It is more than six months since the Mike Postle cheating scandal broke, but we’re not closer to a resolution. The matter is now in the hands of lawyers and they seem determined to grab their five minutes of fame.
Postle and his blatant cheating was exposed in October 2019. Postle regularly played $1/$3 and $5/$5 No-Limit Hold’em cash games on a live stream. He gained such a reputation for making crazy calls and running elaborate bluffs that Stones Gambling Hall in California gave Postle his own internet show.
Viewers continually wondered how Postle never lost in the live-streamed games. He did the opposite of losing, in fact, he was the game’s biggest winner by a long margin. The online poker community at Two Plus Two forums eventually caught wind of Postle’s genius and began analyzing his play.
Poker Community Outs Postle and His Cheating
The Two Plus Two forums have a long history of outing cheating and scandals. It didn’t take long to uncover blatant cheating and the fact Postle had to have hole card knowledge.
One hand saw Postle bet on the river of a 6c-4s-Kh-Ah-Ad board only to be raised. Postle held the meager 9d-6s yet found a three-bet to win the pot. His opponent held 9h-8h. Despite this crazy play, Postle later managed to get away from pocket kings preflop when his opponent held aces. He also only paid off one bet with a full house when against a higher full house.
Something smelled fishy and prominent members of the poker community chimed in.
Doug Polk and Joey Ingram spent multiple hours going through ever live-streamed hand Postle played. Damning evidence stacked up against Postle, but he categorically denied any wrongdoing. High stakes sports bettor and poker player Haralabos Voulgaris summed up the action best.
“What I am witnessing is either a time-traveling wizard, a cheat, or the greatest poker play of all time.”
Postle’s cheating even made it onto EPSN’s Sports Center. Scott Van Pelt summarized the situation perfectly.
“If you’re the equivalent of a guy that shows up to play pick-up basketball, and you never ever missed a shot for a couple of years, wouldn’t you go play in the NBA? What if you’re some sort of poker God who almost never lost, who made the right call or fold virtually every single time… If you were this good, why would you be playing in games only with a video feed at a $1/$3 table at Stones poker room? Why wouldn’t you be in Vegas, winning all the money in the world?”
$10 Million Lawsuit Launched
Postle, Stones Gambling Hall, and several others are named in a $10 million lawsuit. The suit reads, “This case represents the largest known cheating scandal in the history of broadcast poker.”
$10 million is the maximum Postle and company are on the hook for. The award will go to those players affected by the cheating.
The lawsuit claims Postle had insider information about his opponents’ hole cards. This information allowed him to make those “crazy” plays he became famous for.
Postle’s lawyer responded stating large winning streaks are possible in poker. There are indeed, but this is something else. What Postle’s lawyer didn’t do is advise his client to avoid a court summons, which is something else that happened.
Mac VerStandig, the lawyer who filed the $10 million suit, went to Postle’s residence to serve him court papers. VerStandig’s continually ringing of the doorbell and knocking on the door went unanswered. He remained at the property for a period of time and saw Postle inside. VerStandig attempted to get the defendant’s attention but was unsuccessful.
Yet More Twists in the Ongoing Saga
Postle and Stones filed motions to dismiss the $10 million lawsuit during the past month. Bizarrely, however, Postle leaked his motion to a website he is affiliated with.
Another twist happened this week when Marle Cordeiro filed a $250,000 lawsuit against the cheater. Cordeiro also requested a trial by jury. She claims Postle received hole card information to his mobile phone allowing him to profit in 94% of his sessions.
Stones filed a separate motion on April 8 which caused an uproar in the poker community. Stones had previously said, “this lawsuit reflects the oldest complaint of gamblers: that their lack of success means they were cheated.” This latest statement really riled poker players.
“Casinos do not owe a general duty of care to gamblers.”
It is a ridiculous statement and something expected from such a shady outfit. Let’s hope this sage ends soon and ends with Postle and Stones on the hook for the full $10 million.
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Matthew Pitt
If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.