FYI - pretty sure by "two broken ankles" he didn't mean at the same time.

Though the Misery reference is top notch.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=458

So you did actually say that, he just didn't know you were joking?

Broke the same ankle twice. Came back from injury too soon.

I insisted and he said no thanks. I didn't press the issue. We're good friends, that's his way of being kind and showing friendship I think.

1. I don't think it's "illegal" but none of the game are technically private. Anyone can get on the list, but they're games where people don't leave often so seats don't usually open up. I don't find it scummy, but I'm sure plenty of people disagree.
2. No, I play some mix game on occasion. Big O, Stud8, PLO8.
3. Idk what you're talking about.

No, he knew I was joking. He just decided to pretend I wasn't when he got mad at me.

Do you feel you put a target on your horses backs? It seems like you did and it would either hurt their bottom line or challenge them to be great -- most likely the former.

There's a famous old 2p2 thread posing the question of how many hostile five-year olds could an adult male fight to the death. I can't remember the exact paramenters, but you're trapped in a room with no exits and no things you can climb to keep away from them. They can coordinate in groups only to the extent five-year olds can, and they're solely dedicated to killing you. they have no weapons.

Or something like that. But that's clearly the reference for the question.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/34...ny+5+year+olds

1. Do you regret doing the article?
2. Do you regret name-dropping Phelps and Hart given the context in which they were dropped- whales who like privacy?
3. While you brought up a few examples of whales enjoying the "whale" tag and being happy with the whale vs grinders relationship, do you think there might be more longevity in being more coy/rubbing their noses in it less?
4. Do any of your horses play at the same table (or with you at the same table)?
5. Are other pros in your player pool chill with your unparalelled (afaik) capitalist approach to live poker?

***While I disagree with what your approach to poker appears to be and I thought the article was very bad for poker (and likely for you), these questions are serious/without venom. I'm just curious about all this at this point.

$400k = did not play with Kevin Hart that year
$800k = played with Kevin Hart that year

No. Even if it did, what are people going to do? Try harder to win? Most of my horses aren't known to the people the play with.

I think I would go to the corner so I couldn't be surrounded and then take on 20-30.

1. No, I've got mostly good feedback except for from grinders.
2. I can't remember the context of how their names were written in the article, but I wasn't calling them whales. I just mentioned in a conversation with the poker room manager that they don't like having their picture taken and being bother when they're trying to play, so a frosted glass around the high stakes area would be a good idea. Neither one of them cares if people know they play poker. Like most celebrities, they don't want harassed while they play.
3. In my experience, rec players enjoy the challenge of getting better. They're smart people - like I mentioned earlier - and if you pretend they're something they aren't, they know. It's actually something I've been told by some players is very annoying away from the table. That said, everyone is different and should be treated differently. I don't rub anything in anyone's face, and I don't know any rec player who hasn't thought this article was cool. Like I mentioned before, I had one guy throw his number at me, tell me he was a whale, and asked to play in a private game.
4. They play at the same table a decent bit I'd assume. It isn't something I keep track of. Not with me.
5. Don't know/don't care. At MDLive there was a big fuss when I would organize $25/$50 games with all non pros.

Thanks for disagreeing in a respectful manner. To me, the days of being young and playing big while pretending not to be a professional have been dead for a while. High stakes poker is on a serious decline, and that's why I've put a lot of focus on private games - so rec players can book winnings sessions and enjoy the game more without having to deal with the speechless grinding robot - and also on staking - because LLSNL will never die imo.

It's ironic, a handful of regs have chastised me for the article and how bad it is for them game. Meanwhile, many rec players are telling me the reason they don't play more is because they don't enjoy playing with X player - the same guy trying to tell me an article is bad for the game.

I know you're joking, but many private games run only once a month or once every other month and they're huge. I played a $100/$100 game and lost six figures because a guy was straddling huge every hand, and I limp/shoved AK and got tank called by 86s and lost. Have many other stories like this. The swings in the big games and how infrequently they run make estimating a yearly income a joke. A better estimate would have been bigger on both ends.

Are you stating that you do not play at the same table as your horses?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN4dOU_1hoA

This article should make every pro who has worked their ass of for years absolutely sick to their stomache.

