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Josh Field, a 17-year old infamous for his bouts of cheating on online gambling sites, has issued an apology for his behavior. The note is addressed to the poker community as a whole, but some doubt the sincerity of the notion and cast a dubious light on the sentiment.
Josh, known online as JJProdigy, posted said apology on the forums of a number of poker sites, including 2+2, where he also answered some direct questions from other users.
A few years ago, JJProdigy was caught multi-accounting on sites such as PartyPoker and PokerStars. At the time, he was a mere 14 years old, and his age only multiplied the trouble. Both websites prohibited him from their gaming once his cheating was revealed.
According to Josh, site PokerStars banned him from further use of the page, but allowed him to cash out his account, though he says there wasn’t much in there, from what he could recall. PartyPoker, however, enforced their right to confiscate funds in the occurrence of cheating, and closed his account from his access. He did not receive even partial reimbursement.
His name has been associated with several multi-accounting issues, be it directly, or indirectly.
The apology note itself reads more like a journal entry than an official admission of guilt. He mentions the illegality of his underage playing, and claims that his prohibition from PartyPoker and PokerStars stung him so badly that he needed to do whatever he could to get back in the game.
“If I'm already a wanted man, I might as well maximize my value,” he says of his logic at the time.
He details his betrayal of acquaintances, friends, and online gamblers to feed his need to play, but does not admit in the note that he suffers (suffered? he may say?) from an addiction. Most of the note is filled with poetry to his love of the game.
“The money never mattered to me … I was just in love with the game. . I still don't fully understand myself, but I didn't care about the money, the drama, anything really. I just wanted to keep playing the game … I betrayed a community I cared so much about all for selfish reasons. It shames me to think about it. I did it for so long, and I never had the courage to quit and admit what I was doing was wrong.”
The note has been posted and reposted among the online poker community, though it has been met with some skepticism. Because JJProdigy will turn 18 this year, some think the blog is a tool to smooth over some rough waters before he dives back in, rather than a true request for forgiveness. Josh has made public that he does intend to undertake live poker tournaments once he is of legal age to play, including the Aussie Millions, and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Some have even suggested that the apology was made to minimize conflict at the live tournaments.
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