Rob Singer has been banned.

[Alan Mendelson]

I've had enough of the personal attacks and disrespect shown to me and to others. Rob Singer has been banned.

[sassycat]

Thank you.

[Vegas_lover]

No argument here!

[OceanCityMD]

Sorry to see it so personal this was the only option. I do find Rob interesting and that has kept me checking in here.

[Count Room]

Alan: Could you please write up a final report detailing your concluding thoughts about Rob? Just one big post so that the average "forum consumer" can know exactly where you currently stand in a succinct manner? Considering that you've interacted with him extensively through video interview clips and through thousands of posts on your forum, having a final summary just feels like the right thing to do in my opinion. Thanks for considering it.

PS. I should add that this request does perfectly fit your profession as an investigative consumer journalist.

[vegaswinner777]

Wow. Arci is going to be lonely now.

[a2a3dseddie]

I tried to keep an open mind about all of Rob's ideas and comments. Now that he won't be posting here any longer, here's what I got from his "systems."

1. Never tipping anyone in a casino will help you win $1 million dollars.
2. Using bankroll draining -EV special plays 5% of the time will overcome the house edge on any VP machine and win you $1 million dollars.
3. You never have to pay taxes as a professional gambler. $1 million dollars in winnings can be offset by writing off your daily Corn Flakes and Kraft Dinner.

I don't understand why he has "followers". Have these people seen the proof that his systems work...proof that never materialized here?

Finally, I don't see how the health of someone's wife, what you eat on Thanksgiving Day, or how you look in a Speedo has anything to do with topics covered in a Las Vegas Forum.

Towards the end, arcimede$ started posting less, and Rob had to focus his personal attacks at Alan. He also started with the racist comments...almost as if he was trolling for comments and conflict. Perhaps he thrives on conflict and insulting people on message boards. It all started to get really strange...

[Alan Mendelson]

I want you to know about a text message I received from Rob Singer. I think it shows his lack of correct information, how he jumps to conclusions, and his inability to know what is true. This is a direct quote:

"So we're divorced! Right up your alley Tough questions + truth equals too much heat. Looks like we now know why you can't hold onto wives; GAMBLING PROBLEM! I'll give you & your story some press in the paper. I also blocked your e-mail & texting so don't waste any more time with me. Should make for more "action" time."

Now my response: I don't know if Rob is saying that he is divorced or if he is alleging that I am divorced? I'm married. My divorce from my first wife was in 1985. My divorce from my second wife was in 2001 -- neither had anything to do with gambling. If he really does have an article coming out in the paper (what paper and when?) I hope he has his facts right. If he alleges a gambling problem I am putting him and his publication on notice that an allegation of a "gambling problem" would be with malice and because there is no proof or even evidence that anyone besides Rob has accused me of a gambling "problem" that I will consider it to be criminally libel and will bring all appropriate legal action to protect my name and reputation.

[Alan Mendelson]

Alan: Could you please write up a final report detailing your concluding thoughts about Rob? Just one big post so that the average "forum consumer" can know exactly where you currently stand in a succinct manner? Considering that you've interacted with him extensively through video interview clips and through thousands of posts on your forum, having a final summary just feels like the right thing to do in my opinion. Thanks for considering it.

PS. I should add that this request does perfectly fit your profession as an investigative consumer journalist.

I don't understand what happened to Rob. I really don't. For many years I told him that he was his own worst enemy for his personal attacks on so many individuals, and I told him that his personal insults -- even when a "forum opponent" passed away -- were just in very poor taste. He told me it was his "style." He told me it was his personal philosophy. He just didn't have a "clue" is my only reaction.

While I never endorsed his system I thought it was important that it be presented and I still am keeping his videos on the website so all can see what his system is for special plays, and there is a record of it. I don't play his way but even I recognized some value in certain situations when dealt a full house with three aces. Once, and only once, I used his "special play" and did hit quad aces.

I think Rob would have had a better chance of making a positive impact on the video poker world if he really tried to get along with people and didn't make his personal attacks. His personal attacks cost him the respect of others and without personal respect his "system" could not be respected.

I don't doubt that he won a million dollars over ten years but when you play at high limits average wins of $100,000 a year are possible. A better question is would he have won more if he played conventional video poker? We will never know.

And would he have had more money in the end if he had been a member of player clubs and took advantage of their benefits? I think the answer is yes -- but Rob viewed the casinos as his enemy so he could never maximize player club benefits and that is silly. If Rob really viewed the casinos as his enemy I would think he would have milked them for every dime possible which included player club benefits.

Recently he posted a lot of big wins, many at high denominations. I am sure those wins were legitimate. But missing from his reports were his reports of overall wins/losses. He made it appear he sat down at a machine and immediately hit big without much coin in. And because of that all of his big wins came into question.

He also claimed to have only attained low level Diamond status with Harrah's and frankly I can't understand how a high denomination player such as Rob with his weekly trips to Vegas was only able to reach low-level Diamond status. I understand that he didn't use his "card" for some of his play using one of his "systems" but it wouldn't take much to make "Diamond." And until recently there was only one kind of "Diamond" and the Diamond tiers didn't start until recently so that raises more doubts about his claims.

