Dan Bilzerian dropped a bombshell about a popular poker player – Jean-Robert Bellande. The social media playboy claims JRB has been cheating in a high-stakes home game, a potential reputation-damaging allegation.

Poker cheating scandals are becoming more prevalent these days. Mike Postle, an accused cheater, escaped legal action, both criminal and civil. But most of the poker community still believes in his guilt.

Postle allegedly had access to his opponent’s hole cards during dozens of Stones Live streams. The accusation is that he played near-perfect poker and thus must have been cheating. That, however, hasn’t been definitively proven.

Jean-Robert Bellande just can't get any respect. For sure, the Bodog pro's live tournament results aren't exactly the stuff of legend. It's rare, though, to find a player who invites such overwhelming vitriol and ridicule from forum trolls, fellow pros and the poker community at large. Jean-Robert Bellande Jean-Robert Bellande is hard to miss. Tall, the poker pro is physically imposing and has a character to match. Thanks to his honest, brash and cunning personality, his poker antics have garnered him a significant amount of attention in the poker world, and even attracted recruiters from the TV series Survivor. Dash Dudley won his second WSOP bracelet of the year after winning the €550 Pot-Limit Omaha for $57,410, the second bracelet event of the 2019 WSOPE.

Bellande is an affable 44-year-old giant of a man with a twinkle in his eye and a talent for hospitality, no doubt perfected during his years as a nightclub promoter, then owner. He’s the poker ambassador here, the host, and he knows everybody. Anyway, Jean-Robert, carry on with the story “And then just I blundered again.

The same can be said for Bellande, who was accused of cheating by both Bilzerian and hedge fund manager Bill Perkins, both of whom he considers close friends.

All three of them play in the highest stakes private home games you’ll find in Las Vegas. Bellande, who previously played almost daily at Aria, hosts the games. He’s one of the only pros in the games and typically invites recreational players and wealthy businesspeople such as Perkins.

Did JRB cheat?

Bilzerian, a social media icon, claims to have earned his wealth playing high-stakes poker cash games, although that claim has never been verified. He made a bold accusation about Bellande following a recent game they played, a game that JRB actually lost for six figures. Bellande shared a text conversation of the chat with Bilzerian on Twitter after Bilzerian outed him on his Instagram page, which has over 32 million followers.

According to the chat, Bilzerian said he won “only” $287,000 in the $50/$100 game played in Las Vegas. And he straight up called JRB “a cheat,” but didn’t go into details as to the evidence he has to prove cheating occurred. The social media playboy referred to Bellande as “such a f—–g sack of s–t for bringing me to that game.”

“I didn’t lose, I’m not trying to b—h about paying, I have no dog in this fight,” Bilzerian texted.

Bellande defended bringing Bilzerian to the game with the comment, “I thought you’d enjoy.” He then said of Bilzerian’s cheating accusations, “You could never believe that. Very not cool for you to say.”

Perkins, who was also in the game, took to Twitter to pile on. The hedge fund manager and avid poker player polled his audience.

You're the host of a poker game you get paid time/rake and you also play in the game. You have 50 percent of 2 or more players in a sometimes 8/7/9 player game. As the host should you make non staked players aware of the economics? #Poker

— Bill Perkins (Guy) (@bp22) October 5, 2020

Bilzerian is so confident that Bellande cheated that he offered to bet that JRB is lying via a lie detector test. JRB hasn’t responded to that side bet. But he did defend his reputation on social media.

loosing 400k+ this week (only 80 in that game) and having my friend, @DanBilzerian turn on me = rough week. funny thing is, i think those guys were only showing off to impress him. i’m super bummed right now. (and would still vouch for that game). #brokeandbummed

— Jean-Robert Bellande (@BrokeLivingJRB) October 5, 2020

“loosing 400k+ this week (only 80 in that game) and having my friend, @DanBilzerian turn on me = rough week. funny thing is, i think those guys were only showing off to impress him. i’m super bummed right now. (and would still vouch for that game),” Jean-Robert Bellande wrote on Twitter.

Bellande’s reputation is important given his strategy for making money from poker. He hosts private games and if his reputation isn’t in tact, he’ll have a hard time convincing anyone to join his games.

Featured image source: Instagram

He may claim to be ‘the unluckiest player in Poker After Dark history’, but Jean-Robert Bellande has just proved that being ‘lucky in love’ can help to balance the books a bit, the ‘Broke Living’ poker star getting married this week to his sweetheart Veronica Llamas, now Mrs Bellande!

Punta De Mita in Mexico was the beautiful setting for the nuptials, as the man who pretty much runs the highstakes action at the Ivey Room in Vegas’ Aria Casino embarked on a whole new chapter in an already remarkable life.

Born in New York to Haitian parents, Bellande had a tough upbringing, but first through his marketing degree and nightclub involvement, and then through his poker in Vegas, he has certainly managed to turn things around – despite always pleading that he’s broke, hence the nickname – his website carrying the tagline ‘Broke and Living Like a Millionaire!’

With over $2million in tournament earnings, and a seat in the biggest games in town whenever he wants it, you’d be hard pushed to describe him as down on his luck, although he did once lose a $3.million cash game pot!

In any event, being poor and landing the girl of your dreams isn’t always a bad exchange…

…and walking off into the sunset after your wedding has to be a lot better than walking home after poker because you can’t afford the taxi fare!

Jean Robert Bellande Poker