High Stakes Poker Pro Michael Rocco Looks to Trade Cards for Crops After 2024 WSOP
In what was intended to be a conversation about a slew of near misses over his career, Michael Rocco flipped the script when he revealed that the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) would be his last full series for many years.
And the reason why he'll be reducing his volume at the tables may come as a bit of a shock.
During a break in Event #94: $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Championship, he told PokerNews that he has acquired a farm in the last year, and intends to shift his focus to that venture over his card-playing exploits.
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Health Grind Inspires Rocco for Life Outside Poker
Rocco’s decision to reduce his poker activities probably comes as a surprise to many, given his successful career. Over the last 15 years, he has accumulated more than $6 million in live earnings. Despite this success, Rocco has been pursuing other interests over the last decade, and his passion for health has profoundly influenced his latest endeavor.
His interest in health, particularly in understanding the human body and optimizing its functionality, has led him to explore farming. Rocco’s studies have made him aware of the significant impact of food and nutrition on health, which in turn has fueled his desire to swap poker for farming.
Rocco elaborated on his motivations, stating, “It all stems from health, like having an understanding of health and having an understanding of the systems that we're living under. There is a lot of influence from pharmaceutical companies on the food industry, and food is the basis of what we put into our bodies and what gives us health.
"So, the proper mineralisation of the soil is actually the proper mineralisation of the human body. As they farm and use synthetically induced chemicals to grow food, that pulls the minerals out of the soil and therefore, the humans cannot get it from the food, and the human race becomes weaker and weaker over time until we put chips in our heads and become robots."
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Near Misses Not Bothering Rocco
The interview then shifted to Rocco's time at the poker table. In terms of monetary value, the 34-year-old's poker career has been a success, but major accolades have eluded him.
The Californian has made nine WSOP final tables, five of them this summer and two more last winter at the 2023 WSOP Europe, but has never been able to close out a big one.
Reflecting on his poker career, Rocco acknowledged the challenges and near-misses but remained positive about his journey. “Everything happens for a reason,” he noted. “I just try to move forward and see where I had issues in my mentality and approach to situations. I just try to improve so I can perform better next time.”
However, he could mark the end of his summer with a nice parting gift from the job that he's done for almost twenty years.
Rocco, at the time of writing, remains in contention in the $10K 6-Handed Championship with nine players remaining. Should he cross the finish line in first place, he'll be awarded his maiden bracelet along with the $924,922 that awaits the winner.
As Rocco prepares for his new chapter, he remains grateful for his poker achievements, and while he may be pausing his chase for Player of the Year titles or bracelets, his focus on farming and health no doubt promises a fulfilling future.
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