Erik Seidel

He doesn’t have the fame and profile of some of his rivals, but Erik is content to play his analytical style without the excessive fanfare and flash. To his credit, Seidel has acquitted himself quite well- he holds six World Series bracelets, and is one of the top money winners.

Erik Seidel was born and raised in New York state. He developed his analytical approach to life at a very young age, and would grow up to be a Wall Street stock broker.

He would also become a very competitive and successful Backgammon player- Seidel is one of many top players to cross over from Backgammon. As a successful stock broker in his home state, Erik played Poker recreationally on the side. This would change in a big way after Erik moved to Las Vegas.

Seidel entered his first World Series of Poker main event in 1988. Amazingly, he would finish in second place as an inexperienced rookie. He looked to be on the fast track to victory, until mastermind Johnny Chan would trap him in the final hand of the tournament. Having tasted success, Erik would return to the WSOP and went on to win his first of six bracelets in 1994. He would also return to the final table of the main event in 1999, where he finished in fourth place.

As a bona fide Poker star, Seidel has done quite well for himself since moving to Las Vegas and playing poker for a living. He is the only player to be on the all-time top money-winner lists at both the Bellagio and World Series of Poker.

Erik’s style depends on his extensive intellectual analysis of the situation; as such he has drawn criticism for being “too tight”. While it’s true he’s less aggressive than some of his rivals, Erik seems to “give them enough rope to hang themselves” and sticks to his own game. With an effective mix of concentration, focus and patience, Erik doesn’t often lose.

When he’s not playing Poker, Erik is listening to music, or playing tennis. He still enjoys Backgammon, and also plays the stock market on the side, drawing on his years of expertise. With millions in winnings, watch for Erik to continue to play a less flashy, but devastatingly lucrative style of poker.