The Lodge River-Call Dispute Draws Cheating Backlash After Livestream Clip Spreads
Justin’s attempted reversal of an $8,700 river call was ruled binding, while viewers argued over whether it was an angle or an honest mistake.
- Justin verbally said “I call” and moved chips forward while facing an $8,700 river bet from San Kim.
- He then tried to retract the chips after Kim began to show his hand, but the floor ruled the action was a call.
- The chopped-pot hand was watched by more than 10,000 livestream viewers and Skull Mike’s post passed 1.1 million views.
- Online replies accused Justin of cheating, while Skull Mike said he believed Justin forgot he had made a verbal call.
- The Lodge and Poker TDA rules both stress clear declarations and permit official betting terms to be treated as binding in some circumstances.
A disputed river call on The Lodge Card Club’s Nov. 5 livestream turned into a widely shared poker rules controversy after a player known as Justin said “I call,” moved chips forward, then tried to take them back as San Kim began to reveal his hand. The floor ruled the action was a call, and the hand ended in a chopped pot.
Justin was facing an $8,700 river bet from Kim. He said he held ace-high and asked whether Kim could beat it, then said, “I gotta go anyway,” pushed a stack of chips forward and verbally called. After Kim moved to show his cards, Justin pulled the chips back and said, “I didn’t call.”
Jay Nguyen questioned Justin about the reversal, telling him: “You said, ‘I call.’” The ruling rested on Justin’s forward chip movement. More than 10,000 people were watching the livestream, and Justin had appeared on the stream a number of times before the hand.
Skull Mike, a regular Lodge stream commentator who was playing in the game, shared the hand and his original post drew more than 1.1 million views. The Lodge also circulated the clip and asked viewers whether it was “angle or an honest mistake.”
Reaction online was much harsher. Replies described the incident as cheating or an angle shoot, with some calling for Justin to be barred from the stream or given a lifetime ban. Skull Mike offered a different reading, calling the spot chaotic and saying Justin was a good man who got caught up in the moment as Kim reacted quickly and that he honestly forgot he had made a verbal call.
The Lodge’s published tournament rules list “call” among official betting terms and say players must make their intentions clear. They also warn that gestures made while facing action are at the player’s risk and can produce a ruling different from the player’s intended action. The club says floor decisions are made in the interests of the game and fairness, and are final.
Those Lodge rules apply to its tournaments. The Poker Tournament Directors Association’s 2026 rules similarly identify “call” as an official betting term and say use of such a term in a question or casual conversation may be ruled binding when it can reasonably be interpreted as intended action. The TDA advises players to phrase questions neutrally to avoid ambiguity.
Earlier coverage
- TDA Says the Clock Now Triggers Blind-Level Changes Aug 30, 2026
