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Poker influencer Lynne Ji faces an attempted-murder charge following an alleged stabbing involving fellow poker player and lover Kevin Gao. She is reportedly free on $1 million bond.
Gao broke his silence this week on Doug Polk's YouTube podcast, claiming he was viciously stabbed by his on-again-off-again girlfriend.
But rumors also spread across the poker community that Gao had stabbed himself and called the police to pin it on Gao.
Polk also questioned why he would move in with someone he was not in a serious relationship with.
"This is a great question," Gao answered. "I really enjoyed spending time with Lynne. Her sublet was ending, and she really wanted to move in. So, I decided to give it a shot and kind of see what happens."
The poker players, according to Gao, stayed together at a hotel the night before the incident. He said he found out some troubling news during that evening.
"The night before (the stabbing incident) happens, I find out that Lynne has been escorting while seeing me for the past few months. And, yeah, even though we were officially not together, I mean, it didn't feel great," Gao claims.
A dispute broke out and the next day she returned to the apartment.
"Eventually, she comes at me or kicks me or hits me and I restrain her. She's really trying to hurt me at this point. She takes a really, really hard bite into my leg," Gao claims.
He said he pulled her hair to get her off of him. She then took off and said, "you're going to regret that." Gao continues with his story, stating he looked out the door and saw her pull out a kitchen knife. He said his next move was to lock the doors and call 9-1-1 for emergency help. But he claims a few seconds later, she busted open the door and chased after him with a knife.
"She reaches up and stabs down. I'm pretty lucky because I was able to roll over onto my right shoulder, so she kind of like got me (in my shoulder area)," Gao alleges.
A photo showing Gao with a deep cut on his left shoulder surfaced online. After being stabbed, he alleges that he grabbed a hold of the knife and ran downstairs. That is when police showed up.
Ji was arrested in Los Angeles on October 10. She publicly denies the charges and said she intended to clear her name in court.
Ji began attracting attention through televised and livestreamed high-stakes poker games in 2020 and, in 2021, appeared in four episodes of High Stakes Poker, reportedly losing more than $300,000 across those appearances.
Ji has also developed a following through her poker content and lifestyle posts. Her social media handle is @helloitslynne.
