High-stakes poker icon Andrew Robl told a federal jury on Thursday that he played a key role in coaching controversial attorney Tom Goldstein through a series of lucrative heads-up poker matches beginning in 2016—matches that ultimately generated roughly $50 million in combined profits for Goldstein, Robl, and other involved players.
Details of Goldstein’s private duels with billionaire Alec Gores and two overseas gamblers known as “Tango” and “Chairman” first came to light in a January 2025 indictment. That filing alleged Goldstein had received coaching and financial backing from two unnamed professional poker players during the games.
Earlier in the criminal tax fraud trial, one of those players was identified as poker pro Keith Gipson. Robl’s testimony later confirmed that he was the second, cementing his involvement in what prosecutors have described as high-stakes, movie-like matchups.
Goldstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including tax evasion, filing false returns, failure to pay taxes, and making misleading statements to two mortgage lenders.
Following his court appearance, Robl declined to comment when approached by PokerNews.
“He Made a Ton of Money”
Robl, the first witness called by the defense, is widely regarded as one of the most successful high-stakes cash game players in poker history, with notable appearances on High Stakes Poker and The Big Game. He testified that he has known Goldstein since around 2010 and described their relationship as a friendship built around poker.
According to Robl, Goldstein approached him in 2016 seeking coaching for a heads-up challenge against Alec Gores, a billionaire with a reputation for playing big-stakes poker. Robl worked alongside Keith Gipson on the project and also invested in Goldstein’s action. Other elite players, including heads-up specialist Phil Galfond, were also involved in helping prepare Goldstein.
“I thought I could coach him to beat Alec Gores, invest in it, and make money,” Robl explained when asked why he agreed.
The coaching, Robl said, focused on fundamentals and opponent-specific adjustments.
“Gores had a particular style,” Robl testified. “Once we understood that, we adjusted.”
Robl estimated he owned between 10% and 15% of Goldstein’s action during the 2016 matches with Gores, which reportedly netted Goldstein a personal-best $26.4 million.
“He won a lot of money,” Robl told the jury.
Robl said his own profit from the matches was around $3 million, a figure later supported by a prosecution exhibit listing $2.9 million.
Enter ‘Tango’ and ‘Chairman’
Robl also described coaching and staking Goldstein for additional heads-up matches “somewhere in Asia” against players known as “Tango” and “Chairman.” He identified “Chairman” as a wealthy Chinese individual with close ties to Malaysian gambling figure Paul Phua, a Goldstein associate.
Jurors were previously shown text messages indicating Robl had a 5% stake in Goldstein’s match against “Tango,” with a maximum loss of $6 million. Robl testified that Goldstein initially blew past that stop-loss, wiping out his investment, before staging a comeback and finishing the match up $13.3 million.
The defense stressed that while the total winnings across the matches approached $50 million, Goldstein personally kept a much smaller share, with most of the profits distributed to backers.
Robl acknowledged it was “possible” that Goldstein walked away with roughly $4.5 million from the $13.8 million win against “Chairman,” and about $8 million from the Gores match.
When questioned about the lack of written agreements, Robl explained that formal contracts are uncommon in such circles.
“Gamblers usually rely on reputation and their word,” he said.
Poker Debts and a Celebrity Party
Under cross-examination, Robl revealed that Goldstein still owed him approximately $1.5 million in poker-related debts. That total included losses from a heads-up match played at a July 2024 birthday party in Mykonos, Greece—later confirmed by prosecutors to have been hosted by actor Kevin Hart.
Robl also testified that he had a stake in Goldstein during his match against billionaire banker Andy Beal. Earlier in the trial, Beal was identified as the “Texas Businessman” who initially avoided paying a $15.6 million poker debt stemming from a match with actor Tobey Maguire.
Despite the scrutiny, Robl received praise from the prosecution, which referred to him as “one of the world’s best poker players.” He was then asked whether he would have staked Goldstein in full-ring cash games, which prosecutors alleged Goldstein also played during the same period.
“No,” Robl responded. “He wasn’t profitable in ring games. He usually lost.”
According to Highroll Poker, the 39-year-old Robl has earned $9.9 million across 234 hours of streamed play. He also boasts $5.6 million in live tournament earnings and recently competed in the revived National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
