Investigation Into a Controversial Hand of Poker Finally Comes to an End

By Scott Bowen,
Editor at online-gambling.com

Scott Bowen Editor at online-gambling.com

Scott Bowen is a casino expert and editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He is one of the most valuable members of our team at online-gambling.com. Bowen specializes in writing on a variety of subjects, including roulette, blackjack, video poker, sports betting, and more.

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Last updated: January 4, 2023

An inquiry into one of the most contentious hands of poker that has ever been played has concluded after almost three months. However, its findings fall short of what the majority of poker players, and enthusiasts hoped for. There was no conclusive proof of wrongdoing against Robbi Jade Lew, according to a 12-page report from HSPP (High Stakes Poker Productions), the production company for HCL (Hustler Casino Live) Livestream show.

On September 29, while competing against Garrett Adelstein, one of the most well-known stars in the game, Robbi Jade Lew made one of the most illogical calls in the history of professional poker. That does not imply that no wrongdoing took place, as the report mentioned. It denotes that the investigation failed to uncover any credible evidence.

Garrett Adelstein Accuses Robbi Jade Lew of Cheating

During the HCL Livestream, Robbi Jade Lew called Garrett Adelstein’s semi-bluff $105K all-in bet with almost nothing. DraftKings calculated that she had only six ways to win but almost 150 ways to lose. This increased the pot to $269K, which Robbi Jade Lew won. She gave her $269K winnings back to Adelstein, which made her look guilty. She later mentioned that she did so under duress.

Later, Garrett Adelstein accuses Robbi Jade Lew of cheating. He said she conspired with Bryan Sagbigsal, a production employee, and at least one other player at the table. Lew has constantly denied the accusations. The scandal got $15k weirder four days later when it was discovered that Bryan Sagbigsal had robbed Robbi Jade Lew of three $5K chips after the Livestream and that Lew had first declined pressing charges. However, she later did, and on November 22, the Gardena Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of 25-year-old Bryan Sagbigsal for felony theft. It was then discovered that Sagbigsal had a criminal history, including an arrest for robbery in 2017 and a prison escape (without force).

Looking Into the Investigation in More Details

HSPP mentions that it spent above $100,000 on its investigation. Law firms, private investigators, and cybersecurity experts were all hired. Dozens of hours of CCTV footage were examined. The card shuffler was also inspected. The poker table was even dismantled to determine if its radio frequency identification system was compromised. After inspecting the systems, network, and table, the report mentions that there was no evidence of remote access, tampering, rogue hardware installed, viruses, or already installed programs on the machines.

Nevertheless, the cybersecurity firm hired found some “critical risks” that do not necessarily indicate cheating in this case but need to be redressed to avoid it in the future. These risks are production room vulnerabilities, lack of background checks, and undisclosed staking. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ryan Feldman, the co-owner of HCL, made an attempt to frame the conclusions of the investigation. According to him, they addressed the cheating accusations and, therefore, the scandal should be put in the past.