Alec Torelli

Torelli began playing poker in 2004 after a friend invited him to a home game of poker, where he won $12. His first live poker event was in the Bahamas in January 2006. After turning 21, Torelli moved to Las Vegas. During his first World Series of Poker (WSOP), he finished second in the $10,000 Heads Up event. Later that fall, Torelli won back-to-back events at the Bellagio. The next summer, he placed sixth in the commemorative $40,000, 40-year anniversary WSOP event, and fourth in the World Poker Tour at the Bellagio.{{cn|date=February 2021}}

As of 2023, Torelli has amassed over $2,200,000 in poker tournament winnings.{{Cite web| title = Alec Torelli's profile on The Hendon Mob| work = The Hendon Mob Poker Database| accessdate = March 14, 2018| url = http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=74855}}

In 2017, members of the 2+2 forum initiated a debate on whether or not Alec Torelli engaged in angle shooting during a hand played in the fourth episode of the fifth season of Poker Night in America,{{Cite web|url=https://www.twitch.tv/videos/58450160|title=Twitch|website=Twitch}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pTdqxBY9hw|title=THE NICK VERTUCCI SHOW "ALEC TORELLI DISCUSSES 'THE HAND'! " #040|date=February 27, 2023|via=YouTube}} that aired on CBS Sports Network the previous year.

Torelli was first accused of engaging in angle shooting during a televised episode of Poker Night in America by members on the 2+2 forum. Later, professional poker player Doug Polk released a video questioning the ethics of the hand played during the episode.{{Cite web |last=Burnett |first=Andrew |title=Doug Polk Calls Out Alec Torelli Over Poker Night In America Angleshoot |url=https://www.pokertube.com/article/doug-polk-calls-out-alec-torelli-over-poker-night-in-america-angleshoot |access-date=July 10, 2017 |website=PokerTube |archive-date=July 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729112317/https://www.pokertube.com/article/doug-polk-calls-out-alec-torelli-over-poker-night-in-america-angleshoot |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Burnett |first=Andrew |date=July 8, 2017 |title=Torelli Releases Unedited Footage Of The Alleged Angle Shoot Incident & Fires Back At Polk |url=https://www.pokertube.com/article/torelli-releases-unedited-footage-of-the-alleged-angle-shoot-incident-fires-back-at-polk |access-date=July 22, 2017 |website=PokerTube |archive-date=July 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729104923/https://www.pokertube.com/article/torelli-releases-unedited-footage-of-the-alleged-angle-shoot-incident-fires-back-at-polk |url-status=live }}

During the hand, larger denomination chips totaling $10,000 were placed behind smaller denomination chips in Torelli's stack of poker chips. Poker etiquette and rules in casinos require that larger denomination chips have to be in plain view. This influenced Torelli's isolated opponent in the hand, Daniel Wolf, who ended up losing $10,000 more than he believed was at stake.{{Cite web |last=Sofen |first=Jon |date=July 4, 2017 |title=Alec Torelli (Finally) Responds to Doug Polk's Angle Shooting Accusation |url=https://www.cardschat.com/news/alec-torelli-finally-responds-to-doug-polks-angle-shooting-accusation-47551 |access-date=July 22, 2017 |website=Cardschat |archive-date=July 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729104055/https://www.cardschat.com/news/alec-torelli-finally-responds-to-doug-polks-angle-shooting-accusation-47551 |url-status=live }}

Following the hand, Torelli stated that he used his opponent's surprise at the discovery of the high-value chips as a "read" to determine that his opponent's hand was mediocre. Later, Torelli posted a video on YouTube faulting his opponent for not knowing his chip stack size.{{Cite web |date=July 13, 2017 |title=New Detailed Video Analysis of Alec Torelli "Chip hiding" Scandal Emerges |url=https://www.highstakesdb.com/8002-new-detailed-video-analysis-of-alec-torelli-chip-hiding-scandal-emerges.aspx |access-date=July 22, 2017 |website=HighstakesDB |archive-date=August 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803162014/https://www.highstakesdb.com/8002-new-detailed-video-analysis-of-alec-torelli-chip-hiding-scandal-emerges.aspx |url-status=live }}

A year after the hand took place, professional poker player Doug Polk released a video questioning the ethics of the hand,{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u14IvlJ4T9U|title=Did Alec Torelli ANGLESHOOT An Amateur On Television?|date=June 1, 2017|via=YouTube|access-date=June 25, 2024|archive-date=June 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624065211/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u14IvlJ4T9U|url-status=live}} provoking a backlash on social media.

Torelli responded on his YouTube channel{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-rKZpSsHjE|title=Alec Torelli Response to Doug Polk: The REAL & UNEDITED STORY (Torelli vs. Wolf - PNIA)|date=July 3, 2017|via=YouTube|access-date=June 25, 2024|archive-date=June 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624065215/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-rKZpSsHjE&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live}} and in an interview on the “Nick Vertucci Show”. Torelli was defended by poker professionals Daniel Negreanu,{{Cite web |last=@RealKidPoker |date=2018-07-26 |title=Still boggles my mind that somehow people have been tricked and convinced that Alec Torelli was shooting an angle trying to play a massive pot with ACE QUEEN. Truly shameful to pin him as an angle shooter for that silliness. Absurd. |url=https://x.com/RealKidPoker/status/1022369755586420736 |website=x.com}} Brian Rast{{Cite web |last=@tsarrast |date=2023-04-06 |title=I never watched the hand originally. After watching the full in-edited hand, really don't see how this is angling ever. Crazy this was a thing. Obviously a shitty spot, and people should always keep big chips out - but fwiw this happens regularly in cash games for various reasons and it usually isn't angling. Many people instinctively keep their big chips somewhere safe - which often isn't clearly visible to the entire table. You should always ask someone for a count before moving them all-in if you're not 100% sure more or less how much they have. Lesson learned the hard way for this guy. |url=https://x.com/tsarrast/status/1644083455297458176 |website=x.com}} and Charlie Carrel,{{Cite web |last=@Charlie_Carrel |date=2023-04-06 |title=Most people I speak to about it don't think @AlecTorelli intentionally hid his chips in the infamous hand. Looking at the footage, it's not even close whether it was intentional. The amount of hate from the hand is wildly disproportionate and stupid. |url=https://x.com/Charlie_Carrel/status/1644029043916824576 |website=x.com}} who deemed the controversy to be disproportionate and unfair.

{{reflist}}

• {{Official|http://www.alectorelli.com/}}
• [https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/48280-alec-torelli Card Player profile]
• [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=74855 Hendon Mob profile]
• [https://www.pokernews.com/poker-players/alec-torelli/ PokerNews profile]
• [https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/alec-torelli/ WPT profile]
• [https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=27173 WSOP profile]

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Category:American poker players

Category:Living people

Category:1987 births