Garrett Adelstein’s absence from the livestreamed high-stakes scene hasn’t gone unnoticed — and lately, it seems even he’s feeling the pull.
The fan-favorite has begun resurfacing online, sharing iconic hands and rekindling memories of his legendary clashes with Andy Stacks, Tom Dwan, Westside Wesley, Eric Persson, and his childhood idol, Patrik Antonius.
Would he still be a fixture in these games if the infamous J4 hand against Robbi Jade Lew had never happened?
Probably not. Adelstein has been busy. He welcomed his second child in February, and says family life and off-the-felt projects have reshaped his priorities.
“Life happened,” says Adelstein. “My wife was four months pregnant when the J4 hand went down, and I’ve been swamped with other projects since.”
We caught up with Garrett to ask: Is a full return in the cards? What’s he been working on behind the scenes? And what has been keeping him busy off the felt?
'I played in a rigged home game where a mechanic dealer stacked the deck'
We haven’t heard much from you lately until you chimed in on LA home games and the federal indictments against Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones. Do you play many home games?
Thankfully, I decided many years ago to steer clear of high-stakes home games after a couple of brutal experiences. However, the big-money livestream and home-game ecosystems in LA are constantly overlapping. I have several peers who’ve told me about super suspicious hands they’ve lost in huge home games while at the same table as well-known actors, comedians, and, most notably, former NBA players.
In December 2023, I actually played in a Bally’s stream game against Curtis Meeks, who’s named in the indictment. And former Hustler Casino Live (HCL) regular ‘Mars’ allegedly conspired with Shane Hennen — a mechanic dealer also named in the indictment — to cheat several Southern California games. Given that Mars was another guy I often battled against on stream, it definitely makes you wonder.
We also saw you responded ‘Multiple times’ to an X question asking if you‘ve been cheated before. Can you elaborate a bit more on this?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s no secret that I firmly believe Robbi, Rip, and Bryan were part of an operation that allegedly cheated me and others in several hands on HCL, including Jack-Four. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the first time.
In summer 2012, I played in a rigged home game where a mechanic dealer stacked the deck, leading to me getting cold decked and losing an over $300,000 pot with the second nut flush on an unpaired board. Somehow, I later got the crew to admit to cheating, and they ended up reimbursing me for what I lost.
A few years later, I played my second-ever high-stakes home game and again got screwed over. Although I ended up losing in the session and paying my tab to the big winner, he and others from the game were never fully paid out their rightful profits. In short, we were being negative freerolled from the jump. So, as you can imagine, my opinions regarding the underground poker world aren't great.
We haven’t seen much of you at the tables over the past few years. Have you been playing?
After the firestorm around the J4 hand, I just wasn’t excited to play poker. And for the last decade, I’ve stuck with a rule that's worked well for me: If I’m not feeling it, I’m probably not going to play my best anyway, so it’s fine to pass.
I remained on the sidelines until playing on Bally and WPT shows a couple of days apart in Vegas in December 2023, fourteen months after the hand. I ran insane in both, had a great time, and won a bunch. In the days that followed, I figured I’d start playing more often.
Then I quickly realized I still wasn’t all that motivated to play after the initial novelty of playing high stakes faded. I ended up taking another year off before playing on a Bally show in LA in December 2024, where I ran hot again. And then it all came crashing down on season 7 of PokerGo’s No Gamble, No Future this fall. And, so it goes.
'I've become obsessed with distance running'
How have you been spending your time over the past few years?
From a work perspective, I’ve spent much of my time on two major projects. They are both related to poker, but I can’t get into details quite yet. I’ve put everything I’ve got into them for the past three years and think people are going to love them. In fact, one of the projects will shed plenty more light on all three of the alleged cons I mentioned above.
At home, my wife Jen and I have been raising our two kids. My daughter is now 2½ years old, and my son is eight months old. They light up our lives and keep our hands plenty full. Having two children less than two years apart is great for their relationship, but it was a pretty aggressive choice for my wife and me with everything on our plates. It’s wild how much everything changes, from your mindset to how you fill your days, with two little ones.
I’ve also become obsessed with distance running over the past year. I ran the LA Marathon in March 2025 and another one in St. George, UT, in October, completing it in 3 hours, 18 minutes (a 7:33 pace per mile). I suspect I’ll be running competitively for years to come — or until I qualify for the Boston Marathon anyway. Fitness has always been a big part of my life and helps to keep me feeling well. Plus, battling against myself and other runners is far more rewarding than exercising to look better in the mirror. Running has given me a fresh outlet to channel my competitive fire.
I’m intrigued to know more about those projects. Is there a timeline for when you’ll be announcing them or for their release?
There are so many moving pieces. I suspect the announcements will come within the next few months. I’ll probably end up putting them both out at the same time. My best guess for release is summer or fall of 2026.
Can we look forward to seeing you on more poker streams?
Likely, yes. There will be a major marketing component to both projects. So, I’ll be that much more motivated to hop on stream and see if I’ve still got it.
Do you miss playing? Aside from being busy with family and these new ambitions, why haven’t we seen you on the felt more often?
My nearly 25-year relationship with poker is complicated. I still love the game. I still do a bit of one-on-one coaching. One of my projects is related to the Xs and Os of poker, which has always been my favorite aspect of cards beyond the competition. However, I also really love working from home, making my own schedule, and getting to hang with my kids throughout the day when taking breaks.
I’ve just found a ton of enjoyment grinding away at some novel, ambitious projects. Poker will always be there. And I suspect I’ll always play, at least occasionally. But I’ll probably just pick and choose my spots more than when I was playing two streams a week.
Where can we expect to see announcements about your projects next year?
At a minimum, on all my socials and my website, which will go live soon. You can follow me on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, Garrett.
Never a problem, Craig, always good to catch up.
Feature image courtesy of PokerGO.
