My First Losing Year | 2023 Poker Income 

There’s no way of tracking the ROI that you have provided the entire Poker community. For that, and if no one has said, so, we greatly appreciate it! Thank you for your contributions to the community, the content that you provide and the journey you have allowed us to go on with you. Best of luck in 2024! Looking forward to what is in store for this year.

I’ve been following your channel since the jump, part of what makes it great is to see your progression.. with this being your first losing year and seeing the increase in higher stake poker games, I personally would love to see a video series with vids no longer than 15 minutes of you with a coach, Jonathan little, Doug Polk, etc, going over big hands from losing efforts, how you could’ve played them better and how to use it moving forward.. videos like this are super informative for casual poker players like myself and I love watching them on other channels, as long as they’re not ridic long.. best of luck in 2024, cheers

Your honesty in this video was so good for my mental health. I've been on a maddening downswing for 2 months. Bad beats, coolers, and insane run-outs all at my expense.

You have access to all the biggest cash games where you print but decide to play tournaments all year? There is zero chance the excitement of winning one is worth busting 88% of the time

Hey rampage, despite 2023 being a losing year for you, you still played great and you punted like a fearless player. Appreciate your content and your honesty about how poker isn’t always profitable 100% of the time and I admire your determination and resilience whenever you took a bad beat, trust that 2024 would definitely be one of the most profitable years of your career and with the support of the fans, I’m sure you will succeed ❤️

I thought you normally included your youtube earnings on this annual update? Curious to see how big that has spiked over the years as I believe your content is getting better with each year. Great job at the cash tables and no doubt tourney poker will see a swing in the positive direction in 2024. I still remember playing with you at encore in 2019 when you were first getting started, love seeing your success and wish you all the best in 2024 and beyond.

Hey dude, just wanted to say I know we're all here for the poker content, but we do enjoy your travel and "b-roll" type stuff. Just letting you know so you don't feel self conscious about it or whatever. Happy New year man and best of luck!

Well done Ethan. Love the honesty. Hopefully this will have helped you identify where your game is at right now and what buy ins suit yoi best. Truthfully i dont think any of us care if youre buying in for 1k or 25k, just wanna see you succeed.

Ethan - I have been following your vlog for years and this video is exactly why. You are honest and don’t pretend to have all the answers. If you never posted videos like this many of the people who follow you would think you are making millions playing poker and running good 24/7. Your story is still early days and I don’t believe your main story will be about just poker. You are entrepreneurial with a natural talent at making videos and marketing - without these talents no one would know who you are in the poker community. I bet your overall income for 2023 included a number of decent endorsements and side hustles and it likely surpassed your losses shown here. What your vlog does show is just how difficult it is to have poker as your main source of income. You have to be unbelievably good and able to withstand large downswings to make a living playing tournaments. The Hendon Mob database just shows cashes but if it showed the type of data you showed in this video than the world would see many players with $5 million + in earnings who are losing money on a net basis and have a negative ROI despite the millions in cashes

Ethan. sending positive vibes for 2024. Hope you turn it around and make some serious profits... while expanding your personal achievements consistently. You've come a long way from 1-3 Games at BBC! and hope that wonderful stuff continues forever! Dom

Appreciate the transparency. As a newbie to takin poker seriously, studying etc., helps knowing the pros aren’t always “crushing” as some make it seem

I think that stacking nick airball would be way more fun than busting any tourney.

On the bright side, you do make the most entertaining poker vids on youtube and your a very likable guy.......also, you have some write offs.. Happy New Year Big E !!

Love ya Ethan, as a fellow Encore enjoyer, it’s crazy to see how far you’ve come from those 1/2 2/5 games in the Boston Harbor. Thanks for always keeping it real and much love from Northeastern University. Good luck in 2024!!!!

This is why I like Ethan. I feel that he's always been honest. I don't think a lot of vloggers are willing to say they had a massive loss for the year. That said, this absolutely implies that the vast majority of his income does NOT come from poker winnings, as many seem to think. I find myself constantly going back and forth with these people on youtube that seem to think he's a poker genius and making millions from poker. Clearly this proves that's not the case. It's his sponsorships, youtube, merch, etc. that are making him money. I suppose you could argue that it's all based on poker, and yes that's true, but the money clearly isn't coming from poker winnings itself. I've always watched poker vloggers for the entertainment value, not to try and become a poker pro myself, and Ethan is definitely one of the most entertaining.

