1995 Hall of Fame Poker Classic

$1,500 Buy-in
Entries: 44
Total Prize Money: $66,000

1994 Winner: Tom Fischer - $16,200

1995 Champion: ANDREW BLOCH

• The Winners.
• The Showdown.
• The Final Table.
• The Final Hand.

1. Andrew Bloch                             $29,700
Boston, Massachusetts
2. Paul Pudaite                              16,500
East Lansing, Michigan
3. Kiet Tran                                  9,900
Alhambra, California
4. Chris Ferguson                             6,600
Pacific Palisades, California
5. Jim Feldhouse                              3,300
Akron, Ohio

. This is the first Hall of Fame title for Bloch, who also holds a no-limit Hold'em title from the World Poker Finals. A graduate of MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Bloch plans to attend law school next year.

. Almost down to the felt when heads-up play began, runner-up Paul Pudaite was soon forced to relinquish his last two chips when Bloch showed down the winning combination -- queens full of eights in back, a pair of kings for the middle hand, and A-J-9 in front. Pudaite set his final hand as follows: treys full of fours in back, a pair of fives in the middle, and A-J-9 in front.

. "Paul is a talented player," said Bloch. "He taught me almost everything I know about Chinese Poker, and it seems strange that I ended up beating him. But there's a little bit of skill and a lot of luck in this game, and I got good cards when it counted."

. Pudaite, 36, of East Lansing, Michigan, pocketed $16,500 for his second-place finish. A Chinese Poker player since childhood, he became a serious competitor just two years ago. He and his wife, Gretchen, captured first place in this year's mixed doubles event at the Peppermill Spring Tournament.

. Placing third and taking home $9,900 was Kiet Tran of Alhambra, California, who began playing a form of Chinese Poker years ago in his native Vietnam. A 26-year-old competitor, Tran placed third in the Chinese Poker event during the 1995 Queens Poker Classic and finished sixth in a recent Hold'em event at Commerce Casino.

The Final Hand

Next Event.