Businessman Says He Had Trouble Collecting $6M Poker Debt from Tom Goldstein
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The trial of Tom Goldstein continues this week and has featured testimony from multiple government witnesses, including a high-stakes poker player who claimed he had trouble recovering a seven-figure poker debt from the embattled lawyer.
Bob Safai, a California real estate mogul and high-stakes cash game player, testified on Tuesday about high-stakes poker matches he played against Goldstein in 2017. PokerNews reported on the alleged matches last year, which resulted in a $14 million loss for Goldstein.
Trouble Recovering Winnings
Safai, the founder of Madison Partners, testified on Tuesday about playing poker against Goldstein and, according to Bloomberg Law, described Goldstein's poker style as "aggressive" and "erratic at times."
His comments track with previous statements about Goldstein's poker style. A 2008 Two Plus Two blog post after Goldstein played at Bellagio Las Vegas described him as a "f***ing maniac," while his close friend Dan Bilzerian called him "my maniac bluff-happy attorney."
Goldstein's matches against Safai came on the heels of a 2016 heads-up heater that saw Goldstein winning over $50 million from three opponents. But he had all of his action this time around and ended up losing $14 million to Safai. Bloomberg Law reported that, in his testimony, Safai said he had trouble collecting his poker winnings after winning $6 million in a two-day match that took place over Labor Day in 2017.
PokerNews reported last year that Goldstein still owed $6 million to Safai (identified in the indictment as "California Businessman-3") by mid-2018 and secured a promissory note promising to pay back the sum and interest by May 2020. Safai testified he had never had to do something like that before over gambling debts.
Bloomberg Law further reported that Safai eventually sold the note to high-stakes poker player Edwin "Eddie" Ting, a mutual friend who PokerNews reported had been with Goldstein at Kevin Hart's 2024 birthday bash in Mykonos, Greece.
Safai is primarily a cash game player, one who played on early seasons of High Stakes Poker, but he has played high-stakes tournaments before. PokerNews covered the real estate mogul in the €1 million buy-in 2016 Big One For One Drop in Monte Carlo, which also included the likes of Rick Salomon and Goldstein associate Paul Phua.
Trial Continues
Tuesday also saw testimony from Kevin Russell, Goldstein's former partner at the now-defunct Goldstein & Russell. According to Law.com, Russell testified that Goldstein was a "very confident" and "very skilled" attorney who grew "tired of the practice of law" in 2023 and retired to pursue "some other things."
Earlier in the trial, the jury heard testimony from billionaire Alec Gores, who Goldstein won $26.4 million from, and former poker pro Keith Gipson, who, according to Bloomberg Law, testified that he was one of two poker pros who coached Goldstein for his heads-up matches.
Additional testimony from witnesses is scheduled on Wednesday in the trial, which began last week and is anticipated to last about a month. Goldstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include tax evasion, falsifying tax returns, failing to pay taxes, and making false statements to two separate mortgage lenders.
