UpdatedWed, November 4, 2026 at 1:52 AM UTC
Poker pro Sam Kiki, who once beat comedian Kevin Hart in a $424,500 pot on High Stakes Poker, has turned his attention from the card table to the collectibles market.
The founder of MonkeyTilt is now focused on Tilt Rips, a digital platform where adults pay to open virtual packs of Pokémon, One Piece, and sports cards, Inc. reported October 23. Pack prices range from 10 cents to $3,000.
The move marks a sharp change of direction for Kiki, who previously held executive roles at MGM Resorts and Caesars Interactive. The news follows a Local Fox News anchor losing a wig on live TV during a Halloween broadcast.
-
Ingraham cites laryngitis for Fox News absence on show’s 9-year anniversary
-
Mike Johnson says there’ll never be another POTUS like Trump as Fox News reacts
Monkey Tilt is closing its casino and sportsbook businesses as he shifts to collectibles, and his original investors are staying with him. A visit to Japan helped persuade him.
“Japan is a mecca for collectibles,” Kiki told Inc. “I came back and told my team we have to build in this space.” Tilt Rips now works with about 100 buyers who find cards at shops, conventions and from suppliers. The inventory is kept in Montana.
The pivot arrives as interest in Pokémon cards continues to spread beyond traditional hobbyists. TCGplayer data showed the average selling price of one card climbing from $4.39 in early November to $42.66 by early December, a jump of roughly 872 percent.
The buying spree sparked a debate on Reddit over whether a single collector could move prices in a meaningful way.
“He’s only artificially increasing the price for his future purchases,” one commenter argued. “This man is the entire market for first edition Kabutos.”
The craze has also caught the eye of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who collects Pokémon cards himself.
“The market for it has really exploded,” Burrow said at the time. “I think it’s pretty cool.”
For Kiki, the draw goes beyond what individual cards are worth. Collecting has given him a way to bond with his three children, who are 10, 8 and 7, something his earlier ventures never offered.
“This is the first time where I’ve had this level playing field with them,” he said.
His plans reach well past virtual packs. Kiki hopes Tilt Rips will eventually provide grading, insurance, lending and other services, and could branch into sneakers and luxury handbags.
He is especially keen on using artificial intelligence to speed up grading.
“Why can’t you take your card, drop it in a machine, have it digitally graded by AI, and have it spit out a grade in a slab almost in real time?” he asked.
For the moment, Tilt Rips is sticking to cards. Kiki says the people who collect them are a major reason he made the switch.
“This community is 100 times better than any other community I’ve been involved with,” he said. “We are all there for a shared passion.”
