By Sean Chaffin
Can the massive run at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino continue for Ari Engel? That’s a question he’s hoping to answer with a nice affirmative. Engel has already won two preliminary events with two runner-up finishes and a third place. He may have busted out of WPT Main Event on Day 2, but he’s far from finished this week.
“I’ve been playing a lot of mixed games tournaments here and it’s been going great,” he says. “It’s fun to play different games than what I’m used to a little bit out of my comfort zone.”
Engel is now in the running for the Commerce Player of the Series title. The big series for him began on Feb. 4-5 with a win in a $600 Seven Card Stud event for $11,135. On Feb. 18 he added a $1,100 HORSE title for $20,170. His other recent nice LAPC finishes include:
Feb. 6-7, $600 HORSE – third for $6,720
Feb. 14, 10-Game Mix – second for $6.620
Feb. 25, $1,100 NLHE – second for $25,474
After his elimination on Day 2, Engel jumped in the $2,140 Six-Max event and bagged one of the top stacks in the event.
I won @lapc $1100 horse tournament!
— Ari Engel (@AriEngelPoker) February 20, 2020
Engel is also fresh off a January win in a AUD $2,500 event at the Aussie Millions for $97,473. Along with the current streak, Engel took home his first bracelet at the World Series of Poker in 2019 in a $2,500 NLHE event for $427,399.
When it comes to poker, Engel is a true road warrior. Originally from Toronto, Canada, he now spends all his time playing poker including regular WPT appearances. Where does he call home now?
“Nowhere,” he says. “I just travel around. I have no home base. I haven’t paid rent since the beginning of 2013.”
While life in hotels and Airbnb properties can be nice, there are some challenges to his “poker homelessness.”
“I’m limited to what I want to carry on planes,” says Engel, who has more than $7 million in live tournament winnings. “I’ve got my big bag, I’ve got my smaller backpack, and I’ve got my backpack.”
Another challenge is keeping an exercise and health routine. He adds that the biggest challenge is a social one.
“Of course, I’ve got all my poker friends and colleagues, so that helps,” he says. “But there’s no stability.”
On the WPT, Engel has 20 career cashes for $287,645 and but that first WPT final table appearance has remained elusive. He’s keeping perspective about that and tempering his expectations.
“I’d like to start with more modest goals,” he says laughing. “I think my best finish is 13th. I probably have the most entries out of anyone that’s played WPTs and not gotten a top 10 finish. I’ve been playing WPTs for a while now and had no success. Forget about winning. I feel like it’s not right for me to even talk about winning, I can’t even get a final two tables situation.”
When not playing poker, Engel enjoys watching documentaries and keeping up with politics and world events. But poker occupies most of his time. He ultimately didn’t survive the WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event, but no doubt he’ll be back at another WPT stop soon. With a few nice events left on the LAPC schedule, he may add yet another win here in Los Angeles.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.