World Poker Tour

Andy Bloch

Birthplace
New Haven, CT

Hometown
Orange, Connecticut

Total Winnings
$407,760

Originally from Orange, Connecticut, Andy Bloch has a law degree from Harvard and two degrees in electrical engineering from M.I.T. While working in an engineering job, Bloch would occasionally play poker at Foxwoods on the weekends. He was fired from his job after an argument with his boss and joked to his parents that he could always play poker for a living. No one's laughing now - Bloch has placed third in two WPT main events and has established a solid tournament track record.

Of course, there was originally more in the cards for Andy than engineering or poker. Bloch decided to return to academia in Cambridge - this time at Harvard - for a law degree. He juggled poker and blackjack with his studies there, even cutting classes to play in the WSOP in 1997 and 1998. Alas, he had to forgo the 1999 WSOP in order to graduate.

Although he successfully passed the bar exam, Bloch found himself more drawn to playing poker professionally than practicing law. "I haven't found a law-related job that would keep my interest," he says, "although I tell my parents I'm still looking."

Bloch is considered an expert in game theory, and prides himself on playing the psychological aspects of the game. When he's not playing poker, he dabbles as a stock trader.