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Andy Bloch - Poker Player Biography |
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Name : Andy Bloch
Nickname : The Rock
Full Tilt Id : Andy Bloch
Birth Date : June 01, 1969
Birth Place : Orange, Connecticut, United States
Current Residence : Tacoma Park, California, United States
Total WSOP Bracelets: 0
Total WPT Wins : 0
Best Game : No Limit Holdem
First Big Win : $ 100 No Limit Hold'em at the World Poker Finals in 1993 for $ 4,840
First WSOP Bracelet : NA
Biggest WSOP Cash : 2nd in $ 50,000 H.O.R.S.E. at
37th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2006, Las Vegas for $1,029,600
Biggest Cash : 2nd in $ 50,000 H.O.R.S.E. at
37th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2006, Las Vegas for $1,029,600
All time money list : 55th
Hobbies : Blackjack
Nicknamed “ The Rock”, Andy Bloch holds one of the best curriculum vitae amongst all poker players. With two engineering degrees from MIT and Law degree from Harvard University, he is one of the most academically qualified poker player around.
He is known for his exploits as the member of the MIT Blackjack team, which won millions from casinos around the world in the 90’s and was featured in the book “Bringing Down the House”.
He started playing Poker while on his visits to the just opened Foxwoods casino in 1993 and would play in their $ 35 buy-in weekly tournaments. By the end of the that year, Andy had won his first big NL Holdem tournament – The World Poker Finals which got him $ 4,840.
He left his job as an engineer and decided to join the MIT Blackjack team. In 1996, he decided to join Law school and applied to Harvard, Yale and Stanford. He was rejected at Yale and Stanford but accepted by Harvard. He paid for his law course by playing Blackjack.
In 1997, Andy skipped his last week classes at the law school to play in the WSOP Main event, where he became the volunteer for the low-tech hole cam trial by Tom Sims. He recorded all his hole cards and its records were made into a 2-part article published by the Card Player magazine.
Andy passed his bar exam in 1999 but he decided to go back to poker and delay his career in law by some time. The law career never took off after that but the poker career did.
He made it to two final tables at the 2001 WSOP and won the $ 2,000 Seven Card Stud World Poker Finals event in 2002 at his favorite Foxwoods casino. Three days after his win at Foxwoods, Andy made it to the final table of the $ 10,000 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event – WPT and finished third in the event won by Howard Lederer to pocket $102,350.
This was followed by 2 more 3rd place final table finishes in February 2003 at the € 3,000 Pot Limit Omaha at Euro Finals of Poker 2003 and $ 10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship – WPT at 2003 L.A. Poker Classic.
His run at the tournaments continued in 2005 when he won the $ 10,000 Main Event - No Limit Hold'em Ultimate Poker Challenge held in Las Vegas for $ 167,500.
Andy Bloch’s moment of WSOP glory came in 2006 when he cashed in 5 WSOP events and came 2nd in the first ever $ 50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event after a record breaking 12 hours heads-up battle with late Chip Reese. He earned a cool $ 1,029,600 for biggest his tournament cash ever.
Year 2008 has also been a great year for Andy Bloch at the WSOP. He cashed in 7 different events and came 2nd in $ 10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold'em to Nenad Medic. His bankroll got fatter by $488,048 after his second place finish.
However, the WSOP bracelet continues to evade him. We hope that with his current form he would secure it very soon in the years to come.
Andy is an expert in game theory. He launched his own Blackjack DVD called “Beating Blackjack” which teaches card counting. He also runs very popular unofficial WPT Fan site.
His current tournament winnings stand at more than $4 Million, which places him at number 55 in all time money list.
Andy Bloch contributes all his Full Tilt Poker winnings to many charities around the world.
Look out for “Andy Bloch” – that’s his id, at Full Tilt Poker.
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