Alan Engel

Alan “Air” Engel is a professional poker player from Brooklyn, New York. Engel had a very different childhood than a lot of poker players as he was the son of a Jewish Orthodox Rabbi. Engel admits that he is surprised, but his family has been very supportive and stood by him when he made the decision to become a professional poker player. He has said the discipline helped him learn how to focus on grinding and getting better.

Engel got his start playing poker after watching his college roommate play. Engel found it easy to fit poker into his schedule, because college was much less work than he was used to during his high school. Engel played under the alias “BodogAri” on PokerStars, as well as other screennames across different sites, and had great success. By 2006 Engel was the number 1 ranked player according to Pocket 5’s online rankings. To date Engel has cashed for over $2.3 million online and has won a triple crown.

Engel has not just had success online though as he, like many other young pros, has transitioned to also playing live across the world. Engel has cashed for over $2 million worldwide and his largest cash is just over $177,000 which he won for getting 1st at the Punta Cana Classic in 2014. Engel has 5 cashes for over $100,000 including a win at the Heartland Poker Tour’s stop in St. Louis.