thanks for the 3 hundo mason.

I got 3:1 that you would respond and your response would be more than 100 words.

I am not saying you are predictable. You are just like... predictable.

This is so very silly. Dr. Mason Malmuth is one of the most respected men in poker, for his strategy writing, and for his wildly successful, publishing company that has always been run with the highest integrity. The best thing about a giant of the industry like Mason is that I am here writing freely in about the only really free place to write. David Slansky and Mason Malmuth let the unwashed, the unknowledgeable, and the excreable attack them, and they fund it. What if folks on radio badmouth him because he won't do free advertising for the scads of radio shows? What is his competitors badmouth him? So what?

I have bragged to my former academic colleagues about TwoPlus Two, an open forum of free ideas. Mason allows me to write out my ideas, experiences, and research and get feedback from all over the world!


When I first started writing my old gambler tales on here, I was attacked very hard. This really helped me in the long run, because I have made poker and gambling history my hobby. I have a thread going about all these books I ordered, and it has 120 comments. Two Plus Two is bigger than my local newspaper, most magazines, and the radio shows you mention. Hey, this is a party. Mason Malmuth is our host. I thank him, and envy his thick skin, and wisdom.

I don't think that's entirely true - imo he's got a low tolerance for idiots, trolls and scammers in an industry that seems to attract them like flies round ****. This is going to make him a few enemies, but it also gets him respect.

Hasn't there been a couple of instances of Mason publicly kicking Bluff staff's asses on here for spamming/sneaking in unpaid advertising on the forums in the past?

Wow I forgot about that thread, thanks for bringing it back up. Pretty hard to like/respect a guy that acts like that.

I have been a guest on Gary Wise's radio show. We met through Two Plus Two. He posts here, and I don't recall anything negative about Mason Malmuth.

I didn't see any posts by "durrr" Which screen name is he using in that thread?

LOL 10 posts per page!

Johnny, the fact that you don't remember it doesn't mean that Gary didn't have a dispute with Mason at some point. Perhaps just take others' word for it that it really did happen even if you weren't aware of it.

I don't know Gary at all but I do remember that they had issues with each other for a bit. Lots of 2+2'ers knew about it. (no idea what their current status is with each other nor do I care nor do I think either one thinks about it too much).

You are doing it wrong.

Hint: >> (show all)

I am not 100% sure if this is the case here but many of the issues are based on folks wanting to over-promote (spam) their own projects on 2+2.

The use of the word spam in this forum is waaaaaaaay out of whack. If Gary were to post something that he wrote for ESPN that wouldn't be spam IMO because someone is going to post it no matter what. There needs to be some "considering of the source". That said if that is the rule then that is the rule but if Phil Ivey was to do something similar would that be called spam? I know the quick answer will be of course but I think they would consider the source. Simply put I don't think Gary Wise or some other people depend on posting a link on 2+2 for their income.

It's in there. 4 or 5 pages in. Screen name is durrrr.

So the line is "depends on their income"?

That's going to be pretty hard to enforce across the 100 or so forums here, not to mention however many mods who are left to interpret some imaginary line. It's much easier to just say no spam of any kind. I've seen both sides, been banned for spam and now ban spammers.

The line may be harsher than other forums and one of the reasons is the sheer size. Other forums can make a judgment call on a post every two weeks or so, but here it would have to be done many times a day.

I will gladly say that bluff is full of shills and them overtaking cardplayer as the top poker magazine was a sad day.

I don't disagree with you but a mod is going to be less likely to delete something from Phil Ivey or Daniel Negreanu than Gary Wise. Ultimately that would be Mason's call and he probably would delete the link as a precedent thing. I used to be a prominent member at a site that I basically helped get off of the ground. I cut and pasted an article and while I thought I only did a certain part of it, the whole article went. There was a link in it obv and when they deleted my thread I asked what was up, they said we have a no tolerance for spam. Which is totally fine that they have that opinion but time and intention should count for something. Labeling someone as a spammer is annoying if you are the supposed offender. I think when it goes to the highest person there needs to be a judgement call and if someone had said to me "we know you wouldn't spam us but we have the policy in place for a reason" that would have been that. No harm no foul. But to take it that one step further once it gets to the top and two men are having a conversation about the intentions of content, that is where judgement should prevail.

Obviously this got a bit off topic but in some ways it is quite relevant.

It may not seem so from my posts but I understand that is tough to be the guy that enforces the standards. So while I doubt that "hated" is the correct word in this situation, someone needs to be the gatekeeper. If you are the gatekeeper you likely need thick skin. So I doubt Mason is bothered by the characterization.

have no real opinion on MM but in the Dutch Boyd lawsuit thread someone commented Mason "sounded like a reasonable man". Another poster then noted, "Hal seemed like a reasonable computer," which, for some reason, must be my favourite post of 2009.

A lot of my friends don't like Mason and won't read 2+2 because back in the day he banned Abdul Jalib.

David Sklansky
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C'mon, if anyone would know it's you.

Anthony Curtis and Mason Malmuth are the only two publishers who have a deep understanding of gambling and a committment to NOT publish material that they believe is fallacious. Other publishers to varying degrees allow provably incorrect ideas to be published by them. Sometimes because they don't recognize the fallacies and sometimes because they don't want to alienate a big name or loyal writer by refusing their stuff. When this happens Mason will often call them on it.

In no other (non physical) field that I can think of, except poker, are the publishers and editors as incompetant as they are in the publications regarding that field. Deep down most of them know it. But they don't want to be publicly reminded of it.

Amen...David...some of the things written on poker history are almost criminal in their outrageous lack of knowledge of research, common sense, and good taste. I think publishers do not read the crap they put out. In Jon Bradshaw's piece of crap book, the publisher added a forward saying he was a liar. Yet, Michael Craig, cites it as gospel. Jim McManus' publisher got in trouble for his reckless, ridiculous accusations, which were withdrawn in future editions, an apology issued in a full-page ad in the New York Times, and an undisclosed financial settlement. Dr. Malmuth's academic backgroud allows him to be able to judge fact versus sorry, creepy fiction.

Not sure if serious.

I just want to make a correction here. "Dr, Malmuth" implies I have a Ph.D, which is not the case.

Best wishes,
Mason

David covers the business aspect. Poker wise I guess it's because unlike David, Mason nits it up in the Bellagio 30-60.

For a man with his wallet and claim of poker knowledge, to keep talking about game selection at this stage is old and weak.

Success wise in general, he seems to have done okay.

Apparently Joey wasn't too happy with MM.

http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/show...fpart=all&vc=1