UNDER THE GUN 5 QUESTIONS WITH ANDY BLOCH

1
You’ve taken some abuse from Norman Chad for the snakeskin cowboy hat with the hole in the brim. What do you consider to be the worst fashion accessory in poker today?

First off, getting abuse from Chad is a compliment! To answer your question, the worst fashion accessories are Perry Friedman’s hand puppet, Stu, and his red hair streak.

2
You lost an extraordinary heads-up match with Chip Reese in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event in 2006, and luck seemed to favor him in most or all of the big hands. Looking back, how upset are you that a few unlucky breaks prevented you from staking a claim to the unofficial title of “best all-around poker player in the world”?

Ninety-three percent of the time, I would have won one of those all-ins and been the champion, so it’s really like I lost to a three-outer with one card to come. Finishing second after such a long match was disappointing at first, but it’s not the worst beat in the world, and walking away with a check for $1,000,000 made a lot of the pain go away.

3
When’s the last time you went on tilt at the poker table?

I go on Full Tilt all the time. I can’t remember when I last went on regular tilt.

4
As both a poker pro and a blackjack expert, what’s your take on Elimination Blackjack, and can it ever become as popular as tournament poker?

The game is easier to learn, but you don’t have as much hidden information and bluffing as in poker. One thing that makes poker good on TV is that the viewer knows more than the players. I think one or both starting cards should be dealt face down in Elimination Blackjack, and they should use hole-card cams.

5
If you had to name one poker player who’s a completely different person when the TV cameras are turned off, who would that person be?

None. Of the top pros, all their personalities show through when they are on TV. Some players might be a little less restrained when on TV because they are playing to the cameras. But if I had to say someone, I’d say Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow. Although they sometimes berate their opponents at the poker table, they are both nice guys away from the table.