2012 Wsop Event 7
Sunday June 3, 2012 : WORLD SERIES OF POKER BRACELET FOR BLOCH – FINALLY!
WSOP veteran finally claims the jewellery in event 7
Most poker fans would agree that World Series of Poker veteran and highly respected poker pro Andy Bloch (42) is one of the most deserving of a winner's bracelet in the world's biggest poker tournament, yet the cards have thus far decreed that it was not to be.
That all changed over the weekend when he gave his seriously talented opponents in event 7: the $1500 buy-in $1,500 Seven-Card Stud, a master class in the game to take down the event, winning $126,363 and that long-awaited bracelet at last.
There were 367 players in the field, generating a prize pool of $495,450; among them were top players like David Williams, Barry Greenstein, Marco Traniello, Chau Giang and Fabrice Soulier.
The final table facing Bloch comprised Greenstein, Stephen Su, Williams, Huu Vinh, Lee Goldman, Caroline Hermesh and Scott Abrams.
When Su was busted out in 3rd Place for $50,332, the scene was set for what promised to be an epic heads up between two outstanding players as Bloch and Greenstein eyed each other across the felt, with Bloch holding an over 3 to 1 chip lead.
Almost immediately Greenstein lost a big pot, exacerbating his position, but kept his cool to bounce back and was soon holding the chip lead. However, his cards didn't last and Bloch was able to snatch the game and claim the fame, leaving his opponent with a consolatory second placing prize of $78,038.
For Bloch, it was another ambition realised. The 42-year-old poker pro has many other boast-worthy career achievements, including a Harvard law degree and two electrical engineering degrees from MIT, where he started playing seriously in 1992, and was part of the MIT blackjack team.
By the end of the year, he had won one of the World Poker Finals tournaments, playing his first ever no-limit Texas hold'em competition.
In 1997, he skipped the last week of law school classes to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event, and played a key role in the experiments leading to the introduction of hole card cams. After passing the bar exam in 1999, he decided to delay his law career and went back to poker, building a quality career record in the game that is now capped by his first WSOP bracelet.
