Sklansky arrested and charged with domestic battery
He didn't have Mason edit his note to Brandi like with his books.
The Brandi story comes up every so often, and most people at this point have false memories of it, or have heard incorrect things going around because they weren't around back then (or weren't paying much attention to forum drama at the time).
So here is a brief synopsis once again:
Dateline: Early 2008
David was (and maybe still is) living with a girl named Sue, and had a romantic/sexual relationship with her. This was unknown to the public at the time. Sue was in her early 20s, and Sklansky was early 60s.
Sue had physical problems and a weird look to her, due to being inbred. David met her on a party line or something, and had her come live with him. She was of legal age, and despite having a look of someone who might be "slow", apparently she was/is intellectually normal, though socially strange.
Brandi Hawbaker was in her early 20s, and had burst onto the poker scene in 2006 when she ran deep in a Bellagio tournament. Poker media/forums instantly noticed her beauty and her outgoing personality, and she became a lightning rod for attention. She got even more attention when she joined 2+2 and her mental illness came out, causing a huge stir on this forum.
Brandi was definitely no saint, and didn't always treat people well, but a lot of this was probably attributable to her mental illness. I only met her once -- at a public gathering of poker players in Atlantic City, and she was very pleasant to me. Contrary to popular belief, I barely knew Brandi, and my name only comes up in association with her because two of my friends got close to her.
But guess who did know her well? David Sklansky. He was immediately taken by her youth, beauty, raw sexuality, and interest in poker -- pretty much catnip to David. He pursued her very vigorously, despite their 35-year age difference. Brandi was not interested in David sexually or romantically, but humored him and spent time with him on and off. To my knowledge, she never did anything sexual with him, though he repeatedly asked for it. A creepy picture went around 2+2 for awhile (I might be able to dig it up) of David cornering Brandi at Bellagio and nearly trapping her against a wall, while she looked uncomfortable.
Two stories from Brandi about David involved him pulling out a vibrator from his car's glove box and asking her to use it (she declined), as well as David asking Brandi to have a threesome with her and Sue, which he claimed Sue had agreed to do. Brandi declined that as well.
Anyway, Brandi had an on-and-off relationship with a guy named Brandon (known as "Drexel"), and she got to know Micon by extension, as Brandon and Micon were very close. I was close with Micon at the time, and only knew Brandon through Micon. We all did Neverwinpoker Radio together at the time, which was becoming increasingly popular. About four years later I became closer with Brandon, but I didn't know him that well in 2008.
Brandi called Brandon (who was no longer dating her, but they were still friends), and wanted his advice what to do about David.
Brandi had apparently asked David for $260 to enter a tournament on Full Tilt. David agreed, but only if she sent him a picture of herself in red panties with "your pubic hair peeking out of the sides". She had to agree to this very specific picture request in order to get the $260. Brandi, a former stripper, was not exactly shy about her body, so she had no qualms about taking this picture and shipping it to David for jerkoff material, provided it got her into the Full Tilt event.
However, Brandi got very upset when, after sending the picture, David started making additional demands. This was when she contacted Brandon and asked what to do about it. Brandon referred her to Micon, stating that perhaps they could expose this on Neverwinpoker, the forum Micon ran at the time. (I was the #1 moderator on that forum, but Micon ran it.)
Micon, who had already become friends with Brandi through Brandon, talked to her about it, and asked if he could see the emails. She sent them, including the red panty pics. Micon said that David was acting creepy and wanted to expose it. Brandi agreed, and gave him permission to post the emails verbatim on Neverwinpoker.
Brandi told David that she was sending all of the emails to Micon to be shared publicly, but for whatever reason he didn't care, and kept arguing with her.
I was at Commerce that night, and Micon told me what was going on, but I couldn't see it until later, because I didn't yet have a smart phone and had no way to read it. I did not talk to Brandi about any of this, nor did I get involved in the e-mail posting. That was all Micon's deal, but I also didn't object to it, as I felt he was doing the right thing.
As David and Brandi's argument escalated, Brandi threatened to tell the world about his weird relationship with Sue. David then decided to beat her to the punch, and posted the entire Sue story to 2+2 (which Mason eventually deleted, I believe). The forum was pretty shocked by this, especially once David shared some bizarre pictures of Sue which... let's just say made her look less than normal. The forum members mostly felt that David was taking advantage of a young disabled girl, and that he was a total creep.
Mason banned me, Micon, and Brandon for this whole thing, even though we had not broken any 2+2 rules. Mason told me that I was banned because of my association with Neverinwpoker. If you wonder why Mason has some obvious bitterness toward me, it was all from this incident -- ironically one which I had absolutely nothing to do with.
