Poker player Rampage lost $600,000 on the last hand of the year

Famous poker vlogger Ethan 'Rampage' Yau lost $622,000 on the final hand of a 14-hour session, missing the chance to save an unlucky year.

Famous poker vlogger and ClubWPT Gold ambassador Ethan "Rampage" Yau was just one step away from completely turning around his unlucky year. However, the final hand of a 14-hour session in one of New York’s private poker clubs wiped out all his efforts. Although Yau left the table with a profit, losing a key $622,000 pot was a serious blow and, according to him, erased his long-awaited "comeback." A Session That Could Have Saved the Year: Details of the 14-Hour Game The session video, published on the Rampage Poker YouTube channel, lasted 40 minutes and showed Ethan Yau battling at the table in a private New York club. The game format was no-limit hold’em with blinds of $25/$50, but by the end of the session, the stakes had risen to $500/$1,000, indicating a highly aggressive and "expensive" game. Yau started the session with a $50,000 buy-in — much higher than the standard entry for these stakes, but quite typical for high-stakes private games. Throughout the night, he repeatedly doubled his stack, winning big pots. Among the most notable hands was a $65,000 win when his pocket pair made a full house on the river, beating his opponent’s higher pair. During the session, Ethan also made quads twice and won several big pots, although he did lose one significant pot to a bad beat. By 6 a.m., Yau was up about $200,000, and by 10 a.m., when only he and one other player remained at the table, his stack exceeded $400,000. At this point, the stakes had reached $500/$1,000, and both players had over $300,000 behind. Key Hand: $622,000 Pot and a Fatal Mistake The final hand of the session began with an unknown opponent on the button getting J♥J♣ and opening to $3,000. Yau, in the big blind with A♥Q♥, three-bet to $14,000. The opponent then four-bet to $40,000, which Ethan called. The flop came A♠J♠2♠. Yau, hitting top pair (A), checked, then called a continuation bet of $16,000. On the turn, 9♣, he checked again and called another bet — this time $56,000, not realizing he was already drawing dead: his opponent had a set of jacks. The river brought the A♦, giving Yau trip aces. He checked once more, and the opponent announced all-in for $199,000. Yau faced a tough decision: there were three spades on the board (possible flush) and a pair (possible full house), but his trips seemed like a very strong hand in heads-up play. In the video, Yau admits that if he had called and won, he would have finished the session with about $700,000 in profit — which could have completely changed his year. However, as it turned out, his hand was behind his opponent’s set of jacks. Yau called and lost the $622,000 pot, marking the final note of the session. Session Results: Disappointment Despite Profit Despite the painful loss in the last hand, Ethan Yau finished the game with an $84,000 profit. However, by his own admission, this result brought him no joy, as he missed the chance to recover most of his yearly losses. In a post-game interview, Yau confessed he didn’t know what to feel: "I don’t know if I want to sleep or if I want to cry. This would have been a huge success for me, considering how bad the month and even the whole year have been. And I lost it all in one hand because I couldn’t fold trips heads-up." He also noted that ending the session in New York was "a very hard blow" for him. Context: Rampage’s Downswings and Game Features The last two years have been quite tough for Ethan Yau. His prolonged six-figure downswings have been widely discussed in the poker community, especially given his regular appearances on popular streams like Hustler Casino Live. 2025 is also shaping up to be a mixed year for Yau: despite some big wins, he continues to face major losses. At the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP), he failed to achieve any significant results. In the session described, the game was no-limit hold’em, where bet sizes are unlimited. The blinds (mandatory bets before the deal) started at $25/$50 but increased during the game to $500/$1,000, which is typical for private games with deep stacks and high stakes. Yau’s $50,000 buy-in was much higher than standard, but matched the level of action at the table. An important poker term mentioned in the hand description is "cooler." A cooler is a situation where both players have very strong hands, but the loser can hardly avoid losing, as their hand is objectively very strong in most cases. In this case, Yau made trip aces but lost to a set of jacks, which turned into a full house on the river. Session Results Table Ethan "Rampage" Yau: +$84,000 Unknown player (J♥J♣): won a $622,000 pot in the final hand Yau’s maximum stack during the session: about $400,000 Yau’s potential profit if he won the final hand: about $700,000 Session duration: 14 hours (from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.) Date and location: New York, private poker club, December 2025 Game format: NL Hold'em, blinds from $25/$50 to $500/$1,000 What This Means for PPPoker Club Players Ethan Yau’s story clearly shows how important it is to maintain focus and discipline throughout a session, especially in games with deep stacks and high stakes. Even experienced professionals can find themselves in situations where a strong hand isn’t strong enough against a cooler. For PPPoker club players, this is a reminder: always analyze your opponents’ ranges and don’t be afraid to make tough folds if the situation calls for it. The second practical takeaway is the importance of bankroll management. Despite big wins during the session, one unlucky hand can wipe out all your efforts. For PPPoker club players, it’s important not to overestimate your abilities and not to play at stakes that don’t match your bankroll. Finally, Rampage’s example highlights that even a positive session result doesn’t always bring satisfaction if your expectations were higher. For PPPoker players, it’s important not only to track your financial results but also to learn to handle disappointment psychologically, so you can stay motivated and keep a clear perspective on the game.