DQed from regionals and BANNED two weeks later (I was set-up)

[Abudoggie]

Now to stay on point here, if what FincastlePokemon2 said is accurate then it would have resulted in a DQ regardless as soon as a Judge saw it happen. Now whether or not a judge did or didn't see anything I think most of us agree it was unprofessional of them to let it go on for rounds and not do anything about it. Obviously they should have intervened on first notice of it.

However for arguments sake let's say the judge made up the lie of seeing you cheat, well unfortunately there is no way we can disprove him or her or them for being a scummer and for that I have all of the feels for you.

Really, really, really getting tired of the tedious disinformation.

A DQ should have resulted the moment "a judge" saw something? Really? That is seriously how you want DQs handled? Lets say Judge #1, a less experienced judge, observes something that doesn't look right. Could be cheating in fact. So in your world Judge #1 swoops in and issues a DQ right then and there. And simultaneously a helicopter arrives with Dave Schwimmer who has a ban letter in hand ready to go (don't want any delays now do we?).

May I suggest another option: Judge #1 brings his concern to another more experienced judge and consults on the matter. "Hey Judge #2 can you observe player X and let me know if you are seeing what I'm seeing". Judge#2 observes game play. But since even rampant cheaters do not cheat every action of every turn, Judge #2 needs to observe a pattern of play to formulate an opinion on the actions being taken. Indeed, Judge#2 observes the same pattern that concerned Judge #1. So judge #2 swoops in for the DQ? No. Higher level infractions require the attention of the head judge. So the Masters Head Judge is alerted (lets call him Pokepop). This Pokepop fellow has LOTS of experience in the game. Before leveling the hammer based on the word of other judges he might like to observe and form an opinion of his own so as to protect the player (you know from things like conspiring lying judges). And he has to consult and inform the Event Head Judge per the Penalty guidelines (The Head Judge should carefully consider whether an infraction was intentional or not before applying this penalty.)

THIS IS A PROCESS TO PROTECT THE PLAYERS FROM EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE ASSERTING: the lone rogue lying judge. So no. You really do not want "a judge" to issue a DQ. You want a process that involves multiple perspectives and experience being brought to bear. I'll let Pokepop clarify but my guess is that option 2 is pretty close to the mark.

What Fincastle2 noted is not up for dispute regarding accuracy. She posted the Penalty guidelines. And you're saying you want a lone judge (who as you note may be a rogue liar) to have the sole power to issue immediate DQs at events. Seriously????

All that said, each is entitled to their opinion regarding the merits of the incident. But lets deal with the realm of reason and not the tiresome hyperbole.

 

[r3skyline]

And to others, it's testimony. Let them have their own beliefs, don't call it ridiculous.

That I can do .

 

[Original]

What Fincastle2 noted is not up for dispute regarding accuracy. She posted the Penalty guidelines. And you're saying you want a lone judge (who as you note may be a rogue liar) to have the sole power to issue immediate DQs at events. Seriously????

No I was referring to what you said about having multiple judges, however I can see how you thought I meant LITERALLY right there and on the spot.
what I meant by it was going to result in a DQ was based off what Fincastle2 had noted about cheating behaviour. In the sense that there isn't a warning first, its a DQ. That is what I meant by it was going to happen anyways, because as we now know that is the end result. However the judge has every right to give his concern/discretion about what he had observed and whether or not he decided to count that as a warning or not is up to him.

But just like the others spoke, if a judge saw someone cheat and didn't tell me about it I would be pretty pissed being that it could of changed the end results of the match up.

 

[ShuckleLVX]

But just like the others spoke, if a judge saw someone cheat and didn't tell me about it I would be pretty pissed being that it could of changed the end results of the match up.

Keep in mind, it's also a matter of what was done. If I saw a player slip a card from their discard pile into their hand, I wouldn't wait to see it happen again. I'd stop the game and likely either A. DQ them on the spot since I'm the HJ, or B. Find the HJ if I'm not. That's a likely very clear, very blatant, and very provable problem.

What we're looking at here is something that's likely just the opposite - likely very subtle, and tough to prove. That's when it needs to be observed, to both be sure it's happening and to get a second and third source accounting for it, since there's no "Hey, that Mewtwo is back in your hand, sup bro?" to catch someone red handed.

