Paul Magriel

Paul David Magriel Jr. "(pronounced Ma-grill)" (July 1, 1946 – March 5, 2018) was an American professional backgammon player, poker player, and author. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He participated in the World Poker Tour placing second place and in the World Series of Poker placing eighth. 
Magriel was a mathematics professor at the Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology) between 1969 and 1973.
Magriel died in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 5, 2018 of a suspected heart attack at the age of 71.