Andy Black

Hometown
Dublin, Ireland

Total Winnings
$135,660

Andy Black was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1965. He started playing poker with his mother when he was young. Black was in law school at Trinity College in Dublin in 1986 when he started playing poker more seriously. He didn't just study law. He also studied the game of poker. Black was a part of the Junior Common Room poker school, which had produced several professional poker players. He also became a regular at the Griffin Casino in Dublin.

Black played in the World Series of Poker in 1997. Poker legend, Stu Ungar, knocked him out in 14th place. Ungar went on to win the Main Event. The documentary, Million Dollar Deal, followed Black's World Series of Poker trials in 1998. Black has said that the pain of that loss and his lifestyle caused him to go on a spiritual journey. He withdrew from poker and even mainstream society. He got rid of everything he owned, went to England, and lived in a Buddhist community for nearly five years.

Black returned to poker in 2004. His break didn't seem to hurt his game. He did really well in tournaments in Ireland during his come-back year, and then in 2005, he final tabled the World Series of Poker Main Event. Black went out in fifth place and took home $1.75 million. He's finished in the money in both a World Poker Tour Event and a European Poker Tour event. In 2006, he placed 5th in the Tournament of Champions, taking home $100,000. In 2007, he made a big showing at the Aussie Millions. He finished 2nd in the Pot Limit Omaha Event and 3rd in the No Limit Main Event. Black also placed 7th at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. He's made more than $3 million in live poker tournaments.