Garrett Adelstein, in a short Instagram video asserting a ebook launch on the notorious “Jack-4” hand, took pictures at Ryan Feldman and Nick Vertucci, co-owners of Hustler On line casino Stay, for a way they responded to the dishonest allegations he made aginst Robbi Jade Lew.
What unfolded on Hustler On line casino Stay over three years in the past between Adelstein, the present’s most distinguished star, and then-unknown participant Lew, rapidly turned one of the crucial debated palms in fashionable poker historical past, igniting countless dialogue throughout the poker group.
Poker followers took sides, one aspect proclaiming Lew responsible of dishonest Adelstein out of a six-figure pot. Others stood behind Lew, saying there isn’t any proof of dishonest and demanding a full apology from the Los Angeles high-stakes poker legend.
Now, Adelstein is revisiting the second that reshaped his profession, asserting in a current Instagram video that he’s releasing a memoir to share his full account of the hand, the controversy that adopted, and the lasting affect it has had on his life and the sport itself.
Titled Beneath the Playing cards, which releases September 1st, 2026, he guarantees a deeper, extra private take a look at the occasions and the scrutiny that adopted. In his current video, “G-Man” gave a glimpse of what to anticipate from his upcoming ebook.
The Moments After
As Adelstein recounted within the video, the moments after the hand, he had “no thought an avalanche was coming,” referring to the poker world’s response to him accusing Lew of dishonest throughout a livestream.
He wished solutions, however greater than something, he wished out — rapidly gathering roughly $2 million in chips and leaving Hustler On line casino with out even stopping on the cashier’s cage. By the point he received in his automotive, the adrenaline had began to put on off, changed by a wave of stress and nervousness as he tried to course of what had simply occurred.
“My adrenaline is pumping. I am careworn. I am anxious. My telephone simply retains vibrating,” Adelstein recounts of his postgame actions.
He defined that whereas Vertucci, now a former Hustler On line casino Stay co-owner, was making an attempt to name him, he as a substitute reached out to Feldman. After elevating issues that the stream might have been compromised, Adelstein says Feldman responded, “I’ve 25K viewers proper now — I can’t cope with this,” which Adelstein mentioned was a “baffling response.”
He continued to assert that Vertucci finally received on the decision and instantly pushed to close the stream down. Adelstein mentioned he informed him “there isn’t any f*****g method i am doing that, man.”
Wanting again, he mentioned that he genuinely believed solely “10 %” of individuals would aspect with Lew. As a substitute, the response was way more break up, with a major quantity of skepticism and criticism coming his method — one thing he wasn’t ready for on the time.
In a Darkish Place
Adelstein the preliminary response from the poker group was largely on his aspect — describing it as a collective sense of “we odor a rat.”
However that rapidly shifted as soon as Jacob “Rip” Chavez, a buddy of Lew who was additionally on the desk, realized that she had returned the cash from the hand. Rip then went on the livestream and informed viewers that Adelstein had demanded for the cash again — a declare Adelstein has firmly denied.
Within the hours that adopted, Adelstein mentioned the scenario continued to spiral. He obtained a whole bunch of messages — lots of them damaging — and, by his personal admission, learn almost each single one. That fixed stream of criticism and hate took a toll, he claims, sending him right into a “darkish place in a short time.”
Because it began to have an effect on him extra deeply, he talked about that his spouse stepped in and steered bringing in a disaster supervisor — which he did not even know what that was on the time.
He additionally admitted that, in that state, he made what he now views as a major mistake — posting what he described as a “unedited, meandering” tweet.
In hindsight, he mentioned he was “mainly staking my repute that Robbi Jade Lew cheated,” a choice that solely intensified the backlash at a time when feelings have been already operating excessive. He went on to name it a “colossal mistake” that round 5 million folks noticed — one which solely poured extra gas on the fireplace and amplified the wave of hate coming his method.
“Let’s F*****g Battle”
Adelstein mentioned the scenario escalated additional when he obtained a name from Hustler On line casino Stay possession informing him they have been ready to go public with Feldman’s account that Adelstein had requested for the cash again. In line with the accuser, he pushed again instantly, saying, “I remind Ryan what he nicely is aware of, that by no means occurred.”
He remembers that Vertucci then minimize in, responding, “Nicely, that’s how Ryan remembers, so let’s go away it at that,”
He additionally described a second later that evening that stood out to him. Round 4 a.m., Adelstein mentioned he obtained a textual content from Vertucci suggesting he ought to return the cash, including that issues might get “worse in the event you don’t.” Adelstein interpreted that message as a risk.
He went on to say that, in his view, most individuals in that place would have folded — returned the cash and guarded their place on Hustler On line casino Stay. However for him, it wasn’t about preserving a spot within the sport. He defined that his sense of justice wouldn’t permit it, including that he wasn’t going to let Lew or Hustler On line casino Stay get away with stopping an alleged dishonest incident. As he put it, if “these folks wished a combat, then let’s f***ing combat.”
‘Beneath the Playing cards’
Greater than three years faraway from the hand that shook the poker world, Adelstein is now getting ready to inform his aspect in full. His upcoming memoir, Beneath the Playing cards, is about for launch on September 1, 2026, with preorders already obtainable.
If you happen to suppose the complete story, you don’t. – Garrett Adelstein
Framed as each a private account and a deeper look into every thing that unfolded behind the scenes, Adelstein makes it clear this gained’t simply revisit what folks suppose they already know.
Adelstein by no means returned to Hustler On line casino Stay following the Sept. 29, 2022 incident. He was banned from the present he was as soon as the star of some months later. The SoCal money sport grinder has since stepped away from the poker limelight, solely popping as much as compete on numerous livestreams a few times a yr.
Lew, then again, has change into a mainstay within the poker world, displaying up commonly on the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) and quite a few different occasions.
Nick Vertucci Out at Hustler On line casino Stay (HCL)
