Rampage Poker CRUSHES Nik Airball [He Can’t BELIEVE IT!]

Ethan ‘Rampage Poker’ Yau is widely known in the poker KZbin world as a professional poker player and popular poker vlogger. In today’s poker hand we see him take on Nik Airball, the self proclaimed King of LA. Rampage attempts a wild bluff but can Nik sniff it out and make a crazier hero call?
Jonathan talks about Nik deciding to cold call a 3-bet with 22 preflop from the big blind. It’s generally not a good idea. He also talks about Rampage’s choice of small bet size on the flop. It allows more creativity deeper in the hand as he can continue bluffing on a lot of turns and still has equity to improve to the best hand.
This poker hand took place during a Hustler Casino Live Stream high stakes cash game in California. The stakes were a crazy $100/$200/$400.
Rampage, under-the-gun+1 decides to make a standard open with A8hh to $1,200 before Bill Klein decides to 3 bet from the CO with KJdd. Nik Airball opts to cold call in the big blind with 22 and Rampage goes for the 4-bet to $12,000. This forces Klein to fold but Nik does not want to give up and decides to call. The flop comes Q43ssx. Airball checks and Rampage decides to bet for $6,000 into the $28,000 pot. For such a small price Nik decides to call as they see a 6d and Airball now faces a $25,000 bet into the $40,000 pot. Airball calls once more as the pot is now a huge $90,000 as they see a Jh on the river. With just ace-high Rampage decides to shove for $57,500 and Airball tank folds. Could you have made the call as Nik Airball?
Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!
You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!
#rampagepoker #nikairball #pokerstrategy

[@PokerCoaching]

Who do you think would be the BIGGEST winner in a high stakes cash game between all of the poker vloggers? 🤔

[@stephentaylor6617]

Rampage seems to be the best player based on results

[@dt8799]

Rampage or Mariano everyone else is pretty nitty they would run the table

[@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr]

Depaulo or Brad Owen would wipe the table with any of the other streamers. They're the only 2 making big moves in the poker world and becoming much better players, imo getting to sit at a high stakes game at HCL doesn't mean much, the place is an aquarium.

[@devontemoericke493]

@@RoCkShaDoWWaLkErshut , up

[@rickwelch8464]

@@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr This...

[@juyifan7933]

This is the hand that started the Nik Airball downswing. If he had called here, the conversation around him for the last several months might have been much different. After this hand he went on to tilt and have one of the biggest losses on a single poker stream of all time.

[@dovif5313]

I disagree, after 4 bet. He has no business being in the hand at the flop already.

[@id10t98]

Wait, I thought skill was involved in this game.

[@hhhrocksh4088]

It’s a crazy bluff because nick could easily have 3/4 suited or even off suit. Im actually shocked that he didn’t call given the opponent.

[@zares300]

@@hhhrocksh4088 Nik is calling a 4 bet with 3/4? I dont think he is that mentally ill

[@francisrodriguez2369]

what's the point in calling flop and turn against a player like rampage if you're gonna fold to a river shove when the draws basically all miss? i'm not a serious poker player, but it seems like airball played this almost as poorly as possible.

[@leoreuder9944]

Your analysis is spot on brotha

[@vinizk123]

his name is nik AIRBALL

[@rickwelch8464]

@@vinizk123 His name is douchefish

[@codylawson1257]

No, your entire turn call range should not call a river jam. It's not just about draws, ranges on a whole are more important. When you are betting multiple streets, you have fewer bluffs on each street. Say rampage was bluffing 50% on flop then it might go 35% turn and 20% river. You need to count all the hands he would triple barrel with after a 4bet and figure out if you beat enough of those hands to profit. Meaning sometimes you call a turn bet but have to fold river

[@Daared81]

There is alot of spots in poker where you call 1 or 2 streets with the intention of folding if someone bets again. But agreed he played this rly poorly. He should have folded either preflop or turn

[@rickt10]

It has been interesting watching Ethan grow over the last few years. He isn't going away and will only get better.

[@CraigO-bc9or]

Beautiful wait-out by Rampage....he went up a notch in my opinion just watching that. I think that's exactly the way to play the situation....NO Table Talk....

[@yveshuyghe1278]

I actually thought they froze the frame on Rampage untill i saw the people walking behind him. Dude is like a statue, doesnt even blink.

