Scott Seiver, who got his 2022 World Series of Poker off to a great start by winning of the WSOP's early events for his fourth career gold bracelet, saw his fortune turn harshly the other way over the weekend in the preliminary eight-player "flips" that served as qualifiers into the second stage of the unique GGPoker-sponsored "Flip & Go" event. While American Christopher Chatman won his first-ever bracelet and $187,770 by taking down the event Monday night, it was Seiver's bizarre tough-luck story that stole most of the headlines and interest.
Seiver, who cashed for $320,059 in his Event #3 triumph, saw a healthy piece of those winnings sliced away when he went an amazing 0-43 in the eight-player flips that brought each winner a seat into the actual event, while already locking up a min-cash in those events as well. It was a riches-to-rags-and-rags-and-rags-and-many-more-rags experience for Seiver, who at $1,000 a flip, spent $43,000 for nothing at all before giving up on the whole adventure.
The odds on losing 43 times in a row, given random distribution of the winning hands, is greater than 310 to 1. That's in roughly the same range as being dealt a suited Big Slick (ace-king) in any single specific hand, which checks in at about 330 to 1.
The kicker to the tale, however, is that it takes a rare and tenacious pro to be able to fire 43 consecutive $1,000 bullets in such a situation. It's the new, if unofficial, record for futility in the flip-&-go event. Last year, an unnamed Japanese pro tried 21 flips but came up empty each time, while American pro David Williams was widely rumored to have gone 19 straight flips without a winner. Seiver's total exceeded both of those other tough runs combined.
