Erik Seidel (born 6 November, 1959) is a long-time poker player. The winner of eight World Series of Poker bracelets, Erik Seidel has been a regular on the Poker circuit ever since his days at the low-profile, high-risk Mayfair Club in the 1980's. A core Full Tilt team member, Erik Seidel occupies the eighth spot on the all-time poker money list, with more than $9,200,000 in earnings.
Erik Seidel started out as a backgammon player, switching arenas and begining to trade on Wall Street after eight years. Having garnered much gaming experience in those fields, Erik Seidel took up poker at the Mayfair Club. He made his WSOP debut in 1988, finishing second; the final hand of that game was later featured in poker film Rounders. Despite failing to secure the first place, Erik Seidel took off from that tournament on, landing the first place at the 4th Annual Diamond Jim Brady only three months later. Following this achievement, Erik Seidel perfected his skills at various Las Vegas tables until he won the first place at the 1992 WSOP, triumphing over a 168-player field, netting $168,000 and securing his first WSOP bracelet. With his reputation now established, Erik Seidel went pro; the stock market, rather than the casino, now became the place where he pursued hobbies.
Erik Seidel does not shy away from taking up foreign challenges: he has played in locations as diverse as Monaco and the unlikely poker joint of the Isle of Man. Austria, Spain and France had all gotten their share of Erik Seidel. Australia proved a lucrative journey: Seidel took home $879,028 at the 2008 Aussie Millions, coming second out of an international 780-player field.
The World Poker Tournament is another dominion that now bears the Erik Seidel mark. His 20-year pro career registered a new record at the 2008 WPT, where he plunged into the deep-stacked structure of the final table to defeat Robert Richardson heads-up, winning nearly a million dollars in prize money. Describing the final table as "hyper-aggressive," Seidel nonethless enjoyed the challenge, saying, "It was a really, really interesting final table to play. I've never played any like that."
A somewhat peculiar issue for Erik Seidel is his multiple second (13) and fifth-place(14) finishes. Interestingly, he also occupied seat 5 during the second season of NBC's Poker After Dark.
In addition to poker, Erik Seidel is a true music buff. His musical preferences range from Kate Bush to Jeff Buckley to Johnny Cash, and his selection of styles could be surprising at times, with Cajun, Punk and Opera featuring along the more "obvious" Rock, Blues and British Pop.
Erik Seidel - Landmark Victories:
2008 WPT - Foxwoods Poker Classic
$9,700 No Limit Hold'em
04/04/2008 $992,980
2007 38th WSOP
$5,000 World Championship No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball
07/04/2007 $538,835
2005 36th WSOP
$2,000 No Limit Hold'em
06/10/2005 $611,795
2004 Festa al Lago III Poker Tournament
$3,000 No Limit Hold'em
10/17/2004 $217,839
2002 Third Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open
$10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship
01/23/2002 $258,020