Yes, it sucks that it had to happen a few times so the Judges can be sure they are making the right call. But they were making a VERY serious call, that (clearly) had very serious ramifications for the player, not just for that event, but for their continued participation in the program. When you're looking at a penalty this serious for an issue that subtle, which do you honestly think is better - "I think I might have just seen you look at the bottom card of your deck, DQ, bai!" or "Joe, Bob, and I all saw you over the course of three games look at the bottom card of your deck when you shuffled multiple times,"? The Judges were doing everything in their power to make the event fair for EVERYONE. Even Gino.

 

[GinoLombardi21]

To clarify re: concern about a Warning prior to DQ. I don't know if this was the infraction sited, but if, indeed it was, there is no grounds for receiving a warning.

From the Penalty Guidelines: 7.6.4. Cheating
Players who intentionally commit infractions are looking to gain an unfair advantage over other players at the event. The Head Judge should carefully consider whether an infraction was intentional or not before applying this penalty. If the Head Judge feels that an infraction was unintentional, this penalty should not be applied.

Examples of Unsporting Conduct: Cheating include:

• Drawing extra cards.
• Taking cards from the discard pile and adding them to your hand or deck.
• Offering some form of compensation to an opponent for a concession.
• Altering match results after the conclusion of the match.
• Playing with marked cards.
• Lying to event staff.
• Arbitrarily adjusting the Special Conditions or damage counters put on any Pokémon in play.
• Use of dubious game actions intended to deceive your opponent into making misplays.
• Attempting to manipulate a random result.
• Stacking your deck.

Recommended Starting Penalty:
Tier 1: Disqualification
Tier 2: Disqualification

What I was accused of I have never done in my life. I have never even thought about looking under the bottom of my deck. What if my opponent was handing me my deck too high? What if he handed me my deck tilted? I would still get penalized for seeing the bottom card? If its unintentional like listed above the penalty doesn't apply right? WRONG

I was given two packs of 50 ULTRA PRO pokemon sleeves in the world championship 2009 competitors package. I ended up using these sleeves in the tournament. In the middle of the tournament after me and my opponent set up, my opponent raises his hand and calls a judge. He asks the judge to check my sleeves for being marked. 10 minutes later the judge comes over to my table and returns my deck. He explains to me 10 sleeves of mine don't match like the other 50 sleeves. He also says in the 10 sleeves are cards in order such as 4 rare candy, 4 celios network, and 2 switch like on my decklist therefor he determined I sleeved my cards in order which proves I wasn't marking cards. He then tells me because the way the sleeves come in 50 packs it makes sense 10 sleeves don't match the other 50. He says my sleeves are UNINTENTIONALLY MARKED and I shall receive a game loss. UNINTENTIONAL.. It was UNINTENTIONAL yet I still received a game loss.

Why couldn't I just switch out into new sleeves and continue my match? POKEMON gave me these sleeves to use but then penalized me for using them. Does that make sense? Is that fair? They ruled I unintentionally marked my sleeves yet I still going to get a game loss. Im pretty sure that was a judge discriminating against me. BIAS JUDGING. A hater with authority. I guess it was righteous of him to give me a game loss seeing I won Nationals the previous year and got 3rd at worlds. I don't need to cheat to win. I never have and never will!

http://postimg.org/image/aytjwl2y5/

I received this letter IN SEPTEMBER. Heres the most important thing in the letter. "During this time, your actions will be under additional scrutiny, any and all issued reports of penalties will be weighed more heavily for potential disciplinary action"

Do you actually think with me knowing all this that I would go into a tournament and risk my future with this game? Pokemon is a hobby that I have held since I WAS 9 YEARS OLD and if you honestly think I would cheat and jeopardize playing this game then your sadly mistaken.


You people read things about me online. Things like i'm a bully, jerk, thief, liar, or cheater.