[@wl1495]

Bloody good poker face

[@mickaelmalove2553]

I always appreciate the solid poker commentary on these high stakes hands. I watched a very introspective take from Phil Galfond recently, describing his invitation to televised poker, and subsequent uninvite from the second day. Sometimes where there is a camera, exciting poker > good poker, because boring players don't get welcomed back.

[@FreddyFermin]

Only Tom Dwan call this😂

[@ToonToon420]

He could call, tell you he going to lose, and still make you fold

[@Anubis-xk6vw]

Who noticed the dealer's look after Nik showed 22 and still was deciding what to do? His eyes were saying "Man, are you fkn kidding me?"😂

[@WinByTKo]

When I’m all in, I stare at the pot, zone out, to the point that I can feel my eyes gloss over, and mentally play a relaxing song in my head. I completely tune out the world. 👽

[@legendary.super.shannon9699]

Nick flat-calling the initial pre-flop raise, then check-calling every street is literally all the info Rampage needed to know to make this bluff work. He knows Nick's betting patterns (as they're somewhat predictable, even just from watching him play), & probably has a good idea of his range, especially when he's just flat-calling pre-flop, & then check calling the whole way. The somewhat dry-board didn't do him any favors either. He wouldn't play any premium hands this way; it's down to pretty much middling pairs or exactly what he has only. I gotta give air-ball props for even considering a call, but he just got straight-up outplayed here by 1 of the best players to frequent Hustler's live streams. Unfortunately for him it wasn't the 1st time, & won't be the last - unless Nick's seemingly infinite bank-roll finally runs out, that is.

[@2smokey69]

Ngl idk why people like u even care about niks bankroll, so sad tbh

[@backpacker3421]

Maybe the better play is to be out on the flop and save yourself a ton of chips. If you really wanna set mine, ok. Out on the flop when you miss and save yourself a lot of chips and avoid having to make that tough call. Personally, set mining on a 3-bet board is something I would not do with deuces anyway. Even when you hit, if there's any high cards on the board, you have to expect sometimes you will be outgunned by the better set and those hands will cost you so much that it will take several sets to make up for them. I'd bring my set mining range up to probably around 99 so I could at least expect to be middle set if I hit. All that said, I rarely play more than 100 BB deep effective, so... perhaps I would need to recalibrate.

[@TheGillenium]

“Let’s see if nik air ball can find the call” You told us in the title of the video he didn’t find the call buddy.

[@willtuanaki1854]

Great analysis all around, from Rampage, Airball, even the commentary. Nik should’ve considered C/R turn if he believed he had enough equity there.

[@jeremybrown4489]

Airball is a charitable man he's going straight to heaven. I would try and keep my big yap shut is my answer

[@OMCPoker]

I have seen this before, Rampage has a tell here. I don't know I would see it at the table, but sitting here, yes it is there.

[@Eliht01]

What is it?

[@Pyrrhic537]

Please don't reveal it lol. Im onto it too lol. Probably wouldn't get it at the table either unless was rested and not stressed. But anyway a tell doesn't tell us he has air. It could just mean his AJ might be beat by 2 pair, a low straight or a set.

[@SuhendraLie]

Pls do tell! Is it his fast breathing?

[@OMCPoker]

@@Pyrrhic537 If Rampage wants to talk about it I will. But I think he knows already.

[@jjmohn9204]

An extra good one today, Thx sir!

[@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr]

I think it's a standard fold preflop after the 3x 4 bet ;but for sure fold on the river considering there are far more hands we lose to than complete bluffs that would have 4bet preflop, KA is the only complete bluff candidate I can reasonably think of at the moment. Deuces are never great to set mine with facing a 4 bet preflop in my experience.

[@therealexquisiteexistentia4743]

Yeah it’s nuts to call a 4bet with 22

[@SucramRenrut]

Yes, fold-pre 100%, but by 4 betting A8hh Rampage proves he could actually have any suited Ax hand, all of which would have triple barrelled unless they hit a pair, so there are actually a ton of hands in his range that miss and have to bluff.

[@OGDallasBeatz]

Side note: Nik needs to just go bald, he got the Thomas Jefferson coming in

[@gkb1973]

I generally don’t engage in table talk. I’m decent at poker and very bad at psychological verbal manipulation.

[@SerpentStar_]

To quote the poker song by Kenny Rogers - Every hand is a winner and every hand is a loser, you got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em 🎵🎶

[@corey0tucker0ct]

When was this stream?

