Poker pro and all-around gambling whiz Andy Bloch has put his spacious Las Vegas mansion on the market for $8.9 million.
Bloch, who holds two electrical engineering degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a law degree from Harvard Law School, achieved notoriety as a member of the so-called MIT Blackjack Team, a group of mathematically-inclined college students who used card counting to beat casinos out of millions of dollars during the 1980s and 90s.
The 46-year-old’s 10,591 ft.² abode features six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and is located just a short 30 minute drive from Las Vegas. The house boasts a media room and a game room, the latter coming furnished with a professional poker table.
According to Realtor.com the home is outfitted with plenty of stone and tile, and features a “heavily masculine color palette of brown, gray and black.” The master bedroom contains a massive walk-in closet, along with an equally large bathroom equipped with four vanity stations and gilded wood work.
Outside, guests can take in unobstructed views of Sin City’s lights while lounging in the infinity pool, Jacuzzi or grilling area on the back terrace.
In 2008, Bloch’s experience on the MIT Blackjack Team was immortalized in the movie “21.” The film was adapted from a book written by Ben Mezrich, the same author who would later write about the founders of Absolute Poker.
While he once recounted winning upwards of $100K in a single night of counting cards, Bloch soon learned that playing poker was a more lucrative, and far less dangerous activity than playing cat and mouse with casino pit bosses.
The math whiz scored his first tournament win more than two decades ago at Foxwoods and has been a staple in the poker scene ever since. In 2012, Bloch earned his first WSOP gold bracelet after winning the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event for $126,363.
He came close to winning his first bracelet six years earlier, however, during the $50K H.O.R.S.E. event, placing second for $1.02 million, his biggest win on record. Bloch holds numerous other poker titles and accolades, including making two final tables during the first season of the World Poker Tour (WPT).
In 2005, Bloch dusted off his Ivy League law degree and sued the WPT, claiming that the organization conspired to eliminate competition and violated the intellectual property rights of its players. The 46-year-old returned to the WPT in 2008 after the suit was settled.
Bloch was also an early investor in Full Tilt Poker and was an original member of Team Full Tilt. He was not involved in management of the company and was largely in the dark about the financial improprieties taking place behind the scenes.
While the Las Vegas real estate market has suffered years of declines and foreclosures, agents say that prices have stabilized in recent months. That’s good news for Bloch, whose luxury property is just one of several currently on the market in the Vegas area. Buyers can choose from several opulent homes there, which have price tags ranging all the way up to $29 million.
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