Ari Engel never stops grinding. The four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and 20-time WSOP Circuit champion recorded his first cash of 2026 just two days into the new year, and has added another 42 in-the-money finishes since.
His latest score saw the 42-year-old poker pro from Canada overcome a field of 391 entries in the $1,300 no-limit hold’em championship at the WPT Cambodia: Passport to the World Championship festival. Engel earned $91,444 as the champion after reaching a heads-up deal with two-time bracelet winner Aditya Agarwal.
The final two hashed out the agreement, which saw Agarwal secure $81,610, then flipped for the title.
Chopped Wpt Cambodia as a small chipleader! And won the flip for the title https://t.co/A189jnADaI
— Ari Engel (@AriEngelPoker) August 24, 2026
With that final runout going in his favor, Engel locked up the 69th recorded win of his career. He now boasts nearly $10.7 million in lifetime cashes.
This victory also came with 600 Card Player Player of the Year points. As a result, Engel climbed inside the top 250 in the 2026 POY standings presented by CoinPoker.
Agarwal Bounces Back To Secure ICM Deal
Engel seized the chip lead during three-handed play, then expanded it when his top pair out-kicked O’Neill’s top pair.. O’Neill earned $43,811 as the third-place finisher, while Engel took an early 9:1 chip advantage into heads-up play against Agarwal.
That gap was narrowed considerably, with Agarwal chipping up from 1.6 million to 5.8 million. The final two then paused the clock to discuss an ICM deal. They agreed to the payouts listed above, with Engel securing the WPT World Championship $10,400 seat and reimbursing Agarwal for his share.
Agarwal’s lifetime earnings grew to over $2.2 million thanks to his performance.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Ari Engel | $91,444 | 600 |
| 2 | Aditya Agarwal | $81,610 | 500 |
| 3 | Michael O’Neill | $43,811 | 400 |
| 4 | Hendrik Uibo | $32,919 | 300 |
| 5 | Rindra Norodom | $25,173 | 250 |
| 6 | Seksaria Mangalam | $20,332 | 200 |
Photo credit: SoMuchPoker / World Poker Tour.
