The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the biggest poker series in the world. Hosted every summer in Las Vegas, the poker series is one that many poker players dream of playing. With the WSOP being such a big deal, it’s not a surprise that the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet will always be one of poker’s most sought-after accolades.
Through the years since its inception, there have been countless talented poker players who have graced the felts of WSOP to take home the gold bracelets. However, only a few walk away with more than one let alone nine! One of these high achievers is professional poker player Erik Seidel. This pro has been grinding since the 1980s, Seidel is hailed as one of the world’s best poker players and with a whopping 339 career cashes (source: Card Player), it’s easy to see why.
Born in New York City, Seidel was always into card games. When he was young, Seidel also played backgammon professionally. Despite his long career as a poker pro, he will always be remembered for the first WSOP he played. In the 1988 WSOP Main Event, Seidel, who was a young player then went heads-up with one of the best poker pros—Johnny Chan. His crushing defeat after Chan scored a nut-straight to clinch the Main Event will always be a tale most discussed among players. This exact moment was also showcased on the silver screen thanks to the movie Rounders.
Seidel was not the one to accept defeat. Determined to clinch a WSOP title, he continued to work on his game. His efforts finally paid off in the 1992 WSOP when he took home his first WSOP bracelet at the $2,500 Limit Hold’em event. The following year, Seidel went on to win his second WSOP bracelet in the $2,500 Omaha Eight-or-Better. While winning two bracelets was commendable, Seidel went on to win his third consecutive WSOP bracelet in 1994 at the $5,000 Limit Hold’em.
Erik Seidel’s social profiles 🌐
By that time, Seidel was already proving himself as a force to reckon with. He then went on to win six WSOP bracelets after that. His last WSOP bracelet live event win was in the year 2007 when he shipped the $5,000 World Championship No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball for $538,835. From the moment Seidel scored his first WSOP win, he became unstoppable. Going to win not just WSOP titles in his long career but also started playing live tournaments on the World Poker Tour (WPT) where he won the 2008 WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic and cashed a whopping $992,890.
All the stats in this article are updated as of 12th December 2023!
In 2011, he almost grabbed his second WPT title at the Hollywood Poker Open but finished in the runner-up position for $155,103. He also played in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final €100,000 Super High Roller in April 2015 where he won the title for €2,015,000. This American pro also cashed in events like the Aussie Millions, Partypoker LIVE – partypoker MILLIONS World, and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure among others.
The year 2011 was one of Seidel’s best years in his poker career where he had a stunning high-stakes run, adding millions to his skyrocketing poker score. According to Hendon Mob, Seidel ranks 5th in the all-time money list and has racked up $38,598,811 in total live earnings. His best live cash was $2,472,555 which he scored when he shipped the 2011 Aussies Millions $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em.
Despite being 62 years old, Seidel has been an active player. He’s also a versatile player who managed to take his game to the online felts in the 2021 WSOP Online event and shipped the $10,000 Super Million$ High Roller for $977,842 to grab his ninth WSOP bracelet. This further tells us that Seidel is not yet done with poker and will continue to play the game for even more years to come. Fingers crossed for this poker pro as he continues to take the poker world by storm just as he did all those years ago.
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Donna Amo was a writer at Gutshot Magazine. She is a graduate from Sophia College of Women, Mumbai with a degree in English Literature. When this October born foodie is not writing content or poetry, she spends her time laughing at memes or watching series. Based out of Mizoram, she is drawn to all things nature and has a soft spot for puppies.
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