Isle Open Championship (Day 1C): @The_Alex_Rocha In The House

2017 Isle Open | Event #21
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Isle Open Championship| $500,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Day 1C Entries: 122

Alex Rocha (S. Setauket, NY) worked super hard to get where he is now, with over $1,858,000 in career earnings, and one of the most consistent tournament players in the community.

Alex Rocha (S. Setauket, NY) is another in the group of players we've seen arrive at the Isle Poker Room for the first time, during these opening days of the $1,500 Isle Open Championship ($500,000 GTD).  Rocha may not be a familiar name to followers of this blog, but he's a household name in the tournament poker community.

Rocha broke out on the scene in January of 2011, when he won the opening event of the Borgata Poker Open, besting a field of 1,472 entries.  It was the second recorded tournament win of his career, and came just a month after he won his first WSOP Circuit ring.  The result was worth a shade over $150,000, and looked to be a springboard of a special career.  The next few years weren't as smooth for Alex though, as he continually put himself in position for big scores, but found himself falling just short.  Now falling short still meant five-figure results on numerous occasions, which for most players would be considered a success, but Rocha knew he was capable of bigger things.  

Then came 2016, a year that he would earn over $696,000 in tournament cashes, including two six-figure scores.  Alex finished third in the WSOP Circuit Main Event at the Horseshoe in Baltimore ($133,140), and won the $3,500 No Limit Hold'em ($1,000,000 GTD) event at Venetian that September ($173,861).  Rocha has continued the success this year, with over $400,000 in earnings to this point, including a runner-up in the WSOP Circuit Main Event in Atlantic City ($72,730).  He would also add some Florida results to his resume, finishing third in Event #9 ($570 No Limit Hold'em) of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown ($107,961).

Rocha now has over $1,858,000 in lifetime earnings, and has been in the top (30) in "number of cashes" (in the world) for the past three years.  It's safe to say that Alex is reaching the goals he's set for himself, but knows that even bigger things likely lie ahead.