by Christian 'Bainn' Briggs
21. June 2010 10:22
Okay, quick test for you, sit back in your chair and think of the 5 people you ABSOLUTELY trust. Go on, I'll wait.
*Drums fingers on desk*
Did you think of 5 ? Good. Now give them £2000 or so to invest in their ability to gamble, asking for the occassional update on how they are doing. Your faith starting to waver a little now ?
As the recent alledged Betfair trading scam to the tune of around 100K shows, people in the poker community are quite prepared to trust large chunks of capital to someone they have played with a bit & "Know" to invest in their skills at making wagers. Does this strike anyone as a little nuts ? I trust my family and friends but would still not just hand over a substantial amount of money without due thought of the potential outcomes and knowing that the monies are to be used exactly as described. Yet we hear stories of poker players staking money in another players abilities to gamble or play our beloved game, only to find out they have been conned and the stakee has absconded with the loot.
Staking players can result in a brilliant working relationship between the parties involved but everyone should know and trust each other & if one person gets nervous or has concerns about the situation, a fair and amicable conclusion should be sort. Trust may be hard to come by in this day and age but it is extremely commodity to lose.
As my dear Grandma would have said - "Neither a lender or a borrower be."