High Stakes Poker | Rick Salomon reveals legendary cash games; Bobby's Room: a three-day battle that became a turning point in his drug rehabilitation.

International news

During a High Stakes Poker livestream, Andrew Robl recounted a legendary high-stakes cash game that took place in Bellagio Bobby's Room. Rick Salomon battled fiercely for three days in $50/$100 games, racking up a chip stack of $500,000. Ultimately, his massive loss with a 6-4 against KK became a pivotal turning point in his journey to rehab and a period of rebuilding his life.

Published: 2026.09.02 Updated: 2026.09.02 Category: International News
International Poker News High Stakes Poker | Rick Salomon reveals legendary cash games; Bobby's Room: a three-day battle that became a turning point in his drug rehabilitation.
 
Rick Salomon and Andrew Robl recall legendary high-stakes cash games at Bobby's Room.
Rick Salomon participated in the legendary high-stakes cash games at Bellagio Bobby's Room, a three-day tournament that ultimately became a major turning point in his life.

 

In September 2026, the "High Stakes Poker" livestream once again brought up a classic story from high-stakes poker history. During the livestream, high-stakes cash game legend Andrew Robl recalled a crazy game that took place many years ago in Bobby's Room at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

This three-day high-stakes cash game not only changed Andrew Robl's career but also brought Rick Salomon to a major turning point in his life. According to Salomon's own recollection, it was this extremely intense game that prompted him to decide to enter a rehab center and readjust his life.

Bobby's Room: Legendary Poker Games, From $50/$100 to $500,000 in Table Chips

Andrew Robl stated that this legendary game initially started as a regular high-stakes cash game in Bellagio Bobby's Room.

The game level at that time was:

$50/$100 No-Limit Hold'em

Maximum single purchase:

$10,000

The lineup included several professional players and Bellagio regulars, including:

  • Rick Salomon
  • Andrew Robl
  • Steve “Mr Smokey” Billirakis
  • Dan Bilzerian

In the early stages of the tournament, Rick Salomon displayed a strong performance, holding a significant lead at the table at one point.

However, as the game continued into the night, things began to change.

Robl recalled that Salomon remained sober and continued to play for a long time, which caused the game to gradually get out of control.

After three days of intense competition, the total number of players at each table surpassed $500,000.

By the third day, this cash game, which originally had a maximum bet of only $10,000, had completely lost its size limit.

Each player's scorecard at the table has reached:

Approximately $500,000

Salomon began to adopt a more aggressive playing style, including:

  • Almost every hand involved a $5,000 Straddle
  • Extensive participation in large bottom pools
  • Using extremely high volatility strategies

After losing a large amount of chips, Salomon returned to the poker table.

Robl described him as carrying:

"A pillowcase filled with cash"

Return to the table and raise Straddle to:

$10,000 per lot

However, this crazy game did not end up going as Salomon had hoped.

He began to be targeted by professional players and repeatedly found himself in big pots.

A life-changing hand: 6-4 versus KK

The most representative hand of the entire game came from a clash between Rick Salomon and Steve “Mr Smokey” Billirakis.

In the hand, Billirakis raised to: after Salomon Straddle

$36,000

Salomon chooses to defend, and his hand is:

6♠4♣ (not suited)

The card is flipped:

6-4-K

This allowed Salomon to hit two pairs.

However, he was unaware that Billirakis had already obtained:

KK

And complete the Set by flipping the card.

Ultimately, Salomon suffered a huge loss in this hand.

Years later, when he recalled that hand, he said that the loss became a major turning point in his life.

He once said:

"If it weren't for him, I might still be obsessed with those things now."

After the card game, Salomon decided to enter a rehabilitation center and begin a year-long adjustment period.

Robl rose to prominence in this hand, while two professional players lost their entire bankrolls.

For Andrew Robl, this poker game completely changed his career path.

Robl stated that in this poker game:

  • Doubling assets
  • A major breakthrough in his career

He described:

"This is what allowed me to truly start building my own business."

However, not everyone can benefit from the game.

Robl revealed that two professional poker players lost all their money during the three-day tournament, with losses amounting to approximately:

$1.5 million level

One of them even quit the professional poker world because of this.

Rick Salomon returns to the High Stakes Poker stage

Years later, Rick Salomon remains active at the highest-stakes cash games.

He participated in:

  • WSOP $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop
  • Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza
  • High Stakes Poker Live Game

Its live tournament winnings total over $9.9 million, including multiple million-dollar prizes.

Recently, he once again appeared on the High Stakes Poker live stream stage.

However, in the latest three live cash games, Salomon has lost a total of over:

$2.2 million

It has once again become the focus of discussion at high-stakes cash games.

Beyond high-stakes poker, this is a life story.

The legendary game at Bobby's Room left behind more than just huge wins and losses.

For Andrew Robl, it symbolizes a major breakthrough in his career.

For the two players who had lost money, it became a turning point in their exit from high-stakes poker.

For Rick Salomon, however, this game transcended money itself.

A major failure ultimately prompted him to make a life-changing decision.

High Stakes Poker's revisiting of this event has once again brought this legendary Bobby's Room game from many years ago into the spotlight of poker discussions.

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