Like Warren said, sometimes people are just trying to get their 30 strikes so they can get a $300. Also, some of them are picking up strikes for people who can't make it to all of the releases. Then again, as you said, there are some folks who park themselves in front of the machines solely for the business end of it. That means play until you have what you need and the heck with anyone else. The Silver Striker's Club does not discriminate between the two, so you have members in it for the hobby, members in it for the business, members in it for a combination of the two, and members in it for the social aspect.

At my first tournament, I mostly had a less than positive view of silver strikers (didn't know who was in the club) , very similar experience to what you said. But, as I have gone to more events and met more people, I have come to really enjoy the company of some of the club members. You will find the club members with a similar interest to yours and those will be the people that keep you coming to the events. Give it a little while and keep an open mind. If you like Silver Strikes, there isn't much of a social or hobby network outside of the Silver Striker's Club. And some of those rude folks you mentioned probably are not members of the club anyway.