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Rampage Poker’s Hero Call Fucked Nik Airball’s Fate (Lost $760K)

If there’s a person who needs to take lessons on stop loss, it is Nikhil Arcot aka ‘Nik Airball.’ Why? This chap lost close to $760K in one night. One of the reasons why Arcot lost such a massive sum is Ethan Yau aka ‘Rampage Poker.’ What did Yau do to punish ‘Nik Airball?’ Yau made a hero call that made his rival drop his jaw and bankroll both at the same time. This wasn’t a good look for Arcot who looked visibly upset after losing that kind of sum in one night. 

‘Rampage Poker’ vs ‘Nik Airball’

Where was this devastating hand played? Take a guess! Let us give you a hint! The venue is related to Robbi Lew! Don’t think hard, there’s only one place which made Robbi Lew a phenomenon in poker that she is today. Yes folks, it was at Hustler Casino Live that Arcot lost to Yau and one other player called Stanley Choi. ‘Nik Airball’ lost $312,900 in hand against ‘Rampage Poker’ and at the end the former ended up saying in frustration, “Oh my god. How do you snap-call with ace-high?” Check out the hand below.

With stakes at $100/200/400, big blind ante $200, Yau raised to $2,000 with AKo from the cutoff position (pot – $3,700). Arcot 3-bet $10,000 from under the gun (UTG) with A3o and his rival did not waste any time in making that call. The dealer fanned a flop of Qs Qh 2d. Arcot bet $3,000 and Rampage called. 

A Queen of diamonds showed up on the turn giving both players a three of a kind. Here, Airball threw in another $30K and Rampage thought for a few seconds but made the call and now the pot stood at $92,900. The river brought 8 of diamonds which did not drastically change the scenario as both players still only had three of a kind from the board. 

Nikhil Arcot (L) vs. Ethan Yau (R) at Hustler Casino Live

Only poker gods know what went into Airball’s head when he thought of throwing $110,000 into the pot on seeing 8d. But Rampage wasn’t taking it down either. He marched ahead while matching Airball’s over the top bet and won the hand holding AKo. A visibly agitated Arcot was trying his best to hide his emotions but the camera caught everything there was to capture. Yau won the biggest cash game score of his poker career and the guy was beaming with joy as shot in a post game interview.

Check out the hand below

HOLY S%$T!!!@nikairball puts @rampagepoker to the test in a $300K+ pot and Rampage snap calls $110K without a pair!!@rampagepoker is now up over $450,000 tonight!!

Tune in NOW for SUPER HIGH STAKES $100/200/400: https://t.co/CA9kpcLrvR pic.twitter.com/K0DQiTeVyT

— Hustler Casino Live (@HCLPokerShow) March 18, 2023

In a hand previously played between ‘Nik Airball’ and ‘Rampage Poker’ the former lost another monster hand to Yau. When blinds were at $100/200, big blind ante $200, Rampage raised to $1,200 with A8s and Bill 3-bet $3,300 with KJs, Airball called the bet with pocket twos and actioned came to Yau who 4-bet to $12,000. Bill folded and Arcot matched the bet by adding another $8,700 to see the flop of 3d Qs 4s and would be happy as he was still leading with his pocket twos. 

Arcot checked and Rampage bet $6,000, and Airball made the call. The turn brought 6d. Arcot checked again and Rampage again bet. This time Yau threw $25K in the pot which now stood at $65K. Airball kept his faith in his Deuces and matched that bet. 

Nikhil Arcot (L) locking horns with Ethan Yau (R)

The Jack of hearts came on the river which meant Airball was winning with what people in the poker world call pocket twos—the worst pocket pair one can get. Arcot checked and Rampage went all-in with $57,500. This bet made Airball uncomfortable in his chair. Arcot tanked for a really long time and even called a clock on himself apart from calling Yau ‘Ethan baby’ but at the end folded his Ducks. What can one say about Airball’s play in these two hands? He seriously needs to revise his cash game lessons and that stop loss theory needs to be added to his poker curriculum.

Watch the hands played between Nik Airball and Rampage Poker

Ethan Yau Net Worth

Ethan Yau has been steadily climbing the poker earnings ladder with his cash game profits and tournament winnings. Until some time back he was known as a recreational player and content creator. But now Yau who’s popularly known as Rampage has become the brand and content ambassador for World Poker Tour (WPT) Global. 

