Upon first blush, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of sympathy for 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up Gordon Vayo and his current predicament with online poker giant PokerStars.

It was revealed this week that Vayo unconditionally dropped his $600,000 lawsuit against PokerStars for withholding the bulk of his winnings from Event #1 of the 2017 SCOOP. PokerStars did so after evidence that Vayo broke the terms of service and played the event from inside the U.S. Vayo provided documents alleging that he was actually in Canada, as he claimed, but after a “third party” provided PokerStars proof that those documents were forged, Vayo is now being countersued for PokerStars legal fees of over $279,000.

In other words:

Vayo wins big. Stars say jog on we ain’t paying ya cos you’re in the USA playing on a VPN. Vayo says no I ain’t I’m in Canada innit and here are documents to prove it. I’m suing yous. Stars: you is busted mate cos little bird told us thems are forgeries. We is suing you. Vayo ?

— Paul TheRock Romain (@Paul_Romain) November 15, 2018

One of the players who chimed in was top-flight Belgian tournament pro ‘Girafganger7’ (aka ‘Giraf’). Giraf, who we spoke to about this just weeks ago, technically finished as the runner-up in the event that Vayo won, even though he took home the bulk of the prize pool in a final table deal.

Compounding mistakes is one of the biggest leaks in poker. If you make a -EV play on the flop it’s very important that you don’t end up suing a billion dollar company with a photoshopped contract as proof. https://t.co/6ZUdT3eBiX

— giraf ganger (@Girafganger7) November 15, 2018

The notion of using forged documents in a lawsuit, especially against a company with as many resources as PokerStars struck people as not the brightest thing to do. For instance here’s Luke Vrabel‘s take:

On the other side of things lol @ trying to sue stars and then forging documents man u gotta be str8 up stupid to do some shit like that. Stars got lawyers for days grow up, u got wrecked etc

— ??? (@slaymerica_) November 15, 2018

How stupid can Vayo possibly be , like seriously

— Joe Romano (@RainMano84) November 15, 2018

This like when I catch my 4yo son stealing candy from my room and he says “daddy I wasn’t taking candy” as he’s literally holding it in his hand, and then he throws a fit when I take the candy back.

— Carter Gill (@cartergill) November 15, 2018

The whole Gordon Vayo thing is further proof (if it were needed) that poker players are really the dumbest smart people in the world

— Barry Carter (@Barry_Carter) November 15, 2018

While there seems to be no question as to whether forging documents was a good idea. There was some question about what PokerStars should do with the winning. (Note: according to reports Vayo’s sum will be given to charity.)

@PokerStars what is happening with the 700k that was confiscated from Vayo. Assume it’s being donated to charity? Feels like it should be distributed amongst everyone who played tourney. Important to remember it was the players that were cheated, not stars.

— Christopher Kruk (@KrukPoker) November 15, 2018

With the Stars/Vayo situation (and all other situations where a player “cheats”), shouldn’t that money be distributed among the accounts that played the tourney?

— Jamie Kerstetter (@JamieKerstetter) November 15, 2018

Former PokerStars employee Michael Josem took these questions and explained the difference between someone out-and-out cheating and breaking the terms of service.

Because company taxes are levied on profits, not turnover.

If there’s a donation from Stars of Vayo money, then it is precisely offset by the income to Stars of Vayo money.

Think of this:
Vayo Money In = Vayo Money Out = No Profit = No tax.

— Michael Josem (@MichaelJosem) November 15, 2018

Of course, Giraf has an idea of where the money should go.

I get cheated on a daily basis and I dont feel cheated here. Only guys that were cheated are americans who actually moved to play, imo. Still should give me the money tho.

— giraf ganger (@Girafganger7) November 15, 2018

And as the poker community is wont to do, when there’s an opportunity for a needle – needles will be given and just like the internet in general, poker players have a long memory.

Maybe if Vayo had run a few more bluffs like this in the main a couple of years ago he might have won.

— The real dajerseyboy (@dajerseyboy) November 15, 2018

PocketFives own Lance Bradley sums it up nicely.

Couldn’t bluff Qui Nguyen but tries it against billion dollar corporation? #notGTO

— Lance Bradley (@Lance_Bradley) November 15, 2018