Ethan Yau - SOMUCHPOKER

Ethan Yau is fast emerging as the face of the next generation of poker professionals. At 25, Yau, who is more popularly known by the nickname “Rampage”, straddles both the on-line and live tournament multi-verse with great success. His fame not only comes from his hyper-aggresive play but because he has documented his rise in the game worldwide via his popular YouTube channel @RampagePoker. Currently with 308K subscribers, Ethan Yau is one of the most followed poker celebrities on social media. He has also drawn in a new and younger fans to the game. In March 2023, Ethan “Rampage” Yau received two Global Poker Awards for “Best Vlogger” and “Best Poker Personality” of 2022. More importantly, he backs this popularity up with major poker titles including 2 WSOP rings with another pair collected online and an online WSOP bracelet to boot. To date, Ethan Yau has amassed over $2.7 million in live tournament earnings in just a short period of live tournament play. All these achievements have also led to his recruitment as the youngest member of WPT Global’s team of poker ambassadors, joining the likes of Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme.

The Canadian-born Ethan Yau began playing recreational poker when he was 18. Yau played mostly cash games and began chronicling his progress on YouTube. His first major success came in July 2020 when he nabbed his sole WSOP bracelet by winning the Grand Finale Event of the 2020 WSOP Online. Yau live-streamed this victory. A year later, Yau shipped his first live tournament title, clinching the Main Event of the DeepStack Championship Poker Series II, Las Vegas for his first 6-figure live cash of $ 230,379. The American then became a fixture at World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour stops. Ethan Yau won his first pair of WSOP rings, first in December 2021, winning the Last Chance Event of the World Series of Poker Circuit Aruba then in March 2022, ruling the High Roller Event of the World Series of Poker Circuit Los Angeles. With his online presence growing, Yau parlayed his popularity to poker staking platforms to be able to play some of the biggest buy-in games.

Ethan Yau then returned to Las Vegas to face an elite roster of players including compatriots Alex Foxen, Stephen Song and Japan’s All Time Money List No. 1, Masashi Oya at the PokerGO Tour Poker Masters 2022. Yau defeated Foxen in heads up play to win the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em Event #2 and bank $ 197,600. He ended the year in spectacular fashion, earning his maiden World Poker Tour title by defeating another veteran compatriot Kevin Rabichow in heads up play to capture the WPT World Championship $25K High Roller title. In the process, Yau pocketed a stratospheric career best cash of $894,240; his best live cash to date. For 2022 alone, Ethan Yau earned $1.2 million in prize money.

2023 saw Ethan Yau rampaging across the live felt to capture two more major titles and run deep in high stakes events. Yau began the year with final table finishes in 2 events at the 2023 PGT PokerGO Cup, Las Vegas to collect a combined cash of $77,500. He followed this up with deep runs again in twin events at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure 2023, Nassau to pocket a total of more than $120,000. The popular poker vloger then added title number 6 with a victory down under after taking down the $2,000 AUD Mini Main Event of the World Poker Tour Australia. Yau took another single event high cash of $ 95,952. He followed this up with title number 7, winning the High Roller Event of the WPT Global October Millions, Kahnawake for a $ 86,502 payoff.

Ethan Yau continues to play bolder and grow his celebrity bigger. He’s participated at some of the largest live-streamed cash games in the world, including a $1,000,000 buy-in game, the Hustler Casino Live. Yau’s latest achievements on the live felt are final table finishes at the High Roller Event of the Wynn Millions Poker Series, Las Vegas, finishing 2nd for a $ 123,250 payoff and a 7th place in the BetMGM Poker Championship Event of the 2024 Aria Poker Classic, Las Vegas, adding over $220,000 to his earnings. There will be more milestones to come for the twenty-something and you can be sure he’ll be vlogging about it.

*Profile by Mike Alcazaren