Poker player accused of threatening judge, World Poker Tour CEO
A professional poker player with more than $3 million in lifetime winnings has been in custody at a Las Vegas jail for months after he was accused of threatening a district judge and a World Poker Tour executive.
Jordan Cristos, 38, was arrested in June and remained at the Clark County Detention Center as of Monday, according to online jail records.
Court records show Cristos pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to a charge of felony attempted stalking with use of the internet or electronic communication. The charge stems from a series of emails and comments directed at Family Court Judge Regina McConnell, who was overseeing a child custody case involving Cristos.
Cristos is due in Las Vegas Justice Court for a custody hearing on Tuesday in a separate case, in which he is accused of sending messages deemed possibly threatening World Poker Tour chief executive Adam Pliska.
The charges could be dismissed should Cristos satisfy the conditions of the Sept. 15 plea deal, according to court documents. He could withdraw from the existing agreement and instead plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of attempted stalking.
Cristos in both cases is being represented by a public defender, court records show. The Clark County public defender’s office, which represents Cristos, did not respond to multiple emails requesting comment.
Cristos was given probation with the first 180 days to be served at the Clark County jail that can be served concurrently with a 180-day suspended sentence for violating a 2023 temporary protection order against a former girlfriend that was imposed with his June 4 arrest, the plea deal states.
‘You’re going to have serious problems legally’
Court papers stated that Cristos threatened a lawsuit against the judge that would force her removal from the child custody case if she did not grant an order in Cristos’ favor and reinstate custody before a holiday. Cristos also allegedly contemplated publishing a website about the lawsuit he was threatening containing McConnell’s home address.
“You’re going to grant the court shortening order AND reinstate my custody immediately before July 4th, or you’re going to have serious problems legally,” Cristos wrote.
He also berated McConnell in a vulgar social media post on the page of the church she attended, records stated. McConnell was tagged in a separate post from Cristos’ account featuring a photo of McConnell and her young daughter and wishing for her death.
He is scheduled for sentencing in that case on Oct. 27, court records show.
A separate warrant detailed messages Cristos allegedly sent to Pliska and other World Poker Tour employees that Pliska deemed harassing and potentially threatening.
Investigators said Cristos asked repeatedly to have his account reinstated in exchange for deleting negative social media posts. In one instance, Cristos wrote “if you close my account you are effectively sentencing all of your staff to an Open season,” according to the warrant. In another message, he wrote that “if you do not accept my offer, then you are going to meet the legend and the stalker in more ways than one.”
In an interview with investigators July 1, Cristos in both instances said the emails and posts were made from accounts he owned and that he regretted what was written.
According to the online poker index The Hendon Mob, Cristos has amassed nearly $3.7 million in career earnings since 2008. Cristos most recently participated in a World Series of Poker online event June 8, and placed 22nd in a World Poker Tour tournament in Lincoln, Calif., on March 7.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.
