[frank2752]

Based on the topic heading, I figured I'd give it a read, since it is a must read after all.

It seems ludicrous to me that you engage in something in public and then expect complete strangers to keep some sort of secret for you. You are not engaging in anything illegal. Your argument is that you are concerned with what other people think. Well, people can disagree on just about any topic. If you are Christian, do you hide that in front of Jewish people? If you are black, do you pretend to be white for white people? This is essentially what you are saying. For people with a moral problem with poker, you are arguing that you should not be yourself in front of them.

You seriously should not engage in something in public, and put expectations on other people who are also doing nothing wrong, and doing it in public, that they need to keep your dirty little secret for you.

In one of your posts, you mentioned that as a 10-year old, you learned to keep a secret, well, no need to keep acting liking a child. If you are so concerned with your image, you should seriously consider not playing poker. You should know by now that it is everywhere - on TV, at home, in casinos, and you should know that people will talk about it, since it has become quite public. As many people play poker as have children that play little league, it is everywhere, and with the coverage on TV, etc., it is not some secret society.

If you sit with people for hours on end (in PUBLIC), you cannot expect them to pretend it never happened. Either wear a mask, play on the internet, or stop playing poker, because your concerns are definitely not going to be shared by many in this day and age.