News / nono / 23 June 2008 / Leave a comment

The 2008 $1,500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud champion is Mike Rocco, from Las Vegas, NV. He is a 48-year-old professional poker player, who by his own admission has been going through some rough times lately. Rocco was born in Cleveland, OH.

Incredibly, Rocco won his way into this event by winning a $215 single-table satellite.

Rocco collected $135,753 for first place. He also earned his first WSOP gold bracelet.

Rocco has been playing professionally since 1997. He mostly concentrates on middle limit cash games in the Los Angeles area. Rocco prefers Seven-Card Stud to Hold'em and for that reason tends to play more in California, where there is more Seven-Card Stud action.

Rocco first came to Las Vegas in the early 1980s. He began working as a blackjack dealer at the Dunes Casino and Hotel (the site where the Bellagio now stands).

Rocco had tears in his eyes in a post-tournament interview when he was asked about his 5-year-old son, Oliver. "He means everything to me," Rocco said. "This (gold bracelet) is for him."

"I can't say enough about my friends," Rocco said as he pointed to fellow poker pros Jeffrey Lisandro and Cycndy Violette who watched the entire final table match. "I got more phone calls from my friends in the last two days than the last two months - and I don't even owe them money!"