At the time, most people just looked at the Brandi/David stuff with bemusement. However, it eventually took a much darker turn.
David continued to argue with Brandi, and was furious that she basically forced his hand to tell the world about Sue.
That's where that awful email came in, where he threatened to have friends throw acid on her face or kill her in a drive-by, and at the end said she'd be better off if she committed suicide.
A few weeks later, Brandi killed herself in Los Angeles. She did not leave a note or tell anyone she was going to do it, though she had made various suicide threats over her two years in poker. She never specifically named David as the reason she committed suicide, but the timing here can't be ignored.
Micon and I had our own falling out in 2011, so we haven't been friends for nearly 15 years. However, I will state that in this situation, he did absolutely nothing wrong. Brandi went to him with the David emails, and she wanted him to share them, which he did. Note that she came to him and Brandon for help, so obviously she had no issue with them. I wasn't involved because she and I didn't know each other.
I presume David believed at the time that Brandi had betrayed him. That was probably the source of his anger. However, you have to understand that this all spawned from him refusing to give her the $260 after she sent the red panty picture like he demanded, and then it escalated out of control. Regardless, David should have been aware that he was dealing with a mentally ill young woman with suicidal ideations, and not sent that awful final email, regardless of how angry he was.
Regarding Mason shoving Micon, I don't remember that story. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't. So much was going on then, and it's been 18 years, so I don't remember everything perfectly anymore. I definitely wasn't present for any confrontation between Micon and Mason. I've played poker with Mason a number of times at Bellagio, but he never says anything to me, and I don't say anything to him.
The reason I'm back on here is because the site was sold. Mason let me back on in 2017, but then oddly banned me again about 2 years later, because he got angry when I trolled him back when he started up with me.
Feel free to ask me any questions about all of this, and I'll try to answer as well as I can.
Brandi did leave a note. Brandon and I both have it.
And that’s not what happened with the red panties- she sent the photos of just the underwear, David was upset that she was not wearing them.
And you were banned for your association with neverwinpoker because NWP was happy to host photos of not only Sue that members had found from the internet, but they also doxxed her mother who was the victim of said incest. You and I had some big arguments over the ethics (or lack thereof) of participating in this.
Your website also posted photos of Brandi’s genitalia that had been sent to Micon, knowing full well that she struggled with mental illness.
And you were banned for your association with neverwinpoker because NWP was happy to host photos of not only Sue that members had found from the internet, but they also doxxed her mother who was the victim of said incest. You and I had some big arguments over the ethics (or lack thereof) of participating in this.Your website also posted photos of Brandi’s genitalia that h
Obviously you knew all of us back in the day. I have an idea of who you might be, but why the secrecy?
Maybe there was a note. As I said, I wasn't involved. I only heard things from those who were. It's been 18 years, and details get fuzzy over time when I didn't experience these things firsthand.
Neverwinpoker was not "my website". I did not have editorial control there. It was not my choice regarding what was or wasn't posted there. If you recall, I didn't post anything about Sue's mother, nor did I get very involved in the entire situation.
I also had no control regarding what Micon chose to post regarding Brandi. It was his website. I didn't get involved in the Brandi stuff, either. But that's irrelevant here. The bottom line was that Brandi came to Brandon/Micon for help with the Sklansky issue, so obviously they weren't enemies of hers.
Mason stated exactly why I was banned, and it was because of "association with Neverwinpoker". Nothing was said at the time regarding Sue's mother or Brandi's pictures. Mason was just angry that Micon made his star author look bad, and he took it out on anyone closely associated with the website.
when i was reading the email the other day it seemed very familiar like i had read it before ...
It was posted, twice, in the NVG thread https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/ne... in 2021. It was also posted in rec.gambling.poker in 2008.
So I did a bit of looking into things and confirmed who you are, and you're who I suspected. I didn't even know that you had an account here, but apparently you have 42,000 posts.
Now that you mention it, you're right about the panties. I guess my mind morphed that story a bit over time. It's funny, because I have a memory of the picture itself being posted and she was wearing them, but that probably isn't accurate. I do remember now something about David demanding a "red panty pic", and then she sent just a pic of the panties themselves on a desk, then he demanded pubic hair peeking, and I think she just cut off some pubic hair and sent that next to the panties, and he kept getting increasingly irritated.
I don't remember now if she ultimately sent the full panty pic. And maybe David sent her the money first, so that's why he was so angry?
You were closer to the situation than I was, so perhaps you can clear all of this up.
Sklansky was living with a runaway, who was 16 or younger.
Brandi got well known for being involved with multiple top young players. I don't know if she was really making a living from poker, or from well off young men and getting men to stake her.
Sklansky seemed to way overreact with that letter, etc.
The whole thing involves multiple negative Vegas stereotypes.
