Former NFL Tight End Eric Stocz Back in the WSOP Main Event
Poker tournaments, especially the World Series of Poker, bring everybody out to the table: professionals, amateurs, stars of film and television, etc. It also brings out athletes, and Georges St-Pierre isn't the only one in the building today. PokerNews has spotted a former football player in the field today and one we've seen in the WSOP Main Event before.
Eric Stocz was born in Ohio in 1974, and he was drafted as a tight end by the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1996. He played with them for three years before leaving the game and seeking out other interests to occupy his time. One of those interests, apparently, is poker.
Stocz notched his first live cash in 2008, and later took down the Heartland Poker Tour $1,500 Main Event in Mount Pleasant in 2010 for more than $117,000.
Since his big victory, Stocz has racked up more than $60,000 in live tournament earnings. One of the highlights of his poker career came last year when Stocz finished in the money in the WSOP Main Event for $30,974. He also final tabled another HPT Main Event, this one in Reno for $11,100.
Stocz will be looking for back-to-back cashes in the WSOP Main Event and even top his performance from last year. First things first, though, and he'll be grinding through here on Day 1b.