Robbi Jade Lew, a rookie to the world of big-league poker, won the $269,000 pot with an audacious winner-take-all play against poker veteran Garrett Adelstein, surprising many fans watching the game.
A professional poker player is being accused of cheating in what many are calling the biggest scandal in the game’s history.
Robbi Jade Lew, a rookie to the world of big-league poker, won the $269,000 pot with an audacious winner-take-all play against poker veteran Garrett Adelstein, surprising many fans watching the game.
Adelstein appeared stunned by his loss.
“You look like you want to kill me, Garrett,” Lew said at the table after the big win.
“I don't understand, sort of, what's happening right now,” Adelstein said.
Adelstein claims he was “clearly cheated.”
Eagle-eyed viewers noticed Lew appeared to fiddle with a chunky red ring on her finger. She then placed her hand under the poker table, and when it emerged, she had apparently turned the stone around under her finger.
In a tweet, Adelstein wondered if Lew had a "hidden" device that "simply vibrates to indicate you have the best hand."
Fueling speculation that Lew may have cheated is that Adelstein claims Lew gave the money she won from him back after the game. Lew tells Inside Edition she "absolutely did not cheat" and "the investigation will show that." On her social media, she even challenged Adelstein to play another game of poker.
When asked why she fidgeted with the ring so much, Lew said, "I'm a fidgety person and I never thought I'd ever have to explain this on national television, but I do have ADHD and I did not take my medication that day," Lew said.
Casino protection expert Sal Piacente showed Inside Edition an old-school buzzer called a thumper that was once used by card cheats to signal a winning hand.
The organizers of the poker game say they are launching an inquiry into the accusations, adding that, at this point, they have found no evidence of wrongdoing by anyone.
