Eric Froehlich aka EFro (born February 9, 1984) is an American professional poker player and Full Tilt team member, notable for winning no less than two World Series of Poker. Eric Froehlich was (at the time) the youngest-ever person to win a WSOP bracelet.
Eric Froehlich hails from New Jersey, and grew up playing baseball, basketball, and football. At some point during high school, a sports injury forced him out of these games, he took up less energetic sports. Card game Magic – the Gathering became a great passion of his, and he was soon introduced to poker as well. The game suited his competitive nature, and when he turned eighteen he began playing it online as well. Soon he was making progress, but winning was not the only thing that mattered to him; he learned a tremendous lot simply by watching the moves made by more experience players.
Eric Froehlich entered the 2005 WSOP with plenty of ambition, but with no certainty of winning any titles. The $1,500 Limit Hold'em tournament featured poker aces like Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth, jr. - and they weren't going to yield to a rookie like Eric Froehlich without a fight. And fight he did. The two pros were eliminated even before the final table, and with 192,000 in chips, Eric Froehlich began knocking one opponent after the other. Jason Steinhorn proved a tough nut, and posed a serious threat to Froehlich's chip count. Eventually, Froehlich bet holding his flush despite two pair on board. Steinhorn made a crying call; the flush was good, and Eric Froehlich became the youngest-ever winner of a WSOP bracelet. Looking stunned after the 16-hour final table, Froehlich went up to his room to try and catch up on some sleep (which he always prefers to partying), and woke up a poker celebrity.
The following year proved quite as eventful for Eric Froehlich. He entered the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament feeling much more confident than the previous year. At the final table, he again made history by becoming the youngest-ever player to win two WSOP bracelets. Froehlich’s momentum came when he was dealt Q-7-7-6. Rival Sherkhan Farnood had K-K-6-3; Froehlich flopped a set and then made a full-house when the final board of the night showed 10-7-5-J-J. With hardly anyone watching due to the late hour and the hectic scheudle, Eric Froehlich had broken yet another world record.
Since his amazing double record Eric Froehlich has gone pro full time. He did well, if not extraordinarily, on the 2008 WSOP, and maintained presence at the 2008 WPT as well. Hailed by savants as one of the leading players in the world, Froehlich keeps a cool attitude when it comes to poker. Putting his brother through college and paying back his family's mortgage mean more to him than risking $50,000 at a H.O.R.S.E. tournament - so he sticks to the $1,500-$10,000 level. So far this has worked well for him, and there's no doubt it will continue to do so in the future.