No proof of cheating
More than 60 of the 88 plaintiffs who sued Stones Gambling Hall, Justin Kuraitis, and Mike Postle over an alleged cheating scheme have entered into an “amicable settlement” with the casino. The financial terms were not disclosed, but a Stones source told The Sacramento Bee that the amount paid to each person was “nominal” and more a show of “good will” than anything else.
Postle was accused about a year ago of cheating during the Stones Live livestreamed cash games, racking up about $130,000 in profits during 34 sessions in 2018 and 2019. There was no concrete evidence presented to prove the allegations, though his play did raise eyebrows. In the streams, which members of the poker community studied more than most of did for college finals, Postle often won hands with garbage and was often well behind late in hands that he eventually won. He seemed to run like a poker god.
What really got people suspicious, however, was that often, when Postle tanked, he would look down at his lap for a bit. Many hypothesized that he was looking at a cell phone or other device that may have been showing him RFID readings of the cards or perhaps a feed of the live stream. An odd bulge in his baseball cap added to the speculation, as people thought it could be some sort of receiver.
Again, all that was speculation, and there was no proof that Postle actually cheated.
In a statement included with the settlement, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Maurice “Mac” VerStandig, said, in part:
After reviewing evidence with the cooperation of Stones, my co-counsel and I have found no evidence supporting the plaintiffs’ claims against Stones, Stones Live Poker, or Justin Kuraitis. My co-counsel and I have found no forensic evidence that there was cheating at Stones or that Stones, Mr. Kuraitis, the Stones Live team, or any dealers were involved in any cheating scheme.
Mike Postle’s name was not in the statement.
Kuraitis takes no prisoners
Kuraitis, who produced the Stones Live show, published a lengthy statement on Monday, lambasting the poker community for trying him in the court of public opinion.
“In the fall of 2019,” he said, “I watched as the ‘poker community’ and wanna-be ‘celebrity’ commentators on Twitter/YouTube falsely accused me of being a knowing participant in what was allegedly the ‘biggest poker cheating scandal in history.’”
Criticizing poker vlogger Joey Ingram, Kuraitis said, “…it became clear that Ingram was peddling false statistics, cherry-picking hands to fit his theories and ignoring data that did not fit his version of the story.”
Kuraitis continued for multiple pages, explaining that a poker media outlet called Rounderlife was the only one that researched evidence and took his side. He also said he asked Veronica Brill, the person who originally accused Postle of cheating, if she had evidence, which she could not deliver. Kuraitis noted that he thought it was curious that she continued to invite Postle, who she believed to be cheating, to her “Veronica and Friends” cash game.
Postle waiting for his moment
As for Postle himself, he hasn’t said much yet, but he did text The Sacramento Bee, saying, “As much as I’d like to say, all I can really say right now is that I have my side of this entire fiasco to tell. It won’t just shock the poker and gambling industries, but the entire world.”
Postle added that he is anxious to tell his story, which will come out in a documentary produced by 25/7 Productions.
