Allen Bari

If anybody wants proof that there is a correlation between intelligence and success in poker, just look at the record of Allen Bari. The New Jetorsey-born poker pro has always been ahead of the field: at high school he was at the top of his class; he double-majored in Finance and Economics at University; in his professional life before turning to cards he had a highly-paid job at Morgan Stanley in New York City where he was an expense analyst. In fact, Bari was so tuned in that he developed a spreadsheet macro to automate his own job.

All while he was working in the banking industry, Allen had become interested in poker and would play once he got off. Quickly crushing the live cash games, the American left his job and used his severance package to boost his bankroll so that he could play some of the bigger buy-in tournaments on the live circuit.

2008 marked his first year as a pro and it certainly went well. Before the year closed out, Bari had acquired a WSOP circuit ring, another final table finish, and most significantly a massive six-figure score. The WSOP win came in March when Allen took down the $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event in Atlantic City for $72,000. Just a couple of months later, the New Jersey won a huge $500,000 after emerging victorious in the $5,000 NLH Championship Event at the Borgata Summer Poker Open in Atlantic City.

Following the success of his debut year in the world of live tournament poker, it looked as though Bari was destined for greatness. Three years on at the 2011 WSOP, he solidified his name in the history books when he earned himself a bracelet by coming first in the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event for close to $1,000,000. Other in-the-money finishers included Spanish poker great Carlos Mortensen and Canadian online phenom Sean Lefort – both of which Allen cruised past to claim the title.

Speaking on the victory, the American explained how it kept him motivated:

‘It’s nice to have a bracelet, but my expectations haven’t yet been met. People say that I’m cocky, but I’m cocky for a reason. I’ve worked really hard at this and I feel that the poker world still owes me something. It keeps me hungry’.

Now with around $3,000,000 in live tournament earnings, Allen continues to travel the world playing the game that he loves today.