Oh the joy of the Internet! It can turn good ideas into trashy input, it can turn stomachs, and it can turn the most introverted and shy geeks who’ve always been intimidated by face-to-face meetings with successful people, into their greatest of fantasies: self-perceived brave souls who feel confident & comfortable as they hide behind what they believe to be the safety of their computers. It has been a wonderful invention for these types of failures in life.

But with the fun comes the pain, and my stalker-friend Dick Mustain truly knows the latter. Having grown up in a fantasy world that pretends playing with ones and zeroes somehow transforms computers into more superior units than the human mind, his life now revolves around the attention he can gather by making believe he’s a video poker guru on the Internet.

But what’s this?? He’s the only person in history to have been permanently banned from both vpFREE & FREEvpFREE? OUCH…what humiliation! Introverted nerds are the LAST bunch who can handle such a rejection. Oh well--guess he won’t be getting frustrated over my common-sense based postings any more. And I’ll bet his eyelids are blinking just a tad bit more after he finally growls himself to sleep each night. Bye-bye Birdie!

Internet forums do create monsters out of fairies. And why not? Almost everyone’s anonymous because they’re afraid of being caught in their multiple lies, they feel safe that way, and at the same time they can put on an act that would scare even the boogeyman. But why don’t people just be themselves without all the mystery? Yes...Internet forums do have a way of transforming the most timid of souls into the bravest of hearts---if only for a moment.

I’ve always wondered that about the famous names of video poker and why they feel they must hide behind aliases, but maybe they should get a pass since they’re mostly all authors. And maybe not. I’m one of them yes, but I released my real name along with many personal things - both good & bad – about myself years ago on my site. The Undeniable Truth wouldn’t be so provocatively true if I were simply hiding behind another name and made-up identity without some kind of visibility, now would it?

Can you just IMAGINE any of the games’ gurus coming out with stuff like this?: My real name is Robert Argentino, I grew up in Massachusetts; my wife Cindy & I and have made Arizona our home since 1976; I spent most of my working career in the field overseas and in every corner of the world, and by the time I chose a VERY early retirement to become a professional gambler, I was VP of Worldwide Marketing for a major DoD contractor. And that’s just a start. My site identifies numerous other items about me -- as well as my family -- that would make any covert famous name, as well as geek-critic, tremble.

Which brings me to the first forum I’ll discuss today – vpFREE. Although it easily has the largest membership – rivaling the number of members who’ve signed up to receive my free E-Newsletter – and it has the most comprehensive casino database to be found anywhere, it lacks the magic of controversy and lively debate. Yes, it’s somewhat hilarious watching Bob Dancer, Jean Scott and Dan Paymar go at each other throats, but I believe that’s always and only because they’re all jealous of each other’s market share of video poker suckers whom they sell their wares to. And we’re not just talking money to make a living on here. We’re talking putting GAMBLING MONEY into their pockets. That, my friends, is where it gets serious, especially to those who HAVE to play video poker every single day.

In between that type of entertainment we find most of the others are wondering where the best nickel games are, how many points they can earn here vs. there, and other petty, very meaningless stuff that keeps the anxiety juices flowing for those who can only make it to Las Vegas once or twice a year. And since everyone’s programmed to only believe in optimal-play strategy, after a quick read you’d think the pied piper came in several years ago to take these players out of reality and straight into fantasyland. In short, it is very amusing but not really helpful at all.

FREEvpFREE is vpFREE’s big brother, in that it’s more of a wide open forum where just about anything goes as long as it remains mostly civil. I’m on there at times and the people who chime in are my most envious critics in & out of the industry. This has been more of a “get it off your chest” forum for those who get irritated with my reports of winning - and my offers, for a bet, to prove those winnings. They are simply not used to someone who will challenge them with substantial bets whenever they tell their lies. And they simply are not used to running away and seeking safety like they do whenever I start to put the hurt on them.

Now let’s look at another video poker-only forum: videopoker.com. I really can’t complain about this one other than it’s kind of “cute” in that if you take some time to read what the few members have to input, you can ascertain how overall low an education level you’re really dealing with over there. It’s more of a weak collection of misled picture-painters than it is video poker enthusiasts, and there’s something so third-grade about how most of them write when compared to the quasi-real video poker forum, vpFREE.

I’ve been banned from that forum multiple times, and it’s because they can’t stomach the truth about the video poker machines. They also have a difficult time with criticism, yet they beg for it every time they post. I don’t go there or read anything they say any longer because the last time I did all they seemed to be doing was talk about me. And besides, it’s not really worth the trip because of a serious lack of membership (even though the administrator - Webman - tries unsuccessfully to cloak that distressing fact). At any one time there might be a half dozen people viewing, and there seems to be a base of maybe 15 members who actually belong. It is a sad, mostly anti-Singer ranting site where they can tell lies about me at will – probably to help make all their losing sessions feel less painful. I’ve even had to block some of their member’s e-mails since they signed up for my e-newsletter, because they just can't seem to live without me--and even that irks them. Oh what fun!

But when all else fails, there’s always the LVA forums to be entertained by. While not a discussion format for just video poker players, the game is brought up on numerous occasions. Generally, my “stalker” friend Dick is there to show his irritation whenever I get any kind of attention, and seeing that I’m banned, it’s amazing how my name just keeps popping up again and again. That’ll get under ANY critic’s skin fast.

So are any of these venues helpful to anyone? Yes and no. Lots of inexperienced players get fleeting hope from just about any post that talks of winning. But whenever I appear all I do is I tell the stark reality of what’s really going on. Video poker gambling is made up mostly of pathological gamblers who know they’re inflicted, but use DENIAL as their middle name. And the gurus with all their long-term strategy BS are no help at all. OTOH, I use the forums to destroy scammers, debate, inform and train. Those who love to hate to love me cry foul day and night, but that’s only when they’re getting spanked. Yes I'm banned from those also, but I have no trouble getting on whenever they invite me with attacks. And I ALWAYS win the battles.