Ari Engel is a beast at the tables, especially regarding the WSOP Circuit and Las Vegas events, yet he’s also one of the game's true gentlemen in every way possible.
Engel has 18 WSOP Circuit rings to his name, as well as four WSOP gold bracelets. As a mixed-game specialist, Engel is always one of the perennial favorites, no matter what event he shows up to participate in.
Believe it or not, Engel knows how to play with two cards almost as well, as demonstrated by a Main Event win at the 2017 Aussie Millions for $1,120,000.
We caught up with Engel to chat about the upcoming World Series of Poker as he was competing in the mixed games events at the Los Angeles Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino.
What were your favorite events on the schedule last year, and which ones are you planning to play this summer?
My favorite events are our mixed events, but not how most people use it, such as when there's a mix of different tournaments in one event.
I like the Mixed Omaha 8. I like the Dealer's Choice. I like 10-game and 8-game tournaments. I like changing the games while playing in one event. Those are my favorite events.
How do you choose the events you play in each day?
I don't plan anything or stick to a definitive schedule. I wake up each day and see what I'm in the mood to play. I will see what my confidence level is each day. I’ll first look at the schedule and the various tournaments around town. Then, I decide that morning which one I want to play.
Now that WSOP is under the leadership of GGPoker, are you expecting things overall to be different or business as usual?
I would expect it to be business as usual. I imagine there will be some differences, but I don't think there will be any huge differences, at least in the short run. I'd expect this year’s WSOP experience to be relatively similar to previous years.
What advice do you have for players newer to mixed games?
It would be a good thing to start playing very small online stuff. Online, you could potentially play for pennies and learn that way. You get to see many more hands online than in person.
I would also watch a lot of YouTube or PokerGO mixed-game final tables. There are even some online sites that have final tables with hole cards.
If you're willing to pay a fee, specific training sites will have videos from some of the better-mixed game players/coaches.
What events would you like to see on the 2025 WSOP schedule?
In the traditional sense of mix, I'd like to see some lower buy-in mixed tournaments, whether O8 or Horse or whatever.
At the WSOP, there are NLH and PLO $600 buy-in tournaments. That level of financial commitment gives people who may not have the bankroll or the experience to jump into a $1,500 event.
What has been your pet peeve recently at the WSOP, and do you think it might be sorted out this year?
I think pet peeve might be too strong of a word for me. But the staff take too long to say how many people are in the money and that the minimum cash will be 2X or whatever.
I think sharing how many people will be in the money can be announced much sooner. And having the number of people remaining updated more often in those huge field tournaments.
Sometimes, there are jumps of hundreds of people when we are getting pretty close to the money. That would be my main pet peeve; please update the board with a little more speed.
Do you have goals each year when you arrive at the series?
I don't have any goals when it comes to poker. My goal is always to enjoy myself and make good decisions. As everyone knows, there's a lot of variance in poker. I find that having goals is not particularly helpful, at least for the way my mind works.
I've been watching poker and playing poker for a long time. Back in the day, watching the Main Event on ESPN was amazing. I used to have literal dreams about final tabling the WSOP Main.
I'd love to win the Main Event, but I guess it’s a far-out dream that I don't expect to happen.
Follow Ari on X @AriEngelPoker