Im a bully? Im a gym teacher for elementary school and middle schools kids. I teach children sportsmanship. I teach them the difference between positive and negative comments! Im a role model for children and teenagers all over my city. I joke a lot but I know the difference of when to be serious and when not to. Im a personal trainer and I deal with obese and overweight clients all the time! I give so much diet & exercise advice to players in this game because they want to better themselves and I do it FOR FREE! I go out of my way to help people yet you still view me as a bad guy but you don't even know me. I know what its like to be obese and get picked on for it! I was 330lbs at age 16! I know first hand what its like to be picked on for being obese so WHY WOULD I BULLY ANYONE ELSE!?

http://postimg.org/image/4xut3zqbz/

For those that see me now you would have never guessed that was me back then but it was. You call me a jerk yet you don't even know me. You read bad things about me online that get twisted around by haters. For people I only see once or twice a year at Nationals & Worlds I let them know how much I enjoy their time in this game of pokemon and how much I missed seeing them. Im a good person, I treat people with respect and decency. If you got to know me you would think so too! Everyone that thinks dave swimmer, dan brandt, and jason klacyzynki hates me. Look at some photos we took together at nationals THIS YEAR.

http://postimg.org/image/qgydnqcy7/

How am I a bad guy? I take photos with all the great people I meet at nationals and worlds because Im only here once a year and I only see these people twice a year if I go to worlds. I cherish these memories and good people i've met. I would never jeopardize losing all this! Do you see how much this game means to me? I love this game, I love the people in it. Just because a bunch of rumors were spread by haters, spread by fools, don't be the idiot and accept them. I have never cheated or taught someone to cheat in my life. People say I taught Rahul to palm cards in the LCQ 2013. He got caught for cheating at nationals 2013 before I even knew him by isiah middleton. People have accused me of stalling because they've lost on time. Thats poor sportsmanship and an excuse. People need to understand these rumors really do hurt me. I act like they don't but they do.

Imagine being in my shoes at philly regionals and two judges telling you that you've been looking under your deck throughout the tournament and you know in your mind you didn't. I've never been disqualified from a tournament in my life. I got disqualified for something I didn't even do! Do you know how much this hurts? I cant believe someone with that kind of authority would sabotage my future with this game all because of rumors. When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you. Im not a quitter and you cant make me quit. You can knock me down 7 times but you better believe i'm standing up 8!

I just can't believe all the parents and players that sent hate mail about me to events I was attending and to TPCI over stuff they've heard or read about. Sadly we live in a day and age where were judging books by their covers. Above all else I can't believe TPCI would feed into this and punish me in the way that they have. Im sick of paying for crimes I didn't commit.

Where is the justice?

 

[tutti]

I was given two packs of 50 ULTRA PRO pokemon sleeves in the world championship 2009 competitors package. I ended up using these sleeves in the tournament. In the middle of the tournament after me and my opponent set up, my opponent raises his hand and calls a judge. He asks the judge to check my sleeves for being marked. 10 minutes later the judge comes over to my table and returns my deck. He explains to me 10 sleeves of mine don't match like the other 50 sleeves. He also says in the 10 sleeves are cards in order such as 4 rare candy, 4 celios network, and 2 switch like on my decklist therefor he determined I sleeved my cards in order which proves I wasn't marking cards. He then tells me because the way the sleeves come in 50 packs it makes sense 10 sleeves don't match the other 50. He says my sleeves are UNINTENTIONALLY MARKED and I shall receive a game loss. UNINTENTIONAL.. It was UNINTENTIONAL yet I still received a game loss.

According to the penalty guidelines, sleeves that are noticeably different from the rest of the deck are considered marked cards. If there's a pattern to which cards are marked (which, as you yourself say), this is considered Major, and Marked Cards: Major has a game loss listed as the recommended starting penalty for a tier 2 event, which I presume this was. Intent doesn't matter; the only category where intent matters is cheating, the penalties listed for anything else are explicitly meant for unintentional problems. In this case, you got the recommended starting penalty for your violation; no bias happened here.

Edit: PokePop has pointed out that the starting penalty was disqualification at the time, meaning the penalty was actually reduced. Editing for clarity.

For those that see me now you would have never guessed that was me back then but it was. You call me a jerk yet you don't even know me. You read bad things about me online that get twisted around by haters. For people I only see once or twice a year at Nationals & Worlds I let them know how much I enjoy their time in this game of pokemon and how much I missed seeing them. Im a good person, I treat people with respect and decency. If you got to know me you would think so too! Everyone that thinks dave swimmer, dan brandt, and jason klacyzynki hates me. Look at some photos we took together at nationals THIS YEAR.

Dave Schwimmer is the person responsible for banning you, right? If he's acting friendly with you, doesn't that prove that there wasn't any bias behind the ban?