“I’ll skip the most interesting part, b/c my accountant said we still need to find the lowest reasonable amount for taxes, but still deduct the bad loans.” ROFL Happy New Year man. Here’s to a great 2024!

here's a thought from a nobody. making a living playing cards is ridiculously difficult (I've tried) and almost impossible to sustain year after year. I've done all kinds of crazy shit in my life and they weren't all just to keep adding to my net worth. You are filling your life with stories and experiences that most can only dream about. THAT's the cool part. I'm sure you won't, but never forget, you are an entertainer, not a poker player. I know you'll keep that in mind and that is how you will financially succeed on a stable level. The modern business of poker isn't the game of poker, it's making money off the entertainment value of you playing poker. Keep doing what you're doing, it's fun for us to watch. FYI I'm writing this after last nights disaster on HCL...I don't pretend to know if that is all your money, backers, RU-vid money or what, but it's great entertainment. I think I like it better when you win though so get on that lol. Good luck man!

Rampage was up $1,044,555 at HCL for 2023

What about your travel expenses? You travel the world to play, usually in first class. How does this factor in?

Hello Ethan. It's nice of you sharing all of your experiences in poker. I'm sorry to hear that 2023 wasn't profitable for you. I hope 2024 will be a lot better and may it be a lucky one for you. I'm glad you keep track of all your winning and losing sessions. I hope you had a great Holiday. Best of luck in whatever you do. Have fun and be safe in Massachusetts. Peace❤️

Keep it up. The biggest part of following you is your honesty and you being open about it. I have enjoyed all your VLOGS FROM the beginning. ❤

in a podcast not to long ago I said his estimated poker revenue would be +800k this year. So CG must have been good. no worries guys. rampage is up good

Damn, that's pretty brutal. I haven't watched you in a couple of years because I just don't play much poker anymore, but damn. If you consider just a few years ago, you were thrilled to win 200 bucks in a 1/2 game...... you have come a long fuckin way man.

I love that you're a data guy. I'm curious your results on tournaments you sold action on vs those you didn't. Could be a mindset shift of being too aggressive or having less attachment to the buy-in (therefore the outcome) when you are in a partial financial responsibility position on some of those buy ins.

But didnt u cover ur tournament losses with cash game wins? Enjoyed ur play, looks like it was an exciting year with all ur adventures, Happy New Year🥳

I been tracking you from your 1/2 days you are a legend, I’m 50 I been what going trough. I now only play 5/10 and play guarantee 1mil tournaments because there fun . Find your strength in games and invest ! Your awesome!!

Take a month break and do a reset. Play moderate cash after the break to have fun and then play a couple tournaments. Evaluate and adjust. It's easy to get caught up in the numbers and that makes you make bad decisions. Hope this helps!

I have been watching your content from the beginning man! You are definitely an amazing poker player also my favorite to watch on RU-vid. I believe I am better because of the knowledge I have gotten over the years of watching you play. Thanx for all the content you make and I look forward to another year in your journey!

You need to play the MSPT tourney in May and October in Battle Creek MI. It’s a $1100 buy in with 2million+ prize pool (like 300k up top). It’s honestly the best tournament value

Good shit on Hustler this year Rampage! Roughly +1.1M! 🎉

Thanks for showing the reality of professional poker! it’s easy to think your in a constant sun run, living the dream, not a care in the world, but this is reality and it’s good to show!

Amazing. 1.2 in bullets & 800k. That’s really not that bad. Need to bring the total cashes up to about 50 out of every 200 MTTs tho & we will b rite on track. Bink 4 mil in a 10k Main & every1 shuts the tf up

Money is made in cash games. Visibility and notoriety is gained in tournaments. You have to decide which is more important to you and plan accordingly. The formula is not deep.

you had some epic moments and a good year..just watch out who you trust and invest properly..you'll figure out between cash and tournaments as per your appearances for WPT..your brand is still super strong..healthy and happiness for you Ethan.

You're a winner in our hearts

You need to get a premium credit card since you travel so much. You need lounge access to get out of the terminals. Chase Sapphire Reserve if you fly out of Boston or AMEX Platinum if you fly from Vegas more. Then you can film in quiet rooms with free snacks and drinks.

