Andy Black ()

Name: Andrew Black
Nickname: Andy, The Monk
Born: 20 July 1965 (Belfast, North Ireland)
Residence: Dublin, Ireland
Tournament Winnings: ~$ 3,000,000
WSOP Bracelets: 0


Andrew Black comes from Belfast, North Ireland, and now lives in Dublin. He made his international debut at the 1997 WSOP. Black was eliminated by the late poker legend Stu Ungar, placing 14th.

PokerStrategy: What was it like playing against Stu Ungar, possibly the best poker player in the world?

Andy: It was great playing against Stu Ungar. There are rumors that I had AK while Stu had AQ, but it isn't true. He just outplayed me!

Stu had a particular style and played very quickly, whereas other players often considered for a long time.

In the following year, Black returned to the WSOP. His dream did not come true, however. Black withdrew for five years and became a Buddhist monk.

PokerStrategy: What did these five years do for your poker game? Pokerspiel?

Andy: Buddhism makes me both more sensual and more shrewd, which is actually a paradox.

In 2005, he successfully returned to poker: after he had already landed in the the money in two tournaments, he again returned to the Main Event. Black was the clear chip leader at the final table, and he eventually placed fifth, bringing him $1,750,000. Since then he has earned a further 1.5 million dollars in tournaments all over the world like the WSOP, EPT, and the Aussie Millions. He had a homegame at the EPT Dublin in 2007:

PokerStrategy: You travel a lot. What is it like to play a tournament in your homeland?

Andy: I love playing in my home city and live about a mile away. It's great that I can go home after a game and sleep in my own bed. I love Dulin because it's quiet, relaxed, and casual.