By Staff
Nick Vertucci, co-founder of Hustler Casino Live (HCL), has effectively been canceled from the poker community following allegations of sexual harassment. Several women, including Julia McBride, a practicing attorney in California, accused Vertucci of inappropriate behavior, such as sending sexual advances through text messages.
On October 5, 2024, McBride went public with the allegations in a post: “Time to break the silence over (Vertucci) using his control over (HCL) to harass women and keep witnesses from speaking up.”
McBride then posted private messages she received from Vertucci a year earlier, in which he asked if she was “playing tonight” and if she was “bringing the cleavage,” which he referenced as “the best ever! Respectfully, of course.”
“Ty, but I already know that lol,” McBride replied.
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to hear, I’m sure,” he responded, to which she reacted with a heart emoji. Vertucci followed up by asking if she still had “that damn BF.”
Despite learning that she did, Vertucci wasn’t deterred. “That stinks. We’d have so much fun. Can I get a pregame preview so I could work it out of my system?”
“Um, no,” she bluntly replied.
McBride also revealed that after rejecting Vertucci’s advances, she was banned from HCL, suggesting retaliation for her lack of interest. “I can’t think of any reason other than Nick being angry at me, and I can’t think of any reason he’d be angry at me other than the sexual advances that I declined,” McBride told PokerNews.
Not everyone was on board with McBride’s portrayal of “victimhood.” Fellow female poker pro Nadya Magnus commented, “While I obviously don’t condone Nick’s behavior, I don’t condone Julia’s either. I don’t see a victim in this situation. We all make our choices about entering or not entering into personal or business relationships with anyone. It is OUR decision to enter, to stay, or to exit such a relationship at any point in time. As adults, we’re responsible for our own decisions.”
Following McBride’s post, other women came forward with similar claims of sexually charged interactions. Poker pro Ashley “Ash Kardash” Morales alleged that Vertucci tried to kiss her and was seeking “an arrangement” with her. After she rebuffed his advances, Ash claimed Vertucci “changed… from very friendly… to cold…” and she was subsequently not invited back on the HCL show.
Another young woman who hasn’t spoken out publicly until now is Jami Lafay. “I turned down his advances to come to my place and do (graphic) things. I think when he found out I had a physical relationship with a high-profile poker player, he somehow saw me as open game for any advances from anyone. When I didn’t flirt back, I think he took it extremely personally.”
Despite the growing list of allegations, there still wasn’t enough to justify a serious reprimand by Hustler Casino at this point. A suspension, sure, but this could hardly be perceived as Diddy-esque. In addition, Hustler’s sister company, Hustler Magazine, publishes hardcore porn and even encourages this type of “naughty” behavior.
While Vertucci was asking his latest crushes to send racy pics, Hustler Magazine’s X account was inviting visitors to “Get to know Hustler Honey Alex—her favorite position is doggy.”
Read more on the story in the Winter 2025 Recap Issue of Rounder Magazine available for purchase now.
