In yet another heavy blow to the troubled CEREUS Network sites UB Poker and Absolute Poker, parent company Blanca Games has announced that both sites' pro teams have been terminated with all players being laid off with immediate effect.

The announcement was made via a press release yesterday, in which Blanca Games expressed its deep regret and explained that the decision was taken as the company can no longer offer their players a source of income.

"This was a difficult task for Blanca’s management, and we are very disappointed that we have been compelled to sever ties with our sponsored pros. Over the years, the Company has been successful in gathering a group of young, extraordinarily talented and brand-appropriate poker professionals who have proudly sported its logos," the press release reads.

"We are truly saddened that circumstances have dictated this course of action, and we regret that we are no longer in a position to partner with our sponsored pros, or to provide them with a source of income for playing the game that they love. We appreciate their significant time and dedication shared with us, and we thank them for the loyalty and patience they have continued to show us even during the unsettling events of the past few weeks. We respect and admire them for their many accomplishments, both at the poker tables and away from them, and we will always be grateful for their valuable contributions to building the UB and Absolute Poker brands and to creating a rock-solid community at the pair of online poker rooms," it adds.

With the announcement, pros Prahlad Friedman, Eric Baldwin, Maria Ho, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, Scott Ian, Dave Stann, Adam Levy, Bryan Devonshire, and Trishelle Cannatella are now all out of work, as well as UB Poker's controversial spokesperson Joe Sebok, who confirmed the news yesterday on the PokerRoad blog.

Sebok here lamented the decision, and apologized for not having accomplished more during his stay with UB Poker, as well as he claimed that the troubled sites continue to work on solving the pending issues with payouts to American players.

"UB and their legal team is trying to work creatively to get that money back to players, I have been told. I haven’t been promised that that can happen, but I have been informed that is the goal. This was never going to be a short process though, which leaves so much room for speculation. I am trying to not engage in that, hope, and be patient. It’s not easy," Sebok wrote.

UB Poker's roster of team pros up until late last year also included heavyweights Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, but both players chose not to renew their contracts in January, leaving the team to become free agents instead.