Appreciate the share. Been following you since the early days. I (like it seems some others) would be curious if this includes travel/hotel/etc. costs as well as revenue from other things (RU-vid, any free buy-ins, etc.). Would be curious where you ended up by EOY including cash and where your overall bankroll sits. Most of us can't afford to lose $500K in a year playing poker and shake it off! If you're looking to get some golf in and you make it to FL, LMK. Happy to get you out and see if your game is worthy..

Hey Ethan, It's been really fun watching your progression over the years. I suspect that in the long run, the sessions where you punted off chips, will end up making you a lot of money in the end. A great old-time player said it best, "If you're not getting caught bluffing, you're not bluffing enough." And when you make a bad play on a video, you get a huge multiplier effect of that punt. So the next time when you've got it, you're much more likely to get called. There is no doubt that watching you has improved my game a lot. And for that I thank you. And wish you a fun and profitable 2024.

Love all the tournament vlogs, please keep it up!

@Rampage you sir have come a very very long way.! Congratulations massively. I’ve watched your videos/ streams since the get go. / very beginning from your bedroom in Massachusetts home. Up to present. Absolutely astounding. Congratulations and a fun year ahead too!

I would be interested to know your expenses from the year of travelling. Airfares, accommodations and food must be quite a substantial cost to overcome.

I got a few merch from you in 2023. Poker swings hahahaha. Well done this year despite the loss. Take care of yourself more and your loved ones. Poker will always swing around and come back to you.

Always look forward to seeing your videos regardless of the type of content. I also enjoy your odd Cantonese slang when you get into hot waters “ugh-yaa” rarely hear that phrase anymore. All the best in the new year.

I really don't understand why you would not include your cash game results. On Hustler Casino, their tracker says you are up 1.04M for the year. How is this not a representation of your year? You should of included that and how much of the income you kept after selling action.

You don't have to buy in for 4 bullets in a $25k, just saying. Could use 50k of that for other tournaments instead of punting it all off in 1 tourney. I know the results overall weren't what you were looking for, but cashing in 12-15% of tourneys you play is actually pretty good considering the extremely high variance

Sorry to hear that you had a losing year Rampage, you certainly took a big step up though, and you content has been awesome. I guess in tournaments the difference between a very profitable year and a losing one could come down to just a few hands. Plus you’ve really moved up in stakes recently, rather than staying in the cash stakes you were crushing. I believe it was the great Doyle Brunson who once said, “Don’t go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.”

Resolutions for 2024… no more punts buddy! Happy new year! 👊

Also the fact that you late reg and go all in with short stack😂😂😂

Failure's an event ... never a person. Keep setting & hitting goals in 2024, Ethan, and you'll get there. Thanks for sharing everything that you do!

Bro, I'm the same when it comes to golf. I caught the golf bug HARD. But that doesn't mean I'm still not a poker player. I obviously haven't started making any content yet but you were, are?, the primary inspirational creator that had me looking into content creating for poker. Then in 2022, my friend took me to a driving range and I caught the golf bug. In my personal opinion, I've always believed that people's talents are always going to be best applied to whatever interests them most. So whether you're posting poker or golf content, you can count on me coming through to watch. Cheering for you man. p.s. Golf is hard lmfao

Us cash players care about hearing your cash numbers! I could care less about tournament results, guess I'll look em up

I think it is extremely important that you show your losses and the anguish that can cause. You are doing a real favor to anyone who thinks that they can just start playing poker and winning a lot of money. Like Mr. Helmuth says " Poker is a hard way to make easy money"

happy new year ethan! ready for more bangers this year!

This is great... it shows just how distorted the public's view is of success/how people on social media are doing. You're losing your as* and everyone thinks you're on top of the world. Interested in what you do to remedy things. More cash games I guess. Less high-roller tournaments, I guess? Golf? Triathlons? lol. Whatever it is, I can't wait to see how you adjust.

I'd love to hear how much you made from the channel and how that might have off set some of the tournament losses.

