Alan Keating Wants a Piece of Garrett Adelstein in Heads-Up Poker Tournament
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An intriguing battle between a former and a current Hustler Casino Live fan favorite is possible in the upcoming National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
Alan Keating versus Garrett Adelstein is one of the most intriguing potential matchups in the 64-player heads-up tournament, and the former is eyeing the possibility of it happening.
Adelstein, once the most popular player on Hustler Casino Live before the infamous "Jack-Four" controversy in Sep. 2022, will face Frankie Brannan in the first round. Keating, who drew Shaun Deeb in the first round, told PokerNews why he'd like to compete against the Los Angeles high-stakes poker legend.
Here's Why Keating Wants to Face Poker Star
Keating, who often plays high roller private games, only appears in livestreamed poker games every few months. But when he does compete, he tends to draw in large audiences, much like Adelstein.
"Yeah, you know, it would be the quarterfinals," Keating said of potentially facing Adelstein. "But that last name on the bottom, Garrett, would be great I think. Fans would love to see it and I'd love to have a chance to play against him. I didn't get to play with him recently on any show, so maybe this heads-up, that would be wonderful."
Keating, however, acknowledges that he can't get too far ahead of himself. The National Heads-Up Poker Championship, returning for the first time since 2013 on Peacock and the PokerGO and PokerStars streaming platforms, is a single-elimination tournament. If Keating can't get past Deeb, the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year, and two other opponents, there won't be a match against Adelstein.
Not Much History
Adelstein and Keating have each competed in some of the biggest private games and livestreamed games in Southern California over the years. But they don't have much history playing against each other.
"I played with him maybe once, and it would have been a long, long time ago," Keating said of Adelstein. "I think that one would be a good one for the viewers."
If a Keating versus Adelstein matchup isn't the most intriguing, it could be Ryan Feldman, co-founder of Hustler Casino Live, against Adelstein. Adelstein used to be the star of Feldman's shows — HCL and Live at the Bike — for years. But some bad blood between the two stems from the Robbi Jade Lew incident three years ago.
The odds of Adelstein and Feldman facing off, however, are slim, as the only opportunity for them to meet would be in the finals. That said, Keating isn't shying away from betting on himself to run deep in the heads-up tournament.
The National Heads-Up Poker Championship will air on Peacock this fall before coming to PokerGO. Poker fans can watch old episodes of the iconic poker show exclusively on PokerGO.
