Ethan “Rampage” Yau takes a loss on Hellmuth’s Home Game show

In the third episode of Hellmuth’s Home Game, Ethan 'Rampage' Yau took a big hit at the poker table against Phil Hellmuth’s friends and fellow pros.

The third episode of the second season of Hellmuth’s Home Game , organized by Poker Night in America (PNIA) with the support of BetRivers, aired on CBS Sports and once again brought together famous pros and Phil Hellmuth’s friends at the same table. The filming took place at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, and the unique feature of the format was the absence of commentators—viewers’ attention was fully focused on the live interaction between players at the table. In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the key hands and storylines of the third episode, with special attention to the performance of Ethan “Rampage” Yau , who found himself at the center of the evening’s most dramatic moments. We’ll also provide all the prize amounts, stack sizes, buy-ins, participant names, and exact play-by-play so readers can fully recreate the atmosphere of the game. Starting Conditions and Lineup The game was played as a cash game with blinds of $25/$50 and a mandatory ante of $50 from the big blind. The third episode’s lineup included: Phil Hellmuth — poker legend, 16-time WSOP bracelet winner, and host of the home game Ethan “Rampage” Yau — popular poker vlogger and professional Dan “Jungleman” Cates — one of the strongest cash game players Kelly Lucas (formerly known as Kelly Minkin) Stanley Tang — well-known businessman and poker player Charlie Hook Xuan Liu The players bought in for significant amounts, and the action unfolded for some very large pots, often exceeding $20,000 and even $80,000 . A Classic Coinflip in the First Hand Right from the start, the players set a fast pace. In the very first hand, with two straddles on the table (additional mandatory bets to increase the action), Charlie Hook opened to $600 with 6♥7♥ from the hijack. Dan “Jungleman” Cates called with A♠J♥ on the cutoff, and Kelly Lucas (on the button) called with A♦K♥ . Then Stanley Tang , sitting in the big blind with the largest stack at the table, moved all-in with pocket queens Q♠Q♣ . The other players folded, leaving the decision to Kelly, who had $10,000 behind. She called, and the pot was $21,575 —a classic coinflip situation (meaning both hands have roughly equal chances to win). By agreement, the players decided to “run it twice”—a popular cash game practice where the board is dealt twice to reduce variance, and the pot is split between the winners of each board. The first board 8♦4♠10♥2♥10♦ gave Tang the win, but on the second—after a flop of 8♠J♣7♠ and turn 3♦ —the river brought K♠ , saving Kelly and letting her take half the pot. In the end, the pot was split between them. Unsuccessful Bluff Attempt by Xuan Liu In one of the next big hands, Stanley Tang raised to $300 with J♦9♣ from the hijack, after which Xuan Liu three-bet to $1,000 with Q♥5♥ on the cutoff. The other players folded except for Kelly Lucas in the straddle, who called with A♠K♥ . Tang then folded. The flop came 4♣K♣K♦ , giving Kelly trip kings. She checked, and Xuan made a continuation bet of $700 . Kelly called again. On the turn 6♥ , Kelly checked again, and Xuan continued her aggression with a bet of $2,500 . After a long think, Kelly just called again. The river was 9♥ , and Kelly checked for the third time. Xuan went for a triple barrel (three-street bluff), moving all-in, but Kelly quickly called her remaining $7,825 and scooped a $24,475 pot, catching her opponent bluffing. Two Big Hands Featuring Hellmuth and Rampage Hellmuth’s Big Slick vs. Rampage In a hand with an increased straddle to $400 , the action folded to Phil Hellmuth on the button, who raised to $1,400 with A♠K♠ (“Big Slick”—the nickname for ace-king). Ethan “Rampage” Yau was in the first straddle $100 with A♥7♥ and re-raised to $4,300 . The other players folded, and Hellmuth shoved all-in for $8,550 . Rampage called, and the pot grew to $17,825 . The players agreed to run the board twice. The first board 6♣K♥3♠10♥2♣ gave Hellmuth top pair, and Rampage picked up a flush draw on the turn, but missed on the river. The second board 5♠6♠9♠2♠4♣ immediately gave Hellmuth a flush, and he took both halves of the pot, doubling his stack. To a $85,000 Coinflip: Rampage vs. Stanley Tang Soon after, Kelly opened from