Ari “BodogAri” Engel says that his poker career began when he deposited $150 into his newly registered account on Bodog. That was on a Friday; by Monday, his $150 had turned into $15,000, and he was on his way to becoming the No. 1-ranked tournament player online.

Engel had recently graduated from NYU with a finance degree and started a job at a computer startup company right out of the gates. He didn’t like it. “At the time, I had the huge debt [$110,000 college loan],” said Engel, “but I decided that if there ever was a time that poker was going to work -- it was now. I quit my job.”

Thus far, Engel has been quite successful and is probably not regretting his decision. Since his first major live tournament cash in 2006, he’s collected a number of impressive finishes to put on his résumé, including a cash at the Borgata $500-Guaranteed Deep Stack Tournament. He finished third for more than $120,000.