I personally don't gamble but understand the basics of poker. You are the only poker player I follow as you produce great content and have a lovely demeanour and personality so it makes me a little sad to see the extent of your losses this year and it's why I could never gamble. I married my Chinese Malaysian wife in Las Vegas 20 years ago but spent much of the time holding her handbag and reading books in the coffee shops as she gambled. I have two beautiful daughters aged 16 & 14 but if we had had a son like you, apart from the gambling, I would be very proud of you - it's probably why I watch you so much; I don't think I've missed any of your content this year. Sorry if the surrogate father vibe is a bit full-on, but stay safe and have a great and successful 2024 as I will be rooting for you and watching your content.

Tournament strategy is different from cash. It’s about chip management, changing your decisions on blind amounts, time, payout levels, shoving at the correct time, leveraging your chips vs opponents. I’ve won hundreds of tournaments in past 8 years, playing live and online, but can’t play cash games.

What a champ. Lucid, sane and honest. I'm enjoying watching how you are going. Poker is a tough business. Only so much you can control. Will be viwing in 2024 as well. Good Luck to you Rampage.

You have the best content on youtube by far. So geniuine and authentic. Thank you for that. My advice to you is you're playing too much. Poker is about patience but when you play so often you tend to get a little impatient and make mistakes. You can still play high stakes but limit the online and smaller tournaments leading up to it. And implement the 2 bullet rule like you use to. You cant force it, its very rare that anything good happens with the 3rd and 4th bullet. I would love to see your golf content btw, really any content you make ill watch. I like you as a person.

14:00 min mark is when you realized, maybe it wasn’t such a bad year after all

Appreciate the honesty, keep at it and good luck for 2024 :)

You need to concentrate on cash games. Your style and aggressive play, is way more set up for Cash games. Plus...you pick your own hours, and arent tied down to tournament scheduling.

It's a very honest and authentic review of yourself. Huge respect.

I started watching you to learn how to play poker. Now, I watch you to see your journey. I like this episode as it shows reflection on the bigger picture and the roots of wisdom. Good luck on your journey. P.S. The exuberant welcome from your girlfriend was Priceless. ,

Thanks for sharing. Sry you had a down year but your content is great win or lose. Appreciate your transparency. All the best in ‘24

Does the 435k include the 400k you lost getting scammed?

so you lost 400K in tournamnets, and won 1,2 million in cash, but you don't want talk about it ?! You focus only on losses ?

Hey Ethan, I’ve been a subscriber and avid follower for a couple of years now and have loved watching your progression. I know this video must have hurt to make and post but just remember exactly what you said, tournaments have a lot of variance compared to cash and those bad runs are almost expected. Cash, you can rebuy. Tourneys are busto. Hang in there big guy and keep your chin up, you are a solid player and in your communities eyes you are beyond due now. Keep up the good work with the vlogs man

Like the numbers blog. No one wins every game. Its weird that your losses arose as in the last 6 months , you are more carefull when near the bubble.

Thanks for being so honest, I am sure you learned a lot. Now apply what you learned. Good luck.

Thank you for the honesty you communicated here. Its good to see real life experience with gambling!

I think the things the followers would like to hear more…. What would the newbie Ethan think of your overall ride? With the details of how you’ve changed, how you like those changes or dislike them, and your poker execution. It’s not about the money….there’s no U-hauls behind a hearse. If you pull up a video from the beginning it’s pretty evident you are a different dude. Fans want to hear a break down of the journey. Money breakdown is super incomplete. A complete breakdown of your finances with merch & ad revenue would be crazy interesting but no one shares that much. So the money stuff is kind of boring cuz it’s far from the real picture. So what’s your take on the journey and the Ethan of today? What’s your take on the brand & ad revenue? The real shit. I’m guessing the brand creates a multi million dollar free roll? That’s the interesting stuff…your journey

Much respect to being open about certain things. Tourneys you’re down a lot Cash games w/out knowing how much you sold on Hustler you’re up 1,050,000 Private games, WPT and RU-vid? I’d say you’re not losing out on the year when you combine everything, since it’s still Poker related.

We met at the golf course in Quincy a while back. I'd try to do golf content crossover. Maybe skins or something. Look at the golfing channels recently. Bryson Dechambeau and others are huge right now. Maybe try a collab. It can be the same way chess and poker, for some weird reason, started merging content. Golf plus poker is probably better because people expect gambling and whatnot, however. It's also less taxing than doing a 12 hour day at the tables. Worst case scenario, you're introduced to a new audience. Peace.