 

[Slev]

Dave Schwimmer is the person responsible for banning you, right? If he's acting friendly with you, doesn't that prove that there wasn't any bias behind the ban?

I don't really care about the entire topic argument at hand, but I just had to laugh at this statement. If you think anyone acting nice to you is unbiased towards you and/or has your best interests in mind you are going to have an interesting time in life.

People put on facades. Especially people in high standing public positions in service oriented companies.

 

[losjackal]

I don't know what the Penalty Guidelines said in 2009, but this is what they advise today:

If a player is required to resleeve a deck due to deck problems, the player should be strongly encouraged to randomize the deck prior resleeving. In the event that there is a flaw in the new sleeves that goes undetected initially, randomizing the deck will reduce the likelihood of a pattern occurring. Players are always responsible for the condition of their cards and card sleeves, even if any problems were missed by the event staff during a previous deck check.

So tutti is right. Only Section 7.6 for Unsporting Conduct makes any distinctions between intentional and unintentional penalties.

You people read things about me online. Things like i'm a bully, jerk, thief, liar, or cheater.

Im a bully? Im a gym teacher for elementary school and middle schools kids. I teach children sportsmanship. I teach them the difference between positive and negative comments! Im a role model for children and teenagers all over my city. I joke a lot but I know the difference of when to be serious and when not to.
…
For people I only see once or twice a year at Nationals & Worlds I let them know how much I enjoy their time in this game of pokemon and how much I missed seeing them. Im a good person, I treat people with respect and decency.
…
How am I a bad guy? I take photos with all the great people I meet at nationals and worlds because Im only here once a year and I only see these people twice a year if I go to worlds. I cherish these memories and good people i've met.
...
I just can't believe all the parents and players that sent hate mail about me to events I was attending and to TPCI over stuff they've heard or read about.

I'm a parent and a player, and I read about it on your own public Facebook wall! When another player calls you out, yeah with insults and threats...you respond with your own threats of violence when you see them at Nationals. I'm supposed to consider that joking? (The words you say aren't even suitable for the kids you're a role model for, so I can't include them here.)

I don't know you personally. I don't know if you mean it or not. But if you're going to post on here and claim to be completely misunderstood, I'm going to show you how other people get that impression.

 

[PokePop]

According to the penalty guidelines, sleeves that are noticeably different from the rest of the deck are considered marked cards. If there's a pattern to which cards are marked (which, as you yourself say), this is considered Major, and Marked Cards: Major has a game loss listed as the recommended starting penalty for a tier 2 event, which I presume this was. Intent doesn't matter; the only category where intent matters is cheating, the penalties listed for anything else are explicitly meant for unintentional problems. In this case, you got the recommended starting penalty for your violation; no bias happened here.

Note: That year, the penalty for Marked Cards, Pattern was DQ. He was issued a reduced penalty of only Game Loss.

Clarifying for facts again.

 

[moneymitch22]

I swear this is a joke reading all these comments. PokeDad is a joke the way he comments and tries to be clever with his sarcasm and "witty" comments yet is supposed to be the adult here. Someone in charge should be above that type of behavior. People are always going to make assumptions and join a crowd because not everyone make their own decisions or decides to believe what they want on their own because its definitely easier to join a crowd or a popular pokemon figure (jason). Even though I understand parents not liking the way Gino talks on FB, i hear stuff all the time at tournaments that i can not believe kids are saying being at such a young age. I also heard Head Pokemon Official talking vulgar and about another Pokemon Head at the last tourney i was at. Did i take offense yes because i knew the person he was talking about, but its pokemon not an etiquette class and people are offensive to me no matter where i am at and i have to be mature and learn when to let things go and ignore them. Its funny because its probably more vulgar than Gino's facebook post or comments. Also, it is the internet and anything on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt because hey, its the INTERNET. Its not wrong to feel Gino is guilty or not based on what you know but sadly the truth of the matter is that only Gino knows if he took it or not, not Mees not Jason or anyone. Gino is innocent until proven guilty (which he wasnt by authorities or anyone with the right to charge someone of being guilty). He is only guilty in the heads of kids, teenagers, and adults who have no authority. Sad how this is getting.

 

[woodsy]

I don't know what the Penalty Guidelines said in 2009, but this is what they advise today:



So tutti is right. Only Section 7.6 for Unsporting Conduct makes any distinctions between intentional and unintentional penalties.



