A Perfect 10 for Erik Seidel

Call it Paradise. The Atlantis in Bahamas was the perfect backdrop for Erik Seidel’s career milestone 10th World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet. The Poker Hall of Famer Seidel took down Event #7: $50,000 Super High Roller NLHE at the 2023 WSOP Paradise festival for a first-place payday of $1,704,400. This win also ushers him into the elite club of Poker players with 10 or more World Series of Poker gold bracelets, making him just the 5th player to do so.

Seidel joins the ranks of the late Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Phil Ivey. Poker brat Phil Hellmuth is the All-Time bracelet leader with 17. Seidel bested a field of 137 world champions and tournament grinders at the very ripe age of 64.

From Wall Street to Poker Stardom

Erik Seidel was a former Wall Street trader who decided to gamble on a different high stakes game. Seidel’s first WSOP cash was in 1988, when he finished runner-up to Johnny Chan in the Main Event. That game was immortalized in the Matt Damon-Ed Norton starrer, “Rounders”. Like the two award-winning actors, Seidel built a stellar career, winning his first gold bracelet in 1992. He continued his winning ways, 35 years running since he began as a professional.

Milestone victory over Millennial stars at 2023 WSOP Paradise

As proven by his 10th WSOP bracelet, Seidel is still playing to win. At the 2023 WSOP Paradise, he competed with the best of the best Millennial hot shots like Alex Foxen, Jason Koon, Timothy Adams, and Adrian Mateos, who at 29, is more than half Seidel’s age. The seasoned veteran doesn’t keep his cards to his chest though, when sharing what his secret to longevity is. In an interview with PokerNews, Seidel is very modest about competing with the younger, more aggressive generation of players,

“I’m still trying to keep up with these guys,” he said. “I’m talking to people, working hard and playing … Part of it is just I love the game. I love to wake up and play, so hopefully I can keep that enthusiasm.”

That outlook has seen him through over 150 tournaments, spanning multiple decades, including a 2021 online bracelet on WSOP-GGPoker Event #11: Super MILLION$ High Roller NLH.

Seidel’s Atlantis Resort victory is his first live bracelet win in 16 years. Fittingly, the personal milestone was achieved together with the first staging of the World Series of Poker outside of Las Vegas, at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in exotic Bahamas. Far away from its longtime Las Vegas home in Binion’s Horsehoe casino.

Seidel’s 10th WSOP gold bracelet and winnings push him up over $45.5 million in total career cashes and there seems to be no slowing down. To quote a post-win interview in PokerNews,

“Any time you win a bracelet is just an incredibly special thing. To get to ten, I don’t know, it’s a beautiful feeling. It’s just so nice when things go well like this.” Why stop a good thing? Soak it up Erik Seidel.

*Article by Mike Alcazaren