[@MudStuffin]

A pretty long time ago, maybe even last year but not positive

[@dreamycoal]

Can someone explain what Jonathan means by "all the draws miss"? I understand that the flush draws missed but there's still a J and Q, and with how rampage played pre-flop isn't it very likely he could have those cards, or even a large pair?

[@SayLee-vx4vg]

Only Airball would call preflop. The greater players would have folded after the flop.

[@Fongtastic711]

NIK FRIEZA HAHAHHAAHA I'm here for this!!

[@DaveDepilot-KFRG]

He calls off hundreds of thousands in seconds, but needed extra attention today so waited 10 minutes for $57k.

[@boydparks8716]

I had hoped Airball would have found his balls to make that call. It would have been very enjoyable to see the reaction on Rampage's face😅

[@adcscooter4517]

When I'm all in and someone is asking me questions, I don't respond. You have the right to remain silent at a poker table. I don't even answer questions about my chip stack. I just move my hands.

[@mightybatillo]

How is your pinned comment 1 month old when it says the video was posted 5 hours ago? 🤔

[@carlwebinar1571]

I don't have a good speech game like Eric Perrson and I have known this about myself for a long time. I always just stare at one card on the board whether it's a bluff or not. And I try hard to be balanced when I shove. Shove when I have the nuts, shove when I bluff, shove when I think it's a chop. Never say a word or even look at my opponent.

[@hammertyme8392]

I just don't understand calling the turn if you're not going to put it in on the river. You know Rampage ain't gonna slow down

[@PO-Dunk_din]

I mean cold call 3bet out OOP was the mistake here. Folded the ducks and move on with ur life. Basically a 6k pull on a slot machine. Makes good TV tho

[@stylin40s]

Stare blankly at the turn card and breathe slowly and meditate to remove myself from everything going on at the table

[@senthilmonkey]

When you don't believe him on the flop and then the turn you should probably call off the river. In this case Rampage has complete air but he is capable of playing AK or A10 or any suited Ace with spades or diamonds this way. So when the river bricked with a J all the more reason to call as Rampage 3 bet range preflop and continuous betting indicate AA or KK or AQ or QQ. But AQ doesn't probably shove. So we are worried about just 2 or 3 hands and all the other bluffs. Call.

[@dennisgrimes6827]

Quiet and Stoic. Weakness is strength and strength is weakness.

[@KW-zg7xm]

Waste of time. U can’t call. Even if he bluff he can have pair of 3. Airhead….

[@overthehilldill3626]

When Rampage is that still i would call. I could actually feel his nervousness.

[@mandina816]

The freeza got me 😂

[@Peter-zg3em]

not the frieza treatment 🤣.

[@Cyberbizbuddy]

You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be used against you!

[@eltoroloco1936]

Bruh, if you're behind now, you were behind the whole way. Why put in $32k if you're gonna fold for $57k especially when the most obvious draw misses?

[@majorleagueblackjack27]

This is why you fold this hand preflop... and im the "keep quiet" type. Talking is not going to help you.

[@Aquachico1976]

I always stay quiet, btw , If Nick went the distance, I’d call river

[@stephentaylor6617]

I don’t talk while in a hand, after the session, I will talk to anyone about a hand.

[@leviwhatever6192]

I challenge everyone reading this to make this bluff at your local 1-2 game, and to make an all-in call with your pocket deuces at your local 1-2 game. Go ahead.... Make My Day.

[@Spherex]

Nik FISHball

[@cndvd]

Nik is calling every bet and not raising, he might as well call the all-in. Plus he big stack. I like Rampage’s demeanor but the 6k tells the draw that probably did not hit. (A K ? A X ?). Nik All-in on 6k bet ! Put the pressure.

[@edwardbrito4010]

Don't be passive he just call down any resistance at the start or middle he likely takes it.

[@aqn1976]

Before he called the $25k turn he should've planned on calling an all-in shove at the river and essentially a blank came on the river he should've definitely gone with his initial read!!! Cannot make half-ass hesitant decisions but have to be decisive one way or the other... I can understand the lay down if a front door flush (backdoor one even) came on the river but it DID NOT!!! Therefore, terrible fold esp against an opponent that you know bluffs relatively enough!!! So at the turn, he shoulda been ready to go $75k with his read or $0... Not punt off a $25k for no good reason after reading it correctly the whole way!!!

