Lose $1-3 Million a Year But Keep Your Dignity: Garrett Adelstein’s AMA on Reddit

Thoughts About Jack-Four Spot & Its Aftermath

Q: With all of the evidence leaning towards cheating in the J4 hand, why do you think there was so much pushback from the online community and criticism in your direction?

Garret: 

Many reasons, but I’ll give you 3:

1. A lack of information. Seeing the comments, I’m always blown away by how many people have next to no information, but speak as though a five-minute google search tells them everything they need to know about Jack-Four. In reality, even the most devoted Jack-Four followers only have about 20% of the details. It’s a ton of info. I’m pumped to finally be sharing the rest of it with you all!
2. My many missteps along the way. Touched on in other questions. Obviously examined in detail in Beneath the Cards.
3. I think Robbi and company did a pretty solid job with their misinformation campaign and playing to certain ideas, even if those attacks didn’t have a shred of validity: “Rich, white, sexist, crybaby poker bro steals from philanthropic amateur woman just trying to gamble with jack-high!” Game recognize game.

Q: What do you think would’ve happened if you won the J4 hand?

Garret: This one is going to get so much hate, but oh well. But the answer is the exact same thing if we’re talking about my response to Jack-Four. Period. Maybe the world wouldn’t have cared though, which of course would have created quite the Butterfly Effect: no international scandal, no book, etc.

Q: If J4 didn’t happen, what do you think you would be doing today? Also, any plans to return full time to streamed games?

Garret: I’d like to think I would’ve pivoted to the personal development space (or something else that I found intrinsically rewarding) in some capacity. But I’m probably lying to myself. The competition, the money, the constant stream of praise from strangers on the internet — those things wouldn’t have been easy to give up, especially without the insight I acquired in the Jack-Four aftermath.

Probably won’t return to poker full time. But I suspect I’ll continue playing high-stakes games on streams several times a year for the foreseeable future. Especially in small doses, I still can’t get enough of this shit.

Q: After the J4 hand, besides the occasional annual live stream appearance, how much have you been playing and where?

Garret: None. Writing a book, creating a 35+ hour poker course, and too many other new jobs, all while raising a 3 and 1 year old, has kept me a bit preoccupied.

Q: Thoughts on Ryan Feldman?

Garret: Although I’m not a fan anymore, Ryan’s elite gamebuilding played a critical role in the livestream era of my career. I can’t imagine I would have been able to build the fan following I did if Ryan wasn’t simultaneously doing everything he could to build up LATB and later HCL from 2017-2022. We did a lot for each other. And for a time, I considered him a close friend.

Q: How much money do you think you left on the table boycotting HCL?

Garret: Probably $1-3M a year.

Perspective on Poker

Q: How long did it took you to grind out low and mid stakes before taking shots and eventually becoming a high stakes crusher?

Garret: I sucked at online poker before I was any good. Took me 2-3 years to rise all the way up the stakes online from 18-21. I was incredibly fortunate to have found poker when I did. And after going broke, I was able to climb my way back to the top in a bit over a year.

Q: Which three poker players have an unique and difficult style to play against and what have you learned from studying their game?

Garret: I’ll just mention Robl here. Doug Polk and I have a fun video coming out on Sept 1 breaking down my five toughest live opponents. In short, Robl blends theory, exploits, and deep-stacked pressure better than anyone else I’ve played against.

Q: Does becoming a father change your perspective about poker?

Garret: It’s hard for me to say because Jack-Four went down just a few months before my daughter was born. (We have two little kids now.) So after her birth, everything in my life had already flipped upside down, personally and professionally. Instead of playing high-stakes poker multiple times a week, I spent all my working hours locked in my office, writing my memoir.

And still, it wasn’t “enough.” Let me elaborate. Having children doesn’t change your internal wiring. I remain super ambitious and incredibly competitive. Instead of consistently channeling that into cards, I’ve done so with my other projects (book, Upswing poker course, documentary, distance running). And every time I’ve played poker, I want it just as badly as ever.

Becoming a dad shifted my priorities. Regularly balancing fatherhood and the incredibly stressful world of high-stakes poker probably isn’t for me. But I’m still the same guy. And as a parent, you’ll probably still be you — with a lot more challenges and a deep love like you’ll never understand.