The former World Series of Poker Main Event Runner-Up, Gordon Vayo, has escaped a $280,000 hole in the pocket after PokerStars decided against pursuing him in court for the legal fees paid during the recent VPN dispute between the pair.
I know how Gordon Vayo feels.
My daughter is addicted to the works of Julia Donaldson. It began with the Gruffalo, then The Stick Man, then Room on a Broom, and now her latest love, Zog.
On Tuesday, I drew Zog on an old Amazon box, cut it out, painted him orange, and put a gold star on his chest. She loved it. Christmas is going to be a cheap one in this house.
My wife tells me that Zog is on TV – on Christmas Day no less – but it’s on the BBC, and you can’t get the BBC in California.
“Use the VPN you spent a fortune on,” my wife insists.
I can’t.
The BBC iPlayer is too sharp.
They know when you’re watching Zog using a VPN.
Like PokerStars knew Gordon Vayo was using a VPN during the 2017 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP).
Gordon Vayo v PokerStars: The History
Here it goes.
Once upon a time (2017), long before Zog zigzagged through the blue, Gordon Vayo won $692,000 after conquering a $1,050 Spring SCOOP event playing as holla@yoboy on PokerStars.
PokerStars advertised the win on the blog.
The writers were thankful for the headline.
And then they didn’t pay him.
PokerStars learned that Vayo played SCOOP from California, using a VPN to give the impression that he was in Canada, violating their TOCs.
Vayo, best known for his runner-up finish in the 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for $4.66m, sued Rational Entertainment Enterprises Limited (PokerStars’ parent company) for withholding the vast amount of those pennies.
Vayo insisted he was in Canada at the time, and only used a VPN to watch some TV show or other, maybe even Zog?
In October, it came to light that Vayo had hired a forger to create fake ATM receipts showing Vayo was in Canada at the time of the win. Once PokerStars brought the new evidence to the court, Vayo dropped all charges.
However, PokerStars wanted blood.
In the court documents, they said they wanted to pursue Vayo for at least $280,000 in court fees.
It Ends Now
According to USBets’ scribe, Brian Pempus, the two have kissed and made up.
Pempus unearthed a December 4 court filing that states:
1. This action is hereby dismissed with prejudice by Plaintiff Gordon Vayo.
2. The pending Motion for Attorney’s Fees and Costs by Rational Entertainment Enterprises Limited d/b/a PokerStars {Dkt No. 37} is hereby withdrawn without prejudice.
It makes sense.
PokerStars is worth a gazillion bucks.
$280,000 is chicken feed.
Vayo didn’t cheat PokerStars; it’s a stretch to say he cheated anyone, and having close to $700k ripped from your pocket is punishment enough.
Ok, with that out of the way, does anyone have any idea how I break the TOCs of the BBC so my daughter can watch Zog on Christmas Day?
