Mr. Chain Blue lightnin' Himself!

Here on vacation in the B-A-utiful OBX of North Carolina, and finally getting some rest and more importantly, some relaxation. We have had this house for about 6 years now and it never gets dull. Always fun. If you are on the east coast and looking for a place to take the family on vacation, I suggest this place right here. Very family oriented, great beaches, and lots of stuff to do with the kiddies.

I started catching up on some of the blogs last night, and although I was made aware of some of the alleged shennanigans that went on with what Hoy may or may not have perpetrated, I didn't really think much of it. And couldn't really wrap my mind around how bad or how insignificant it could be.

Then I read blinders post. Wow, what a ripping. I mean, jeez... calling someone a cheat is going pretty far. An asshole, well, yeah, thats acceptable and by no means punishable by death, unless of courses, YOU are an asshole. But cheating is way bad. Thats a pretty tough line to cross in the arena we recreate in. And, yes... all of you dopes out there are only playing recreational poker ON-LINE. I dont care how big your scores are. (unless you are in the 6-7 figures and playing 18+ hours a day) But playing $10-$500 online tournaments are purely recreational in my mind. Until you have the balls to show up in Vegas and paly LIVE poker for a living, you are nothing but a purely recreational player.

Now, let me define cheating as I see it. Cheating, occurs when someone deliberately takes actions to alter the OUTCOME of any event, game, or contest, in their favor. Those actions must be outside the rule of law, making them illegal AND almost guaranteeing a favorable outcome to the perpetrator/s.

To say what Hoy did with the Icrushbloggers id on bodog was cheating, I can't agree with. The bottom line is you still get to play with that person, and no matter how much of an advantage they think they are getting by playing anonymously, you still have the opportunity to still play them. Hand for hand, orbit through orbit. The only thing being kept from others is their real identity. I did not know who half the field was really when I first started playing, and really didnt care.

Not the point really however... The real issue here is the ripping he puts on people in some of those posts, ANONYMOUSLY. Behind the curtain and comfort of not being recognized as the asshole who would say such things, in the manner in which they were said.

Now, fairly, Hoy posted that he did not write any of those posts at all. That some other people have, and they will remain anonymmous. However, some have written and stated that they belive, that based on the writing style, AND the content, that it actually is Hoy who wrote those posts.

I don't really know who did, other than the fact that to not believe him puts his character in question. I have never met Hoy, nor do we Gchat, email, or converse in any way, but I will tell you that I have heard nothing or have seen nothing to believe that his character could be so small. I'm not defending him here, just laying out my own observations. And I will state, unequivocally, that if it does come out that he did write these posts, then my whole image of him will change, and I will always look at him as a cowardice little pric.

I will take some of those posts that were written though, and judge that whoever wrote them was and is a complete moron, coward, and punk.

HE/She/ They write about single hands of players, and bases their whole judgements on that players games on one hand. And for that matter, I laugh at those situations even being real.

He posted this about me...

"Anyways, first with around 6 players left in the bodonky, riggstad called one of the somewhat short stacks' push from riggs' 37k stack when riggs was holding Q3 offsuit. Ahahahahahahaha. I have seen this countless times in blogger tournaments, where these guys get to the end game with some kind of a stack, and they start using the sheer number of chips they have in their possession as if it somehow changes the pot odds involved in the hand. I have seen bloggers obviously uncomfortable and nevous with big stacks call allins when shorthanded at the final table with literally any two, and it makes me chuckle every single time to tell the god's honest truth. I don't care if riggs' stack had been even bigger than it was at the time, that was still a horrible decision by him and, unsurprisingly, he lost the hand and made a short stack into a big stack in quite a hurry."

I will tell you that the depiction of that hand is grossly misreported. I won that tournament, first of all. Second, I was in the BB when that shorty raised to me. Third, he had less than twice the bb. and Lastly, he was not made into a big stack at all. Really an autocall with any two cards.

He rips on Skidoo defending his bb with K5 and then not only criticizes the play, but goes a little overboard in doing so. Attacking personal character and so forth.

An the worst part is getting after Smokkee... Constantly, just without fail, and relentlessly. Attacking again, personal character and just over all animosity towards someone I think is a pretty cool dude. (regardless of I did or didn't I would still have the same feelings about the posts)

Do that shit on a blog all you want. You're protected. do that shit in a live game, or in real-life and you'll be picking up teeth. Now Don talks about this all the time. How people do shit on-line and would never dare to it live.

I will tell you, and there are many others that have witnessed it. I do everything you see on line here in real life. I don't hide behind the screen, I BOOOOOOOOOOOM at live tables as much as I congratulate, criticize, and even repremand other players. I have no qualms or inhibitions or apprehensions about gettng into a player for being a douchebag. And I can clown as much as the next guy.

What has been written in some blogs have always struck me as jabbing, ribbing, and just plain fun really. You have the right to rip anyone you want, and you have the right to look at things how you do and write about them. You also have the right to be upset about what people write about you. If you choose to be, or if thats how you are made.

But what gets me about this certain situation is the fact that it was done anonymously, with deception, and malice really. Thats what sticks in my crawl. You fucking cowards you.

Now, again, I haven't necessarily sold myself that it is Hoy that wrote those posts yet. I am not a forensic reader, and cannot and will not base my decision on whether or not they are his words based on a comparison of what and how he has written in the past.

Plus he has written that it wasn't him, so I will believe him, as I would believe any of you who asserted anything like that on a blog. Its all we have to go on. I love this community of players, and people. As another blogger I'd about another situation, taken out of context here, but he line was... "with some pretty amazing fucking people". But I am not naieve... and will hold final judgement until all of the facts come out. If they do.

The bloggers I have met have been nothing short of amazing people. All of you. But this little anonymous posting thing just wreaks of pure cowardice and immaturity.

You think your game is that much better, write about it, you think you can tell people how bad they are, write about it. You do it behind the facade of someone else, you are a coward and a punk. Bottom line.

We should all start showing a little more class these days. Kidding around is kidding around, but you dont do things under the cover of meaness or deception, and then say, after outed, that you were kidding. Doesn't work that way. Trust is a huge issue for all, let alone people you've never met over the internets. Be a man, be stand up, and don't fuck with people anymore than they think they are already being fucked with.

With all that being said, I wish all of the fathers out there a very happy and fun filled fathers day!