Garrett Adelstein Returns And Promptly Calls Out Nik Airball

This week’s Twittertainment sees the return of Garrett Adelstein and his long-running disputes with Hustler Casino Live, Robbi Jade Lew, and now, Nik Airball. 

To recap, Adelstein and Lew played a now infamous hand on Hustler Casino Live in October 2022. Adelstein bluffed the turn with a straight flush draw, and after pondering her options, Lew called with J-4. 

The board was showing 10♥ 10♣ 9♣ 3♥, so Lew didn’t have a pair, but she did have the best hand. Even though they ran the river twice, neither the 9♦ nor the A♠ helped Adelstein’s 8♣ 7♣ and Lew scooped a pot worth $269,000.

The Garrett Adelstein Saga Continues

You can see how it all went down in the tweet below. While the hand itself was entertaining, it was nothing compared to what ensued. It later transpired that Lew returned Adelstein’s money following a confrontation away from the table. 

Threats of lawsuits followed, and Hustler Casino carried out an investigation to determine whether or not Lew made the improbable call because she had help. No evidence of cheating was found, and it seemed as though the dust had settled for a while. 

Shots Fired at Nik Airball 

After the drama unfolded, Adelstein stepped back from the limelight. Lew hit the live tournament circuit and participated in events such as the WPT World Championship and PokerStars Players Championship. Calm was restored, at least for a little while. The lid was blown off again this week when Adelstein returned to Twitter (see below). 

His comments about Hustler Casino Live regular Nik Airball started a debate, and before you knew it, Adelstein was told (indirectly) that he’s not welcome back to Hustler’s high-stakes cash games. Airball quickly hit back at the attack, calling Adelstein “scared” and unwilling to play against tough opponents. 

Doug Polk also entered the chat to give us an overview of the latest drama in poker (see tweet below). 

Others wanted to know whether or not Adelstein would return the money to Lew and the reasons for his latest comments.

Hustler Casino Live Owner Reacts

Then, of course, there are the poker players who love drama and feel like Adelstein’s WWE-style flip from hero to heel is the best thing to happen. The new drama between Adelstein and Airball could undoubtedly benefit Hustler Casino Live’s viewing figures.

“I feel like this is some Colby Covington type playing the heel role, and I love it, run in there and elbow drop him when he is not looking,” tweeted Eddie Py.

However, we may never find out because Adelstein might not be invited back. Nick Vertucci, co-owner of Hustler Casino Live, recently said on his podcast that certain players might not get invited back to the show (see video below from 58 minutes onwards). 

Although he stopped short of saying definitively that Garrett Adelstein is banned, he’s not exactly on the list of people to invite. All in all, it’s a messy situation that Adelstein has seemingly made worse by calling out Nik Airball on Twitter. 

For poker, in general, it’s not the best look when talk of cheating and personal attacks makes the headlines. However, from an entertainment standpoint, it’s excellent marketing for those involved and, moreover, Hustler Casino Live.