Opinion (OPINION) Mike Postle Cheating Scandal Brings Poker Community Together

By Jon Sofen 3 Min read

Mike Postle is accused of some serious cheating allegations that, if proven true, could leave a lasting negative impact on the poker world. But, he sure does seem to be doing a great job of bringing the poker community together.

Postle is alleged to have used some sort of unknown device to access his opponent’s hole cards during Stones Live streams at Stones Gambling Hall in Citrus Heights, California. Many believe someone on the inside – perhaps a Stones employee – helped. Postle denied the allegations to CardsChat News, and on Mike Matusow’s podcast.

Still, he doesn’t appear to have much support within the poker community.

(Almost) General Consensus on Postle

Postle claims he never cheated. He doesn’t need to, he says. That’s because he is “one of the best” poker players in the world, a statement he made on Matusow’s podcast last weekend.

As new evidence comes out and those who may have been cheated begin their lawsuit against the Northern California poker pro, few remain on his side except the occasional unknown Twitter troll and Matusow, who claims to be “neutral” on this issue, even if his words suggest otherwise.

No offense, Mikey, but when you coddle Postle in the interview and refuse to ask him a hard-hitting follow-up question, you aren’t being neutral. And when you take personal shots at the poker media, calling us “despicable” for accusing Postle of cheating, you most certainly aren’t being neutral.

As for most of the rest of the poker community, that’s a different story. It’s hard to find many poker fans on social media defending Postle. Nearly every big name pro – from Matt Berkey to Scott Seiver – accuse him of being a cheater.

The evidence is too clear. Unless he truly is the best poker player ever, he’s cheating. Postle is likely a solid poker player, with or without getting some illegal help. Chris Moneymaker even vouches for Mike’s talents. It’s just hard to fathom anyone could always be right when facing a decision on the river. And that’s why the poker community, as a whole, is confident he cheated.

What the Poker Community is Saying

Postle’s alleged cheating isn’t good for poker in the long run. Cheating scandals can scare casual poker players away. Who wants to play a game that isn’t legit? But, there is one positive from this potentially damaging story.

Before anyone outside of the Sacramento area knew of Postle, the poker community was almost always divided. We’d argue over the silliest things, whether it be the brand of cards used at the WSOP, or if live reads can beat GTO.

Then, Postle came along, and the poker community unified The list of people who believe he’s a cheater includes Seiver and Berkey, along with Doug Polk, Jonathan Little, Daniel Negreanu, Haralabos Voulgaris, Justin Bonomo, Tony Dunst, and many other big-name pros. The list of high-profile poker pros who proclaim his innocence begins and ends with Mike Matusow. Oh, that’s right, Mikey is “neutral.”

I don’t think he’s cheating at all , I’ve won 54 sessions in a row before! I think he has great instincts and everyone is slandering the guy without anything to go on! https://t.co/hZZjDUsgon — Mike Matusow (@themouthmatusow) October 2, 2019

What the fuck is wrong here bets 160 guy behind calls other guy jams by guy flatting behind he thinks he has a draw & other guy jams & his feel is set! In a real poker game when you have good feel it’s pretty easy fold! Gonna need a heck of a lot more proof than this #apostlegate https://t.co/YcMxxwgplS — Mike Matusow (@themouthmatusow) October 3, 2019

I honestly dont give a fuck what people say about interview i did with @mike_postle you sick media fucks love to spin stories to fit your narratives, i had seen 2 hands & gave guy a platform to speak allegations put upon him! Accusing me & my gf of being on drugs is despicable! — Mike Matusow (@themouthmatusow) October 7, 2019

Definitely being neutral there, Mike. You’re about as neutral on Postle as Sean Hannity is with Donald Trump or MSNBC is with Democrat politicians.

The rest of the poker community, however, isn’t so friendly toward Postle. There aren’t many others who defend the accused Stones Gambling Hall cheater.

https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/1181747477306732544

The way some of the commentators talk about Postle's actions on stream is very damning. When Postle is ahead, they focus on how he will make the right call. When he is behind, they focus on him not going broke + discuss how he can get away. They do that for no other player ? — Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) October 4, 2019

For those catching up, a man named Mike P has been playing LIVE POKER on stream and winning at extreme rates, playing every hand not just perfectly, but *beyond* perfectly. He's likely been fed whole cards from someone on the inside. It's approximately 100% that he was cheating — Cracking Aces (@CrackingAAces) October 2, 2019

My in depth take on the recent cheating scandal, inspired by @msalsberg pic.twitter.com/2i3VZrFtMF — Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) October 3, 2019

Did Postle cheat? At this point, given all the evidence we’ve seen, it’s hard to believe he didn’t. And few, other than Matusow, have any doubts left.

Written by Jon Sofen Semi-pro poker player with 17 years experience on the felt and more than five years working as professional poker media.

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