RampagePoker Interview: Winning a WSOP Ring at a Golden Knights Game

Ethan “Rampage” Yau has been on a heater recently when it comes to playing poker tournaments. After winning a ring in Aruba and a bracelet online, Ethan Yau has just added another W on his respectable resume. Yau was in attendance to watch the Golden Knights defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Mar. 1. As he sat in the stands, he placed first in the WSOP Circuit Event #12 $100,000 GTD NLH Super High Roller 6-Max. These are incredible results from Rampage considering he just began playing online a few years ago.

Ethan Yau Bio

Originally a low-mid stakes cash game player from Boston, Rampage started his vlog in 2018 to create fun poker content. After finding massive success playing poker and posting content on YouTube, Ethan has been going strong ever since.

• YouTube Channel “Rampage Poker” has 133k Subscribers

• Won WSOP Circuit Event #12 $100,000 GTD NLH Super High Roller 6-Max on Mar. 1, 2022 for $53,000~

• Won WSOPC Aruba $300 No Limit Hold’em – Last Chance (Ring Event #12) in December 2021 for $8,351

• Won $1,100 No Limit Hold’em – DeepStack Championship – MSPT Venetian (Event #19) in October 2021 for $230,379

• Won WSOP Online 2020 $500 No Limit Hold’em – Grand Finale (Event #26) in July 2020 for $164,494

Golden Knights Game and Interview

Bryan: You were at the Golden Knights game last night in Las Vegas while playing the tournament. Were you able to watch the action at all, or were you mainly focused on the tournament?

Ethan: Yeah, I was able to watch the game, it was a lot of fun actually. Pretty much anytime I folded, or was in between hands, I was watching the action.

Bryan: Do you have any favorite hockey team? Being from Boston, do you like the Bruins?

Ethan: Yeah, I wouldn’t say I’m a big Bruins fan, but I do like them since they’re from Boston.

Bryan: Was this your first time at a Golden Knights game?

Ethan: Yes! I love hockey, it’s actually one of my favorite sports to watch live. It doesn’t really translate for me when I watch it on TV so I don’t watch much of it, but I was told that going to a Golden Knights game was a great experience, so I had to check it out.

“I’m Just a Luckbox”: Notable Hands from the Tournament

Bryan: So after watching your story on Instagram last night, I wanted to go over the hands you posted and find out what happened?

Ethan: Go for it!

Bryan: The first hand I saw, you doubled-up with pocket-Kings [KcKd] when the board ran out T-8-5-5-6.

Ethan: Yes, that’s when I started to really run good, after I doubled-up there, I was close to having the chip lead. 5/41 I believe.

Bryan: You were on quite the heater. I saw after that hand you picked up pocket-4’s [4c4s] and boated up on J-8-4-A-J for the actual chip lead, is that right?

Ethan: Yeah, at that time, there was 38 people left and I was first in chips. Still a lot of players left, so the chip lead was significant, but there was a lot of poker to be played.

Bryan: The next notable hand I saw you play was when you picked up pocket-3’s [3c3s] and won a race against Ace-Queen [AhQs], talk about that.

Ethan: Yeah, I think we go it all-in on the flop [9-8-5] and I held.

Bryan: It looks like you still had some chips behind too, did you end up stacking the guy?

Ethan: Yeah, it was pretty awesome.

Bryan: The next hand I saw, your story started mid-hand when you had Nine-Seven offsuit [9c7s], you filled up on the turn when the board was K-9-7-9, and got raised by the other guy in the hand, what happened there?

Ethan: I’m just a luckbox. He ended up having Ten-Nine. So I sucked out on the flop after flopping two-pair and got really lucky on the turn.

Bryan: What a cooler! That’s sick.

Bryan: So moving forward in the tournament, the next hand I saw was a hand where you had pocket-8’s [8c8s] and your opponent shoved on a 2-4-5 flop with Ace-King [AcKh].

Ethan: Yeah, I was just running really good late into the tournament.

Bryan: Definitely. After that I saw you made Quads with pocket-Queens after the flop came K-Q-Q and stacked someone else?

Ethan: Just got lucky there, haha.

Bryan: And to wrap things up, I saw your very last hand of the tournament. You made a wheel on the river with Five-Three of diamonds and jammed, and your opponent ended up calling with two-pair. Walk us through that.

Ethan: Yeah I had a pretty big chip lead, over 2-1, and I hit the Ace of Diamonds on the river to make a straight, and he ended up calling after making two-pair, Aces and 2’s.

Bryan: Wow, what an awesome hand to go out on.

Ethan: Definitely! I’m glad to have won it, I was on my third and final bullet.

Ethan Yau on His Tournament Play

Bryan: So, going back to your YouTube channel. You started vlogging in 2018, playing mainly live cash games. The first time you ever posted any online poker content was two years ago in June of 2020. Are you surprised with the success you’ve had in these tournaments (online and live) with the minimal experience you have?

Ethan: Yeah, I definitely am, I think it just goes to show if I can win a tournament, anyone can.

Bryan: Did you have a coach that was helping you, or did you mainly study on your own?

Ethan: I never really studied that much. I’m just a luckbox. I should probably study more.

Bryan: Pretty epic considering you haven’t done much studying and have no coach. Well, Ethan, I want to thank you so much for taking the time for this interview. That’s going to wrap it up!

Ethan: Thank you, Bryan.