艾伦·斯默菲特

Alan Peter Smurfit was born in Ireland and later became a United States citizen, residing in Miami, Florida. He was the younger brother of Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE. Before his poker career, Alan served as deputy chairman of the Jefferson Smurfit Group, a major packaging company founded by his family in 1934. After retiring in 2003, he turned his attention to tournament poker.

Smurfit had been playing tournament poker for many years before making his World Series of Poker debut. His early televised appearance came in The Gaming Club World Poker Championship in 2004. He also achieved success on the World Poker Tour, winning the Palm Beach CelebPoker Classic in 2005 and making the final table of the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown in season 4, where he finished 7th for $76,235. He also cashed in WPT Championship events, earning a total of $181,275 on the tour.

In 2007, Smurfit entered his first WSOP event, the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys. He entered the final table in last place with only $95,000 in chips, while his closest competitor had ten times that amount. The final table lasted over nine hours, and the heads-up duel became one of the longest in WSOP history, spanning 167 hands. Smurfit ultimately won the event, earning $464,867 and his first WSOP bracelet. He became the second Irishman to win a WSOP bracelet that year, following Ciaran O'Leary.

Beyond the WSOP, Smurfit made a final table at the European Poker Tour London main event in 2008 and cashed in three EPT events. His total live tournament winnings exceeded $1.6 million. He also played in the 2020 WSOP Online series on online poker, finishing 1,353rd in a $500 No-Limit Hold'em event for his final cash.

Smurfit was known as a competitive amateur who relied on intuition and psychological strength. His WSOP victory from a massive chip deficit demonstrated his patience and resilience. He was often described as a "cool hand" and a "mogul" who brought business acumen to the poker table. His brother Michael owned the K-Club, one of Ireland's most famous luxury resorts.

Alan Smurfit died suddenly on 13 September 2020 at the age of 77. His brother Michael expressed deep sorrow, noting his death was unexpected but peaceful. Irish poker legend Padraig Parkinson shared memories on Twitter, and Smurfit's legacy as a successful businessman and poker champion was celebrated by the poker community.