There's a guy in South Florida who has done the same thing. Here's the recipe to success

1. Steal whales from casino
2. Create private game
3. Block out good pros
4. Profit

The staking thing is also terrible casino poker games but is less scummy than the private game steal the whale tactic.

Just remember this Chad (you already know it). Your peers hates you and views you as scum of the earth. The only reasons why you consider your horses friends is because they need you and use you for your money.

Your justification for what you have done is laughable. You have created these private games out of GREED. You realize that a game without pros and good players will lead to a bigger bottom line at your years end. That's all you care about.

Well done chad, keep using your pawns and keep stacking your money. Keep pretending that your horses are actually your friends. Keep pretending that you are doing this to benefit the recreational player. I hope you have many sleepless nights and the regs at MD live and National Harbor give u grief every time you sit at a table. Its no wonder you have developed this feeling of apathy. Its your only defense mechanism. Its your only way to justify to yourself what you have done.

Not at $10/$25 or higher which is 95% of what I play. Occasionally for a brief period at a lower game if I play that while I wait for a seat to open. Always confused me why anyone cared about this.

That post is utter crap. All too many pros are annoying, selfish nits who stick earbuds in, concentrate on their phones, tank, don't follow poker etiquette, bitch about time, and generally put no effort at all into making the game fun. I did not particularly like the image that chad cast in the article, but it is clear that chad puts in effort into being sociable -- which is a critical component of the game.

Because people rightly fear collusion. See the history of men the master and his horses for some horror stories related to this.

Sure, but you don't have to stake someone to collude with them. They aren't related at all. You can cheat with your friends just as easily as you can cheat with someone you stake.

The difference is that you have a financial interest in players that you stake, which encourages collusion. You're of course correct that collusion can occur otherwise.

My own personal view of it is that financial swaps or stakes should be disclosed to the table, but that's never going to happen.

I see nothing unethical about this whatsoever. Sounds like smart business.

Collectively, poker players are about the biggest scumbags you will find on the face of the earth so lmao at giving a **** how they view others. Anyone that negatively impacts their EV is considered scum to those selfish pricks.

A business designed to increase its bottom line. How dare he!

OMG, he's stacking money! That's outrageous! There should be laws against this sort of behavior!

Is there really anything wrong with this? In order to do #1 you have to offer a better experience. Whether it's another casino's director or sponsored pro offering a more popular environment or a person (pro or not) as a home game, why is this scummy?

Historically there's a lot more to it than "blocking out good pros." Sure, good pros get blocked out a ton and are in too large a supply, but there are plenty of good pros that are outgoing and monetarily loose and will be as desirable to the avg player in the game as a wealthy bad player.

Are you feigning ignorance?

Any time you're staking someone sitting at the same table as you, you are essentially taking 2 out of 9 seats at a table. If you are trying to win at poker, you will inevitably "collude" with your horse.

Let's say your horse raises to $40 pre flop at a 5/10 game and you're in the BB with 44. It's folded to you. Do you set mine against your horse even though you have the implied odds? What's there to gain? You just end up paying rake.

Let's say there's a huge whale in the BB and your horse raises to $40. Your'e on the button with AA. Do you 3bet? Probably not, since you want the whale in, and letting your horse take a flop with the whale is +EV for you as well.

The fact you even compare sitting at the table with your horse with "friends making a conscious effort to cheat" is laughable.

I doubt you're really that ignorant given how astute you are in getting an edge in gambling. Poaching whales into private games, recruiting busto kids to be live nit bots, counting cards...

Now you're saying you wouldn't do anything that's considered collusion when you're on the same table as one of your horses? Gimme an elfin break.

You've never played at the same table as one of your horses in 10/25+? You've never allowed your horses to play in the private games you've hosted?

Of course its not a problem to stack money and not give a **** about what the other pros think

The issue here is in the justification.

Chad is pretending to take the rec players side when the reality is its all about his own $$$$

lol

Comon do u think chad wants sociable pros that are good at poker in his private games? Please.

Chad is obviously a very intelligent guy.

Of course he is feigning ignorance.