Some poker players don’t need an introduction, some players need the attention of entering a poker room and some suck the air out of the room when the field realizes the GOAT just showed up.
Erik Seidel is the latter.
Players from every generation notice when Seidel enters the field. His 6’6” frame alone commands a presence, and his Buddhist-like table image clouds his game in mystery.
He returned to Day 2 of the World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship with half the starting stack for ten big blinds but was a little optimistic. “Well, I’m kind of dead here but we’ll see how it goes,” he said.
“I like the tournaments here,” said Seidel. “They do a great job running them and have great fields. It’s nice, every time I come, I realize I don’t want to miss these.”
Seidel has been a fixture in high stakes tournaments for longer than the WPT has been around. He’s been successful against every generation of pros that have worked their way up in stakes and he’s learned a few lessons from them too.
“They’ve revolutionized the way game is being played,” he said. “It’s interesting to be around and witness the evolution. I try and figure out what the hell they’re doing and see if I can survive it.”
Seidel’s humbleness about surviving the game was surprising as his results haven’t slowed down at all. His poker resume can compete with anyone’s and he’s arguably the greatest player alive.
Seidel has a WPT title, eight WPT final tables and $2.6 million in cashes. He’s ninth on the all-time money list with $46 million and won his tenth WSOP bracelet in December to join, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Johnny Chan.
The most unbelievable thing about Seidel is that he’s a Swiftie. His playlists have long been a topic of interest in poker. “I was listening to a jazz album and some Taylor Swift yesterday,” he said.
Seidel keeps playing because of the challenges. “I like to play, I like seeing if I can still compete,” he said. “If I stop, I’m afraid I’ll just get dementia.”
All photos courtesy of World Poker Tour.
