Tuesday I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

The full extent of the problem won't be known until after I have visited with the oncologist and have had a battery of tests run.

I have been advised though that my treatment will surely include chemotherapy and radiation, which will probably keep me down for days at a time. Couple that with having a business to run, and I will probably have to devote much less time to chipping than I do now.

I have made the decision to not purchase any more chips until I am well again. If something should happen, my family doesn't need the hassle of any more chips. So, if you are one of the many people that automatically get things for me knowing I will want them, please hold off until I let you know.

I would though appreciate still receiving scans of new Riverboat, Indian and Nevada $1 issues. I hope to be able to keep chipguide.com as current as possible. Please though, use the submission link on any page at chipguide.com, and not email. The submission link makes it much easier for me to manage them until I get them posted.

I don't see any problem maintaining The Chip Board, The Strike Point or The Slot Card BBS. I have a great group of people that help me with this already, so everything there should continue as normal.

I spoke with Andy last night and he is readying the details for our next set of online poker tournaments. He has found somebody to take over my part of the job so that should continue on as well. I plan to play on Wednesdays whenever possible.

Over the next few months if I'm a little tardy answering an email or responding to a post, I hope you will understand.