Tao of Poker

Check and Raise Assholes

So some dudes put up a new poker site and want to include a nice list of poker blogs. Fine, more support for us. But these guys really pissed me off.

1. They stole the list of blogs from the Tao of Poker.

How do I know this? Because on their site, it matches up identically to how my blogs are listed (prior to two weeks ago when I cleaned them up and added a few new links). Iggy and my brother are at the top. Who includes my poker bloggers flog to their list of poker links? I'm the only one who has it linked up.

2. The webmaster from the new site stole content from my blog and didn't even have the common courtesy to link up my site, after they ripped off the blogger list.

That's how I know they snagged the links from my site... why would I list my own blog in a list of poker blogs on the Tao of Poker?

You guys didn't think I'd notice? Whoever is running that site, be a real man and contact me, instead of a hack who rips off other people's content because they are too lazy to do the work themselves. I know you visit my site because you obviously stole my links. So if you are checking back... this entry is dedicated to you.

You can contact them: on this page. Please send them you thoughts on the matter. I'm too pissed off right now to tell`them how I really feel. The bastards.

I am asking all my fellow bloggers to boycott a link back to their site. I don't even care if they clear up the mess and add my link. I don't want to be associated with thieves like those two bit idiots. Assholes. If you've linked them up, I kindly ask you to remove their link. If I discover that you are playing on their site when it eventually opens up, I will show up to your hometown and remove your fingernails with rusty pliers, one by one.

I write for free, dammit. I'm insulted because if the assholes over at that poker site would have asked for the links, I would have said... OK... and pimped the site. If I wanted to get stabbed in the back or fucked over, I would work in Hollyweird or go back to Wall Street. I have always put writing first. That's what this site is all about. I'm sharing my poker stories. For free. I've lost jobs, family, friends, relationships... you name it, for putting writing first. I've made sacrifices to get where I'm at... and walked away from huge sums of money and chosen a path of rejection and borderline poverty just to follow my heart and write every day. For free. And it's like getting kicked in the balls when someone steals from something you put hours of time and effort into. I don't know what else to say.

Wait, I do know what to say... it's instances like this that make me want to pull the plug on all of my sites, and walk away from blogging altogether. If some two bit con artist is ripping off my links, who's to say no one has stolen any of my short stories and poetry and other ramblings... and passed it off as their own work?

This was a risk I accepted when I started blogging. But is it worth it anymore? Right now, it's not. I will be taking the next few days to think about whether or not I am going to pull the plug on everything.