Andy Black
For pro player Andy Black, fame and success did not come easy. He was a perfect example of a person whose fate keep being teased while starting his career in poker. Nicknamed “The Monk”, Andy Black was born in Belfast, Ireland. Growing up in northern Ireland, he was introduced early to the game by his mother in order to block negative events outside their home. He was such an excellent student that he went on studying law in Trinity College upon reaching college. It was during that time when Black considered taking the game a bit more seriously.
The 1997 World Series of Poker Main Event was Black’s first major tournament and it would proved to be one unpleasant experience for the rookie player. He was faced with legendary pro Stu Ungar in one match and the two immediately hit it off, building a fast though brief friendship. It turns out that Ungar only used Black’s friendship, particularly trust, into driving his own goal of winning. It was a crushing defeat that he learned early on. Determined to win, Andy Black returned once again to compete in the WSOP Main Event, this time a documentary team behind him to chronicle his victory this time. Unfortunately, Black suffered another crushing defeat, this time in front of a larger television audience.
This experience led Black to leave everything behind him and live as a Buddhist. For five years, he lived as a semi-monastic Buddhist practicing everything from being calm and desireless to achieve nirvana. His return in 2004 proved to be a huge success. He was in good condition – emotionally, mentally and physically. He scored well in European Poker Tour in Pot Limit Hold’em finishing 8th in the event. He was also making waves in his home country, topping many events. But his best event so far was the 36th Annual World Series of Poker No Limit Hold’em event when he came in fifth overall and took home a whopping $1,750,000! Definitely a major victory from a man who got a bad beating in his first few years in the field.