Garret Adelstein, a professional poker player, recently released a video saying that the owners of Hustler Casino Live lied to the public about the infamous J-4 hand that happened in 2022.
Robbi Jade Lew's play in that hand is probably one of the most talked-about things in modern poker.
Now that new accusations have come to light and a book is coming out, Adelstein has once again told his side of the story.
Its time I tell the full story... pic.twitter.com/wZApO2rDp4
— Garrett Adelstein (@GmanPoker) March 25, 2026
A Hand That Shocked The Poker World
This specific hand took place during a live stream for Hustler Casino Live.
Lew made a shocking call on the turn despite only having jack-high versus Adelstein's strong draw.
This shocked viewers, primarily due to the fact that the move would never be considered a standard poker move.
Even though Lew's hand was weaker at that point, Lew won a nearly $130,000 pot by holding onto her call.
Adelstein left the stream after this hand was played. He felt something wasn't right and thought the stream's integrity might have been in question.
As a result, the poker community had one of the biggest scandals in years.
Later, another player on the stream claimed that Adelstein requested Lew to return the money. She agreed and gave it back.
Money Dispute Over Return
Adelstein denied the allegations made against him in his latest video and stated that he never asked for the money back and that the return of the money occurred without any assistance from him.
He further claimed that Nick Vertucci and Ryan Feldman, who were responsible for running the stream during that time, assisted in creating a different version of the events to help cause a backlash against him on social media.
Adelstein noted that he received thousands of messages claiming that he had no integrity and that he was unable to handle the sudden groundswell of attention.
Adelstein said his social media response to the media's report of the incident was part of his problem.
He now believes it was a mistake to respond to the report with a tweet indicating he should have proved Lew cheated, which he felt created even more drama for him.
Claims a Dishonest Stream
After the hand concluded, Adelstein elaborated on the actions taken behind closed doors.
According to Adelstein, he spoke with Feldman immediately after leaving the table and expressed issues with the integrity of the stream.
He stated that he told him directly that he believed the stream may have been compromised.
He further stated that Vertucci suggested that they stop the stream so as to not have this hand go out in public.
Adelstein refused and insisted that hiding this incident from public view would be wrong.
In addition, he claimed he was pressured to return to the game, which he turned down.
He said he still thought something was wrong and wouldn't play under those conditions.
Alleged Threats & Information
Adelstein's video also expressed his feelings of coercion by the Hustler Casino Live team.
He received a call that night after the incident, where he was told they were planning to "go public" with a claim about him requesting a refund, which he said was untrue.
He received an anonymous threat hours after the initial broadcast of the scandal and considered it to be a threat to keep fighting against the allegations against him.
Finally, he indicated he would be releasing a book in the near future called "Beneath the Cards" that would contain more information about the events that occurred during this time frame.
Fallout and Ongoing Questions
During this time, Lew denied she had cheated and claimed to have taken a polygraph test in Las Vegas after the fact.
Hustler Casino Live promptly terminated an employee, Bryan Sagbigsal, who had stolen $15,000 from Lew's chips after the game.
This raised further questions about the potential connection between this situation and the alleged cheating incident.
Currently, there is still no definitive evidence of cheating involved in this situation.
In 2024, the incident surrounding this poker 'cheating' continues to evolve as more women came forward with allegations against Vertucci for sexual harassment.
In light of these allegations made against Vertucci, Hustler Casino Live announced that Vertucci would no longer appear in their programming.
Currently, Hustler Casino Live has not commented on the Adelstein video.
The story has always been a divisive issue among poker fans, and to this day, the J-4 hand continues to be discussed all over the poker community.
Some feel as if Lew read the hand perfectly, while others remain sceptical about its outcome.
Poker Community Reaction
The poker community had a lot to say about this latest revelation.
@RobbiJadeLew:
Congrats on the new book 🥳
— Robbi Jade Lew (@RobbiJadeLew) March 25, 2026
@Charlie_Carrel:
I don't call people cheaters unless I am extremely sure about the accusation.
— Charlie Carrel (@Charlie_Carrel) March 26, 2026
Robbi cheated.
And others helped her do it and cover it up.@GmanPoker kept his integrity alive at great cost.
@cryptodude999:
She was cheating. 100%. The “I thought you had ace-high” comment is the proof. Her body language afterward is incredibly suspicious as well.
— the dude (@cryptodude999) March 26, 2026
You had every right for the blood to drain from your face. pic.twitter.com/GX5n2gv4RT
@TheGsUnit:
Yeah still a loser. Cry over a misread hand even though you got caught bluffing. pic.twitter.com/Gn2uboxgy5
— GsUnit (@TheGsUnit) March 25, 2026
Bluffaces
