Who am I?

A important question, and one I’ve asked myself many times over the years. I’m Andrew Lichtenberger and have been playing poker for 20 years with over $23 million in live poker tournament earnings.

Known more by my nickname than birth name in the poker world, ‘LuckyChewy’, or just ‘Chewy’ for short has been an affectionate pseudonym since grade school. School was often challenging for me. I had great teachers and friends, but the curriculum never spoke to me. I enjoyed math and art the most - and I can see why in hindsight.

My interests growing up were not particularly unusual - Sports, TV & movies, books, games, and hanging out with friends. I always really loved games & strategy, and was able to succeed in them fairly well. It wasn’t until I found poker as a senior in high school that I started thinking long term about my life.

I realized that if I was winning at most games already, and poker was a game I could make money at, maybe I could just pursue it and be able to play games my whole life? And I’m so grateful I made this choice.

I had humble beginnings playing small stakes home games with friends, taking shots in online games, and eventually finding local card clubs on Long Island. I found my stride after moving in with some friends for a summer and really committing myself to the game. We all played poker non-stop and discussed all the intricacies of the game. We reviewed our hands together and pioneered a lot of new strategic concepts and ideas. This was the beginning of my career taking shape and it was about to get a whole lot more exciting!

I came to Vegas for the first time in the spring of 2009 at 21 years of age and ponied up $25k to play the WPT Bellagio Championship. I took my seat as, what I can now acknowledge was, an outwardly trepidatious but wily 21 year old and placed in 13th from 338 starting entrants for $81k.

That summer, I returned to Vegas for my first WSOP. And after the dust had settled a successful first WSOP allowed me to take home 2nd in a $5k shootout for $215k and 18th in the Main Event for $500k.

After all this success I felt I had made it! I moved to Vegas but felt young, lost and confused. I found spirituality around this time in my life and began to voraciously consume Eastern philosophy - Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. I felt they had some answers that I myself was seeking.

This was the beginning of my journey away from materialism, hedonism, and societal norms into a more holistic way of life focused on well being at every level. Maximizing happiness, fulfillment, and success. The road that followed was anything but smooth sailing, with plenty of ups and downs pursuing startups and over extending myself along the way - but as I learned from the philosophies there’s always a way through.

I found that through teaching poker for 15+ years I’ve always been able to tap into something greater than myself. Being of service to people and helping them achieve their goals is a gift and gives a true sense of purpose that playing poker alone doesn’t always fulfill.

I still love improving my game, discussing hands with friends, and learning about poker from all angles. I think it’s one of is not the best games ever created. It’s taught me so much about myself and in 2014 I wrote a book called, “The Yoga of Poker” about my conception of poker through the lens of yoga & spirituality.

Over the years I have continued to pursue poker as a career alongside personal development and wellness as a way of life. I got married in 2020 to my beautiful wife Alyssa and we adopted 2 adorable pet doves, Dovie & Blanca, that same year. As of 2025 I’m proud to announce that she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Sedona Rose, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a father!

If I’m remembered for anything I would love for it to be related to my steadfast conviction and sharing of the belief that you have agency & sovereignty over your state of being. Even if life throws you unexpected or unpreferred experiences, it’s up to you to determine how you feel - and no one can take that ability from you.