This Former PokerStars Team Pro is a Champion in WHAT Ancient Sport?

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Jun 20, 2025 3 min read

Pat Pezzin lets out a wry chuckle when told his daughter was just nine years old the last time he spoke to PokerNews. She's 21 now, freshly graduated from university, and Pezzin’s first stop after the 2025 World Series of Poker will be back home to Canada to celebrate her achievement.

If it seems like a long time since Pezzin was last cashing on poker's biggest stage, that’s because it has been - long enough for a little girl to grow into a college grad. But in the late 2000s, Pezzin was a regular fixture at the latter stages of some of the biggest poker events.

His career-best score came at the 2009 WSOP, where he finished runner-up to Greg “FBT” Mueller in the $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold’em for $285,195. Other highlights include fourth in the 2007 $5,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud, eighth in the 2008 $5,000 Limit/No-Limit Hold’em, third in the 2010 PCA $5,000 Eight Game, and 22nd in the 2008 WPT North American Poker Championship.

Then, he stepped away. His love for the game waned, and the fire that burned throughout that late-2000s run crackled to embers.

The WSOP, Negreanu, & the Bocce Boom

“It’s a long time since I cashed at the WSOP,” he says. “I’ve been playing a little bit, but not much since the early 2010s. Last year I came for a week, this year I’m here for two.”

Pezzin was last seen playing Event #55: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, unfortunately, not able to regain some of that old-school rungood that made him a popular figure of the late poker boom era.

There’s been a boom in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and parts of Canada, too. I’ve been playing tournaments almost every week.

“I’ve mostly been at home in Canada,” he says. “I’ve been pursuing my other passion, bocce, bocce ball.”

For those unfamiliar, it’s a game with roots to ancient Rome that's similar to pétanque or English lawn bowls. Players throw balls toward a smaller target ball called the pallino; closest wins.

“There’s been a boom in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and parts of Canada too,” he explains. “I’ve been playing tournaments almost every week.”

The former PokerStars Team Pro calls it a “hobby,” but his résumé reveals more: 12-time Canadian Bocce Champion and World Championship appearances representing his nation in the game's pinnacle event.

Bocce, along with family life and “a few good investments,” has helped fill the void that tournament poker once occupied.

Pezzin, who has amassed $805,922 in live tournament earnings, is also remembered for his longtime friendship with Daniel Negreanu. Fans may remember a memorable skit from the late 2000s, where Pezzin, accompanying the Hall of Famer through the halls of the Rio, graciously obliged as unofficial photographer while dozens of fans clamored for photos with the star.

On Negreanu, Pezzin reveals they are still close and have spoken this summer. “I did see him here, we talked for a bit. We said, ‘Let’s hang out,’ but he’s going deep in everything. It’s kinda hard to get time with him.”

He smiles. “Good for him.”

As for more poker this summer?

“I’ve got some free time and wanted to play a few tournaments. I enjoy cash too, but the scene is tough these days with all the private and reserve games.”

“Tournaments are different. You can just register, take your shot, and try to win it. That’s great.”

Eliot Thomas is a Content Executive at PokerNews, specializing in casino and poker coverage. He has reported from major events including the European Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.

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Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

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