Bobby "The Wizard" Hoff (December 14, 1939 – August 25, 2013)[1] was an American professional poker player, based in Long Beach, California.
In 1958, Hoff studied at the University of Texas on an athletics scholarship, where he frequently played golf from a scratch handicap.
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.
Eventually he was banned from the majority of blackjack tables in Las Vegas, forcing him to return to poker.
Hoff reached the heads-up stage of the tournament, facing amateur Hal Fowler, whom he had eliminated from the same event in 1978.