Mike Postle

Mike Postle (born 1978 or 1979) is an American professional poker player who grew up in Wisconsin. He was the central figure of an alleged poker cheating scandal that caused controversy throughout the poker community.[1]

In July 2018, Postle started a prolonged poker "heater" (a hot streak where everything seems to be going right for a particular player), winning $250,000 in $1–3 and $2–5 no limit hold 'em games at Stones Gambling Hall in Citrus Heights, California. Over a year later, during a Stones live stream in September 2019, Stones employee Veronica Brill shared her long-held suspicions that Postle was cheating. "It doesn't make sense. It's like he knows. It doesn't make sense. It's weird."[1] One week after this, Brill posted an 18-minute-video showing Postle's most unusual hands. She also tweeted out her suspicions.[1]

On 9 October 2019, 24 poker players filed a $30 million lawsuit against Postle, Stones, and Stones Gambling Hall manager Justin Kuraitis.[2] In June of 2020, Federal Judge William B. Shubb dismissed the lawsuit against all three defendants citing California law. The case against Postle was dismissed "with prejudice", precluding a case from being refiled against him.[3]

Three months after the dismissal, 60 of the now 88 plaintiffs accepted a settlement with King's Casino LLC, which owns Stones Casino, and Kuraitis. Veronica Brill was among the remaining 28.[4] Less than a month afterward, Postle filed a $330 million defamation suit against a dozen individuals, including poker celebrity Daniel Negreanu, three-time World Series of Poker-winner Phil Galfond, and ESPN, which aired a segment on SportsCenter about the scandal.[5][6] Postle's attorneys have since filed to remove themselves from the case.[7] On December 8th defendant Todd Witteles filed an "anti-SLAPP" motion to dismiss the suit declaring the lawsuit is "frivolous and a violation of Witteles' free-speech rights." A hearing on the motion is scheduled for February 10, 2021.[8]

References
  1. Koerner, Brendan (September 21, 2020). "The Cheating Scandal That Ripped the Poker Word". Wired Magazine.
  2. Conneller, Phillip (October 9, 2019). "Poker Players Sue Stones Gambling Hall, Mike Postle for $30 Million in Alleged Cheating Case". Casino.org.
  3. Bittenbender, Steve (June 3, 2020). "Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Mike Postle, Says Poker Losses not Recoverable". Casino.org.
  4. News Team, Card Player (September 10, 2020). "Most Plaintiffs Accept Settlement in Lawsuit Surrounding Mike Postle's Alleged Cheating". Card Player.
  5. Koerner, Brendan I. (October 6, 2020). "A Poker Pro Accused of Cheating Wants $330M in Damages". Wired Magazine.
  6. "Mike Postle Strikes Back, Files $330M Defamation Lawsuit". GamblingNews. 2020-10-07. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  7. Harris, Martin (December 15, 2020). "Mike Postle's Lawyers Are Abandoning Ship Due To Breach of Written Agreement, Lack of Communication". Online Poker Report.
  8. Hintze, Haley (December 14, 2020). "Todd Witteles to File Frivolous-Lawsuit Claim in Mike Postle Libel Case". Pokertube.com.


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