Phil "The Unabomber" Laak

Phil "The Unabomber" Laak was born September 8, 1972 in Dublin, Ireland. Laak was raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts and is now residing in San Francisco, California. Laak went to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he got a degree in mechanical engineering. Phil worked as an engineer, a repo man and a real estate investor, before he got into open poker games.

Phil Laak got the nickname "Unabomber" because he constantly wears shades and a hooded sweatshirt to tournaments, making him resemble the forensic sketch of Theodore Kaczynski who was known as the Unabomber. Laak will pull the hood over his head and pull the drawstrings closed to hide his face during a big hand.

Phil Laak only considers himself a "semi-professional" poker player. In February 2004, Laak won the World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational and he has made two other WPT final tables since - 6th place in both the season 2 Battle of Champions and the 2005 Five Diamond World Poker Classic.

For several years Laak lived in the Bay Area with Antonio Esfandiari, another pro poker player. They traveled together to play tournaments and in the 2004 WPT invitational, Esfandiari took sixth place while his roommate got first.

Phil Laak is now dating actress Jennifer Tilly. Tilly has been given the nickname "The Unabombshell." In 2005, Tilly won a WSOP bracelet in the $1,000 buy-in Ladies No-Limit Hold'em championship. On the same day she won her bracelet, which she said is "better than an Oscar," her boyfriend finished second to Johnny Chan in the $2,500-pot Limit Hold'em event.

Laak now stars on "I Bet You," which is a TV show with fellow poker pro Antonio Esfandiari on MOJO HD. The friends make bets on anything ranging from who can make more tips bartending to the price of a t-shirt.

Fun Facts:

• Former sports betting broker
• Part-time stock market speculator and real estate investor.
• Holds a degree in mechanical engineering