Was just looking into old threads, 10 years or so back and it occured to me a lot of people are gone (as this place is pretty much dead compared to how it was). So who were the most common "names"? Doc, Z, Jason, black eagle, splice, walking liberty etc, just so many names from back then. Sucks to see some profiles (like mine) were banned so can't go back and look at stuff.

Yes, the Gambling Spot is a mere shadow of what it used to be. However within some of those old post are some real gems for those who have the desire to pursue knowledge.

Knew you would chime in . We have both been around awhile. SF ever get ahold of you? Heard he was trying?

No he has not. Anyone can contact me by sending a PM on this BB.

Sounds good, was under the impression he wanted to speak w you. Will pass along what you said

I have been contacted three times thru intermediaries to meet with Forte over the years, however I have always declined such a meeting. Nothing personal on this. I'm sure he is a likable guy. However, there is no advantage for me to have such a meeting and perhaps some disadvantages to doing so.

How does one get to be contacted to have such a meeting? I would’ve jumped on the opportunity right away!

I am sure most magicians, hobbyists and demonstrators would have been delighted to meet with Forte, but I am none of the above. You will have to figure out my reasoning for yourself.

I believe I was contacted because of the content of my posts on the now defunct Cardshark forum and on the Gambling Spot.

Disadvantages? Cannot begin to guess your reasons, but whatever works

I think the Gambling Spot only has 80 pages and so you can easily go to the search and quickly see who the old posters were. I think a few may be posting under different names now.

Think about it. If you are a hobbyist, perhaps you would be interested in learning and seeing a lot of mostly dated and fancy moves for you own edification, possibly to perform demonstrations with and to associate with other like-minded individuals. In that case you no doubt would love to meet with Forte. Nothing wrong with that approach but it is little more than a fun and games endeavor.

Hypothetically however, say you were a gambler/hustler who makes his living from such enterprise, or are conversant with those who do, and were aware of more modern methods currently in use that have not been exposed or bandied around in the gambling "expert"/expose/hobbyist community, would you want to meet with and expose yourself to someone who continually blabs and divulges gambling chicanery at the drop of a hat, both in books and to casino personnel and therefore destroy the practical efficacy of such methods shown.

Would that not be the height of monumental stupidity to do so?

Forte is basically a magician/demonstrator/expose guy with extensive academic acknowledge and a lot of fancy manipulative moves. Top hustlers I am aware of will not confide in you if you are associated with or show methods currently being used with an expose guy like Forte. You would become persona non grata. He would or could blab any methods shown him, possibly point you out in a casino environment to security or casino personnel and/spill all he knows because that is what he does.

In such a situation, who needs to meet with or confide in someone like that?

Big downside and little if any upside.

Now if you are a hobbyist/magician/demonstrator/" expert" where this is all make believe fun and games, it doesn't matter how much Forte exposes or blabs because those methods are not used on a serious level although many hobbyists think they are the "real work." However, keep in mind many of these methods were passé back in the late eighteen hundreds as written about in Sharps and Flats by Maskelyne. Even though they have been "modernized" and "updated" to a certain extent for today's world, it is still the same old BS.

This is not meant to be a negative reflection on Forte or what he does. It is just the way things are.

There is more to my reasoning than this, but that should suffice as a partial explanation.