Key Takeaways
- Monkey Tilt founder Sam Kiki is winding down his gambling operations to focus on Tilt Rips, a digital platform for opening, storing, shipping, and reselling Pokémon, One Piece, and sports cards.
- Tilt Rips sells packs priced from 10 cents to $3,000, sources inventory through roughly 100 buyers, and offers buybacks at about 90 percent of market value.
- Kiki plans to expand into AI-powered grading, insurance, lending, sneakers, and luxury handbags while building a collectibles business he can share with his three children.
Sam Kiki once took down Kevin Hart in a $424,500 pot on High Stakes Poker. Now, the record-setting poker player is making a very different bet: Pokémon cards.
On Oct. 23, Inc. reported that the MonkeyTilt founder is shifting his attention to Tilt Rips, a digital collectibles platform where adults can pay to open virtual packs containing Pokémon, One Piece and sports cards. Packs range from 10 cents to $3,000.
The decision represents a significant departure for Kiki, whose résumé includes executive positions at MGM Resorts and Caesars Interactive. Monkey Tilt is winding down its casino and sportsbook operations as Kiki concentrates on the collectibles market, bringing his original investors along.
A trip to Japan convinced him the opportunity was worth pursuing.
"Japan is a mecca for collectibles," Kiki told Inc. "I came back and told my team we have to build in this space."
Since then, Tilt Rips has grown to work with roughly 100 buyers who source cards from shops, conventions and suppliers, with its inventory stored in Montana.
The move comes as Pokémon collecting continues generating attention beyond traditional hobby circles.
According to TCGplayer, the average selling price jumped from $4.39 in early November to $42.66 by early December, an increase of approximately 872 percent.
The buying campaign prompted debate on Reddit about whether one collector could meaningfully influence prices.
"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 phenomenon even reached Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, a Pokémon collector himself.
"The market for it has really exploded," Burrow said at the time. "I think it's pretty cool."
For Kiki, however, the appeal extends beyond individual card valuations. Collecting has also allowed him to connect with his three children, ages 10, 8, and 7, in ways his previous businesses couldn't.
"This is the first time where I've had this level playing field with them," he said.
His ambitions extend beyond digital packs. Kiki wants Tilt Rips to eventually offer grading, insurance, lending, and other services, potentially expanding into sneakers and luxury handbags.
He's particularly interested in using artificial intelligence to accelerate card 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 now, Tilt Rips remains focused on cards, with Kiki describing the collecting community as a major reason for his career change.
"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."
