The Canadian poker star claimed his 18th WSOPC ring by winning the $888 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Crazy 8’s event during WSOP Online Pennsylvania. Engel outlasted a field of 61 entrants on his second entry, earning $16,732 and defeating “D.Lafferty” in a heads-up showdown for the title.
Earlier in February, Engel secured his 17th Circuit ring in an online $500 8-Max tournament, putting him two rings ahead of Daniel Lowery, Maurice Hawkins, and Joshua Reichard. While Hawkins has since added his 16th ring, Engel’s latest victory further widens the gap, with Lowery and Reichard still sitting at 15 rings.
The $888 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament took place on the WSOP Online platform in Pennsylvania (formerly WSOP.com). The event had a guaranteed prize pool of $35,000 but ended up surpassing that with a total of $51,484. Despite only 33 players registering, the tournament saw 28 rebuys, boosting the prize pool.
Ari Engel, who plays under the screen name “Ngindn” — a tribute to the initials of his nieces and nephews, from oldest to youngest — took home the title. Engel, a veteran poker pro, boasts three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and is the only player with 15 or more Circuit rings to also have won a bracelet.
According to The Hendon Mob, Engel has amassed $8.7 million in lifetime live tournament earnings. WSOP announcer and Poker Hall of Fame nominee Norman Chad once referred to Engel as the “Shohei Ohtani of poker” — a nod to Ohtani’s status as the first MLB player since Babe Ruth to excel as both a hitter and a pitcher, though Ohtani is sidelined from pitching this year due to an arm injury.
Event #9: $888 NLH Crazy 8’s Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ari “Ngindn” Engel | $16,732 |
| 2 | “D.Lafferty” | $10,811 |
| 3 | “Mr.Pink1992” | $7,722 |
| 4 | “Solenya” | $5,148 |
| 5 | “ImShard” | $3,861 |
