Rick Salomon: Poker Results, Hands & The Famous Tape
Rick Salomon might be best known for an infamous sex tape. Salomon’s high-stakes poker results, however, put him in the top 100 on the all-time tournament money list.
The stories surrounding Salomon’s poker exploits make him somewhat of a legend in the poker world. Let’s take a closer look at the life of Rick Salomon, on and off the table.
Rick Salomon’s Fame and The Paris Hilton Sex Tape
Rick Salomon was a Hollywood mainstay long before his high-roller poker ventures began. The son of Robert Jess Salomon, a former Warner Bros. executive vice president, Rick Salomon was born in 1968. By the early 2000s, Salomon was a well-known film producer and regular in the inner circle of the television industry.
Salomon came into mainstream notoriety after a 2003 Paris Hilton sex tape leaked to the public. Salomon and Hilton were dating at the time, and what appeared to be meant as a private video ended up going viral.
Both Salomon and Hilton saw their mainstream fame rise significantly after the tape went public. Salomon sued the company that leaked the video.
He also sued the Hilton family, alleging that the family tried to ruin his reputation in the aftermath. Paris Hilton countersued, but both lawsuits were eventually dropped.
In 2004, Salomon himself began distributing the video, with the new title 1 Night in Paris.
Rick Salomon’s Tournament Results and Biggest Cashes
As of May 2020, Rick Salomon’s career poker tournament earnings total $9,906,283. His five biggest tournament cashes are as follows:
- 2016 WSOP Monte Carlo One Drop Extravaganza €1,000,000 Big One For One Drop (3rd – €3,000,000)
- 2018 World Series of Poker $1,000,000 Big One For One Drop (4th – $2,840,000)
- 2014 World Series of Poker $1,000,000 Big One For One Drop (4th – $2,800,000)
- 2018 Fall Madness $100,000 High Roller (2nd -$672,000)
- 2006 Bellagio Cup $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em (1st – $125,715)
Take a look at Salomon’s entire career list of tournament poker cashes at his Hendon Mob page here.
Memorable Hands
The following hand from the 2018 WSOP $1,000,000 Big One For One Drop puts Salomon at the center of one of the craziest hands in televised poker history:
The money bubble had just burst in this highest of high-stakes events, leaving the final five players to battle for pieces of the $24,840,000 prize pool. Every move at this point of the tournament carries seven-figure implications.
Bryon Kaverman, the shortest stack, shoves his last 13 big blinds in the hijack with A♣5♣. Fedor Holz, in the cutoff with around 50BB, calls with T♠T♣.
Salomon is in the big blind, also with around 50BB. Salomon picks up both of his cards, appears exasperated, and shoves the 50BB with A♥ K♥. Action folds back around to Holz, but there’s a problem.
While looking at his cards, Salomon exposed the A♥, and other players at the table caught a glimpse. This forces Salomon to turn over the ace and makes an already intense spot even crazier.
Holz uses multiple time extension chips, and eventually decides to make the call. The flop and turn are as juicy as it gets, with A♦K♠2♣Q♣ hitting the board.
Salomon is a 71 percent favorite at that point, with Kavernman hoping for a club on the river, and Holz needing a ten or a jack. Holz finds the T♦ on fifth street, giving him the set of tens for the double knockout.
One card away from taking the chip lead, Salomon instead settles for a fourth-place finish and $2.8 million payday.
In December 2019, Salomon was involved in the biggest pot in PokerGO history. The hand took place on an episode of Rob’s Home Game, a high stakes cash game hosted by Rob Yong.
Facing a $4,000 straddle from Yong, and a call from Lazaro Hernandez, Salomon raises to $30,000 with A♠K♣. Hernandez calls with Q♦T♠.
The flop comes K♥9♣4♣, and Hernandez check-calls a $38,000 bet from Salomon. The turn comes 5♣, Hernandez checks, Salomon bets $60,000, and Hernandez check-raises to $225,000. Salomon makes the call.
The river brings in a flush for Salomon, with the 3♣ hitting the board. Hernandez bets $200,000, and Salomon snap calls. The hand results in a $993,000 pot for Salomon.
Another big cash game pot involving Salomon took place on Poker After Dark in 2017. In a $300/$600 NLHE, $300,000 buy-in game, Salomon and Aaron Zang went head to head, with nearly a million dollars going in the middle by the river.
With the board showing 3♥6♠8♦7♣, Salomon checks, and Zang bets $50,000 holding top set with 8♠8♥. Saloman put in a check-raise to $175,000 with a made straight, holding 9♥5♥.
Salomon casually sips on a coffee while Zang contemplates his next move. Zang rerasies all in, and Salomon calls, putting the pot at $926,200.
The high-rolling players decide to run the board twice. The first river falls T♦, and the second 9♠. With both runouts going his way, Salomon scoops the massive pot.
Rick Salomon’s Net Worth
Salomon seems to only appear on cash games and tournaments with six-figure buy-ins or higher, telling us a lot about his bankroll.
Estimates of Rick Salomon’s net worth range from $30 million to $50 million. It’s unclear how much of those totals come from his net poker earnings, but it’s probably safe to assume that Salomon’s family history, film producer resume and entrepreneur ventures account for much of Salomon’s net worth.
Salomon’s business ventures include an online gambling site, which Salomon launched in the 2000s. In addition to his appearances on high-stakes televised poker programs, Salomon is also a known regular in some of the most exclusive private poker games in the world.
In 2019, Salomon unsuccessfully sued Saudi Arabian Sheikh Raad al-Khereiji for $2.2 million, which Saloman contended was a debt from a private poker game in the French Riviera.
Doug Polk “Calls the Cops” on Salomon (But Not Really)
Doug Polk hilariously—and in true Polk form—discusses the incident that led to Salomon’s assertion that Polk called the police on him.
It occurred about four to five years ago when Polk saw that the Venetian was hosting a $1K/$2K high-stakes cash game. After spending considerable time to obtain cash, withstand long valet lines, and get to the Venetian, Polk said when he arrived at the game, it was heads-up between Rick Salomon and an unnamed friend.
Polk asked if the guys minded if he played, and they said no and told him to leave. Since he had spent nearly two hours making it to the game, Polk decided to play anyway.
Granted, Polk admitted he was in the wrong; however, Rick Salomon and his friend proceeded to insult Polk for the next 15-20 minutes, making some incredibly rude comments and gestures, all the while a Venetian host stood by laughing and doing nothing.
Then Salomon and his friend left, and—much to Polk’s chagrin—the game ended.
Later, Salomon’s friend was arrested for “possession of something,” and Rick Salomon insinuated that Polk was the one who called the police—an allegation that Polk vehemently denies. As mentioned, Polk said that, in retrospect, he should have just left the Venetian that night, but he absolutely did not call the police on Salomon and his friend.
Check out Doug Polk’s side of the story, as well as analysis of Salomon’s insane 2018 WSOP hand here.
