LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Rocco Mediate: World Series
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AUGUSTA, Georgia—At night, at his rented house five minutes from Augusta National, Rocco Mediate played online poker last week. It relaxed him, and took his mind off of the daily struggle with his fickle body. He compared strategy with his friend, mentor and houseguest, 2004 World Series of Poker champion Greg (the Fossilman) Raymer, on Wednesday and Thursday nights. They have bartered an arrangement by which Raymer is getting free golf lessons in exchange for coaching Mediate at poker. The golfer won $40,000 and finished in the top 20% of the 5,619-player field in 2005 World Series, and plans to play cards professionally upon retirement, which looked not so far off on the horizon until the 70th Masters last week. He was ranked 189th in the world.
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Early on, Mediate counted himself a 14-handicapper at poker. then the online poker site Pokerstars.com learned of Mediate's interest and paid his $10,000 entry fee into the "Main event" finale of the World series of Poker. In July 2005, Mediate joined almost 5,600 players in a Las Vegas casino room the approximate size of Rhode island.
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Mediate pointed out that not long ago, he was outside the top 200 in the world. A top 10 at Riviera last month and a runner-up at Bay Hill this month have thrust him to No. 95.
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