The New Year tends to usher in a period of change for most individuals or organizations.
In Los Angeles, on the set of Hustler Casino Live, change isn't on the docket. Instead, HCL looks to continue building up their already-impressive catalogue of content. The easiest way to do that? Follow the formula that's proven to work. Big names, high stakes, insane action.
It's simple, sure--but simple works.
Rampage returns
Tonight, one of the poker world's rising stars, Ethan "Rampage" Yau, returns to the HCL felt for his 28th appearance on the show. There's the first third of the formula right there.
According to Yau, the game can only end one of two ways: with him rich or back at the $1/$3 tables. As fans of his, we here at PokerOrg sincerely hope it's the former. On the other hand...a 2024 re-grind up the stakes would make for fantastic content.
The last time Yau took a seat on the HCL set was back in November of 2023 during Super High Stakes Week. In that game, he squared off against the likes of Dan "Jungleman" Cates, Andy Stacks, and Martin Kabrhel--easy pickings, right? Wrong.
The game ended up breaking a little earlier than intended when Santhosh Suvarna and Nik Airball made an unexpected exit. Kabrhel followed suit shortly after and the game was left short-handed. To Yau's credit, he didn't shy away from the spot and took on both Cates and Stacks in a three-handed battle. The result? A $304,900 loss for Yau, his largest-ever on the show.
Tonight, the lineup differs, but the stakes--$100/$200/$400 with a $400 big blind ante--remain the same. There's the second part of the formula.
Hopefully, Yau won't find himself in a similar spot this time around. It's unlikely that he does as the lineup for tonight's show sees Brandon Steven, Pepe, PrinceCharles, Raymond, and NikAirball join Yau to battle it out on the felt.
So, what's missing then? Oh, right--the action. Well, that's the one aspect of this winning formula that's completely out of the hands of the HCL team. Instead, the players dictate the action based on how the cards come, which, as we all know, falls under the purview of the poker gods.
So, with that in mind, please forgive us as we pray to the poker gods for the action. You can watch the action below starting at 5.30pm PT.
