Nick Rigby is from South Park, Pennsylvania, located just outside Pittsburgh. He is a regular PLO cash player and sports betting enthusiast, but he has gained notoriety in recent years for his hold’em play, specifically for his deep run in the 2021 World Series of Poker main event. Rigby turned heads with his 52nd-place finish, using big bluffs and aggressive play to entertain viewers and keep his opponents on their toes. It was during this run that he popularized the hand nickname for 2-3 offsuit, calling it the ‘Dirty Diaper’ as he used it to bluff one player off of pocket kings.
He made another deep run in 2023, during which he turned heads by sitting out two orbits to receive a massage before settling for 131st place. Rigby has also found wins at the Hard Rock in South Florida, and last year earned his first WSOP Circuit ring in a Crazy 8’s online event.
The RunGood Poker Series ambassador has already found success on the regional tour, with runner-up finish in Cleveland and a win and another second-place showing in Tunica. Most recently, he took down the RGPS Grand Prix main event in Elizabeth, Indiana, earning $52,323 and another ring.
Card Player caught up with Rigby to break down a couple key hands from his most recent win.
Event: RunGood Poker Series Grand Prix
Buy-In: $800
Entrants: 358
Prize Pool: $250,600
First-Place Prize: $52,323
Craig Tapscott: Please set up the table dynamics for us, Nick.
Nick Rigby: Coming into the final table, I had 2,680,000 in chips, roughly 25% of the 10,700,000 total chips in play.
Although my loose-aggressive image preceded me, and all the other players recognized me, I sat down at the table to apply pressure and do it often. The pay jumps and ICM implications were in my favor.
CT: Did you have a good read on your opponents?
NR: Well, the second-largest stack at the table had roughly 17% of the chips in play and was indulging in alcoholic beverages. But he was quick to punt his stack away against the player who became the villain in these two detailed hands.
CT: You were six-handed at this point. What was the plan?
NR: Most players at this juncture of the tournament would veer on the side of caution in terms of opening hands against a villain who is second in chips and has direct position to my left. But I had only seen this player play one hand, A-K, and it was to receive the previously-mentioned punt. So, I continued to apply maximum pressure, six-handed, once I had chipped up to 3,500,000 in chips (roughly 33% of the chips in play).
CT: You never slow down, from what I’ve witnessed.
NR: Well, as in most cases, while I’m on the felt, I’m playing for first place.
Hand No. 1
Stacks: Nick Rigby – 3,500,000 (70 BB) Villain – 2,800,000 (56 BB)
Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante
Players remaining: 6
NR: Action kicks off with me on the button holding K-10. A very nice starting hand in position. I’m applying a high amount of pressure, opening anywhere from 2.5 to 4x in particular spots.
Rigby raised from the button to 150,000 holding K♦10♣, and the villain called from the small blind. The big blind folded.
CT: What was running through your mind when he called?
NR: Other than waking up with A-K, he had played pretty passively and, in my opinion, was quite content just being second in chips.
I didn’t think this player would get too out of line, especially since he was in the small blind. He’s going to protect his premium hands with large raises against my current strategy, which is opening nearly any two cards in position.
CT: Did you pick up anything else?
NR: He initially looked to be cutting out chips for a potential raise, but had some slight hesitancy and then just flatted.
My thinking was that the villain more than likely had a low to mid pair, whereas I see him raising pocket nines or better and A-K or A-Q.
FLOP: J♦4♥4♦
Villian checked. Rigby bet 300,000.
NR: I continuation bet a near pot-sized bet. This isn’t an awful flop for my hand as I have an over with the king, it also being diamonds, as well as a backdoor straight draw.
CT: What are you expecting from the villain?
If the villain has the aforementioned mid-pair, I could see him calling one street. There are many turns where I can apply maximum pressure. But in this case the villain elected to check-raise.
Villain check-raised to 700,000.
NR: I found this raise very interesting. My opponent’s body language didn’t ooze strength. It felt as if he was uncomfortable in this spot, given my stack size.
CT: Could he ever be holding a four?
NR: I don’t see many fours in the villain’s range, A-J is a possibility, but also could be lumped in with his preflop raising range.
Even if he holds a jack, I think he would go for a larger raise to discourage me from peeling with two overs, diamond draw, etc. I stuck with my initial read that he was holding a hand like 5-5 through 8-8.
I elected to “click it back,” as the kids say.
Rigby reraised to 1,100,000.
CT: What were you repping?
NR: I was representing an overpair to the board, A-J, or even a four. In my eyes, with this opponent, any mid-pair is folding, and honestly, a handful of weaker jacks, as it appears that my hand is quite strong.
My thought was that the villain understood his tighter image and was aware that I was cognizant of it as well. And with us being first and second respectively in chips, he’d let this one go.
Villain folded. Rigby won the pot of 1,400,000.
CT: Did you show?
NR: As if we needed to increase our LAG image, we windmilled over the K-10 offsuit. “That’s some gangster shit!” said Carl “Uncle Johnny” Masters, who was also one of the six remaining players.
The villain took a brief walk away from the table, visibly irritated. A few hands later, he was heard telling his neighbor he had pocket threes.
This pot propelled me up to 4,600,000 in chips (roughly 43% of chips in play). A few orbits later, we were still six-handed when the next key hand came up.
Hand No. 2
Stacks: Nick Rigby – 4,400,000 (73 BB) Villain – 2,300,000 (38 BB)
Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 60,000 big blind ante
Players remaining: 6
NR: The action kicked off with me in the cutoff. I had an ace, and the first two players had folded. Both stacks in the blinds were very short, so we would be opening large again.
Rigby opens to 200,000 from the cutoff holding A♦4♠. Villain raised from the button to 425,000.
NR: This was our second encounter with this villain. I believe he was irritated by the way he played his alleged pocket threes.
CT: What did you make of his bet sizing?
NR: His three-bet sizing to me was interesting, as it is small. Three-bets had been a rare occurrence at this final table in general and had come from the blinds shoving seven or eight big blinds after I opened. I was definitely skeptical, as I didn’t believe he thought I was going to fold.
I was putting him on a pair or A-K/A-Q. A lot of times, I’ll fold the A-4 offsuit out of position, as it should only get you in trouble. However, my opponent made it enticing to call by three-betting to 425,000. Our prior history also played a role here. I was confident I’d get paid and stack him if I made a hand.
Rigby called.
FLOP: A♥8♠4♥
NR: BINGO! We flopped top and bottom. He would be continuing all J-J, Q-Q, K-K hands, and the obvious A-K/A-Q. I expected him to potentially overjam the flop with A-K/A-Q and the two hearts aboard.
Rigby checked. Villain bet 450,000, and Rigby called.
NR: We elected to just flat the ace high, heart draw board, anticipating a shove from our opponent on any turn.
TURN: 6♠
Rigby checked. Villain moved all-in, and Rigby called. Villain revealed 10h 10s.
RIVER: 7♦
Rigby won the pot of 6,850,000.
NR: I then had 6,700,000 (roughly 63% of chips in play) and would continue to pressure the short stacks, each battling for pay jumps.
I both won and lost some flips, ultimately winning a large flip with pocket tens against A-K three-handed. I then won heads-up on just the second hand, where my opponent limp-called from the button for 15 big blinds with K-J offsuit after I jammed from the with Ah 4h.
He instantly called and found a king on the flop, but an ace on the turn secured the ring for me.
Follow Rigby on Twitter/X @GTO_Diaper.