Garrett Adelstein Bluffs Eric Persson with ‘The Robbi’ in Cash Game Return

Sitting down in the $100,000 minimum buy-in Bally Live Poker game, Adelstein was back int he groove, and even found time to put an old hand to rest by pulling a ‘Robbi Jade Lew’ when it was least expected. The six-hour live-streamed cash game thrilled tens of thousands of poker fans worldwide.

Where Has Garrett Adlestein Been?

While the sour atmosphere of the initial furore surrounding the ‘Jack Four’ call that shocked the world has dissipated, no-one in the poker world will forget where they were 15 months ago. Playing the Hustler Casino Live game, Adelstein made a bluff and was called off by comparatively inexperienced player Robbi Jade Lew with jack-four.

Adelstein’s draw didn’t get there, and he looked around the table suspecting the worst; not that he had been hero-called but might have been the victim of a set-up. Here’s that hand if you’ve forgotten exactly how it went down.

Since that day, or rather night, Adelstein asked Robbi for the money back, proceeded to decry her as a cheat and after the poker industry exploded, has never paid back the money she refunded to him on the night for that infamous call. Add into the mix a staff member stealing from Robbi’s stack, her apparently successful taking of a lie detector test and ‘trial by social media’ for Adelstein and his taking of a break from the game is perhaps understandable.

On top of all those reasons for staying away was an even better one – Adelstein became a father in the interim period, and his decision to step back and help raise his first child with his wife was a supportive one. So why come back? For any experienced cash game player, the answer is simple – money.

How Garrett’s Comeback Came About

Taking part in the Bally Live Poker game, Adelstein took his seat at Tropicana in Las Vegas, facing legends such as Patrik Antonius and Eric Persson as well as some other well-known cash game ‘regs’. In an ironic gesture, Adelstein bought in for exactly $135,000 – the amount he lost in that infamous pot to Robbi Jade Lew almost 15 months ago. After a short period of play, he then made his usual move of buying in for a lot more than the minimum, bumping his stack by a further $500,000.

As the game got going, there was an unwelcome interruption for everyone at the felt, as a man who last week held up a placard in protest at Adelstein refusing to pay Robbi the $135,000 some in the industry believe he owes her arrived. He appeared on the Bally Live Poker stream and bellowed his repeated plea that Adelstein should pay back Robbi in full. He was physically removed from the table and to all intents and purposes, that was the last sour taste of the night.

Adelstein was sweetness and light and not for no reason, winning early and maintaining an upward curve to his stack throughout. No stranger to high stakes cash games for many years – and in recent times often on stream – Adelstein often bet late on boards to put his opponents under maximum pressure. Successful in the most part, Adelstein was already winning big when he decided to lay an extra special bluff on the ‘Maverick’ at the table.

Playing ‘The Robbi’

Taking on Eric ‘Maverick’ Persson, Adelstein couldn’t resist going all the way to the river with jack-high when he was dealt jack-four, the hand that Robbi Jade Lew caused him so much anguish with just over a year ago. On a board showing J-5-3-3-5, a pot of $14,000 saw Persson check the river to Adelstein.

Adelstein bet $10,000. That bet sent Persson into the tank and eventually he made the fold. Adelstein kept the joke between himself and the online audience who were watching in their thousands, not showing his jack-four to the table.

Here’s how the hand played out in full:

Oh boy!!!! @GmanPoker plays the Jack 4… vs @IAmMaverick888 @BallyLivePoker pic.twitter.com/isvpl8277C

— kIEroglyphics (@KieroLovesYou) December 14, 2023

As time was called on the evening’s action, Adelstein ended the game’s biggest winner. While Patrik Antonius (-$67,700) and Eric ‘Maverick’ Persson (-$35,600) were the night’s biggest losers, Adelstein ended play with $132,600 of profit on the night.

With a peak audience of 16,000 concurrent viewers – with over 13,000 for the largest portion of the broadcast – the online fanbase of poker viewers were more than satisfied, with Robbi fans jumping into the chat to offer their feisty viewpoint on the action too.

Garrett Adelstein likely won’t mind a bit. With his profit on the night close to the amount he received back from Robbi Jade Lew 15 months ago, he had the last laugh on this occasion.

One interesting debate that arose from the initial furore was some allegations that Adelstein ‘cherry picked’ some line-ups or only joined cash games with players he was happy to play against, a claim that Adelstein himself has always strenuously denied.

Presumably then, if Robbi Jade Lew arrived to play the Bally Live Poker game next, Adelstein would be happy to take her on. Maybe she’ll buy into the World Poker Tour’s Million Dollar Cash Game that kicks off on Friday during the WPT World Championship which will be streamed on WPT.com. If so, we can’t wait.

Want to watch the six-hour session in full? Here’s all the action from Bally Poker Live on the night Garrett Adelstein made his long-awaited cash game comeback.