Befuddled Garrett Adelstein Loses to Wildest Poker Hero Call You'll Ever See

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Sep 29, 2022 6 min read Last updated Jan 17, 2023

Two hours into Thursday night's Hustler Casino Live stream, Garrett Adelstein lost a $269,000 pot to one of the most insane calls in a hand that will likely be discussed around the poker community for quite some time.

The hand in question involved a six-figure call with jack-high and no draw, multiple players arguing on the casino floor, the player who won the hand — Robbi Jade Lew — giving back the money to defuse the situation, and poker Twitter and the YouTube chat wondering what in the heck had happened.

Hand History

In a $100/$200/$400 with a $400 big blind ante no-limit Texas hold'em game, with the $800 straddle on, Adelstein raised to $3,000 from the third blind with 8♣7♣ and was called by Lew in the straddle, who was holding J♣4♥. The flop came out 10♥10♣9♣, giving "GMan" an open-ended straight flush draw. He led out for $2,500 and was called by jack-high.

When the 3♥ hit on the turn, the wackiness began despite neither player improving their hand. Adelstein bet again, this time for $10,000 before his opponent min-raised it to $20,000. The Los Angeles high-stakes poker legend then went for a three-bet all in shove, making it $109,000 for Lew to call.

With no draw and just jack-high and only one card to come, there wasn't much for her to do but fold. Well, one would think. She instead opted to make the call, and the players agreed to run it twice. Both run-outs were bricks, and Adelstein knew there was no way he could win with eight-high. He smiled and was clearly ready to accept defeat until he saw her hand, and then sat there in disbelief before some drama ensued.

"Why Did You Call?"

Lew, who isn't a regular on HCL and has just over $100,000 in live tournament cashes according to Hendon Mob, won the $269,000 pot but many on social media and the YouTube chat felt it was "suspicious." Adelstein immediately questioned what had just happened.

"I don't understand what's happening right now," a befuddled Adelstein said.

Adelstein asked her why she called with jack-high. She responded, "Ace-high. I thought you had ace-high."

"So, then why call with jack-high?" Adelstein questioned.

"Because you don't have s**t," Lew answered back.

That was far from the end of it. Adelstein left his chips on the table but walked away into the main casino area of Hustler Casino. The remaining players at the table were just as confused how Lew could have made that call without any draw and just jack-high.

Her explanation as to why she called was a bit confusing. Even commentator Bart Hanson was confused by the call. At first, she said she had "blockers," hinting at the J♣ blocking a flush draw. Then she said that she had a straight and a flush draw — she did have those backdoor draws on the flop — and that she called "because you bluffed me before."

Moments later, another player in the game, "RIP," a newer player on HCL, was heard yelling at Adelstein before he eventually returned to the table. Adelstein and Lew were spotted having a discussion in the background.

Lew then came back to the game and informed the table that she refunded Adelstein the money he lost in the hand. She explained that, to defuse the situation, she gave the money back. But Joe Ingram said on an investigative stream following the wild hand that Adelstein told him that Lew is the one who offered to refund the bet.

"She never should have given the money back," Eric Persson, who was in the game told the other players at the table. "It makes you look guilty."

Adelstein had lost $238,000 during Wednesday's HCL stream, the first night of Phil Ivey week. It doesn't happen often, but Ivey's presence on a poker show was overshadowed by the other players at the table.

Following the session, Lew shared some more brief details on Twitter.

Hustler Casino Live Founder Speaks

Cheating on a Hustler Casino Live stream wouldn't be easy. Players aren't permitted to have phones at the table, unlike during the Stones Live streams of the past where Mike Postle was accused of using his phone to view his opponent's hole cards. Commentators aren't even allowed to have cell phones in the broadcast booth.

Hustler Casino Live co-founder Nick Vertucci called into Ingram's Thursday night stream to discuss the situation. He explained that Lew is an inexperienced player who likely misread her hand.

"There's no possibility that there's anything that could be cheating goes," Vertucci told Ingram. "We've checked everything."

Vertucci called the situation "unfortunate" and said that Lew thought she had a three, which would have given her a pair on the turn. Lew said the same after she returned to the felt following her discussion with Adelstein. But Hanson, while commentating the game, questioned why she didn't say she misread her hand right away. But the reason very well could have been exactly what Vertucci stated, that she wasn't accustomed to playing such high stakes and wasn't sure what to say.

Long before Vertucci spoke with Ingram, poker Twitter had already jumped to conclusions and accused Hustler Casino Live and/or Lew of cheating. Doug Polk didn't go that far, but he made some demands for the show he is scheduled to appear on next week.

Later on in the Thursday night stream, Hustler Casino Live brought Lew aside to further explain what had transpired.

“I folded to him earlier in the night when I thought that he was just on a draw but let him have it. He was just on a draw, which meant he did not have a made hand after the turn. I thought that I’m holding a blocker with the jack of clubs, the jack flush draw missed and straight draw missed for me. So, with a three as a bluff-catcher sort of thing. I didn’t look back at my hand to see that it was jack-four," she claimed.

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