For the past week I have been following one of the most intriguing scandals ever to hit the game of live poker. A professional player called Mike Postle has been accused of cheating by an ex-employee at the Stones Casino in their livestream cash game of Texas Holdem poker.
A Little About The Game
To fully understand this scandal you have to first know a little about the game Texas Holdem. If you already do, then please skip to the Scandal section.
Texas Holdem (along with Omaha Holdem) is the most popular form of poker, with the World Series 2019 main event being worth over $80 million dollars in cash prizes, with the winner netting $10 million of those dollars.
One of the reasons it is so popular is because the rules are simple, and the game is great for spectators.
Rules
Each player is dealt two "hole" cards at the start of the game, after which a round of betting ensues.
Once all the bets are matched, three "community cards" are dealt face up in the middle. This is commonly known as the flop. These cards can be used by all players that are still in the game.
After the flop there is a round of betting, and if there at least two players left another card is dealt, known as the turn.
There is one more round of betting, and then the last card the river is dealt. After this we have the final round of betting and the winner is determined.
Format
Televised poker in casinos are held on an oval table, and played with special cards that have tiny RFID chips with unique identities. This is so that the viewer can see the cards of each one of the players, this is sometimes complimented with small cameras built into the table so that you can see the actual cards as well.
The Scandal
In 2018 the Stones Casino in California hosted a cash game which they live streamed on their internet channel. For most of the year the game ran smoothly, professionals and non professionals alike played in the game and plenty of fun was had.
On June the 18th something changed, Mike Postle embarked on an unheard of winning streak of twenty straight sessions, and coming out on top in a total of 70 out of 77 different nights.
What made that statistic even more suspicious than it already was, is Postle's playing style was erratic to say the least. He would often make very large bets with marginal hands, and he always seemed to make the right decision.
In his remarkable win run, he never once lost his money to the best hand. Something that happens all the time in poker. He was also never bluffed, again this is something that is completely unheard of.
Veronica Brill was one of the regulars at the game, she was also sometimes employed as a commentator by Stones. During Mike Postle's epic run, she became very suspicious about the way he played and the fact that he just couldn't lose.
Brill voiced her concerns to the Stones poker director Justin Kuraitis (sometimes referred to as JFK), who vowed to do a full investigation. After some time he came back to her and assured Brill that Postle was not cheating and was simply a poker "god". Kuraitis further went on to say that Brill simply did not understand poker.
Brill carried on commentating on the Stones live game until one day she snapped. She watched Postle fold top pair with a straight draw, in a situation when he should have made a bet.
"This is weird, it's like he knows..." Brill stated.
Once more Veronica Brill brought up her concerns with Justin Karaitis whom again dismissed then. This time though, Brill refused to give it up, she knew something was up and recruited the help of some friends in the industry with Joey Ingram, a respected poker commentator, being her first port of call.
Pandora's box was open.
**Veronica Brill suspected something was up with Mike Postle
Fallout
Since Joey Ingram's initial investigation there have been dozens of poker enthusiasts whom have downloaded the Stones live sessions and pored over more than seventy hours of footage.
The conclusions are damming. Postle appears to be looking at his phone placed between his legs under the table always around the time he needed to make a big decision.
Pretty much any poker player who has watched the footage has come to the conclusion that Mike Postle can see the other player's hole cards and is a dirty, A-moralistic cheat, who even cheated a dying man out of his money.
A $30 million dollar class action lawsuit has been filed against the Stones casino, Justin Kuraitis, and Mike Postle. The lawsuit represents 24 plaintiffs and it is thought that more could join.
This could turn out to be one of the most interesting and intriguing court cases ever, with witness statements from pro poker players, and plenty of video evidence to be pored over in court.
I have seen a lot of the footage, and in my mind there is no doubt about it, Mike Postle is a cheat and should be punished. It also appears that he couldn't have done this without the aid, or at the very least, inaction of Justin Karaitis and the Stones casino. For which I hope they too are severely punished.
The Stones casino has stopped all live broadcasts and vehemently denies that there was any cheating taking place at their livestream game.
One thing is for sure, this has rocked poker and the integrity of the game. Hopefully it can be regained when this all plays out in what should be one of the most colourful court cases ever.
Video Link Resources:
#7 (CLEAR EVIDENCE) CHEATING IS BORN + New Results For Mike Postle
SHOCKING POKER CHEATING: Why Everyone Is Freaking Out About Mike Postle
DO YOU PLAY POKER? HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE MIKE POSTLE/STONES INCIDENT? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CHEATING IN GENERAL?
AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!