Rob also said he was a high denomination player with MGM properties yet he never made any mention of his comp level with MGM. I would think that when the rest of us were discussing our experiences with Total Rewards he could have contributed info about the MGM program -- but he didn't. Why?

Over the years he made various claims but did not have the evidence to support those claims. If he was wise he would have not made those claims public. But I think he wanted to generate more headlines, more "splash" and failed to realize the consequences of not having supporting proof. If he had stuck with his special plays and his win goal system which are reasonable ideas he might have been received better by the VP community. Instead he went too far with allegations of rigged machines, secret handshake deals, and having a machine that he tested at home that revealed the problem -- but gave it back to his source. He literally gave away the smoking gun, if you believe his story. Making matters worse, Rob even said the machine was in use at a casino -- so which casino and which machine is it?

The bottom line is that instead of trying to take a place in the VP community along with Bob Dancer and others as leaders of thought and strategy, Rob's goal was to criticize the others and demean them. He couldn't share the spotlight. Unfortunately by stealing the spotlight he damaged his own product.

He really is his own worst enemy. I tried to get him to stop and in the end he also turned on me and he lost me. No man is an island, except for Rob Singer.

[arcimede$]

Rob is a pathological liar. Nothing he says can be believed. That is the bottom line. His behavior is classic NPD. He will likely show up occasionally with some alias name. He's done that every time he's been banned.

[quahaug]

So I guess that means no SCH-C. Too bad.

[arcimede$]

So I guess that means no SCH-C. Too bad.

I'm sure the tax forms are still in mail that he requested months ago. Alan should be getting them any time .... Then we will know that his fruit loops were deductible.

[Perdition]

I guess I found his posts interesting in a counterpoint way. If he really believed what he was saying and despised these people, then at least he wasn't duplicitous in that regard. His posting actually made me like Alan's forum more because instead of just banning him outright, Alan allowed people to post whatever they wanted as long as they took responsibility for it and backed it up with proof. That was the one mistake I saw was every time there was a request for info, tax forms, income or other supporting evidence, the questions were ignored.

The problem with presenting yourself as a Paragon of Virtue and pointing out others shortcomings is it's a long way down if you slip up unless of course you are a total hypocrite and have no shame. I don't know if Rob Singer is but the whole speech about stones and glass houses. Some of what he says has also been said by many others so there may be some truth but I think that gets lost in all the attacks.

Well hope the forums don't die down because of a lack of drama, I like the stories, advice and info people give on here and I hope it continues, with or without Rob Singer's presence.

[Alan Mendelson]

I like the stories, advice and info people give on here and I hope it continues, with or without Rob Singer's presence.

I think we have a better chance for having more stories, more advice and more info without Rob here ready to pounce on people for whatever they might share.

[Count Room]

Thank you for that detailed write-up, Alan. I learned a few new things I previously overlooked and hopefully some other forum members will garner some insight from your post as well.

I always have been unsure as to whether Rob lied about winning the $1 million. The vast majority of participants here believe he's lying, yet you believe he has won the $1 million and I still have my uncertainties about it.

I agree with Perdition (among others) that Rob should have been held to task more forcefully about the tax forms. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and I would be happy to become a complete believer...but why isn't he showing evidence?

(Waiting now for the "There is No Evidence!" chorus in 3...2...1...)

[Count Room]

For all I know, Rob might have berated Alan for his alleged "gambling problem" the night of Alan's $3,300 GGWU because of Arci's probable viewpoint that Rob was really just stewing with jealousy that he had to stay home in an apartment and couldn't participate in such a shopping spree himself? I really don't know...

One thing I hate is the "not knowing for sure" when someone is truthful or not.

[Alan Mendelson]

One thing I hate is the "not knowing for sure" when someone is truthful or not.

We can all have our doubts about the "truth." But there is no doubt that Rob was not a good "community member" and that alone warranted being banned.

[Vegas_lover]

I for one don't believe Rob won that million dollars. I do believe Rob gambled at high denominations and had some really high wins (but paid a high price for them). Rob even went through "bancruptcy" during his years as a professional gambler (which strongly indicates a gambling problem).

I believe his bancruptcy was a clever accounting job and I even believe Rob was never in any financial difficulty. Rob has had high paying management positions. I think those positions pushed him over the edge. I think it's more likely one of his former employers give him a rather large "farwell bonus" to help him decide to quit the job. There's a good chance his company was willing to spend some serious money to get rid off him because of his personality. I just can't imagine upper management with poor people skills like Rob. No corporation is going to accept his kind of behavior.

So I think it's more likely Rob got his money through a settlement with one of his former employers than through VP. BUT, I'm just guessing here. I have no proof! Based on his VP claims I think my scenario is more likely than his.

[Alan Mendelson]

Vegas_lover Rob isn't here to defend his past or even to respond, so I think it's inappropriate to discuss his past, especially his career.

Those of you who want to discuss your own experience with his strategy are still free to do that.

[Vegas_lover]

[QUOTE=Alan Mendelson;17112] Vegas_lover Rob isn't here to defend his past or even to respond, so I think it's inappropriate to discuss his past, especially his career.[QUOTE]

Alan, in all fairness that hasn't ever stopped Rob from doing exactly the same. But nevertheless I get your point. I don't need to discuss Rob because all has been said.