We've very happy to have you join us. Now that you have been watching the board, I'm sure you've been forming opinion of our various posts, as well as formulating you opinions of the mental stability of some of us.

So allow me to address your concerns even before you feel the need to voice them.

1. Yes, most of us have been viewed as being a bit "out there" by non chip collectors. This has been statistically shown numerous times by the huge numbers of chippers seen driving insane distances to casino to acquire chips for their collections and for traders.

2. Long hours in front of the computer first checking email, then chipboard, then ebay....back and forth...forth and back...hour after hour. Surely these aren't the activities of normal people!

3. Yes, Many of us have developed out abilities in the realm of deceptive behavior. It has been documented on numerous occasions at roulette tables various unscrupulous methods of harvesting chips. For instance...A gentleman collector from the east cost who will refer to only as "Allan" has been rumored to been seen sitting at a roulette table. Suddenly, his eyes got wide and he points across the gaming floor and exclaims "My Gawd, that woman is wearing a see-through top!" With all eyes quickly diverted to the direction he was pointing, 20 roulette chip mysteriously disappeared from his stack, resulting in a simultaneous "bulge" in his jacket pocket. "She's gone now, but boy was she gorgeous" was his only follow up comment. This along with other blatant and heinous behavior have been rumored to happen over and over again in casino after casino. This stealthy person is notorious in the "circle" to have many clever little ways of getting what he desires. A pointing finger to the pit area followed by a softly spoken question: "is that a black chip on the floor?"

4. Then there are those obsessed individuals here that have been seen to suddenly regress to childhood with only the picture of an old round piece of clay as the trigger. One minute they are a responsible adult, calm and collected parent and highly respected woman in the community...the next minute, like a child pointing at the candy rack in the grocery store checkout line they loose all abandon and exclaim to the world "I WANT THAT!" Not a pretty site. This year at the convention i have been told not to be alarmed if I see a grown woman being scolded and spanked on the chip convention floor.

But Tod, please dont judge us by our erratic and strange behaviors. We're actualy fairly nice and harmless group...as long as we take our medication.