I'm a parent and a player, and I read about it on your own public Facebook wall! When another player calls you out, yeah with insults and threats...you respond with your own threats of violence when you see them at Nationals. I'm supposed to consider that joking? (The words you say aren't even suitable for the kids you're a role model for, so I can't include them here.)

I don't know you personally. I don't know if you mean it or not. But if you're going to post on here and claim to be completely misunderstood, I'm going to show you how other people get that impression.

Maybe you should learn sarcasm considering that I'm pretty sure the incident you just described was two players joking around. You're all on a witch hunt for Gino. You think he's some terrible person. Heck, if any of you met me you'd probably hate me too. I joke around and act like an arrogant jerk. And yes, Gino can act like an arrogant jerk, but he's still a good guy. Grow up people.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[losjackal]

Maybe you should learn sarcasm considering that I'm pretty sure the incident you just described was two players joking around.

The problem is, you need to say this to every single person reading what Gino posts, because they get to make up their own minds. The Facebook group where this drama regularly unfolds has nearly 3,000 members, and any one of them can look at Gino's wall. Gino should make his wall private to only friends, or not be surprised that people can form negative impressions.

 

[tutti]

I don't really care about the entire topic argument at hand, but I just had to laugh at this statement. If you think anyone acting nice to you is unbiased towards you and/or has your best interests in mind you are going to have an interesting time in life.

People put on facades. Especially people in high standing public positions in service oriented companies.

I was a bit short here, my bad. I was trying to point out that if Dave Schwimmer's attitude towards Gino proves that he doesn't hate him, that also proves that the ban was unbiased. It can't go both ways at once.

Note: That year, the penalty for Marked Cards, Pattern was DQ. He was issued a reduced penalty of only Game Loss.

Clarifying for facts again.

I didn't know that, thanks. Edited it into the previous post.

 

[Kla425]

You caught an opponent looking at the top card of your deck more than once, and didn't call a judge? Sounds like you need the pity party. How does a player like that even go 5-4 at a big event? It's beyond me.

That, or you're just lying to get more people into the hater camp.

He was looking at his cards not mine. At the time all I knew was that I was playing a former national champ. As a newer player I was intimidated, not by him, but by his accomplishments. I had no idea he was such a polarizing person. I should have called a judge, but that was my first time in a situation I needed to. I learned from my mistake believe me. I don't hate anyone. I was just stating my opinion that I'm not sad for him.

I went 5-4 because I'm a decent player. I'd like to think that all my matches make me better, and this one did. I learned the hard way that I shouldn't hesitate to call a judge on anyone. This is my second season. I don't claim to have it all figured out......yet.

 

[Swordfish1989]

Maybe you should learn sarcasm considering that I'm pretty sure the incident you just described was two players joking around. You're all on a witch hunt for Gino. You think he's some terrible person. Heck, if any of you met me you'd probably hate me too. I joke around and act like an arrogant jerk. And yes, Gino can act like an arrogant jerk, but he's still a good guy. Grow up people.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

A couple of points (and 'life hacks' for those lurking)..

1 - You are what you say, what you do, and who you associate with. You will be judged by this for the rest of your life, so get used to it. If you're acting like a jerk, people are going to think you're a jerk. If you hang out with people who are jerks or are perceived as jerks, guess what, you will be perceived as one.

2 - I've heard about a billion negative things about Gino, about SEVERAL (and I mean a lot) incidents of him cheating; and the people making these 'accusations' don't even know each other, so it's not like it's a conspiracy. I watched videos of the guy, went on his Facebook and read his stuff, and sorry but I get a terrible gut feeling about him. Apparently, I'm not the only person in the community.

3 - Restating this point, but if you act like a jerk, you're gonna be viewed as a jerk no matter how many charities you donate to or how many kittens you rescue from trees. Your image - your BRAND - is the most important thing you own, so why make it terrible? I thought this was pretty common knowledge amongst adults... and if you don't know that you're gonna have a really hard time in the professional world. And on that note, if you really are a genuinely nice person, then why would you ever talk and act in such a way that gives people the exact opposite impression of you? Serious question. I like to think of myself as a smart, friendly, and hard working individual so my words and actions to those around me are exactly that.

