Poker Pros Trash Justin Kuraitis Pro-Postle Statement

Postlegate suspect Justin Kuraitis has been hit by a barrage of disbelief after he released a statement proclaiming his own innocence and that of Mike Postle and Stones Gambling Hall in the long-running cheating saga…

Kuraitis spoke out this week on Twitter, his first public comments since being accused of complicity in an alleged scam that saw Mike Postle allegedly pocket up to $250,000 by repeatedly cheating a live-streamed cash game at Stones Gambling Hall.

In his lengthy statement Kuraitis claimed he was innocent of any of the charges in the $30million lawsuit that followed.

He also attacked whistleblower Veronica Brill, as well as Joey Ingram, Marle Cordeiro, Doug Polk, Daniel Negreanu, Matt Berkey, Jason Somerville and others.

Describing the ‘Twitter mob’ that he claims responded to the famous players above, Kuraitis said it was “…real, it is ugly, and it has real life consequences” and claimed:

“I have never before experienced so much hatred, ignorance and even threats of violence.”

The poker pro community quickly hit back, even including some among his supporters.

Kade explained her stance:

“FAR too many plays that are massively -EV in the long run that just miraculously seem to always be the right move. Anyone who makes massive bluffs at this frequency also punts often, which weirdly never happens. I know you wanna think the best but it’s def denial at this point.”

Others were similarly skeptical of Kuraitis’ guilt, but couldn’t square that with the tournament director’s statement this week.

Johnnie Vibes, who took part in the livestreamed Stones cash game explained:

“I was asked to join the lawsuit and declined even though I was fairly certain I was cheated. Why? Because there was no evidence that you were involved and it felt wrong to include you. But this write up of you protecting Postle makes me 2nd guess my stance."

Marle Cordeiro, who launched a separate lawsuit in Nevada to the $30million California suit, both of which were dismissed, was less given to hear Kuraitis out.

“When people reach the point of irrational explanations and zero self awareness, they’re not worth hearing out. You’ve been there for a long time,” said Cordeiro.

Kuraitis had singled Cordeiro out in his statement, stating she, “fanned the flames regarding me and seemed to imply on twitter that my car was purchased with money I obtained from the cheating scandal.”

He continued:

“In fact, I bought that car from an acquaintance on December 4th 2017 which was more than 8 months before the alleged cheating supposedly started.”

Yet another pro, Jake Rosenstiel, who played and commentated along with Brill on Stones Live games, claimed:

“Stones did not turn over their discovery, we did not review it and conclude there was no evidence of cheating. This was a lie that was bought in the settlement. The DOJ contacted me earlier this month. They’re still investigating the case and looking to charge people criminally.”

Others were just as disinclined to give Kuraitis’ statement any weight, Michael Rizzuto posting:

“I read it. The thing is, if you didn’t know Mike was cheating, and still think he wasn’t cheating, then you’re either lying or you’re an idiot and you don’t seem like an idiot.”

Kuraitis made specific mention of Postlegate whistleblower Veronica Brill, describing her as having a “penchant for making outrageous statements and frivolous claims about people.” 

Brill, widely credited among the poker community for standing up to be counted by revealing the cheating allegations, also responded on Twitter.

 She stated of Kuraitis:

“That's because all he did was try to gaslight me and kasey and he more than likely helped mike. I've never seen a poker room employee so concerned with one player's cards and cash outs and anything to do with Mike.”

With the civil lawsuits all but dead in the water, Mike Postle claimed that his side of the story is set to be revealed in a “wild documentary”.

“It won’t just shock the poker and gambling industries, but the entire world,” Postle told the Sacramento Bee newspaper in a text message.

If you missed anything connected to the case over the past year, our extensive coverage of the Postlegate scandal can be viewed below: