Some players appear on poker streams and quickly disappear from our memory. Señor Tilt, whose real name is Sam Kiki, doesn’t seem to be that kind of player.
From his debut appearance on High Stakes Poker, Sam created a name for himself by winning the show’s second-largest pot ever. At this point, the backstory of Señor Tilt was still a mystery, unless you were tapped into the crypto or gaming scene.
He might be a fresh face on poker streams, but he didn’t just win the lottery and show up one day to play. Sam Kiki’s been just about everywhere, and you’d never guess some of the things we discovered about him.
Samer Mohammed Kiki Jr.: Life Before Señor Tilt
Las Vegas born and raised, gaming was part of Sam Kiki’s surroundings and upbringing. His father, Sam Kiki Sr., introduced him to chess, backgammon, and poker.
After immigrating from Syria, Kiki Sr. had gone from line cook to casino general manager. His son described him as “very tough, much harder than any coach or boss I’ve ever had. But he filled me with confidence and ambition. I truly felt I had no limits.”
Sports betting, poker, and casino games were part of his early life, but after being humbled by his first taste in home games, he put them on pause.
On scholarship, Sam went to Amherst College and picked up a neuroscience degree in 2013 (bet you weren’t expecting that). It appears that he also spent time in Sydney, Australia, while completing this degree.
How Sam Kiki Jr Built a Fortune in the Corporate World
After learning how the human brain works, Sam went in a completely different direction. It appears that the only time he spent working in the medical industry was in 2011, as a Clinical Research Intern in a Cleveland brain health clinic.
After university, he spent a couple of years as an analyst and researcher for asset management and investment companies. Next, he spent a year as a partner in Aesir Capital before becoming the Principal at Astrion Capital.
But after several years, he pivoted into a different kind of financial world, joining MGM Resorts. It’s unclear if his father’s casino connections played any role in this career move. Later, he became the Head of Product & Strategy at Caesars Interactive, before taking a more independent path.
After swimming through the corporate ocean for a while, it looks like Sam wanted something for himself.
- He co-founded Manifold Trading, a quantitative investment firm focused on cryptocurrencies. The company's website says they take a “data-driven, systematic approach to making high-conviction investments.”
- He co-founded Ather Digital, a startup that offered high-power crypto trading at an institutional level. This company was eventually acquired by VersiFI in 2024 and folded into their platform.
- He founded Monkey Tilt, and as the current CEO, he’s been through over $50 million worth of funding rounds in 2024 alone. Monkey Tilt is an entertainment brand, integrated with crypto gaming and creator culture. In reality, it looks like their main venture is as a crypto casino, and their Instagram says they're "Building the #1 Brand for Risk Takers."
If you googled “Sam Kiki net worth,” you'd come up empty-handed. But, with his history in major casinos and multi-million dollar ventures, he’s sure to have a healthy bankroll. And, that's perfect for high-stakes poker streams.
The Señor Tilt Era: High Stakes Poker Streams
By now, Sam Kiki in high-stakes streamed poker games seems a bit less random. Not only was he born and bred in the world’s casino capital, but he’s CEO of a brand that’s heavily involved with crypto gaming. Sam is a bit like Ossi Ketola, with stronger connections to poker and a more diverse resume.
We’re not sure where Sam’s high-stakes story ends, but we know where it began.
Sam Kiki at PokerGo’s High Stakes Poker
On April 14, 2025, Sam Kiki bought into High Stakes Poker, filling in for Vinny Lingham. Around him were seasoned high-rollers, like Peter Wang, Alan Keating, Rick Salomon, and Nik Airball. The night went quite well for the newcomer, especially when he faced Salomon.
In one hand, Salomon held the nut flush draw with , while Sam had flopped top pair with . Kiki, not playing as Señor Tilt yet, bet out for $12,000 on the flop, and Rick raised to $37,000. On the turn , Rick led for $80,000, which Sam shoved over for $178,000. In typical splashy Salomon style, the nut flush draw was good enough to go with. They ran it twice, and after two blanks, Sam Kiki scored a $458,000 pot.
