Image courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Back in 2021, Nick Rigby burst onto the poker scene as an amateur poker player who ran deep in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Playing two-three like it was pocket aces, Rigby’s love of his favorite hand, the so-called ‘Dirty Diaper’, became legendary. He bluffed with it, he won big with it, and the media interest seemed to propel him all the way to a score of $136,100.
Since then, players around the world play the Dirty Diaper, and Nick Rigby has progressed his career, becoming an ambassador for the RunGood Poker Series.
We spoke to him after another profitable trip, this time to Maryland, about his famous emergence back in 2021 and how his poker career has gone from strength to strength.
The Dirty Diaper
While we all remember Nick’s 2021 World Series of Poker, the origins of the ‘Dirty Diaper’, two-three offsuit, were some way from the bright neon lights of Las Vegas in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
It’s a great place, there’s a lot of character here, Nick says. It’s the Steel City and has a blue-collar mentality. The Dirty Diaper – two-three offsuit – started playing cash at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
It was something to do in like $1/$3. We were drinking at the casino, and we’d get in a spot where we could windmill it over and do a celebration.
Nick’s WSOP Main Event run in 2021 inspired people all over the world, and the $136,100 score he took home for coming 52nd remains his highest.
While it’s the result that catapulted him from hopeful amateur to a WSOP star, Nick explains that he almost didn’t play the World Championship at all.
I was awaiting government clearance for an upcoming job. I had a few months off work between positions, and I had booked a trip out to Vegas to play the Mini Main event, costing $1,100.
With Nick’s bankroll running low, he considered not taking the trip. Then his buddy had ‘a few large wagers’ on game seven of the Major League Baseball World Series in Houston, Texas, and put in a call.
It was three or four in the morning the night before the Mini Main Event. He said, ‘Hey, do you want to go sweat this game tomorrow?’ After a long night of drinking, he – without permission from his fiancée – said, ‘Hey, let’s take the red eye into Vegas if you still have that room at The Wynn booked.’ So we did.
Meeting up with other friends in Las Vegas, Nick got caught up in the maelstrom of positive feeling and beer-inspired bravado.
His friends convinced him to play not just the ‘Mini Main,’ but the $10,000-entry Main Event itself, juggling percentages of the buy-in.
Prior to that, I haven’t played any huge, large-field tournaments, Nick admits. It was all local casino dailies or tournaments at fire halls. The next thing I know, we’re playing Day 5 of the Main Event.
Momentum in the Main
Once Nick started to surge, public interest in him grew. Then the Dirty Diaper happened in a pivotal hand, where Nick bluffed Ronald Jensen off the best hand in spectacular fashion.
I think the first time during that Main Event I played the hand, a blogger was coming around, I had ‘The Diaper’ in position, and used my aggression and noticed the blogger. He caught the hand, and I made two pair with it, so he reported it, and it just kind of became a thing!
From then on, every time Nick played the Dirty Diaper, it seemed to make the reports. That momentum built to a head when he was dealt in what turned out to be a huge hand against Jensen.
They published the article prior to when I bluffed with it against the kings. I had some buddies on the rail who were indulging in some alcoholic beverages, and I decided to call the four-bet and then bluff off the Kings. It was just a really cool moment.
Some called Nick’s action ‘crazy,’ but to the player himself, the move made perfect sense when the ace landed. If Nick put Jensen on jacks, queens, or kings – his actual hand – then against that range of hands, the all-in from Nick made perfect sense as an exploitative play.
He didn’t shove pre-flop, and I put him on a hand like tens, jacks, queens, possibly also kings, which is crazy to say when I’m calling the four-bet. But we were deep and then I flop a hand where I don’t have zero equity, and he checks to me… The ace is the perfect flop for me to just rip it.
Of course, the move worked. Jensen folded his kings, Nick showed the Dirty Diaper to the table, and his rail went crazy while their man pulled in another huge pot. It’s the kind of hand that hopeful amateurs dream of playing and almost never get to actually carry out. As Nick appreciates, though, it could have gone very wrong.
He could have pocket aces there. Then we’re not sitting here talking about it! Absolutely. But you’re right in terms of the range. I know two-three is in nobody’s range. Some people will find themselves in hands against me where they have to put that in my range, and it makes their decision very interesting in some spots on the river.
Taking His Chances
Playing the Main again two years later, Nick woke up with pocket aces against the suited ace-king of Chance Kornuth in a key spot.
Chance is a great player, says Nick. You know he’s navigated his way through some big spots, and he’s commented before where he’s going to get away with a lot of things that you can’t get away with in other tournaments.
I wasn’t very happy to find him two to my left because I know that we’re instantly going to be up to some shenanigans.
That proved to be the case, and the two men had already shared the felt on a non-televised table for 30 minutes before the hand, with both of them trying to take control of the action.
We had a little bit of a dynamic back and forth. He bluffed me once and showed seven-deuce. It was only for a small pot, but I thought to myself, ‘We’re probably going to play a big pot at some point sooner than later’.
Leading up to Day 1 of the Main Event of 2023, Nick had told a friend that he thought there would come a point where he’d use his image to ‘overshoot’ aces.
A lot of people obviously want to extract value out of their aces. Given my image, I thought I’d get action in a lot of spots where I’m just overshooting a larger stack.
That’s exactly what happened in the epic hand.
It worked out perfectly, smiles Nick. I opened 3x. Chance three-bets, and I decided that was an ideal spot – button versus big blind – to just rip it. Fortunately enough, he woke up with a strong enough hand to call.
It was a huge moment in the tournament, and could be my favorite hand, honestly, over The Diaper bluffing the Kings. It’s like a sequel to The Diaper, where you’ve built up this image and that’s the payoff.
