Garrett Adelstein vs. Robbi Jade Lew: The $269K Pot That Went Mainstream

Article By Daniel Smyth

Last Updated: Mar 14^th, 2024

© USA Today

If you haven’t heard the latest poker news about Garrett Adelstein, Robbi Jade Lew, and the $269,000 pot, where have you been for the last few days? One of the biggest stories in poker broke last Friday and, almost a week later, it’s still running hot on social media. 

The hand in question went down on the Hustler Casino Live stream. Adelstein, one of the biggest winners in live poker, made a big move against amateur Robbie Jade Lew. 

On any other day, Adelstein’s all-in on the turn with a straight flush draw would have won the pot against someone holding nothing more than jack-high. Unfortunately for Adelstein, Sept. 30 wasn’t that day. 

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The Infamous Adelstein and Robbie Jade Lew Pot

Before we dive into the reaction and why Adelstein vs. Jade Lew is now being covered by mainstream media outlets such as the BBC and USA Today, here’s the Hold’em hand.

As you can see from the video above, Adelstein pushed the action with 8♣ 7♣. He raised pre-flop, bet the flop, and bet again on the turn with the board showing 10♥ 10♣ 9♣ 3♥. Jade Lew called with J♣ 4♥ until when she decided to raise. 

Adelstein went into the tank before moving all-in with his straight flush draw. That’s when the drama started. Jade Lew postured, started talking, rechecked her hand before calling with jack-high. Adelstein was shocked, the commentators were shocked, and just about everyone else who watched the hand was shocked. 

The Fine Line Between Genius and Cheating 

Jade Lew had technically made the right call based on the two hands in play. Whether it was the right call strategically is a matter for another day. The point is that she called and, after running the river twice, raked in a pot worth $269,000.

Adelstein couldn’t quite believe what had happened, not least because he’d lost a six-figure pot. However, that wasn’t his biggest concern. The experienced pro felt the call was so outrageous that foul play was involved. An argument ensued away from the table, and it later transpired that Jade Lew gave Adelstein back his money.

Why did she do that? There are lots of opinions. Adelstein tweeted his take on the situation and, in his mind, some sort of cheating took place because there’s no other way Jade Lew could call. That, for Adelstein, was enough of a reason to accept the refund.

Everyone is Talking About Adelstein vs. Jade Lew

The hand is remarkable for many reasons, the biggest of which is the reaction it’s caused. Unlike other high-stakes hands that prick the minds of poker players for a second before disappearing into the ether, this one has stuck around.

Google Garrett Adelstein vs. Robbie Jade Lew and you’ll find pages and pages of reactions from poker pros like Daniel Negreanu, social media trolls, and mainstream media outlets. The discussions have spiraled off into a myriad of directions. The main ones come back to the fundamental question: did Robbie Jade Lew cheat?

A lot of pro poker players say she didn’t, but an almost equal number think she did. That means Twitter is awash with comments, reactions, breakdowns, insults, and everything else in between. As poker news stories go, this is one of the year’s biggest and there doesn’t look to be any end in sight. 

Hustler Casino is officially investigating the incident. It will retain the services of respected pros to analyze the situation. It will provide investigators with footage of the hand from multiple camera angles, and a law firm will conduct interviews with Hustler Casino staff and players. 

Hustler Casino and its live stream team have repeatedly stressed that no members of staff had any involvement in the hand. The reality is that we may never know what happened during the now infamous Hustler Casino Live stream. 

Jade Lew may have made a genius move or there might have been something else going on. What we know for sure is that J-4 now has a place in folklore thanks to Garrett Adelstein vs. Robbie Jade Lew and the $269,000 pot. 

Updated by

Daniel Smyth

Last Updated:   Mar 14^th, 2024

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