Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau has made a name for himself on YouTube and various poker streams for an aggressive playing style which has seen him enjoy and endure some major swings.
The last week has been a busy one for the WPT Global ambassador, involving a controversial Substack post, a cash at the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) and an online admission that he has ‘silently lost over $600K making poor decisions’ betting on sports. The capper is an accusation of scamming towards the agent with whom he's been placing his sports wagers.
Points the finger at California bookie
In a recent X post titled ‘Scammer of 2024’, below, Yau claims to have lost $600K with a sportsbook over 6-8 months, before winning some back and trying to withdraw, only to have his account limited.
Yau calls out his bookie by name, who is apparently an agent for Diamond Sportsbook, and claims he has had over $138K taken - including a deposit of $80K.
Yau ended his post by imploring people to, "Beware of this and learn from my mistakes. At this point, I’m just scamming myself."
Online feedback was predictably mixed, with both sympathy and criticism directed at the self-confessed degenerate.
‘What do you contribute?’
A Substack post from early this month had already seen Yau draw fire for what many saw as a tone-deaf message.
The post started out as a personal story, sharing details of a conversation between Yau and his therapist about ‘giving back’ and his contributions to the wider world. The following excerpt comes from the full post.
'Fast forward to present day. I’m having a conversation with my therapist about some existential crises I was facing at the time, usually an open ended question about the meaning of life. And she smacks me with “What do you contribute?” I’m stunned and rattled, immediately deep down I knew the answer was not a whole lot - but to save face, I sheepishly respond with generously over-tipping and buying food for the homeless on occasion. This did not suffice. Luckily she saw through that and challenged me more.. do I volunteer? No. Do I donate to charities regularly? No. We landed on a conclusion. Maybe.. I’ll have answers to these life questions if I pursued spending more time giving than taking.'
The apparently soul-searching post ended with what seemed to be Yau equating his sponsored WPT giveaways with his own personal sense of generosity.
'Through the new opportunity with Club WPT Gold. America’s newest online site coming in 2025. I plan on doing everything I can to give back and deliver on some truly special events, prizes, and experiences to those who have supported me so much. They’re mentioned so often because it’s a platform I truly believe in.. and also of course, the future projects are going to cost a hell lot more than $100,000. I’m really excited for next year with the opportunity to give back and bring you guys along on some cool adventures with me. In return, maybe I’ll find that answer and purpose in life I’ve been searching all this time.'
The post attracted over 100 comments on Reddit, skewing towards the negative. Back at the tables, Yau cashed the $5K NAPT Main Event, finishing 86th for $11,300.
