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Poker Cheating Accusations Heat Up After Live Stream Employee Caught Stealing Chips

Hustler Casino Live Fires Employee, But Victim Robbi Jade Lew Declines To Press Charges

by Card Player News Team  |  Published: Oct 07, 2022

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Just when we thought the drama surrounding an alleged cheating incident on Hustler Casino Live was beginning to quiet down, the show’s operators dropped a bombshell when they revealed that one of their own was involved.

It was exactly one week prior that high-stakes cash game crusher Garrett Adelstein accused newcomer Robbi Jade Lew of cheating him out of $135,000. Lew called all-in for her six-figure stack holding just jack-high with no draw.

Somehow, her hand was good, and Adelstein, along with much of the viewing audience, couldn’t believe she had made the call. It was an incredible read, but perhaps too incredible.

After a confrontation in the hallway, Lew refunded Adelstein his chips. It was a move that, depending on which camp you were in, either showed that Lew was guilty, or just trying to diffuse a tense situation.

Adelstein maintained that he had been cheated somehow, perhaps with the use of an electronic device. And although Lew’s explanations for her bizarre play frequently contradicted each other, she doubled down on her innocence, even offering to take a lie detector test provided by casino owner Eric Persson, who was also in the game that night.

The poker world was decidedly divided in their opinions, with many siding with Adelstein’s decision to take back the money, while others believed she was a new player who was bullied into the refund. But as the week went on, more and more started to side with Lew, believing she was just the victim of an unfortunate series of events.

On Thursday evening, however, shortly before starting another live stream featuring Lew skeptic Doug Polk, Hustler Casino Live added yet another huge wrinkle to the story.

“During a review of the video of the Sept. 29 hand between Robbi and Garrett, our investigators observed an employee removing chips from Robbi’s stack after the broadcast had concluded, and while Robbi was away from the table. During our investigation, the employee, Bryan Sagbigsal, admitted [to] taking $15,000 in chips from Robbi’s stack.”

HCL says they immediately fired Sagbigsal and filed a criminal report with the Gardena Police Department.

As if the story couldn’t get any crazier, Lew opted NOT to press charges, citing, among other things, Sagbigsal’s clean record.

In a statement to Chad Holloway of PokerNews, she said, “Upon learning that the employee was relatively young, with minimal funds, and no history of prior offenses, I came to the conclusion that pressing charges was unnecessary to damage a young man’s life that would already be negatively impacted by the news of his wrongdoing and the termination of his employment. I was further notified that the employee had already spent the $15,000, at which point moving forward with a criminal charge made even less sense to me.”

The decision to not press charges immediately sent up red flags throughout the poker community. Those who had originally felt Lew was innocent, were now wondering why she would choose to protect someone who had clearly stolen from her.

Lew told PokerNews that she “could not recall having met the employee,” which she chose not to refer to by name. However, a quick search of Twitter showed that she and Sagbigsal followed each other on the social media platform.

Sagbigsal deleted his Twitter profile, but not before others had already taken screenshots of his tweets. The 24-year-old said that he was “the longest tenured employee” and started with HCL as an audio tech but had since “moved up and done every job from audio to graphics and even cameras.”

Bryan Sagbigsal At The WSOP Credit: TwitterLast week, after the original allegations surfaced, Sagbigsal said on Twitter that HCL’s “game integrity is the most secure in the industry” adding that “there is zero percent chance that production was involved.”

Lew’s claims about Sagbigsal’s lack of prior offenses also proved to be false. Within minutes of HCL’s statement, internet sleuths had already uncovered a criminal record belonging to a Bryan Sagbigsal with multiple charges that date back to at least 2017 which included robbery, battery, and even a prison escape.

Sagbigsal allegedly spent the money repaying casino markers, and others reported that he has a gambling problem. He is also listed as the author of several news articles concerning poker for the Las Vegas Chronicle.

In the aftermath, HCL offered to reimburse Lew for the $15,000 that Sagbigsal stole.

Card Player contacted HCL to find out why Sagbigsal’s criminal history didn’t come up in any background checks, and if the show was planning on pressing charges themselves after Lew declined. HCL has not yet responded.

Later that night, Lew was interviewed by Joey Ingram and explained that she was unaware of Sagbigsal’s criminal history, and wasn’t sure why she was misinformed by the detective. She said that if any additional information comes out about his priors, she would press charges in the future.

However, the next morning, she posted a message she allegedly received from Sagbigsal, which thanked her for not pressing charges and explained his hardship. Her immediate response was to ask him to be interviewed for Joey Ingram’s call-in web show.

For his part, Adelstein says he is committed to having “this spotlight that’s been thrust upon” him “applied to something better.”

On Wednesday, the day before the theft became public, Adelstein announced that he had donated the entire $135,000 to the Big Brother, Big Sister program of Los Angeles. The gesture was applauded yet still criticized by those who thought he was just spending Lew’s money.

“Although more information will soon come to light, I want to clarify I harbor no ill will towards anyone, especially those who have reconsidered their position,” Adelstein said after Sagbigsal was fired.

If more information does come out, it could likely be lucrative for whoever the whistleblower is. High-stakes players Bill Perkins and Haralabos Voulgaris have offered more than six-figures for someone to come forward with proof of cheating.

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Tags: Poker Cheating,   Poker Scandal,   Hustler Casino Live,   Live Stream,   Garrett Adelstein,   Robbi Jade Lew,   Bryan Sagbigsal,   Poker Theft,   Poker Crime
 
 
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