If you like to watch TV poker, you've probably heard the name Nik Airball mentioned more and more. The full name Nikhil Arcot was introduced to the public, most notably on Hustler Casino Live, from where he made his way around the world. But besides big pots and great hands, his name is often mentioned in connection with questionable behaviour, tantrums or, for example, a 20-minute tank.
Recently, Airball publicly admitted to an $8 million downswing, which raised questions about the origins of his wealth. That topic also came up on the 888Ride show with interviewer David Tuchman, where you can enjoy a 40-minute interview full of interesting and oft-discussed topics regarding one of poker's most polarizing figures.
Where does his money come from?
In a bold move, Tuchman directly broached the subject and exposed Airball to a burning question: where does his money come from? Airball's stern response brought more question marks than answers: "I've made some money in poker, I've made some money working, I've made some money investing. Sort of."
Among the various speculations floating around the poker public, Airball is often referred to as a "trust fund baby" or a speculator being subsidized by his wife's family. "None of those things are true," Airball claimed at the end of the episode, " My wife's parents are a fireman and an elementary school teacher."
First poker memory
Airball shared his first poker memory with viewers as he reminisced about the days when his father used to play a weekly home sit-and-go league. In it, the winner of the leaderboard won an entry into the WSOP Main Event, " My dad did it one year...he came back and got a signed hat from Doyle Brunson, Chris Fergurson and got into the second day of the Main Event and it was very exciting." Airball went on to say that his father still plays, but with much lower stakes than what we see Airball himself playing. "I think his swing is a couple hundred dollars - if he wins $200, he's happy."
But what do Airball's parents think of their son playing for hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions? "I think that since I was successful at poker, my parents basically didn't care. I think they support me but I know for a fact that it causes my parents anxiety when I play the biggest games. They know very well what a roller coaster it is."
Is Nik Airball a character or a real person?
Tuchman also brought up a question he once posed to Phil Hellmuth - Is the Nik Airball we see on streams a fictional character or a real person? "I think it's a combination. When we're on stream, I'm aware of being on stream. It's supposed to be a show and entertainment, right? I think it should be entertaining for the audience. It's definitely trying to entertain the audience, it shouldn't just be about sitting there like a robot and trying to play perfectly."
Finally, Airball also expressed concern about how people perceive him, " A lot of times people judge me based on things that are taken out of context that they don't see in the stream. If I'm trolling someone or giving someone a 'suck it up', people immediately think I'm a dick. But people don't know my personal relationship with that person, they have no idea if I'm a dick to that person or not. They just perceive some specific behavior and they immediately pigeonhole me according to it." What is your opinion of Niko? Share it with us in the comments on our social media!
Sources - YouTube, Pokernews, PokerGO, Poker.org
