"You're a cancerous tumor on poker." Yau "Rampage" challenged Allen Kessler
July 27, 2026
A conflict has erupted between popular poker blogger and two-time World Series bracelet winner Ethan "Rampage" Yau and World Poker Tour and WSOP Circuit champion Allen Kessler.
The dispute began when Rampage posted on his X that he had been reading YouTube comments from viewers claiming they would crush him at the poker table. The regular noted that after beating the "final boss of hold'em" Adrián Mateos at WSOP 2026, he rates his chances highly in such matchups.
Kessler chimed in on the comments to this post, stating that Yau often loses to plenty of notable players. Rampage at first politely offered him a heads-up match of 100,000 hands at $100/$200. However, Kessler, who specializes in mixed games, replied that he wasn't interested in playing hold'em and offered to put up several players who would accept the challenge.
After that, Rampage suddenly went from politeness to insults. "I'm tired of this whining fart who constantly puts others down online but doesn't have the guts to accept a real challenge. You're a cancer on the poker industry," Yau wrote, adding an obscenity at the end.
Kessler responded that he would only be willing to accept Rampage's challenge in mixed games. Yau himself made it clear that he wouldn't play against the opponents Allen offered to put up against him.
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The dispute began when Rampage posted on his X that he had been reading YouTube comments from viewers claiming they would crush him at the poker table. The regular noted that after beating the "final boss of hold'em" Adrián Mateos at WSOP 2026, he rates his chances highly in such matchups.
Kessler chimed in on the comments to this post, stating that Yau often loses to plenty of notable players. Rampage at first politely offered him a heads-up match of 100,000 hands at $100/$200. However, Kessler, who specializes in mixed games, replied that he wasn't interested in playing hold'em and offered to put up several players who would accept the challenge.
After that, Rampage suddenly went from politeness to insults. "I'm tired of this whining fart who constantly puts others down online but doesn't have the guts to accept a real challenge. You're a cancer on the poker industry," Yau wrote, adding an obscenity at the end.
Kessler responded that he would only be willing to accept Rampage's challenge in mixed games. Yau himself made it clear that he wouldn't play against the opponents Allen offered to put up against him.
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