Andy Black

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Andy Black

Name – Andrew Black
Birthday – July 20, 1965
Location – Belfast, Northern Ireland
Online Screen Names – Andy Black (Full Tilt Poker)
Endorses – Full Tilt Poker
Website – andyblackpoker.com

Andy Black is one of the most prolific players in the game of poker today, and should be considering he has been playing since his childhood. His mother was a fan of the game and taught Black the rules at a very early age. He then used to play heads up with his mother on a regular basis and soon became skilled. Little did he know at the time that his mother was simply using the game to distract him from the troubles going on in the city as a result of the IRA’s reign of terror. After heading to Trinity College in Dublin to study law, Black began to play more and soon began to take the game more seriously than he ever had done before.

Black first began playing in tournaments in 1986 and was a member of the Junior Common Room poker school at the point in time. He is not alone on the illustrious list of alumni though. Donnacha O’Dea and Padraig Parkinson are both fellow members! He also played in Griffin Casino in Dublin.

However, it was not until 1997 that Black found himself in his first major tournament. Ironically, it is his defeat at the hands of Stu Ungar during the WSOP Main Event that has proved to be one of the most remembered incidents in his career. There were numerous press stories about Black being beaten by an A-Q when he held an A-K himself, but Black has repeatedly stated that Ungar simply outplayed him. Ungar had befriended Black though, which made the defeat even harder to swallow. However, the defeat would ultimately have a massive impact on Black’s life for the right reasons.

After a defeat in the WSOP Main Event, Black took five years away from the table and became a semi-monastic Buddhist and strengthened his faith on the path of enlightenment. He still follows the Buddhist way of life now, but came back to the table better than ever before, having his emotions fully holstered. He competed in and won several European tournaments before placing fifth in the 2005 World Series of Poker. He won almost $2 million in that tournament alone.

Overall, Black has earned 26 cashes and is still one of the main players on the circuit today. Playing online poker exclusively at Full Tilt Poker, Black maintains a high profile but a low key Buddhist life and seems content with his lot. He has helped several charities by donating his winnings and the world in general, as well as the world of poker, has a lot to thank him for.

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