Nearly a year after an alleged cheating scheme at Stones Gambling Hall in Citrus Heights rocked the poker world and spawned a $30 million lawsuit, the case has been settled for an undisclosed amount and lawyers in the case agree Stones was not involved in any cheating.
Mike Postle has been accused of cheating on the Stones Live Poker stream, we will review one of his sessions to see what we can find. Subscribe to M. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.
The Stones Live Poker Twitter account even changed it’s profile photo to one of their logo behind bars, in an attempt at poking fun at themselves that many called tone deaf. Stones has since.
“A number of my clients chose to settle the case with the casino,” attorney Maurice “Mac” VerStandig said in a telephone interview Monday. “It’s an amicable settlement that we’re happy to enter into.”
Mike Postle has been accused of cheating on the Stones Live Poker stream, we will review one of his sessions to see what we can find. Tonight is the 4th nigh. Mike Postle and Stones Poker Cheating Allegations: Here’s What We Know. Allegations of a cheating scandal featuring Mike Postle, a regular at the Stones Gambling Hall, have taken over the poker world the past few days. Postle is a regular on the livestreamed cash games at Stones, which feature $1/$3 and $5/$5 games, sometimes with an ante.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, although a Stones source said the payment amount is “nominal” and being made to “show good will.”
The lawyer for Justin Kuraitis, Stones’ live poker manager who also was sued and accused of not taking other players’ complaints about the alleged cheating seriously, went even further.
“I would characterize the settlement as a complete vindication,” attorney Richard Pachter said.
And, in an unusual twist, VerStandig provided a statement as part of the settlement that says flat-out that neither Stones nor Kuraitis were involved in any sort of cheating.
“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,” the statement says. “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.
“Based on our investigation, we are satisfied that Stones and Mr. Kuraitis were not involved in any cheating that may have occurred. While Stones has not spoken publicly regarding the details of their investigation during its pendency, its counsel and Mr. Kuraitis’ counsel have been immensely cooperative behind-the-scenes.”
The statement does not mention the main player in the casino drama — poker player Michael Postle — whose winning streak at Stones drew accusations of cheating by other players and led to the lawsuit.
But Postle broke his silence for the first time late Monday, proclaiming his innocence in a text message sent to The Sacramento Bee.
“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,” Postle wrote. “It won’t just shock the poker and gambling industries, but the entire world.
“This all goes way beyond just my innocence, but includes an entire incredible 17+ year story along with it, and what’s happened since the allegations. In fact, it’s such a mind blowing story, that it’s being told to Dave Broome at 25/7 Productions who will be producing a wild documentary for the world to see on it!
“I’ve been waiting for many, many months on this and I’m anxious for it to finally come out. So to all the detractors and accusers who have asked, ‘Why hasn’t he spoken or provided his evidence of innocence and explanations?’
“Well guess what? ... Now you know.”
Postle declined to be interviewed beyond the statement he provided.
A federal judge in Sacramento earlier dismissed the lawsuit against the casino, Kuraitis and Postle on the grounds that California law does not allow for lawsuits to recover gambling losses, but the judge agreed to allow for a refiling of an amended lawsuit against the casino.
Instead, court papers say the case has been settled on behalf of most of the plaintiffs, who alleged that Postle racked up an astounding series of hands that amounted to him winning 94% of his poker games and collecting $250,000 while playing at Stones from July 2018 through September 2019.
VerStandig said 61 of the 88 poker playing plaintiffs have signed settlement agreements in the case and that some others have indicated no desire to pursue the matter further.
The original lawsuit alleged that Postle had a communications device hidden inside his ball cap and had his cellphone under the table during web broadcasts of poker games that somehow allowed him to see opponents’ hole cards.
“While playing in Stones Live Poker games, Mr. Postle has won more money than any other participant, in total, and had oftentimes been the winningest player on the show on any given night in which he is a participant,” the lawsuit claimed. “Mr. Postle’s winnings on the Stones Live Poker broadcast, and his correlative play of poker, have been so exceptionally outstanding as to lead the commentator to note his seemingly mystical abilities on numerous occasions, and to lead Stones (Live) Poker to produce various graphics portraying Mr. Postle as a deity-like individual imbued with omniscient powers (with one such graphic conflating an image of Mr. Postle and an image of Jesus Christ).”
