There’s a fine line between a community and a mob, particularly on social media with poker players.
Mac VerStandig, the plaintiff’s attorney in the Mike Postle case, admits he found no evidence that Justin Kuraitis, the Stones Gambling Hall tournament director, was responsible for any cheating that may or may not have taken place. But the poker community doesn’t appear ready to accept such findings, or non-findings to be more precise.
Justin Kuraitis is innocent, says plaintiff’s attorney Mac VerStandig. (Image: medium.com)
VerStandig, who represented 88 plaintiffs in a $30 million lawsuit against Postle, Kuraitis, and Stones, reached a settlement for 60 of the plaintiffs and made a statement that his investigation uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing from the tournament director or the casino.
Kuraitis, who remained silent publicly for nearly a year, then released a public statement of his own. In a four-page communique, he reiterated his claims of innocence and bashed the poker media, and numerous poker pros and influencers who he contends make up a “Twitter mob.”
The Stones employee then took to Twitter to pop off on those who doubted him and Postle.
Strong Denials, Escalating Contempt
Kuraitis claims to be completely vindicated and lashed out at those who accused him of any involvement in the alleged cheating scandal. He also defended Postle, claiming he investigated the Stones reg but found no evidence he cheated. Poker Twitter, however, isn’t buying his story.
Kuraitis tagged several prominent pros in his tweet — “There are some things I’ve wanted to say for a while now” — and some, perhaps as he hoped, responded.
Negreanu argues that Kuraitis had to have known Postle was cheating. The GGPoker ambassador also argued that Kuraitis either “doesn’t know poker” or is “lying for whatever reason.”
Polk and Negreanu Agree on Something?
There’s a first for everything. Doug Polk argues that Kuraitis and Postle “are innocent in the eyes of the law because the legal system is not fit to determine if you were cheating or not.” But he’s long been of the belief that Postle cheated.
1) You and Postle are innocent in the eyes of the law because the legal system is not fit to determine if you were cheating or not.
— Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) September 15, 2020
2) Gambling debts in court are very difficult to enforce.
3) Please stop insulting the poker community with this complete nonsense. https://t.co/urZkE3pgue
Kuraitis responded to Polk’s comments with his own jab: “Hi @DougPolkVids I know you are really good at ignoring actual evidence. Keep doing that, I am sure it will work out well for you.”
Brad Clayton (@BradClayton55) made a sarcastic comment directed at Kuraitis. He joked: “OJ SIMSPON was declared not guilty in the murder of Nicole Brown and the Ron Goldman. So clearly OJ was innocent and not involved at all. Good to know.”
OJ Simpson, a former football star, was found not guilty in 1995 of the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Despite the verdict in what was dubbed “the trial of the century,” most to this day still believe he committed the crime.
Phil Galfond, who rarely engages in poker Twitter debates, also chimed in. He questioned if Kuraitis could perform an unbiased investigation into the alleged cheating scandal as he claims to have done, given Kuraitis works for the casino and is friends with Postle.
Lost me there, too.
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) September 16, 2020
Also, an even better time to wonder if someone is cheating in your poker room is when another regular accuses them and you are investigating it. https://t.co/dGQBAIGKio
Johnnie “Vibes” Moreno, a popular poker vlogger, took a different stance. He said he’s long believed Kuraitis wasn’t in on the alleged cheating scheme. But, as he wrote, he’s starting to change his mind.
