There's an interesting controversy on Twitter I'd like to discuss.

Tony Bigcharles is a longtime low-midstakes poker player and casino advantage player. He's a strange guy, and acknowledges that he has Asperger's. He doesn't seem to have a permanent home, but instead drifts around the US, staying in casinos, and supporting himself through poker and blackjack. He frequently updates his bankroll on his Twitter, which I don't beleive has ever eclipsed $50,000, but seems to always hang in the low 5 figures.

On the plus side, Tony is known to be honest, and has never scammed or ripped off anyone, to my knowledge. He would be safe to stake from that standpoint, as he would be highly unlikely to run off with the money or violate the terms of the stake. He would also be likely to honestly report his wins, even if playing cash.

However, Tony has been known to go on racist and sexist tirades, both on his blog and his Twitter. It's important to understand that most of his blog and Twitter are about his poker and gambling, with only the occasional rant. However, he has written some fairly offensive things on social media, especially by 2022 standards.

Additionally, Tony occasionally has a freakout and gets himself in trouble. In late 2017, he had a meltdown while losing at blackjack at Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas, and a few months later (see same thread), he was also arrested for "terrorist threats" by saying that he wished he could "arrange the death" of people he sees who are happier than him.

To my knowledge, Tony has never actually been violent, and these seem to be things said/written in anger more than anything else. As Tony is well over 50, it is likely he would have a record for violent acts by now if he actually had a propensity for violence. He just has no filter, possibly due to his Asperger's.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not defending Tony's behavior. I don't agree with what he writes on social media regarding women and minorities. Clearly he was totally out of line in these 2017-2018 meltdowns, and he can't just hide behind Asperger's as an excuse. I understand why some people have a big problem with him. However, as someone who is used to dealing with very dysfunctional/weird/unstable people online, Tony's antics don't shock me. When it's all said and done, Tony hasn't really hurt anyone -- he just acts inappropriately and offensively at times. I'll take someone like Tony all day in poker over scammers and cheaters.

Most people in poker understand that, for all his strange behavior, Tony is harmless. Many have known him for 20+ years, and it's basically understood that he's just a weird and quirky dude who isn't going to hurt anyone.

https://twitter.com/ToddBrunson/status/1489719573175681026


Anyway, now onto the present controversy. Bart Hanson posted this on his Twitter:

https://twitter.com/BartHanson/status/1494061276749864968


Within a day, the tweet hit 500 likes. Now it's up to 614.

https://twitter.com/BartHanson/status/1494345664758796289



Keep in mind that Tony was NOT begging for stakes. This was suggested to Bart by a third party, and Bart ran with it. Tony, in fact, isn't even sure he wants to do it.

However, some on poker Twitter are unhappy with this, given Tony's behavior over the past few years. I'll continue next post.