 

[jeffrey123]

The vulgar language between myself and another player, one that I consider a friend is between myself and him. Anyone reading anything online should remember that people have their own ways of expressing friendship, my way is not considered linear by any means and I truly feel that Gino's ban was unjust (solely due to the bandwagon hate). While I do not know whether Gino took the Macbook or knows where it is, like previously stated I have my own theories that are largely irrelevant. The way Gino was banned from an outsiders perspective is completely unjustified.

Pokemon did not ban Gino when he was accused in Vancouver because it was far too late, and if they had decided to pull the trigger things would get messy. They had to wait for the perfect opportunity to ban him. So what better than to waste him time and money flying to a tournament, and waiting for him to have an undefeated record to claim that he cheated?

So you tell me. If Gino had gone 0-5 at the tournament, would he had been banned? Of course not. Pokemon knew that they had to wait for this one, they were just lucky that the first tournament, Gino started 5-0. What better time to claim cheating?

It's just a scandal, and like I said...a joke. This company bans who the crowd doesn't want to see. All that needed to happen as a power player, the most powerful one, to find an opportunity to get Gino in hot water and then start a riot. I ask you, Pokegym. Who is next? Who will get banned next?


Please keep in mind that my opinion is largely unbiased. While Gino is my friend, I value justice above all. It would be my delight to see Pokemon spill why Gino was really banned, because we all know that no one gets banned for looking at the bottom of their deck. None of his 5 opponents caught it either? Sounds fishy to me.

 

[homeofmew]

I would pay close attention to homeofmew's post on this subject at hand. Being that Tina is/was a well known cheater and is/was frowned upon by a plethora of players here in the Houston community. (I added in "was" because I do my best to not pay attention to her anymore when she makes her appearances at the local events.)

Now to stay on point here, if what FincastlePokemon2 said is accurate then it would have resulted in a DQ regardless as soon as a Judge saw it happen. Now whether or not a judge did or didn't see anything I think most of us agree it was unprofessional of them to let it go on for rounds and not do anything about it. Obviously they should have intervened on first notice of it.

However for arguments sake let's say the judge made up the lie of seeing you cheat, well unfortunately there is no way we can disprove him or her or them for being a scummer and for that I have all of the feels for you.

So unless the judge/judges decide to take back their words (which I'm sure they won't at this point because of how big this is getting, and it would make them look like complete fools now) it seems like you are stuck =( .

I can't imagine what you are going through having invested so much time, effort, and money into this hobby but I wish you the best of luck and hope that the ruling gets over turned in some miraculous way. I don't feel a LIFETIME Ban is justified however apparently Pokemon does. I feel like being suspended for a year alone is already a rough penalty, so a lifetime ban just blows my mind.

Final Note: Anyone else Read the Official Letter and think of Ross from Friends when you read the Program Managers name?

wow, uncalled for right, if you have an issue with me why don't you raise your hand during said instances.
Also if you are a side player and not actually playing me you can still call over a judge.
if you don't pay attention to me then how do you know I am cheating?
Also just because someone else said I cheated after a match and they didn't call over a judge, I really don't why people do this.
makes them look like a sore looser. Also from the way you post IT SOUNDS like you have never played me.
Great to throw out hate if you never actually played someone in a match.

PS- If you are accusing me of cheating in VGC, you need a life, They all pass the scan thing they use.

also I really don't care if there's a judge beside me the entire match.

For the record unlike Gino i have never been dqed from an event for cheating. I even said that he should have been dqed earlier if He was cheating.

Let's say Gino Was cheating, according to his claim, many judges saw it, and it only got penalized when deshaw saw it. (note: according to pokepop deshaw wasn't a judge)
Anwyay IF he he was cheating he would have been DQed r1. My point is why the big drama lama doing it r5, then banning him 2 weeks later?
In the case he WAS guilty he should have been DQed r1 and the ban happen the next day or whatever.

You said basically the SAME exact thing, right?

note- maybe not r1, because maybe more then 1 lone judge should be a a part of it, I am also all for that, but I do not get r5?
maybe in the case of what gino was accused of more then one person seeing would be helpful, someone thinking he saw the bottom could be a lot less easier to "catch" then stacking/ect.

Now to stay on point here, if what FincastlePokemon2 said is accurate then it would have resulted in a DQ regardless as soon as a Judge saw it happen. Now whether or not a judge did or didn't see anything I think most of us agree it was unprofessional of them to let it go on for rounds and not do anything about it. Obviously they should have intervened on first notice of it.

