Professional Poker Players

Phil "The Unabomber" Laak

Phil Laak was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1972. He is married to poker pro Jennifer Tilly. He is good friends with Antonio Esfandiari, another phil laaktalented pro and Laak's former roommate. Phil is a very entertaining player to watch, known for wild behavior at the table, such as dropping down to the ground to do push-ups during the middle of his all-in bet. He is also known for wearing his trademark hooded sweatshirt at the tables. Many times he pulls the hood completely over his head when opponents are trying to get a read on him.

Phil plays in both high stakes cash games and tournaments. He was first introduced into high stakes poker in 1999, at an underground club in New York. He found success in these games and began entering tournaments as well.

Laak has found the most tournament success in the World Poker Tour. In 2003, he made 2 WPT final tables. He followed up these finishes in 2004, winning his first major live event at the World Poker Tour's WPT Invitational. 2005 was Phil's best year to date, making two WPT final tables. He also finished 22nd in a World Series of Poker Limit Hold'em event, and nearly took home a WSOP bracelet. He ended up finishing in 2nd place to the legendary Johnny Chan in a Pot Limit Hold'em event.

More recently, Phil has continued his tournament play, and has created "Texas Hold'em: Controlling The Game", his own poker strategy DVD. Phil has also continued his entertaining presence at high stakes cash games, making regular appearances on the Game Show Network's "High Stakes Poker".

Laak plays online poker at PokerStars under the screen name "unabomber".

Phil also created his own annual tournament, known as the "Phil Laak Invitational Tournament". Outside the poker world he and Antonio Esfandiari created their own T.V. show called I Bet You, in which they travel across the U.S. making various bets on anything and everything they can find.

Career Accomplishments:
- 2 First Place Tournament Finishes
- 13 Tournament Cashes
- Over $1 Million Career Tournament Earnings