You know there are lots of big players that rape the reward pool daily. It sucks seeing them at the top every day. Same people always making all the money.
I see that who ever owns @Ranchorelaxo has invested a large amount into this platform. Shouldn't he be able to do as he sees fit with that investment?
Steemit is very cliquey and if your not in the clique you are not going to get any rewards unless you invest some cash or have the time to post all day. Until you get noticed by the cliques. Then they also would have to like you for you to get the upvote.
My family has invested 90 percent of what we have in steemit. There are three of us and we have lost about 50 percent of our investment so far.

If you had the capital invested in steemit would you just give your vote away?
How many of the big whales actually invested hard cash into steemit?
How many of them had it given to them?
How many of them are just trying to stop someone, because they just don't like someone else doing well?

I don't know the answers?
What I do know is unless you have a bunch of SBD and friends you are toast here.
The only time anyone in my family even had a $100 reward(once) is when we paid 80 to get that? Then after the 20 percent curation reward we lost money on buying the upvotes.

Steemit is tough for everyone that has to earn the old fashioned way. Hard work!