[@depalma13]

I don't speak to anyone when I am all in. Ever.

[@gilo8721]

Dang I like air balls style, he is a solid player and is great at maneuvering whether in position and even more so out of position. Airball new deep down his pockets were good but I don’t know why he held himself back on falling. A call would have been an epic read. End of the day Airball knew that rampage bricked but he gave rampage too much respect, he needs to realize whether ur a pro or not…poker is still poker. Nothing better in poker than a good call like this could have been or a laydown… Airball must have forgot rampage 4 bet to 12k and when the flop hit rampage only bet like 6k. Rampage had he had a strong hand like top pair, AA or KK like Airball first said, Rampage would have bet at least half the pot and he bet half of that half which was less than his preflop bet. If I was Airball I woulda called because of that flop rampage made, I would have seen that smaller bet as a value bet from someone trying to bluff to know how he is going to play the next two cards and to 17:49 see where Nik is at on this board and unfortunately Airball could have and should have 3 bet rampage on the flop to gain Control of this pot. Once u just flat call ur telling everyone you are on a draw and praying to just catch something. Rampage saw it like this and continued his onslaught of bets cuz Airball chose to play weak and on a straight draw. By this time rampage knew the only way to win was to jam on river. Had he placed a big bet

[@brodyhoffman4555]

so wrong big bet doesn’t equal big hand, i’d rampage actually did have aces or kings like he was repping he’d bet super small trying to keep airball in there w all the junk he plays

[@carltaylor2975]

With that amount of money I would probably sit still and stay quiet. Good poker players would probably be able to read me really well, so I would hush up.

[@Peter-zg3em]

10000% you keep quiet every time. a busted draw would be an uncomfortable spot. if you have a decent hand you're probably good and you'll sit there and you're ok if he calls or folds, so you just sit there without much of a sweat.

[@Alexandertygreat]

This just feels like a plan gone wrong, feels like he has only QQQ here or air. Aa and kk will price out a flush draw on the turn. How can you fold now getting almost 3to1? If you know rampage is capable of this play at all it is a call. Its hard to make a pair in NLHE

[@NO--BS.]

Ya took all the drama out with the title. 🤫

[@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr]

This is a hand review video it's not supposed to play on the drama of the hand.

[@NO--BS.]

@@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr Ok, I should have said "fun" instead of drama.

[@NO--BS.]

@@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr No schit Sherlock.

[@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr]

@@NO--BS. Same difference fun/drama, this is a hand review video and it's not meant to play on the fun/drama of the hand...... This channel doesn't make clickbait content like other channels, it provides poker lessons via hand breakdown.

[@joet7760]

I guarantee if Nick wasn’t stuck 100, he calls

[@Knuckles557]

He was supposed to fold… 99.9% of the time he’s behind in that situation anyway pocket 2s get real lol smh

[@joet7760]

@@Knuckles557 I agree

[@johnmenendez8116]

Do exactly what Rampage is doing

[@willwang8489]

If it is me, I can't call, It's very hard to call, I will do the same action.

[@mattypondhopper1948]

I am a natural conversationalist, but I don’t say a word in a hand. I want to lead them to the decision I want with my play and am afraid I’ll inadvertently sway them the wrong direction if I talk. I only talk in a hand if I’m trying to get them give something away.

[@RoCkShaDoWWaLkEr]

I wear headphones without music playing to discourage people from talking to me, it works really well for me.

[@mkayultra3738]

How much do you think Airballs play style influenced Rampages line in this hand?

[@jamieknox1806]

Its 3 to 1. If i had money like airball i think you have to call. Why call every street then fold the river. That said its easy to say this when we have perfect information

[@jordanmackey8860]

feel like rampage was for sure trying to isolate nik, who wouldn’t wanna play big pots against him when he’s the textbook definition of a LAG and a whale

[@waltermooreiii3665]

get a real shirt mic when you are recording.... you need it for your channel

[@dt8799]

I'd show him the Ace of hearts.

[@FreddyFermin]

I thought same thing, talking to him too😂

[@yveshuyghe1278]

Why not both and make Airball tilt for the rest of the night? 😂

[@harveyhashimoto2384]

I'm of the Rampage slant and say nothing. I'm not as good as he is staying still, however.

