A professional poker player who has been mired in cheating allegations has spoken out and said she will take a lie detector test.
To refresh your memory, Robbi Jade Lew, a newcomer to the sport, stunned the poker world on Thursday (29 September) by beating Garrett Adelstein.
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Lew ended up defeating Adelstein – who is considered to be one of the greatest high-stakes cash game players on the circuit – during a Hustler Casino live stream game of Texas hold'em, taking home a whopping $269,000.
Everyone was shocked by the win, especially her opponent, who stared silently at Lew for upwards of a minute afterwards.
One commentator was heard saying: "It's literally the most disturbed look I've ever seen Garrett give."
He later said he was 'clearly cheated', and soon enough allegations of cheating started to circulate.
Fellow poker player Chris Brewer wrote on Twitter: "Literal 0% chance hand is real. He got cheated, the only question now is how?"
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It didn't take long for the online community to start dissecting every moment from the game, with some suggesting Lew had used a 'vibrating chair' to indicate what to do.
Others accused her of using a 'vibrating ring', especially after the above video, which people believe is evidence of her hiding the accessory.
Viewers said that Lew became visibly uncomfortable as she was stared down by Adelstein, and began to fiddle with her rings including one with a distinctive red stone on her middle finger.
Just seconds later, after she placed her hand below the table, Lew's ring was no longer visible – whether she rotated it or removed it entirely is yet to be seen, but many are convinced this proves she's guilty.
But, ultimately, it was the unusual moves Lew pulled that had people suspicious, with Adelstein posting a lengthy explanation as to why, which you can read below:
Following an off-camera exchange between the two players and a producer, Lew is said to have offered Adelstein half the prize pot, which he said he took as an admission of guilt.
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However, Lew said she felt pressured to do so to 'alleviate the stress of the situation', as reported by the LA Times.
And she has continued to defend herself, with the most recent twist in this ongoing saga being her announcement that she's 'scheduled to take a lie detector test'.
She also opened up about another allegation – that she conspired with casino employee Bryan Sagbigsal.
This is despite the fact that an investigation by HCL's production company High Stakes Poker Productions found that Sagbigsal had, in fact, stolen $15,000 worth of chips from Lew's stack when she wasn't at the table.
Although he was fired, Lew ultimately decided not to press charges after finding out that he 'was relatively young, with minimal funds, and no history of prior offenses'.
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In a statement posted on Twitter today (8 October), Lew wrote: "Regarding the theft, I will say this one more time, and only ONE MORE TIME.
"I have no relationship with this now-former employee Bryan, and I would challenge anybody reviewing the security footage to show otherwise."
She continued: "My accusers, having now exhausted buzzing seats, camera rings, microphone water bottles, and other spy paraphernalia, have now moved on to me having an alleged conspiring relationship with someone I do not know... who, in fact, stole from ME.
"There is zero evidence that I cheated simply because I did NOT. I have been thrust into a bizarre situation where I am being asked to prove my innocence continually, and as of yet, there is not a single thread of direct evidence illustrating my guilt.
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"I am scheduled to take a lie detector test despite the fact that I have already been vindicated by Behavioral Analysts considered to be the best in the world."
Lew added that she will continue her ongoing efforts to 'prove my innocence'.
Daisy Phillipson