[NCAces]

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You don't think that professional poker players, and the public in general, would have a negative opinion of a guy who doesn't pay people the money that he owes them?

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The general public has no idea that poker is even televised, has no idea there is a WSOP, and could absolutely care less about what the poker champion does or does not do. The extent to which people on this forum exaggerate the level of the general public's knowledge of, or interest in, televised poker is astonishing. If I did a "man on the street" survey and asked, "who is the 2006 WSOP Main Event champion?" I'd be lucky if 1 out of 100 people could give me the answer. Even after the FT airs, I will be lucky to get 1 out 100.

You are projecting ... just because you (and I) spend/waste an inordinate amount of our time here, doesn't make it a mainstream activity that many people know about or care about.

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What's idiotic is to think that nobody besides people in this forum would care about a world champion who tries to screw people that he owes money to.

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Which brings me to my second point ... how exactly do you know that the world champion is trying to screw people? Think before you answer, because conjecture (notwithstanding that we are in the NVG forum) is not what I am looking for. There have been a number of good posts here explaining both Gold's and Leyser's actions that don't point to anyone trying to screw the other.

For the record, I have defended Gold since days before the FT when the haters were irrationally dumping all over him. And, while I continue to defend him now by asking people to state facts, not conjecture, if it turns out that he is trying to screw people I will be very disappointed and the first to say that my gut feeling trust in him was misplaced. Money -- lots of money -- causes people to do crazy things, but I will reserve judgment until all the facts are out.

That is why I think it is idiotic.

NCACes