[@armandosuba3427]

Rampage played like he has a Q or over pair. Possibly even an under pair. Also a set would play this way. Airball has a single pair The worst pair Even if Rampage is bluffing with one pair. It's still better than Niks Airball put himself in that situation. If he was going to invest so much he should known Rampage is going all in on River His Ego gets in the way of making the right choice He could have folded at any time He could have gone all in himself on a bluff which would have been a better option of just calling building up the pot then finally folding when he gets 3 to 1 on a river call

[@tallsmile28]

Keep quiet. Silence is golden.

[@samiam7342]

"hero call is the best play" - id like to see little John call $57,500 with a pair of 2's..............real $ not online fantasy chips.

[@glennstairs6798]

Exhausting

[@johnnygold753]

I'd call clock🤣

[@Knuckles557]

I would talk myself out of a pot like I always do and get called when I bluff 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@SavagePoker81]

I’ve seen that moved so many times esp in oline poker and I always call coz I know that the only thing the villain will win the pot is by bluffing! Rampage can easily have the those bluffs AK combo, AJ suited, Ax suited.. Nick Airball just don’t know how to play poker!

[@yveshuyghe1278]

AJ would not exactly be a bluff here.

[@musatebi486]

22 flats pre 3b oop??

[@OMCPoker]

Keep Quite!

[@sonicboomers122]

When you get the River with Pocket 2 the Ducks. Just call it off. You had four chances to play smart at this point you kinda have to commit to your mistake, Cause you thought you w ere on the Flop and Turn you should think you are good on the River.

[@qsdailydose8970]

Stillness.

[@FullyTorqued176]

Silence. No tells given.

[@deanalbertson7203]

Nik should have folded preflop.

[@losyart]

Rampage is imo sucididal to try to bluff biggest calling station and fish but it works out somehow and he had lowest pair imagine he has pair of 3eees hes snapp calling threes

[@MrDeSilva]

the guy is a mxxon

[@Alexandertygreat]

Its easy to crush in this game, the play is horrible at best. He plays ABC for todays standards and has run well. Doesnt have 100% of his own action. Tilts the game even further in his favor. Put him in a gamle with all top NLHE players and he struggles at best and gets crushed at worst

[@pontus3142]

I shut up. Too hard to be balanced. You can't be all loosey-goosey eating a sandwich.

[@beatingu8347]

Never engage. Always silent stone faced

[@CostaRicaJack]

Keep Quite.

[@talksomenoise7423]

Listen to me when I tell you this is why you do not call 3 and 4 bets with deuces, three's, or four's. The number of times where I correctly read the opponent is bluffing and yet they are bluffing a hand that just beats my call. In this instance I could see Rampage having something like 56 of spades and feeling like he has to bluff the river to win and Ariball picking up that he was bluffing and having to fade every bluff that actually beats him.

[@slowery43]

why would anyone listen to you? You do not and never have ever palyed at these stakes, you have absolutely ZERO credibilty not a sole cares what you think or say what you MIGHT do yet you pretend to be some ind of poker expert. Remind us of how many bracelets you've won, tell us how many poker books you've authored, tell us about the poker academy you started... go ahead we'll wait

[@alexthedeal1827]

When you think you click on hcl poker.... 🤢🤮

[@oldterry9476]

quiet as possible

[@go5582]

Hi handsome, i dont think your voice is annoying. I would like to hear some humor.

[@patrickkelley6698]

Keep quiet. But I do that anyway not just on a monster shove bluff

[@ashleyowens5231]

Prolly run my mouth in some way

[@DerMig590]

Sick bluff. Rampage is psycho. You can't beat a natural born killer lol 💪

[@MrDeSilva]

you go ahead and explain that to an air head..sorry air ball

[@jaggy-snake]

I keep quiet

[@kendob9642]

Nik "puddin' stain" poopball

[@AJCsr]

15 minutes into the hand. Airball: I promise im not wasting time...

[@williamhunter1959]

Definitely keep quiet!!!

[@sawg4607]

Too bad, Donk Airhead. There's a guy on 888 casino that plays like him that I can't stand. It's very satisfying to see manics get beat at their own game. 😊 Good job, Rampage. Btw, I'm using my winnings to buy some of your books Johnathan! I can't wait to read them!

[@deviongants3724]

Keep quiet and pray he don't call

[@kaofoilee987]

I fold long time

[@mrhumble2937]

I mean he got lucky air ball only had 22. He almost called

[@slowery43]

thank you Cpt Obvious