Stones Poker Live
The accusations created an international uproar online in the poker community, which analyzed videos of Postle’s poker play, and led to poker websites such as cardschat.com and pokernews.com calling it one of the biggest poker stories of last year.
The allegations also led to Stones and state regulators launching their own investigations, and to Kuraitis being tarred online as somehow involved.
Now, Kuraitis is speaking out for the first time about how the scandal affected him.
“In the fall of 2019, 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,’ ” Kuraitis wrote in a four-page statement obtained by The Bee. “The allegations against me were false.
“However, the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control still conducted an investigation with which I completely and voluntarily cooperated. Because of the investigation and then civil litigation, I was counseled to remain silent and let the process play out without making public comment. I did so, all the while wondering if the record would ever be set straight, if the poker community would ever take me back and if those that falsely accused me would ever apologize or if they would just go on to the next effort to collect clicks and followers.”
Kuraitis said he found himself facing an online “propaganda machine” that resulted in threats against him.
“The Twitter mob is real, it is ugly, and it has real life consequences,” he wrote. “I have never before experienced so much hatred, ignorance and even threats of violence.”
Kuraitis is still with Stones, but whether Postle is still playing poker is not clear.
VerStandig said he had not heard of Postle playing anywhere.
“Courtesy of COVID, live poker has been virtually on hiatus,” VerStandig said. “I imagine that my phone would ring if he were seen playing somewhere.
Stones Poker
“The poker world is small and insular. My phone has not rung.”
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Dollar amounts were “nominal”
Stones Gambling Hall has agreed to a settlement with 61 of the 88 plaintiffs in the lawsuit revolving around charges of alleged cheating by poker player Mike Postle. In June, a judge dismissed charges against Postle, Stones, and Stones Live livestream production manager Justin Kuraitis, though some complaints could have been amended and brought back to court. The settlement was originally announced in August, but it was not until this week that terms were finalized.
It’s an amicable settlement that we’re happy to enter into.”
Maurice “Mac” VerStandig, attorney for the 88 plaintiffs, told The Sacramento Bee Monday that “It’s an amicable settlement that we’re happy to enter into.”
Financial terms have not been made public, but a Stones source told the Bee that the payouts were “nominal” and were really just a way to “show good will.” Richard Pachter, Kuraitis’s attorney, called the settlement “a complete vindication.”
Interestingly, Mac VerStandig issued a statement as part of the settlement, saying that neither Stones nor Kuraitis were involved in any alleged cheating. “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,” VerStandig said.
“…we are satisfied that Stones and Mr Kuraitis were not involved in any cheating that may have occurred,” he added, noticeably leaving out Mike Postle’s name.
Justin Kuraitis relieved, but furious
Kuraitis spoke out for the first time on Monday, expressing his happiness with the settlement. He also lashed out at the poker community and poker media outlets who “falsely accused me of being a knowing participant in what was allegedly the ‘biggest poker cheating scandal in history.’”
He added that, although the allegations against him were untrue, he willingly cooperated with the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control. Kuraitis said that not only was he innocent, but that Mike Postle did not cheat either.
Stones Poker Scandal
Among others, Kuraitis specifically pointed out popular poker vlogger Joey Ingram, claiming he “was peddling false statistics, cherry-picking hands to fit his theories and ignoring data that did not fit his version of the story.”
Kuraitis explained that the “propaganda machine” was so effective that he actually started wondering if he really did miss signs of cheating.
Those close to me know that I would never stand for or be involved in anything close to what I was accused of.”
“In the last year I have seen a community that I considered family turn against me,” wrote Kuraitis in his three and a half page statement. “Those close to me know that I would never stand for or be involved in anything close to what I was accused of. Many of the people that joined the lawsuit and spoke out against me were people that I once called friends. Some of them, I even considered family.”
Postle will tell his story
The Postle case dates back a year, when Veronica Brill tweeted that she suspected someone of cheating in Stones Live games, low-stakes cash games streamed live from Stones Gambling Hall. The poker community proceeded to comb through Postle’s stats and videos from his streamed sessions, concluding that he profited about $130,000 in 34 streamed cash game sessions of $1/$3 and $5/$5 No-Limit Hold’em.
Stones Poker Tournaments
Postle texted the Bee on Monday, 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.”
Stones Poker Room
He added that he is telling “an entire incredible 17-year story”, which includes this saga, to a production team who is putting together a documentary film.