Eric Stocz Looking for a Main Event Touchdown
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Poker tournaments, especially the World Series of Poker, bring everybody out to the table: professionals, amateurs, stars of film and television. It also brings pro athletes out , and Paul Pierce isn't the only one in the building today. We've spotted a former American football player in our field today.
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 2009, at a WSOP Circuit event no less. He was the runner up in a $345-buy-in event, earning four figures and consummating his poker career. Just a few months later, his second cash came with a first-place trophy as Stocz took down the Heartland Poker Tour event in Mount Pleasant for more than $115,000.
Stocz entered Day 2a with 29,100, which is less than what he began the tournament with, but he's moved up to about 50,000 in chips so far.