The facts are I wasn't at that event, so I'm purely going by posts on this page. My only point why later in the event if there were previous issues and why 2 weeks?
Your issues with me really blinded you to what I was saying, and ended up being the same as what you posted.

 

[r3skyline]

A couple of points (and 'life hacks' for those lurking)..

1 - You are what you say, what you do, and who you associate with. You will be judged by this for the rest of your life, so get used to it. If you're acting like a jerk, people are going to think you're a jerk. If you hang out with people who are jerks or are perceived as jerks, guess what, you will be perceived as one.

2 - I've heard about a billion negative things about Gino, about SEVERAL (and I mean a lot) incidents of him cheating; and the people making these 'accusations' don't even know each other, so it's not like it's a conspiracy. I watched videos of the guy, went on his Facebook and read his stuff, and sorry but I get a terrible gut feeling about him. Apparently, I'm not the only person in the community.

3 - Restating this point, but if you act like a jerk, you're gonna be viewed as a jerk no matter how many charities you donate to or how many kittens you rescue from trees. Your image - your BRAND - is the most important thing you own, so why make it terrible? I thought this was pretty common knowledge amongst adults... and if you don't know that you're gonna have a really hard time in the professional world. And on that note, if you really are a genuinely nice person, then why would you ever talk and act in such a way that gives people the exact opposite impression of you? Serious question. I like to think of myself as a smart, friendly, and hard working individual so my words and actions to those around me are exactly that.

This is not true at all. Consider Jason K. He posted a TON about Gino when this all started. He used his status to rile up players. He knew darn well what would happen. That was ALL premeditated. Is he viewed as a jerk? No. Why? Because of his status and what he has done. His influence in the game is incredible and actually a bit too much.

There are those who have spoken out about Jason and how he threw Ginos name all over the place. That was just wrong and he should have left it to the actual authorities to handle. He started this witch hunt, now he is not anywhere near it. NOT ONE PERSON HERE OR ANYWHERE can state Jason K did NOT start a witch hunt against Gino. It is exactly what he did. Rather than call him out on the entire laptop incident, he could have left it between Gino, Mees and the authorities including TPCi. He had NO authority, no right, nothing to include himself in any of it. He was just a friend and should have just let it be.

 

[homeofmew]

This is not true at all. Consider Jason K. He posted a TON about Gino when this all started. He used his status to rile up players. He knew darn well what would happen. That was ALL premeditated. Is he viewed as a jerk? No. Why? Because of his status and what he has done. His influence in the game is incredible and actually a bit too much.

There are those who have spoken out about Jason and how he threw Ginos name all over the place. That was just wrong and he should have left it to the actual authorities to handle. He started this witch hunt, now he is not anywhere near it. NOT ONE PERSON HERE OR ANYWHERE can state Jason K did NOT start a witch hunt against Gino. It is exactly what he did. Rather than call him out on the entire laptop incident, he could have left it between Gino, Mees and the authorities including TPCi. He had NO authority, no right, nothing to include himself in any of it. He was just a friend and should have just let it be.

Well Jason wanted to find Mees notebook, but there was a lot of overwhelming posts on mees thread, and a lot of them were riled up because of jason.
Now There are people who think Gino did steal the macbook, the picture that Mees and Gino both post, have him carrying a blue bag. It looks like one of those plastic, maybe pokemon center bags. I think the evidence in that thread was not enough to say gino stole a macbook. I think only the video has the real story. Yes mees did get his cards stolen we know that for sure, but it wasn't by gino. None the less both Gino and Jon got "warnings".

Jason was obviously not involved in the regionals dilemma, so i think people have to see them as 2 separate events. but since gino was already was on "thin ice" is the reason this happened.

 

[r3skyline]

Well Jason wanted to find Mees notebook, but there was a lot of overwhelming posts on mees thread, and a lot of them were riled up because of jason.

Jason was obviously not involved in the regionals dilemma, so i think people have to see them as 2 separate events. but since gino was already was on "thin ice" is the reason this happened.

Jason should have just stopped there. He wanted to find it for him? What does he think he could have done? Walked up to Gino, accuse him and demanded it back? It probably would have been better than starting all this nonsense and putting Gino on probation.