Garrett Adelstein (@GmanPoker)

Many have asked me to give my 2 cents on the (newest) HCL controversy. Probably a bad idea, so I’ll do it anyway: I don’t know C Ye or Britney or any of the “newer” HCL regs. And I have no insider info on this dispute. But I do know a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ about Nik Airball and Ryan Feldman. In my opinion, this is all par for the course for them: I believe they will do and say whatever they need to protect their financial interests. If you haven’t read Beneath the Cards, I break it all down there. As I see it, Airball has long been committed to doing whatever it took to become a mainstay on HCL. Give him credit: mission accomplished. And I think Ryan did and said numerous things in an attempt to destroy my reputation the moment I publicly stated that something shady went down on his show. Four years and a bestselling book later, mission definitely not accomplished. Here’s the takeaway, as is sadly too often the case in the pokersphere: Follow the money. It will so often explain the why behind the actions of the less-savory characters in our industry. In short, if Britney is good for the game, I suspect Ryan and Airball will go to great lengths to protect her.