Alec Torelli

Professional Poker Player

Alec Torelli is a professional high-stakes poker player, coach, and keynote speaker based in Las Vegas, Nevada. With over 20 years in the poker industry, Alec has played high-stakes cash games all over the world, earning over $2.7 million in tournaments. In 2023, he placed 11th out of over 10,000 entrants in the WSOP Main Event, and in 2024, he placed 3rd out of over 3,000 in the WSOP Mid Stakes Championship. Alec was the first member of Doyle Brunson's “Brunson 10”, and is now an ambassador for Phenom Poker, the world’s first community-owned poker site. Alec is also the founder of Conscious Poker, a poker training platform where he works with clients to improve their decision-making process, move up in stakes, and achieve their poker goals. He also wrote The Poker Coach and shares further poker principles and insights on how to apply them to life and business on his YouTube channel, which has over 15 million views.

Professional Achievements

Has earned more than $2.7 million in live tournament winnings, including finishing 11th out of 10,000+ players in the 2023 WSOP Main Event and 3rd in the 2024 WSOP Mid-Stakes Championship
Featured in major poker broadcasts such as Poker After Dark, The World Series of Poker, and The World Poker Tour
Founder of Conscious Poker, a leading poker training platform where he teaches strategy, decision-making, and mindset to players worldwide
Published and featured across outlets including Card Player, PokerNews, and Cigar Aficionado
Active investor in startups across the health, wellness, and Web3 sectors, and regularly speaks on decision-making, risk management, and performance at conferences and corporate events

Favorite Piece of Advice

One of my favorite pieces of advice is simple: play fewer hands. Most players get into trouble because they try to do too much. By being selective and using a clear decision-making framework—focusing on risk, reward, and alternatives—you gain the discipline to avoid marginal spots and the clarity to capitalize on the best opportunities.

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Co-authored Articles (12)

How to

Play Five Card Draw

Rules, strategy, and etiquette for 5-card pokerFive-card Draw is one of the most classic poker games there is. Until the rise of Texas Hold 'Em, it dominated the betting scene. It's similar, but takes on a very different...

How to Play Irish Poker (Traditional and Drinking Game)

Learn the setup, rules, and gameplay of these high-stakes card games “Irish Poker” refers to 2 different card games. Traditional Irish Poker is a slight variation of games like Omaha or Texas Hold’em, where players...

How to

Play Three Card Poker

Once the name of a more typical poker variant Three Card Poker now most commonly refers to a quick and simple casino game named after poker due to its similar (but not identical) hand ranking system. Unlike regular poker...

How to

Shuffle Poker Chips

If you play poker or have watched professional poker tournaments, you may have noticed that many players will "shuffle" their chips. Players may do this to help them better concentrate or to simply help pass the time. Wh...

How to Play Heads-Up Poker: Winning Strategies to Boost Your Game

If you like your poker a little more on the fast-paced, aggressive style, heads-up just might be your game. While you can play virtually any form of poker heads-up, the distinction only really comes into play with "flop"...

How to

Have a Good Poker Face

'''To have a good poker face, relax your face muscles so your expression is neutral. When you interact with the other players, stay calm and make eye contact, but don't forget to blink occasionally so you still look natu...

How to

Shuffle and Deal Texas Holdem

Texas Hold ‘em is a popular poker variation in which players seek to put together a winning hand using a pair of hole cards dealt prior to the start of the game and five community cards turned over in stages during eac...

How to

Play Texas Hold'em

All in, partner? Texas Hold'em is a popular kind of poker in which each player is dealt two hidden cards and hopes to combine this "hold" with 3 or 4 from the community pool of five dealt cards that are shared to make ea...

How to

Deal Poker

Try your hand at running your group’s next poker night Poker is a popular game with multiple variations. Poker dealers distribute cards to players and are in charge of overseeing the action at the poker table. There a...

How to

Become a Professional Poker Player

Friday nights have become a tradition in your friend group: you all settle down to a friendly game of poker and you ''always win.'' That desk job you have doesn't look so glamorous anymore, especially when you can make ...

How to

Bluff in Poker

Bluffing in poker is a risky strategy that can pay off in a satisfying way. Beginning poker players often think bluffing should happen often, but it's best to be selective about when you bluff. Practice bluffing when the...

How to

Become a Good Poker Player

So you know the basics of how to play poker and now it’s time to take your game to the next level. Improve your poker skills by perfecting your poker face, understanding the nuances of poker position, identifying good ...