The poker player has made a smash at the live felts especially when it comes to live streamed games. If you are an ardent fan of Hustler Casino Live (the same venue where Robbi Lew made that insane call with a J-high hand versus Garrett Adelstein’s 8-high bluff), Rampage is often seen making a lot of profits with his mighty hero calls or bluffs. Either way, Yau is making heads turn with his gameplay.

Not many agree with his style of playing poker, but he has gained massive popularity with his appearances in live poker games. Going by what we have seen last year and in 2023 so far, we can safely say that Ethan Yau net worth should be an eye popping number. As for reported numbers, Ethan Yau net worth stands at $2 Million.

Ethan Yau WSOP

Ethan Yau’s WSOP page tells you that he has one bracelet from a WSOP Online tournament. He shipped Event #12 – $100,000 GTD NLH High Roller 6-Max at the 2022 WSOP.com Circuit – December Online Super Circuit (NV/NJ). Yau grabbed a pay cheque of $45,722 for his first place finish. He last played in the 2023 edition of 2023 WSOP.com Circuit – January Online Circuit (NV/NJ). In Event #9 $75,000 GTD NLH BIG $500 8-Max, Yau took the 19th position for a payday of $1,337. 

Overall, Rampage has four WSOP rings and 67 cashes across WSOP tournaments (both online and live). Yau has total WSOP earnings worth $586,925. Between WSOP and Circuit tournaments, Rampage has $242,237 and $344,689 in earnings respectively. 

Ethan Yau Poker

Ethan Yau’s first recorded live poker cash came in the year 2019. Rampage scored $1,900 from the $160 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2019 Encore Boston Harbor Recurring Tournaments, Everett. He finished 4th and from there on has never looked back. Yau, in December 2022 shipped the $25,700 buy-in High Roller tournament at the WPT World Championships hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas. Interestingly, while this tourney was underway, Yau shared a post on Twitter about being last in chips.

This tweet came at a time when 12 players from a field of 108 and 11 places were paid. He mentioned in his post on Twitter, “I’m gonna bubble this 25K and it’s going to suck, preparing for it now. 12 left, 11 pay. I’m last in chips.” Poker gods must have been watching over Rampage as he ended up shipping the tournament and taking home a coveted WPT title. With $894,240 in his bank account, Yau was surely a rich man.

Rampage, who is a Management graduate from the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, also plays Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO). It’s not just No-Limit Hold’em (NLH) that Rampage nailed, he’s also having a good run in PLO. At PokerGO Tour 2023 PGT PLO Series, Las Vegas, Yau took the 8th position in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Event #1 for a payday of $40,000. Can we see Rampage making top pros run for their money? If all goes well for Yau, then yes, he could become the next big player to watch out for in the global poker arena.

Nik Airball

People know about Nik Airball and his poker adventures from the news coverage and social media posts. But did you know that Airball’s real name is Nikhil Arcot? Yes folks, Nik Airball’s real name is Nikhil Arcot and he hails from Los Angeles, California. He was born in Oregon, United States and not much about his early journey in poker is recorded anywhere. 

Airball is a regular on the Hustler Casino Live and has gained a lot of attention and notoriety for being a trash talk expert at the poker table. He made headlines when he lost a record sum at Hustler Casino Live in one of their live streamed games. As per news reports, Airball lost $929,250 in a week, and his losses made sure everyone on Twitter was talking about it. 

Airball did not lose all this money in a steady fashion. He lost some heavy-duty hands at crucial junctures and viewers could see Airball’s frustration loud and clear in the live streams. $250,000 of Airball’s money was lost to Wesley aka ‘Wes Side’ followed by Stanley Choi and Ethan Yau. After all the tweeting about being the King of LA poker, Airball still went home in losses. 

Airball came under the spotlight when he was trashed by Garrett Adelstein in one of his tweets and in no time Doug Polk jumped in to resolve the matter. Wasn’t the fight between Matt Berkey and Airball enough that Adelstein had to dive in to make matters worse? Well, for the high stakes poker pro, it looks like it is my way or the highway. 

Airball wasn’t having any of it and revealed some uncomfortable truths about Adelstein’s behaviour on Doug Polk’s video interview. The Los Angeles resident is making appearances at the live streamed games of Hustler Casino Live and the grudge match between him and Berkey is now becoming the talk of the town.

Video and image credit: Hustler Casino Live YouTube and Twitter

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