Meet Matt

It’s never too early to start taking the world by storm. You don’t always have to pay your dues for decades before basking in the limelight. At 25 years of age, Matt Vengrin is already a poker icon in the making. The entire poker world wants a piece of him, but he’s parking his chips at Absolute Poker!

From his beginnings in tiny Red Hook, New York, Vengrin never let his small town upbringing dampen his dreams.  Whatever pursuit was on the menu, Matt always gave his all. Armed with dedication and a winning attitude, it’s no surprise that Vengrin found success during high school on the basketball court, around the track, and running cross-country.  Forever a fierce competitor, he even managed to play college basketball while studying at Plattsburgh State.

Sporting success was only part of the equation.  Vengrin raised his competitive spirit and put his mental prowess to the test by playing chess and other strategy games online.  While Matt first started playing poker on bus rides and in dorms during college, it was an epiphany that ultimately launched his career.

One Saturday during his junior year of college, Matt realized that he was no longer happy in school.  Not being the kind of guy who sits by idly and lets the world pass him by, Matt decided to follow his gut, leave school, and start playing poker. With only $5,000 to his name and no huge scores under his belt, it was a huge risk, but one that has paid off handsomely!

Since first bursting onto the scene in 2007, Matt has already bagged over $717,000 online at UltimateBet, Absolute Poker, and other notable sites. During the current calendar year, Vengrin placed among the top ten in five leading online poker tourneys, including a 9th place $1,800 finish in UltimateBet’s UBOC Event #1, a Pot Limit Omaha tournament.  After a 1st place $61,600 finish in a February No Limit Hold’em event and a 2nd place $21,327 finish in a January $100K tournament, Matt can no longer fly under the radar.