Andrew Beal - Poker Playing

Poker Playing

A blackjack player in his youth, in 2001 Beal began visiting the Bellagio in Las Vegas to participate in high stakes poker games, almost exclusively heads-up limit Texas hold 'em. During several visits between 2001 and 2004, Beal played a syndicate of professional poker players known as "The Corporation", which included Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Todd Brunson, Ted Forrest, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Barry Greenstein, Chau Giang, and others.

Beal hoped to force the collective group of pros into such high stakes that their play would be influenced by the amount of money at risk. By the end of their encounters in 2004 they were playing $100,000/$200,000 Limit Texas hold 'em heads up with more than $20 million on the table. This story was chronicled in Michael Craig's book, The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time.

While the games outlined in Craig's book ended in 2004, Beal returned to Las Vegas from February 1–5, 2006 to again take on "The Corporation" in a $50,000/100,000 Limit Hold 'Em match at the Wynn Las Vegas Casino. Opponents included Todd Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Ted Forrest, and others.

On February 5, 2006, Beal was down $3.3 million (USD). He then returned to the Wynn Casino a week later, and won approximately $13.6 million from the Corporation during daily poker sessions from February 12–15. The games resumed February 21–23, with Ivey representing the Corporation against Beal at limits of $30,000/60,000 and $50,000/100,000. During these three days, Beal lost $16.6 million to Ivey.

Beal is recognized as the poker player who won more money in a poker game in a single day than any other known poker player. On Thursday, May 13, 2004, at the Las Vegas Bellagio, Beal won $11.7 million from Hamid Dastmalchi, Reese, Hansen, and Harman.