A judge has dismissed the case, citing California law regarding poker debts
Gambling has always been an activity that falls in a gray area when it comes to law enforcement. The most recent poker scandal in which pro player Mike Postle was being accused of cheating during low-stakes cash poker games, to the surprise of many, has been dismissed by the judge presiding over the case. This is big news, as the US District judge granted to the defendants yesterday their motions to dismiss that were filed in April. The judge, William B. Shubb, agreed with the defendants by citing California law in which he declared losses as "not cognizable under California law because California public policy bars judicial intervention in gambling disputes, in part because the asserted damages are inherently speculative."
Even the request for sanctions requested for Postle was dismissed by the judge, too. According to the judge’s resolution, there is no possibility of an appeal, as he dismissed the cases with prejudice. What is possible, though, is that the plaintiffs can file an amended complaint, but it can only include Stones Gambling Hall – the casino in which the games took place – and Justin Kuraitis, its tournament director. The reason for this amended complaint would be based on what the judge mentioned regarding rakes paid by players, which are intended to ensure a fair game is being played. So, it will be a different kind of filing. For now, it seems like Postle is off the hook for this cheating scandal.
The lawsuit was filed in October 2019 and included several plaintiffs who reported losses from this scheme. Postle was being accused of taking advantage of low-stakes cash games that were being streamed online to secretly receive information about the opponents' cards for months, which ended up giving him a ridiculously high win rate for which he collected around $250,000.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Mac VerStandig, expressed his displeasure with the decision. "While I am of course disappointed Mr. Postle has been let out of this litigation, I trust that disappointment pales compared to that of Stones Gambling Hall, which made the arguments that permitted Mr. Postle to exit the case," said VerStandig. Another lawsuit against Postle, filed by poker pro Marle Cordeiro, is still pending in Nevada.
