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I want to start by first off apologizing for all my failed apologies in the past. It has always been my wish to come clean and be accepted into the community like I was at the very beginning of my career, but the reasons behind my words weren't what they needed to be for me to realize the impact of my actions on the players, the poker community, and the outlook on online poker by the rest of the world. I have made the decision that it is time to move on with my life and to finally mature. It is necessary that I put myself on the back burner and dedicate myself to promoting this game and to repairing the image that I have created for it.
It was never my intention for my image and negative impact on the game to get this out of hand. In the beginning, I was a misguided kid with undeveloped morals and ethics. Once I got thrown under the bus by my actions, I always wanted to come back and to return where I once was, but this thinking is exactly why I am where I am now today. I never admitted that I had a true understanding of everything that I was doing, how I was affecting such a bigger picture than just being talked about in private conversations and on the occasion poker forum thread. I never made this clear because I never truly believed it. I always just wanted to be accepted, I didn't realize the first step was to come clean and understand once and for all the impact I had on the community.
With this being said... I would like to formally apologize. I apologize for all the players I have affected and the unfair equity that I stole from them in tournaments. I apologize to the entire poker community for highlighting the flaws of internet poker and giving it such a bad reputations in parts. It is a privilege that we should all be very thankful for, and I am deeply sorry that I took advantage of it for my own personal benefits. I apologize to everyone I offended, whether it be top name pros or micro stake grinders. I apologize to all those that have been close to me and have been affected negatively for associating with me. It is not fair for these people to be punished for my actions, but it is a grouping affect that they had to be aware they were getting themselves into.
I would also live to say that I am not the poker god that I tend to be talked up to be on the forums. My accomplishments have been vastly exaggerated, even by those close to me. I am aware that a part of this persona I have been given is because I have been the mentor to many phenomenal poker players in their own rights. I have to renounce this, however, and say that I have been very blessed to have such great minds come to me with the desire to improve and learn. I did nothing for them that they could have not have done for themselves. I merely helped them open their minds and to see their potential. I am very thankful for the praise I get for this, but I assure you I did very little and am merely very lucky to have worked with such great minds.
It is unfair how highly I am looked upon as a poker player, as well. No one should ever get some of the praises I get. I assure you that in poker, no one is vastly greater than anyone else on any given day. Poker is about evolving and adapting to every single hand in every single situation. The game merely rewards those who are bright enough to keep up with it.
I also haven't made nearly as much money as people think I have. I have lost a majority of my worth through the forms of failed staking arrangements. This is also something that tends to be greatly exaggerated.
Starting now, I will dedicate as much time and effort as needed in an attempt to right my wrongs of the past and restore faith in online poker. I understand if I cannot be forgiven for my actions, but I would like to repair the bad image the I helped create. I want to work with major poker sites and offer my guidance on how I feel this can be stopped completely and wiped out of online poker. Security is evolving everyday to get more sophisticated, and I commend the sites for that.
It is time that I move on with my life and right the wrongs of my past. I sincerely apologize for the mistakes that I have made and the corrupt image I have made for such a unique and beautiful game. The time calls for me to do everything in my part to receive forgiveness and to try to prevent any abuse to go on in the future. I will volunteer my time to the top sites if they will have me. I will also answer any questions that anyone might have, either about myself or my actions. I understand that the road to recovery is long and bumpy, but I assure you I will do everything in my power to amend my past and move on to a more ethical, aware, and self-understanding future.
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