Is Dempsey the only man still wearing Full Tilt patches? You'd be more welcome playing in a 3 ft squared swastika in the current climate?
No, but he's in a minority.
I've been delving into this, & have asked 8 or 10 Red Pros or FT sponsored (as were?....) players their views. So many different, & individual specific replies. The only commonality is that none of them seem to know anything.
Might just blog the feedback today, though, you'll understand, I'm sure, it'll have to quote "anon" sources, as most of them did not want their views "on record", the convos were officially deemed "off record", on the understanding only that I would not quote names.
I'm fascinated by the terribly awkward spot they are in. It's not quite as simple as outsiders might think. And no, I 100% do NOT have a flag to fly for, or against, Tilt. I just find the whole situation bizarre, & I'm incredulous that it got to this, &, really, somehow, the great & good of poker seem to have just shrugged their shoulders & moved on.
My real angle is that many of these players are friends of mine from down the years. "yesterday" they were fine chaps, today some of them are being villified. But they are the same people now, as then, & they knew nothing of what was going off.
The other jaw-dropper is the "Crisis Management PR" - or total lack of it. In Tilt's spot, any line other than "OK guys, here's where we are, heres the situation" is sub-optimal. Communication is all in such a situation.
It's just the most astonishing story EVER in Online poker, but it seems to drop off the front page amazingly quickly. A couple of months ago, they were the world's 2nd biggest Room.
I got some serious abuse somewhere because I interviewed Flushy, wearing a Tilt badge, but the guy completely misread the whole piece, & jumped to all manner of incorrect assumptions, so I eventually gave up trying to reason with him. Fact is, Flushy is the same guy now as he was before all this went off, & he knows nothing of what happened, or why.
I think the thing is scandal & a disgrace, absolutely, but having taken the time & trouble to listen to Flushy's take on it, I see no reason why I should suddenly hold a different view on him. I think exactly the same of him now as I did before, (whatever that was...) & I see no need to apologise for that.
Will Flushy come on here & explain his position? I very much doubt that! He wants to preserve his position for if & when Tilt re-open, & I'm sure most in his position would do the same, or at least understand his line.
I do know one thing - Flushy, as to his personal financial ethics, is squeaky clean, & I don't think a soul, anywhere, could suggest otherwise.
All very difficult.