Correct me if I'm wrong, but the set of rules is just a cheat sheet for mods, therefore, unquestioningly "adhering to the letter of the law" may not always be justified and objective. I just want to say that formally yes, El duderino_ allegedly violated several rules ... but given that the moments when the whole forum gathers in one place are extremely rare, the moderators probably should have shown more flexibility in making decisions.

Btw, speaking of "unfairness towards other threads", I would also say that drawing such an analogy is pointless, since I see a colossal difference between El duderino_'s thread and the threads of the "Game and Rounds" section. And the point is not at all about the declared remuneration, but about the strengthening of bitcoin culture and the value of opinions, (in fact, this is another reason why I believe that the place of thread X in the section of speculation). In any case, no matter what decision the mod made, I sense that El duderino_ is justifiably outraged as I think he is one of the last people on this forum to pursue pragmatic goals.