Bullying the Brat
While beating Ronald Jensen and Chance Kornuth in those two epic hands lives long in Nick’s memory as well as all poker fans, the one elimination he’s remembered most is the time he took Phil Hellmuth out of the 2023 WSOP Main Event.
Enjoying another deep run – this time to 131st place for $67,700 – Nick busted the only player ever to win the Main Event in Las Vegas and Europe.
He’s someone I watched growing up for years. It was fun the night before, looking up the table redraw. I was staying up much later than I should have, watching some of my stream footage to see what people had in some spots.
It was exciting being on there every day because you want to see how you’re reacting, if you have any tells. I saw the draw and Phil Hellmuth from Palo Alto, California. I tweeted him and kind of called him out, which got some buzz going.
Hellmuth replied, and sure enough, the next day, the two men met at the felt.
The next morning, Phil said, ‘A little birdie told me that you and I will be on the PokerGO feature table all day tomorrow.’ That was a cool moment.
As soon as we sat down, he asked me how many times I was going to bluff him throughout the day. I believe I told him nine. And every time I would bluff him, I would show, and I’d count two, three, four. I think I might have gone up to five when we got moved up to the main feature table.
Sadly for Phil, the bromance didn’t last long, as Nick took him out when his superior two pair was strong enough to send the 1989 champ to the rail.
Against many players, Phil Hellmuth may not have acknowledged his opponent in his bust-out hand, but he fist-bumped Nick, and that meant a lot to the relative newcomer.
He was extremely humble when I knocked him out. That was a really cool moment. Since then, he’s been real gracious when he sees me; he says he’s a fan of my play. Two weeks ago, we were at the same table at the WPT Shooting Stars event at Bay 101.
He likes me, but I could tell my play gets under his skin a little. There was a four-spade board, and I had ace-jack of hearts. He made a river bet, and I’m in position. I called with just ace-high correctly, and he definitely did not like that!
Table Talk and the RunGood Poker Series
The recent RunGood Poker Series saw events in New Orleans, Battle Creek, and Maryland take place, all of which Nick competed in.
Yielding over $60,000 in winnings inside a month, the events have proven Nick’s long-lasting consistency at the felt. He has enjoyed the experience a lot, mixing with more talkative players at a lower buy-in level.
As soon as I sit down, the people to my right are instantly a little… jokingly irritated, Nick smiles. They’ll say, ‘Oh, of course you’re on my left.’ They know they’re due for a day of big swings and aggressive play to their left. It’s kind of crazy – people ask for autographs here and there or selfies or pictures. The fan response has been great.
As an ambassador for Run Good, Nick enjoys ‘a lot more banter’ with other players and feels that as the stakes get lower, there’s definitely much more table talk. Nick is at home in such an environment and can see where his future at the felt might lead.
In the future, I’d like to play some streamed televised cash games. I’ve been invited to No Gamble, No Future and Hustler Casino Live. I’m maybe not bankrolled to play those high stakes right now, so it would be irresponsible at the moment. As you increase the stakes, obviously, the dynamic of the table changes.
Stepping up from tournament buy-ins to high stakes cash might be in the near future, but Nick is clearly ready for it.
It’s a different way of thinking about the game. You’re sitting there locking people on ranges. People are three-betting you differently with a different range of hands. It’s a lot more intriguing from a strategy perspective.
While some of the mid-stakes events might be more ‘ABC’ poker, Nick thinks events such as the WPT Prime Championships, with their $1,100 buy-ins, are a ‘sweet spot’. He plans to play the WPT events in December in Las Vegas, but if he is successful in Cherokee on the WSOP Circuit, a trip to The Bahamas and WSOP Paradise might be on the cards.
Going Pro
Back in 2021, Nick was about to take a new job when his WSOP Main Event surge landed him a score of $136,100. But Nick was sensible and started that job, working for three years doing contract work for the U. S. Navy.
It was just a typical office job, really, with a lot of paperwork and purchasing behind the scenes. I enjoyed traveling for poker, and also the responsibilities of having an office job, having to leave to go to another city for four or five days.
Three years into the position, Nick would pick his spots for tournaments here and there. However, leading up to the 2025 World Series, he realized that he wanted to play more. That led to a big decision.
I left my job in May of 2025. I did it with the intent of playing more. I was supposed to be at the WSOP for four days this year playing the $1,000 Mystery Bounty event. It turned into 51 days or something similar. I found some success in a few tournaments.
I had the WPT Gold Rush Pass, which obviously offered the extra million. The deepest I went was 39th in the Super Turbo event, which felt like I got third.
Nick’s table image has developed in recent years. While the cameras focus on the fun he brings to live poker, his own emphasis has been on being stoic. Noticed by the fans, but not by the players, hiding in plain sight. It’s part of his constructed table image that plays against his physical presence.
My friends and I always say if you’re in a large hand, stay stoic. I’ve worn the stoic hats and stoic t-shirts. In a lot of moments, I just think to myself, ‘Stay stoic here, don’t crack a smile, don’t look away. ’ Whatever the moment calls for, really.
There are some spots where someone might get to a river, and they look at me. ‘This guy’s opened 50% of hands for the last hour, how could he have it here?’ I’m getting paid by having that loose and aggressive image. When that’s harnessed, it’s dangerous.
In a world of poker where characters at the felt are more valuable than ever, Nick Rigby stands out. Not for his beaming smile, or for leaping up out of his chair when a dramatic hand plays out, and not even his game, where the Dirty Diaper still makes everyone happy except the latest victim of it.
It’s the one thing each of those previous hands against Ronald Jensen, Chance Kornuth, and Phil Hellmuth have in common – winning.
People want Nick Rigby to win at the poker table. They want him to do well, to knock out some of their favorite players, and to keep winning.
The good thing is that Nick Rigby is just as keen for that to keep happening!
