I see your point, and I understand. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything..there have been times I've read some replys that could have been put more politely, and this one seemed to just be out of line and thoughtless.
You know, the two things aren't mutually exclusive: compassion and humor. In fact, humor can be useful in lightening the trauma or burden of a bad situation. I'd go so far to say that people who can use self-deprecating humor in bad situation tend to cope better. At least it works for me.
My life circumstances are terrible right now. I'm going to be an orphan; my mom is dying and rapidly losing her mind - often not even knowing who I am when I talk to her. It just came out that my sister was molested by my brother when she was a little girl. And I'm going through bankruptcy. I could just fold right now, I suppose. I was on the phone with my therapist yesterday and he asked me if I needed to see him. I told him no, I'll just wait until things get a lot worse. Gallows humor. Self-deprecating chuckling while my world falls apart. Just a little break from the grim reality.
I suspect the OP was using some humor, too. Who really says with a straight face that they are the best player on the net? If his gambling problem is as bad as he says it is, I'm glad he's able to inject a little humor, and I'm happy to add to the banter. That doesn't mean I don't care. It's great that he's asking for help, that there's such a supportive community here, and that some excellent resources have been laid out for him should he choose to avail himself of them.
Plus, I don't know for sure how serious he is. Do you? This is after all a
poker site and deception is integral to poker. But it doesn't matter. He got a variety of compassionate responses, both humorous and practical. And even if those suggestions don't pertain to him, there might be others here who feel spoken to.
And that is my defense and my story as to why I chose to inject a little humor. That should explain things clearly. I am, after all, the best writer on the net.
GW