Ethan Rampage Yau Loses $450,000 in Jeju Island Private Cash Game

Published on October 30th, 2026

Ethan “Rampage” Yau lost $450,000 in a private poker game on Jeju Island, South Korea.
He started with $50,000 and added more money three times before losing it all.
Yau called it his biggest loss ever, although he reported losing $547,000 in a January 2024 game.

Poker vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau lost $450,000 in a private cash game on Jeju Island, South Korea. He shared the session in an October 27 YouTube video, calling it the biggest loss of his life. However, Yau previously reported losing $547,000 during a Hustler Casino Live session in January 2024.

The private game took place behind an unmarked door, and Yau said everyone agreed to be filmed. He started with $50,000 and added more money three times as the night went on.

How a $50,000 Buy-In Turned Into $450,000

The game started with five players, blinds of $200/$400, and a $50,000 buy-in. There was no ante, and players could buy back in or add more chips whenever they wanted.

Around 1 a.m., three more players joined, and the blinds increased to $500/$1,000. By the end of the night, they had reached $1,000/$2,000, with a $4,000 straddle (an extra blind bet made before the cards are dealt).

Yau started with $50,000 but kept adding more money as the night went on:

$50,000 starting buy-in
$100,000 rebuy after the second hand
$100,000 add-on after losing to pocket tens
$200,000 add-on after losing to pocket eights

In total, Yau put $450,000 into the game and walked away with nothing.

The Hands That Drained His Stack

YYau lost his first $50,000 stack on just the second hand. He had jack-eight of diamonds and made three jacks on the turn. He called a $45,000 river shove but lost to pocket threes, which had made a full house.

Another big loss came with jack-eight of spades. Yau had both a straight draw and a flush draw but went all-in against pocket tens, which had made three of a kind. He lost the $188,000 pot and was left with just $25,000.

Later, Yau made a costly hero call with a pair of deuces, hoping his opponent was bluffing. Instead, pocket eights took the roughly $200,000 pot. After adding another $200,000, Yau made a full house with ace-jack but had to split a $520,000 pot when his opponent showed queen-jack for the same hand.

His night ended when he went all-in for his last $100,000 with ace-queen against pocket sixes. He lost the hand and finished the session without a dollar left.

Is Jeju Really Rampage’s Biggest Loss?

After adding more chips, Yau made a costly hero call with just a pair of deuces. He called a $60,000 river bet, hoping his opponent was bluffing, but lost the roughly $200,000 pot to pocket eights.

Yau then added another $200,000 and made a full house with ace-jack. He ended up splitting a massive $520,000 pot when his opponent showed queen-jack for the same hand.

Another tough moment came when Yau folded ace-ten to a river shove. His opponent later said she had missed her flush draw, meaning Yau would have won with ace high.

His night ended when he went all-in for his last $100,000 with ace-queen against pocket sixes. He lost the hand and walked away down $450,000.

Is Jeju Really Rampage’s Biggest Loss?

Yau called Jeju the biggest loss of his life, but he’s reported losing more before. In January 2024, he lost $547,000 during a Hustler Casino Live session, more than the $450,000 he lost in Jeju.

Still, losing every chip made for a dramatic YouTube video, which Yau used to push toward 400,000 subscribers. It’s another example of how poker streaming has changed poker culture.

What Players Can Learn From Rampage’s Loss

Few US players will ever sit in a $1,000/$2,000 cash game, but the same risks apply at lower stakes. Repeatedly adding money after losing big pots can turn a bad session into a much bigger loss.

Good poker bankroll management starts with knowing how much you can afford to lose. Set a limit before playing, count every rebuy against it, and don’t keep adding money just to win back your losses.

Rampage’s session is a reminder that even experienced poker players can lose big. No matter the stakes, knowing when to walk away matters. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, take a break or contact the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-GAMBLER.

Sandra is a content writer and editor specializing in online poker and iGaming. She covers poker sites, game formats, industry news, and US online poker laws for Legal US Poker Sites.