Winner of Event 45

As the World Series of Poker nears its Main Event, the stakes are getting higher. A 24-year-old online poker pro from Petaluma, Calif. took down more than 3,000 players this weekend for a $721,000 payday.

Jesse Rockowitz took home the prize after winning the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event during Event #45 at the WSOP.

Not previously on the poker radar, Rockowitz’ previous win was just over $5,000 in a WSOP event earlier this month.

“I do not like live poker that much,” Rockowitz said. “It is slow compared to online games. I play up to 35 tables at once. But in live poker I may get 30 hands an hour at the most.”

Rockowitz was previously not a fan of Hold’em, but says he now plays the game several hours a week. He turned pro in 2006.

“I thought coming (to the WSOP) that I would only care about the cash,” said Rockowitz. “But tonight when I got heads-up, I realized that I wanted to win a bracelet. I do not want to be famous. But having peers see that is pretty cool.”

The top 324 finishers in the original pool of 3,097 players were awarded cash prizes. Some of the other top finishers were former WSOP bracelet winners.