Bobby Hoff
| Bobby Hoff | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Wizard |
| Residence | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Born | Robert Charles Hoff December 14, 1939 Victoria, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 2013 (aged 73) |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 13 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish |
2nd, 1979 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
Bobby "The Wizard" Hoff (December 14, 1939 – August 25, 2013) was an American professional poker player, based in Long Beach, California. According to Hoff, his nickname "The Wizard" refers to his ability to make mountains of chips disappear.
Hoff was born in 1939 in Victoria, Texas.
In 1958, Hoff studied at the University of Texas on an athletics scholarship, where he frequently played golf from a scratch handicap.
Hoff learned poker in Las Vegas three years after graduating. He worked as a poker dealer and played regularly during his off time. He took up blackjack after reading the book Beat the Dealer by Edward O. Thorp and became a skilled player; however, he often got drunk and lost his winnings. He joined a blackjack team and played regularly for five years. Eventually he was banned from the majority of blackjack tables in Las Vegas, forcing him to return to poker. Hoff became friends with Sailor Roberts, who staked much of his poker action.
In the 1979 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 no limit hold'em main event, Hoff came back from a chip count of $1,730 early on the first day to $225,700 early in the final table's action. He eliminated Johnny Moss in 5th place when his outdrew when the came on the river. Hoff reached the heads-up stage of the tournament, facing amateur Hal Fowler, whom he had eliminated from the same event in 1978. In the final hand, Hoff's were outdrawn by Fowler's on a board of .
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