In the highlight hand (and second biggest in the show’s history), Sam straddled to $2,000 and picked up . Salomon, with , 3-bet Keatings loose open up to $20,000, and Peter called in the big blind with . Sam then 4-bet to $140,000, and Salomon shoved for $555,000. Peter laid down the ladies, and Sam called. They ran it twice, with Sam Kiki scooping both boards ( and ).
A $1,008,500 pot went his way.
At the time of writing, Señor Tilt is down over $200,000 at High Stakes Poker after 3 hours of play time.
Señor Tilt at Hustler Casino Live
Appearing on Hustler Casino Live on Dec 11, 2024, Sam Kiki switched to Señor Tilt. The name suits him here, as we’ve seen countless moments where Sam’s lost his cool. He’s punted, made Alan Keating leave the game, accused Mariano of cheating, and he’s brought a lot of attention to HCL.
During the Button Game, Keating was set to collect a bounty after nearly collecting four buttons. In the make-or-break hand, he ended up on the river with Sam, who held a pair of deuces with an Ace kicker. Keating on the other hand, was deep in his value range with trip tens. He bets the river, and Sam folds, which is where the controversy started.
In the Button Game, you’ve got to show your hand to collect the button. But, perhaps fatigued, Keating initially forgot. When he realized, he flipped his hand over, but too little too late in Señor Tilt’s eyes. The floor is called, and Keating leaves soon after. It was supposed to be a 24-hour stream, but they only made it halfway, for obvious reasons.
During a different Button Game, Mariano pulled off an impressive bluff after realizing that Señor Tilt’s range was probably capped. After going five ways to a flop of , Señor Tilt made a bet of $3,000 with . Mariano had , and made a raise to $8,000. Everyone else folded, but Tilt 3-bet to $20,000. On the turn , both checked with $48,200 in the pot.
Then, it gets interesting. Mariano leads $20,000 on the river, which Sam raises to $65,000, leaving around $80,000 left in his stack (which Mariano covers). The hand’s over, right? Wrong.
Mariano shoves, and Señor Tilt is in the tank. He eventually folds, and Mariano shows his to get the button. “Respect, respect, respect,” Señor Tilt says, stunned. But afterwards, that “respect” quickly fades and is replaced by suspicion. He proceeds to rant for over 20 minutes, saying that Mariano could be cheating, and only wins at Hustler games, among many other things.
It’s truly a fantastic clip to watch if you love false cheating accusations. Charlie Carrel later confirmed the obvious, saying that Mariano simply sussed out that Señor Tilt had capped his range.
At the time of writing, Señor Tilt is down over $1.7 million at the Hustler Casino Live after ~240 hours of play time.
Is Señor Tilt Here to Stay in the Poker Streams World?
Down almost $2 million as we write this, it’s hard to imagine Sam Kiki sticking around long on high-stakes poker streams—but that’s also what we thought about Nik Airball. Sometimes, these guys have deeper pockets than we expect, and a couple of million isn’t enough for them to vacate their seats.
He’s already the 4th biggest loser on Hustler Casino Live, rivaled only by Michael Moncek and the infamous lawyer Thomas Goldstein. But for someone as business savvy as Sam Kiki, its not looking like a great investment of time. On High Stakes Poker, he’s not doing nearly as badly, since being down $202,500 doesn’t even put him in the bottom 40. That puts him between far more skilled players, Matt Berkey and Phil Laak.
And as far as the entertainment factor goes, Señor Tilt is high EV. Streams definitely love him for it, and a fair share of viewers do too. As we’ve said before, live poker needs villains like Sam, who occasionally get out of line.
Perhaps, he’ll start working with a crypto poker company soon and hit the online tables. CoinPoker, BCPoker, or Phenom Poker would be nice fits, and would definitely draw eyeballs to their streams. We’ll keep you posted.
