Erik Seidel

Eric Seidel is one of the most famous poker players who has won most of his games. He was born in 1959 November 6th in New York City. In his first year of play in the WSOP he managed to get head-up against world’s best pros. He appeared in the television show ‘to tell the truth’ when he was 12 years old. He took the backgammon while in Brooklyn College and in 1970s he saw the opportunity to venture into the game. He therefore dropped out of school to concentrate on the professional game.

He then started having time out at the Mayfair club for eight years. During this time he traveled for tournaments around the U.S. He got into the game casually and when the gambler job started weighing on him he decided to get a nine-five job. After joining the club he started improving tremendously and by 1988 he started asking people to invest in him in his first world series of poker. He signed in for ten and bust in nine of these before the main event. He then went heads-up against the defending champion Chan. Even after losing the game he did not give up instead he went to work in Wall Street in New York while still playing high-stakes poker and pop up at tournament tables.

At the 1991 WSOP, he placed second in the 5000 dollars limit hold’em event but saw the WSOP gold in the next years when he finished first in the 1992 2,500 dollars limit hold’em event and in 1993 2,500 dollars Omaha Eight-or-better. In 1995 he won hold’em 5,000 dollars winning the gold bracelet for his efforts. In 1995 he moved with his wife to Las Vegas. It was until 1998 when he nailed down 5,000 dollars for Deuce-to-seven triple draw. The following year he didn’t make it to the heads-up play and became fourth with 280,000 dollars. In 2001 he took home 411.000 dollars at the 3,000 dollars no-limit-hold’em event. Jack Binion World Poker Open in Tunica saw him at second place with 285,020 dollars.

At the 2003 WSOP Seidel completed in the 1500 dollars pot-limit-Omaha and 3,000 dollars no-limit hold’em events and became first and third respectively. In the same year he became second in the 9800 dollars no-limit hold’em in U.S poker championship. In 2004 he became first in the 2500 dollars no-limit hold’em and 3000 dollars no-limit hold’em final events against Festa Al Lago II and III. He took fourth in the Doyle Brunson no-limit hold’em poker championship in the same year. In 2005 he got his seventh gold bracelet with 2,000 dollars no-limit hold’em event that earned him 611,795 dollars. In 2008 he worn his last tournament before the main event the no-limit Deuce-to-seven triple draw lowball with re-buys for which he received 538,835 dollars. He is known for initiating intelligent conversation at the tables while playing.

This outstanding success he has seen rewards including the sponsorship with Full Tilt poker for whom he appeared in television advertisements. He is best known for the final pot he lost to Johnny Chan in the 1988 world series of poker. This led to the production of the movie called Rounders starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton. Chan played as the worlds champion poker player. He is intelligent and respected by many people.

Seidel is married with children and plays tennis, watches independent films in his spare time and is a music fanatic. He has his personal website that includes music tab with hundreds of personally recommended albums that are downloaded into his ipod.

He admits his success to patience and malleability. His styles have been perfected with time and experience. He has worked to improve his tournament structures and pace in order to stay at the top. He says different formats call for different styles of play. He says you should know how to play your opponent at the table and make right moves that you know will be rewarding. Every player develops a table image that determines how people play against them. The option of re-stealing for an opponent who is trying to steal your blinds from late position. If you are playing online try the ATC rule, then the two cards is you have a strong read on the opponent. You should weigh the situation of the game and try calling for blinds than re-raising. When Seidel sees that his opponent is raising a lot of pots, he chooses to flat-call because he can at least get one more bet out of the opponent. He can continue by check-calling all the way if the opponent is hyper-aggressive. These skills and styles have seen him through to where he has reached and earns him all the riches he has accumulated from poker game. Find out more about Eric Seidel at his official website: http://www.erikseidel.com/

Posted by Joel on May 9 2010. Filed under Player Profiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry