Robbi Jade Lew biography
Robbi Jade Lew is a Saudi Arabia-born, Los Angeles-based poker player who took up the game online during the COVID-19 pandemic and had relatively little experience compared to the professionals she found herself playing against on Hustler Casino Live. On September 29, 2022, at Hustler Casino in Gardena, California, Lew called an all-in raise from professional player Garrett Adelstein while holding a weak Jack-high hand, winning a $269,000 pot after neither player improved on the river.
The stunned reaction from commentators and Adelstein's public accusation that she had cheated, allegedly as part of a ring using a vibrating ring to relay information, ignited one of the biggest controversies in modern poker history, later known as the Adelstein-Lew controversy. Lew passed a polygraph test and firmly denied all wrongdoing, and Hustler Casino's own investigation, which cost over $100,000 and took two and a half months, found no conclusive evidence that she had cheated.
The inquiry did, however, uncover that a Hustler Casino Live production employee, Bryan Sagbigsal, had separately stolen $15,000 in chips from Lew's own stack after filming had ended; Sagbigsal was later convicted of felony grand theft in July 2025 and sentenced to 16 months in county jail. Lew has continued to compete since the controversy, including appearances at the 2024 World Series of Poker, while Adelstein has publicly maintained he remains certain he was cheated.
The saga significantly raised mainstream interest in poker and remains one of the sport's most debated unresolved incidents.
Career summary
An amateur player thrust into the center of poker's biggest modern controversy, Lew was accused of cheating Garrett Adelstein out of a $269,000 Hustler Casino Live pot, passed a lie detector test, and was cleared of wrongdoing by the casino's own investigation.
Robbi Jade Lew poker winnings
2024 - World Series of Poker - Various events - Competed following the controversy
Robbi Jade Lew playing style
As a self-described relative newcomer to live poker, Lew's public profile centers less on a defined competitive style and more on the single high-profile hand that made her a household name in the poker world.
Cash games
Rose to fame through her appearance on Hustler Casino Live, where a disputed $269,000 pot on September 29, 2022, against professional Garrett Adelstein became the center of a major cheating controversy.
Business & sponsorships
Has participated in reality television and media appearances since the controversy.
Why Robbi matters
A Saudi Arabia-born, Los Angeles-based amateur who began playing online poker during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lew became a household name in poker overnight following a disputed hand on Hustler Casino Live.
FAQ about Robbi Jade Lew
Was Robbi Jade Lew ever proven to have cheated?
No. She passed a lie detector test, and Hustler Casino's own investigation found no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing on her part.
What did the Hustler Casino investigation actually uncover?
It found that a production employee had separately stolen $15,000 in chips from Lew's own stack after filming ended; he was later convicted of felony grand theft.
How many WSOP bracelets does Robbi Jade Lew have?
Robbi Jade Lew has not won a WSOP bracelet yet.