the hijack to $600 with A♣5♣ , and Tang on the button three-bet to $2,000 with K♥Q♦ . Rampage in the big blind picked up J♠J♦ and four-bet to $6,500 . Kelly folded, and Tang moved all-in, covering his opponent. Rampage had $35,500 behind and thought for a long time, but eventually called, creating a pot of $84,975 . The players decided to run only one board. The flop came Q♣9♠4♦ , giving Tang top pair, and the turn 3♥ and river 6♦ didn’t improve Rampage, so he lost the huge pot. Afterwards, in a “rabbit hunt” (revealing what cards would have come on a second board), it turned out the river would have been a jack, which would have split the pot. But as it was, Tang took the whole pot, and Rampage had to rebuy. Rampage Attacks Every Street—and Loses In one of the most memorable hands of the night, Phil Hellmuth opened to $300 with Q♦8♦ from the hijack, Xuan Liu called on the button with K♥9♥ . Rampage in the small blind picked up J♦J♣ and three-bet to $1,600 . Dan Cates in the straddle called with Q♥J♥ , Hellmuth folded, and Xuan also called, making it a three-way pot. The flop 9♦3♣9♠ gave Xuan trips and Rampage an overpair. He bet $2,200 , Cates folded, Xuan just called. On the turn 4♣ , Rampage increased his bet to $9,000 , Xuan called again. On the river 3♥ , the board paired, and Rampage put his opponent all-in for $30,625 . Xuan called without much hesitation and doubled up to $88,850 , leaving Rampage in the red again. Episode Results and Standings By the end of the episode, the players’ positions had changed significantly, especially after the big hands involving Rampage, Tang, and Xuan Liu. The exact stack sizes at the end of the episode weren’t given, but during the game, the following pots and results were recorded: Kelly Lucas won $12,237.50 in the first hand (half of the $21,575 pot) Stanley Tang took the other half of that pot and won $84,975 from Rampage Phil Hellmuth doubled up in the hand against Rampage ($17,825) Xuan Liu doubled up to $88,850 after the all-in against Rampage Rampage lost several big pots and had to rebuy In previous episodes of the season, guests such as rapper 24kGolden and Dan "Jungleman" Cates have appeared at the table, highlighting the show’s status as one of the brightest and most star-studded cash games on US television. Poker Formats and Terms Featured in the Episode Cash game — a format where players play for real money, not tournament chips; you can rebuy and leave at any time. Blinds — mandatory bets posted by two players at the table before the cards are dealt (small and big blind). Straddle — an additional mandatory bet that increases the action and the size of the pot. Three-bet, four-bet, five-bet — successive raises in a single hand. All-in — betting all your chips. Coinflip — a situation where both players have roughly equal chances to win (for example, a pair vs. two overcards). Run it twice — an agreement to deal the board twice and split the pot between the winners of each board. Trips — three of a kind, using cards on the board and in the player’s hand. Triple barrel — three consecutive bets on the flop, turn, and river, often as a bluff. Rabbit hunt — revealing the cards that would have come on the board if the hand had continued (done after the hand is over for curiosity). What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For members of PPPoker clubs, analyzing this episode can be especially useful from a practical perspective. First, it clearly shows how big pots are often played out in coinflip situations or through aggressive preflop play—something that’s also common at high stakes in online clubs. Being able to accurately assess your hand strength and agree to “run it twice” at the right time helps reduce variance and minimize losses in unlucky spots. Second, the episode vividly demonstrates how important it is to control pot size and not overestimate the strength of a medium-strength hand against aggressive opponents. Even experienced pros like Rampage can run into a string of bad hands if they don’t stop in time or adjust their strategy. Finally, the show’s format with live table talk is a great example of how you can learn from strong players by analyzing their thought process, betting logic, and reactions to unexpected moves. In PPPoker clubs, you can apply these approaches by discussing hands with friends, practicing reading opponents, and improving your strategy in cash games at any limit.