had on a topic in the industry. I'm sure not ALL have contacted me however there are some who have who are fearful to speak out for whatever reason as perhaps there hoping there might be some chance to get paid, though I'm not 100% sure each who has contact me is owed money. However the interest from those not willing to speak is extremely high to the point I've been sent so much data I am totally shocked to have received and it is info I'd prefer not to have received.

My contention at this point is that we should not allow for affiliates to be stiffed without a serious explanation with full disclose, or without leaving every leaf unturned. If they do get paid then this goes away. If they do not then someone is to blame.

The old owners of Aced might be riding in their sports car right now or sitting in a private Island beach house for all we know. The could of lost a zillion dollars on Aced and still be quite wealthy. As affiliates when someone else is stiffed this large of an amount we should be united and demand answers. If we do not the entire industry continues to further regress. We can not do a lot when sites change terms as that's a private business matter and we can only take our own individual actions - when someone skips out in a large payments such as this stiffing other affiliates. If we can't stand united on that topic to at least demand accountability there is nothing we ever will be able to unite on.