Sklansky and Mason don't get nominated for Poker HOF, which they may deserve, but not through their play. Some of that may be a result of a bad reputation, due to Brandi, etc.
Sklansky is probably excluded due to this scandal.
Mason I think is a different story. Mason has never been involved in any sex scandals, other than his constant damage controlling for David. Unlike David, Mason seems happy just being married to his wife, who is near his own age.
However, he was just a jerk to everyone he dealt with in poker, especially during the boom years. He saw himself as above everyone else, and seemed to truly believe that he was the most important and powerful man in the game.
At one point, he was demanding other platforms remove people he didn't like. He even pressured journalists not to cover people in stories if he didn't care for them. I know, because he did it to me. At one point he banned an ESPN reporter from 2+2 for featuring me in an article.
Basically nobody wants to have anything to do with Mason at this point.
If ever there was a story without heroes, it is this one. The entire thing makes me happy that I was never involved in the business of poker. It also makes me happy that I am even less connected to the poker world than I was 15-20 years ago.
The Brandi story comes up every so often, and most people at this point have false memories of it, or have heard incorrect things going around because they weren't around back then (or weren't paying much attention to forum drama at the time).
True. That being said, I'll add references to three things I posted about.
Then, with Cap't Tom, there was "huggling" and "p-n-s on back" that I recall. Also recall a Full Tilt Poker nipple pastie pic.
Spoiler
If ever there was a story without heroes, it is this one. The entire thing makes me happy that I was never involved in the business of poker. It also makes me happy that I am even less connected to the poker world than I was 15-20 years ago.
For all the focus on Brandi’s behavior, she was also the victim of multiple crimes which nobody ever paid for. Yet.
It’s convenient how memory seems to be failing some of those involved.
Penis on back was the only thing I recalled. Good times on the forum for awhile until the suicide.
So I did a bit of looking into things and confirmed who you are, and you're who I suspected. I didn't even know that you had an account here, but apparently you have 42,000 posts.
I'm still trying to figure out who Crossnerd is. I've narrowed it down to PokerPete (Shoutout, btw), or OneStepAhead.
For all the focus on Brandi’s behavior, she was also the victim of multiple crimes which nobody ever paid for. Yet.
It’s convenient how memory seems to be failing some of those involved.
I wasn't trying to focus more of the attention on her. And I wasn't trying to focus any of the attention on you because you seem to have been more of a friend/acquaintance than a direct participant. My point was only what I said--that I don't see any heroes among the direct participants. All I see is mental illness, exploitation, vindictiveness, and adults who seem like overgrown adolescents.
I do always enjoy a structured jaunt down memory lane
Even if that jaunt takes you to a wet and dark alley behind a North Vegas smoggy
True. That being said, I'll add references to three things I posted about.
Spoiler
that spoiler image is seemingly from a Swedish poker magazine. never seen that before! strange. does anyone know in which publication it was printed?
I wasn't trying to focus more of the attention on her. And I wasn't trying to focus any of the attention on you because you seem to have been more of a friend/acquaintance than a direct participant. My point was only what I said--that I don't see any heroes among the direct participants. All I see is mental illness, exploitation, vindictiveness, and adults who seem like over
I was her friend, until David triangulated us with his lies and made me an unwitting participant. And then she died. I was only 22 years old, and she was just 25.
When I called him distraught to tell him that she had committed suicide, he said to me, and I’ll never forget this, “Well, I’m very sorry that you’re sad, but I’m not sorry that she’s dead.”
For those who want a deeper dive into who Brandi was, this is a good, albeit sad, comprehensive article. Even her mother references the horrible email from Sklansky. But I didn’t know she had tried to commit suicide years earlier in her life, and was diagnosed with a condition called Dysthymia, which is like being perma-depressed.
Part 1
Part 2
For all the focus on Brandi’s behavior, she was also the victim of multiple crimes which nobody ever paid for. Yet.
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.
You seem to imply that some sort of criminal investigation(s) or civil lawsuit(s) are in the works. Would you care to elaborate?
Also, is there anything from Brandi's suicide note that you're willing and able to share with us?
Thank you.
If the above statement is about me, I don’t understand it. The only things I’ve forgotten were a result of 18 years passing and my lack of direct involvement in the whole thing.
I sent you a DM. I don’t know if you normally check them here, but there’s one waiting for you.
I was her friend, until David triangulated us with his lies and made me an unwitting participant. And then she died. I was only 22 years old, and she was just 25.
When I called him distraught to tell him that she had committed suicide, he said to me, and I’ll never forget this, “Well, I’m very sorry that you’re sad, but I’m not sorry that she’s dead.”
I'm sorry for your friend Brandi and the pain you are still feeling from her passing.
