Accused poker cheat Mike Postle has reemerged in the poker world via his participation in the ongoing Million Dollar Heater main event at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he made today's final table.
Postle was reported by the Beau Rivage as playing under the moniker "Mike Lawrence," his first and middle names, though a photo of his chip slip following last night's bag-'n'-tag indicated he may have been playing under his widely recognized "Mike Postle" name and the casino chose to report his name differently, for whatever reasons:
Postle's participation in the Beau Rivage event was first published by Angela Jordison, who had received a text and photo showing a hooded, bespectacled, and possibly nose prosthetic-wearing Postle from Maxwell (@Mawkswell) Young, another participant in the event.
Jordison's comment about Postle using an alias appears to have been technically incorrect, though it was based on Beau Rivage's overnight reporting of Postle as "Lawrence" in the final-table chip counts. The Beau Rivage room has yet to comment on why they listed Postle under an altered name entering today's final.
'Rounder Life' account verifies Postle's identity
Verification that "Lawrence" is indeed Postle came from other sources as well. The "Rounder Life" Twitter account, @RounderLife, coyly posted a Tweet with an exchange between "KC" (well-known pro Kyle Cartwright) and "MP" (the player identified by the casino as "Lawrence" that is in reality Postle):
The Rounder Life account is operated by Postle's close friend and staunchest defender, Evert Caldwell, who previously published the print version of the "Rounder Life" magazine. Postle himself appeared on the masthead of the magazine in a business-managing role.
Though Postle is a native of Wisconsin and most recently has lived in the Sacramento, California area for several years, he also spent numerous years in Mississippi as a regional poker pro. Postle and Cartwright, another veteran of the Mississippi and Deep South poker scene, likely have played against each other many times over the years.
No known proscription anywhere against Postle playing
Postle's notoriety within the poker world stems from his being accused by Veronica Brill and others of cheating in live-streamed cash games put together by the Stones Gambling Hall near Sacramento. Postle logged win rates over several dozen live-streamed games that while not technically impossible, stretched the boundaries of both believability and mathematical possibility.
After the cheating allegations against Postle were made public, he, Stones employee Justin Kuraitis, and the room itself were sued by nearly 90 alleged victims of the supposed cheating. However, Postle was dismissed from the suit in accordance with California gambling code that in essence forbade any poker player from suing another over losses incurred at the table. Kuraitis and Stones Gambling Hall remained as defendants, but the action was soon settled for a nominal amount.
Meanwhile, Postle launched a $300 million defamation lawsuit against Brill and nearly another dozen high-profile defendants and poker-industry entities. Postle's lawsuit was accompanied by announced plans for a film documentary exploring Postle's side of the story; the filmmaker was later connected to Rounder Life owner Caldwell, and the effort fizzled after Postle's first lawyer dropped him as a client and no other lawyer was willing to take the case, despite the promise of a $300 million payday.
Brill and another of the defamation case's defendants, Todd Witteles, are still owed more than $25,000 each in court-ordered legal fees by Postle, who has reportedly made no payments toward that judgment. Brill was publicly incensed at hearing the news about Postle's Beau Rivage participation. "Wonder what my lawyer @marcorandazza thinks about this break even at best POS just dusting away his money while he owes me for my legal fees," she Tweeted.
Brill also appeared willing to work with a Mississippi attorney to attempt to garnish Postle's tourney winnings:
Efforts to garnish Postle's winnings at the Beau could work; Phil Ivey, for instance, had a six-figure WSOP cash garnished by New Jersey's Borgata casino amid Ivey's long-running "edge sorting" legal battle with the Borg.
However, while Postle still owes legal fees to Brill and Witteles, there is no known ban on Postle playing in poker tournaments or cash games anywhere in the United States. The Beau Rivage or any other casino or card room could choose to not accept his business -- as often happens with players for many reasons -- and Postle was never judged guilty of any specific cheating activity. He remains free to play wherever he chooses and where the host room allows, even if the poker world's public opinion remains largely massed against him, as his willingness to alter his physical appearance shows.
