Final Table Profile: Joe Serock
| Seat: | 5 |
| Chip Count: | 83,600,000 |
| Big Blinds: | 52 |
| Hometown: | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Twitter: | @floesknows |
Joe Serock’s Poker Background
Joe Serock has been a fixture in the poker world for nearly 20 years, with over 200 tournament cashes since 2007, where he’s amassed more than $4.5 million in career earnings.
As Serock takes his seat at the final table of the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event, his extensive background in the game provides a rich narrative of near-misses, significant victories, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
Serock’s early career was marked by two significant runner-up finishes that could have seen him win a WSOP bracelet. In 2009, he finished second to Brock Parker in a $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event, earning $341,783, which remains his largest cash to date. The following year, he came close again, finishing runner-up to Jeffrey Lisandro in a £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the World Series of Poker Europe.
2012 was a banner year for Serock, where his performances on the World Poker Tour (WPT) earned him the prestigious title of WPT Player of the Year. This accolade was bolstered by two notable third-place finishes: one at the Bay 101 Shooting Stars for $320,400 and another at the World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Showdown for $306,240 . These achievements solidified Serock’s reputation as a formidable competitor on the live tournament circuit.
Serock’s first major tournament win came in 2012, marking a significant milestone in his career. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that he finally captured his elusive WSOP bracelet, winning the 2023 WSOP Online Event #7: $500 Pot-Limit Omaha.
Joe Serock’s Main Event Story
Serock’s Main Event story began well before the 2024 WSOP got underway, as he told PokerNews that he qualified for the Main Event from a $1,000 satellite through GGPoker. Should he go the distance and become poker’s next World Champion, he’ll be awarded an additional $1 million from the online platform.
The 36-year-old has already seen a remarkable return on his investment, with a seven-figure payday already locked up.
Serock began his Main Event campaign on Day 1d, finishing with 192,600 chips, placing him 100th out of 3,823 entrants. This strong start set the stage for his deep run, providing him with a solid foundation to build upon in the days to come.
Day 2d saw Serock maintaining his position, ending with 202,500 chips and ranking 612th out of the remaining 2,068 players. On Day 3, Serock began to gain momentum, increasing his stack to 343,000 chips. Though he was 707th out of 1,524, his consistent play was beginning to pay off as the field continued to narrow.
By Day 6, Serock had firmly established himself as a serious contender, finishing with 13,175,000 chips, placing him 20th out of 59 players. Serock breezed through Day 7 and looked like he would be heading to the final table as the chip leader by the end of Day 8. However, a huge clash with Jordan Griff late on saw the chip lead go to the latter.
Serock flopped a straight, but Griff would go onto river quads, with Serock finding a fold.
“I shouldn’t have bet so big on the river, but other than that, I’m fine,” Serock told PokerNews.
Despite that, Serock was happy with Day 8 performance overall, “I think the close spots that I decided to be aggressive worked. I can’t really think of anything I’m mad about.”
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Serock was extremely relaxed as the players did their rounds with the media and explained his game plan for the final table, where he plans to “just play the situations and play the players.”
With a day off looming for the final tablists, Serock’s plan is to just study, something he’s been doing during breaks where he has been spotted running sims when away from the table.
Serock is currently in between abodes, recently leaving Miami. His belongings are currently in storage, but a $10 million windfall would provide him with the means to live anywhere he chooses.
How Joe Serock Got to the Final Table
| End of Day | Chips | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1d | 192,600 | 100/3,823 |
| 2d | 202,500 | 612/2,068 |
| 3 | 343,000 | 707/1,524 |
| 4 | 2,670,000 | 37/464 |
| 5 | 4,885,000 | 50/160 |
| 6 | 13,175,000 | 20/59 |
| 7 | 46,300,000 | 5/18 |
| 8 | TBC | TBC |
2024 WSOP Main Event Final Table Seating
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boris Angelov | Bulgaria | 52,900,000 | 33 |
| 2 | Malo Latinois | France | 25,500,000 | 16 |
| 3 | Brian Kim | United States | 94,600,000 | 59 |
| 4 | Niklas Astedt | Sweden | 94,200,000 | 59 |
| 5 | Joe Serock | United States | 83,600,000 | 52 |
| 6 | Jordan Griff | United States | 143,700,000 | 90 |
| 7 | Jonathan Tamayo | United States | 26,700,000 | 17 |
| 8 | Andres Gonzalez | Spain | 18,300,000 | 11 |
| 9 | Jason Sagle | Canada | 67,300,000 | 42 |
2024 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | $6,000,000 |
| 3 | $4,000,000 |
| 4 | $3,000,000 |
| 5 | $2,500,000 |
| 6 | $2,000,000 |
| 7 | $1,500,000 |
| 8 | $1,250,000 |
| 9 | $1,000,000 |
Managing Editor
He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
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