With the help of PocketFives backers, David Mock played the Bellagio Five Diamond High Roller and hit a $100K score. (photo: Borgata Poker)

David Mock was riding the wave.

Mock, the 33-year-old Boston-based semi-pro, decided he wanted to take a rare shot in a Bellagio Five Diamond $10,000 No Limit Hold’m High Roller and after selling a little action, buy-in in, and grinding all day, he found himself sitting at a final table surrounded by some of the biggest names in the game.

The field was packed with some of the biggest stars of the high roller scene, including the likes of Dominik Nitsche and Nick Petrangelo – both of whom made the final six. And then there was Mock, a largely unknown player to these fields, battling for the biggest score of his life.

“In my opinion, anytime you’re playing poker, you can’t worry about anything,” Mock said. “You just have to feel like you’re the best player at all times. I always say I don’t go over hands in my head in the middle of playing, I don’t think about anything other than what’s in front of me. But after it was over, I was like ‘Damn…I was literally the least accomplished player at that final table.’”

Mock was in a good spot, playing not only for himself but for and a few supportive backers that joined him after picking up a piece on PocketFives as well. The momentum he had after a deep run in the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event carried over, and, in the end, Mock finished the night as the runner-up and picked up a $100,800 score, the largest of his career.

“You see these guys play all these big tournaments all the time and they’re studs. Obviously, their results speak for themselves…but in the moment you’ve got to feel confident in yourself as well. I’ve played four or five $10k’s and a $25K [the PSPC in 2019] and I’m four-for-five. I’m doing really well when I play big for some reason.”

Mock may not be known to the greater poker public, but the Boston resident is a mainstay of the Northeast poker scene. From the time he got started in the New Hampshire charity poker games in his late teens, he found a love for poker. Primarily a tournament player, Mock has a number of healthy scores including a final table in the 2018 Borgata Spring Poker Open Main Event for more than $70K, and an outright win in a Parx Big Stax for his previous high score of $95K. But like many pros, Mock had his ups and downs, including busting a couple of six-figure rolls, something to which he said, “I don’t plan on ever doing that again.”

At the start of the pandemic, when the live games dried up, Mock stopped playing full time and took over running a small construction company with a silent partner. Still, he was playing cash games on the side, keeping sharp. But during the fall/winter, his company traditionally takes time off. This left Mock with the opportunity to head to Las Vegas for the WSOP to play in the Main Event. He had a stellar run, finding himself near the top of the chip counts on Day 2 and ultimately finishing on Day 5 in 193rd for a $44,200 payday.

“It was really cool, I’m just very lucky with the poker community that I grew up with. It’s all very tight. So, to make a deep run in the Main and waking up to all the hundreds of messages from friends and family…half of them think I could cash out the $600K stack that I had because they don’t know,” he said laughing.

David Mock at the WSOP (photo: WSOP/PokerNews)

But it was that deep run that give him the idea of taking a shot in a Five Diamond High Roller. He was already planning on playing the WPT Five Diamond Main Event, but Mock, who normally plays in the $500-$3,000 range, thought maybe it was time to “strike while the iron’s hot.” At least in terms of perception. Mock knew that since he had just made a deep run in the biggest tournament of the year, selling extra action to help him take his shot would be easier. He reached out to PocketFives, posted 10%, and watched it sell out quickly allowing him to register for one of the biggest tournaments of his career.

“I just figured out of all the ones [during the Bellagio’s Five Diamond], this seemed like it would be the ‘softest one’, just because it’s so close to the Main Event…even though it wasn’t. It was definitely not, but it is what is, I have confidence in myself.

“I knew I’d be a dog in it, and I told people that. I don’t think I’m a dog in the Main obviously, but in this one I definitely was,” he said. “And obviously luck is a big part of it, so I ran good.”

Mock did run good and so did his investors. Those who were able to grab a piece made 10x on their stake, turning a $100 investment into roughly $1K. So when Mock posted additional action for his Main Event, it sold out lightning fast with investors looking to ride the same wave Mock is on.

But despite his recent success, Mock said this isn’t him stepping back into poker’s spotlight full time. He’s definitely “not mad” about his back-to-back $10K results, but he’s happy in his construction business and, he says he’s even working towards becoming a firefighter. Another profession that would afford him time to play on the side.

“I love poker and I’ll never not play poker,” he said. “But I don’t think I’ll ever play full-time again. There is no crossroads for me, I’m never going to be the full-time high-stakes guy. I just think taking shots when I can but I think I’m just in a good spot in life where when poker’s fun and I’m not counting on it, it’s made things a lot easier.”