Ryan Depaulo freaks out on Twitch after winning $159k jackpot in his car

Brad Norton
Ryan Depaulo celebrates after winning poker tournament from car

Ryan Depaulo has built a following on social media for competing in some of the biggest virtual poker tournaments, but his sweetest victory yet left him fired up after winning from a random parking lot in New Jersey.

When competing at the highest level, you often want as few distractions as possible. That’s why popular YouTuber and Twitch streamer Ryan Depaulo remained in his car throughout a July 13 tournament.

He remained there through the night with a simple laptop carefully resting atop his steering wheel. While the competition was fierce, Depaulo came away with one of his biggest victories ever in the World Series of Poker (WOSP). He finished first out of 1624 players, claiming the $159,563 grand prize along with a WOSP bracelet.

With a camera at the ready, not only did he record the winning moment for all to see, but he soon went live on Twitch. Viewers flooded in as the celebrations began and Depaulo declared himself “a legend.”

“Get the f**k out,” he said upon winning the final hand. As the sunrise pierced through the clouds at 6:30am, he jumped out of his car and yelled in excitement. “I’m a legend,” Depaulo screamed at New Jersey locals going about their morning business.

Before long he was back inside the vehicle and broadcasting to hundreds of viewers early in the morning. “Look at this setting…I was screaming in this parking lot and I have no f**king voice. There are people coming to work, in New Jersey, in a parking lot…this is where champions are made?” Depaulo sarcastically questioned.

“I don’t even know where I am in New Jersey right now. I don’t even know what day it is,” he said, lost in the adrenaline rush.

The victory not only comes with a huge chunk of change, but also provides Depaulo with his own WOSP bracelet. These highly coveted bracelets are only awarded to champions of WOSP events. “How do I have a f**king bracelet dude? I’m an internet clown.”

Given the ongoing global situation, WOSP tournaments were moved online for the foreseeable future. While many competed from the luxury of their homes, Depaulo stood out from the pack and it clearly paid off.

Despite the odds stacked against him, playing from a laptop in his car, the streamer now owns one of the most prestigious pieces of jewelry in competitive poker, along with $160k to potentially upgrade his setup with.

About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com