Do you keep track of travel expenses? Airfare? Hotel? Uber? Generally curious on the total cost on traveling around the world playing tournaments.

Not as bad a loss as Negreanu but i bet for Rampages bankroll circumstances is different but either way you'll come back 2024 keep da head up

What you should do is hit up the Borgata Winter Classic, since your already on the east coast might as well come tru and try and bink the main event... hope to see you there

I love seeing all these unsolicited advice from 1/2 players

Thank you for posting this. Takes some stones to just lay it out there. Things that go through my mind as I watched this. The first one is do you have a problem? I know this may sound harsh but I would think that if you watched your play and tore it apart there should be something there to help. I know when Brad O. would post things he learned working with Nick P. It always seemed to help. It could just be bad luck but my guess is, probably not so there is probably something in your style of play that you can fix. I alway appreciate the content and just the amount of work you put in sharing your journey with all of us. Best wishes for better results moving forward!

I had a losing year too bro, both poker and slots man. I enjoy your videos bro bc I can never make it to Vegas

how is poker winning taxed? as normal income?

Thank You for vicariously taking us on Your 2023 financial recap Rampage and giving us poker enthusiasts a view of what it’s like to be in that realm. -eMJay…aka white name: Carter Lewis.

Understand tournaments are a different style and fun and all, but I firmly believe if you stuck to cash games only with one or two splashes into tournaments a year, you’d be a winning player year in and out 🎉

The definition of a 2-5 level player getting lucky then playing way above their head

Rampage do what makes you feel good doing.That will come out best for your fans.

This appears to be a pretty clear indication you need to downshift your buy-in and have better tournament selection. Like the variance is brutal in higher stakes games because there are fewer of them but the competition is just so strong that you are amplifying your implied losses catastrophically. You could have grinded 1k buy-in events and had a year that was profitable to the tune of 200k+ and have lower variance. Assuming travel + room and board of these poker trips you end up probably making a decent salary of a programmer doing your favorite shit. I'd shift toward no high stakes tournaments, more medium and low stakes tournaments then optimize travel and housing to reduce expenses. While big numbers are good content, winning is better content both from a mood energy and watchability. Best of luck just my 2cents

Happy new year!! Thx for being transparent and sharing your end of year figures! You’re such a great player and also an authentic nice guy!! Really appreciate your vlogs and I learn so much watching the tournaments and also your cash games!! Better luck in 2024 and hope to meet you in person and play together at the tables! Peace ✌️

you really have an honest nature 🙏

Serious question: How are you able to support yourself from a financial perspective if you have this much in losses?

I've been following you for almost 2 years.... you're going to get it back in 2024.......I would like to hear the RU-vid profits also though....

Happy new year, Ethan. I wish you all the best for the new year

I am sorry that I used to insult you and always hope that you lose, but it wasn't intentional. I kind of know you now, and I feel that you are one of the most genuine poker players out there. Stay strong in the year 2024, man! 💪💪 Subscribed!

Don't worry, Rampage. I'm confident you'll make a big comeback in 2024. All poker players have downswings, and the good players know how to get through them. Unfortunately, I make too many mistakes to know from my own experience ha. I'll be rooting for you in 2024 and beyond. You've come so far and done so well. Don't let one bad year define your career.

Love your content Rampage! I am sure after accounting for your cash game wins and YT blog income you made money. Keep up the good work!

Ethan, best of luck in all that you do 2024. Cheers from Cincinnati.

I’m in 2 poker groups that started since Covid, and this is also my first year where I’ve been down (nowhere near your numbers) but it’s really deflating from going up over 10k to being basically back even. It’s frustrating as hell….

Poker Lost and Profit can claim in for IRS, with travel expense. The state Tax have to pay 7% out of the tournament wining. Don't know if losing can carry over next year. Ask accountant ? The cash game don't need to be in tax return.

U ARE THE MAN RAMPAGE LETS GO!!!

Ethan, have you taken legal action on that case you mentioned last year? it would be interesting if you give an update.

Rampage or Ethan as your DL says. You have come along way you made one of the greatest bluffs on any stream against one of the best,he just happen to have a straight. You made another guy lay down trips on stream . You got some good skills but your not rolled for the nosebleeds yet IMO . Hope you have a good 2024 and want to see you grind some of the cash games.