Eric Seidel: The Legendary Journey
There's no doubt that Eric Seidel is an outstanding poker player. At this point, his career has been going strong for more than 35 years and he's still playing at an enviously high level. In December 2023, he earned his tenth WSOP bracelet.
If for nothing than this reason alone, his story should be analyzed in hopes of figuring out how he still manages to stay at the top his game.
The Early Years
Eric Seidel was born in New York on November 6th, 1959. His mother raised Eric and his two brothers on her own. As the poker player himself notes, his family barely made ends meet and, with their childhood leaving much to be desired.
Eric's interests were similar to other city kids. The list included watching movies, he loved watching Saturday Night Live, music, and playing games. As he noted:
"Games helped me escape from reality. I didn't like school much. There was a place in town called "Chess City" where my brothers and I used to spend a lot of time. In this place my acquaintance with backgammon took place. I studied the book "Backgammon" by Paul Magriel, and I got the necessary theoretical basis for the game by reading it. And already in high school, I played backgammon better than anyone else".
At the time, one of Seidel's pastimes was playing backgammon for money, earning him a reputation of one of the most skillful players. Because of his skills, he joined the Mayfair Club, considered legendary among backgammon players in New York City. Eric himself said:
"I joined the Mayfair club at the age of 17. There were games such as bridge and poker that were also played there. There were some really exciting events and competitions. Every day, you could compete against the best backgammon players in the club. That's where I met Paul Magrill, at the time he was most notable for his backgammon skills".
After high school, Eric decided to go to college. Thanks to backgammon, he could now afford it:
"The industry was so developed that sponsorship contracts were signed with players. Thus, I decided to make a living from backgammon. The skill of the game allowed me to travel the world, it was an incredible experience. I'm grateful to all the circumstances for the opportunity to see different countries around the world".
Transition to Poker
In the early 1980s, while playing backgammon professionally, Eric found himself in Las Vegas. This is where he was introduced to poker. Here's how Seidel himself describes it:
"At the time, there was a tendency for backgammon players to play poker alongside each other. Chip Reese and Stu Unger are examples. Moreover, Stu was a close friend of mine. It was because of him that I was introduced to poker. One day he went to play poker at Stardust and he took me with him. I just sat there and watched the game and generally tried to understand what he was doing. It was a really valuable experience, Stu himself was incredibly good."
"The first games were played at Dunes, I was playing low limits. Everything was going as well as possible. Luck played its part since my skill level was really low. After the first game, I managed to get to $50 plus, it was a really important moment".
In 1985, Eric Seidel met his future wife, Ruja. At that point, Siedel decided to give up gambling and started looking for a regular job.
“I decided to go to work on Wall Street. However, 1987 was marked by the collapse of the stock exchange, which left me with nothing. I needed to take care of my wife and child, it was difficult to do anything about it considering the fatal changes in the world.”
His WSOP Success
After Black Monday, Seidel decided to return to the Mayfair Club.
"It was a very risky decision, I was really worried, however, the circumstances were such that I was playing at a big plus. Some players from the club suggested to me the idea of attending the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. It was a $10,000 tournament with several hundred players. In fact, it was the biggest poker event at the time".
Thus, in 1988, Eric Seidel took part in the WSOP Main Event. The total number of participants in that tournament was 165 people. At the heads-up stage, Eric Seidel faced reigning Main Event champion John Chen and lost. The total prize money for second place was $280,000.
"Chen was the best player at the time. I seriously feared him as I understood his skill level. There was a clear realization that I would not be able to compete with him. On the final hand, I fell into a trap. I have to admit that Chen outplayed me in many aspects".
A short while later, Seidel entered the Annual Diamond Jim Bardy Tournament in California, where he ended the tournament in first place, winning $144,000. The runner-up was Phil Helmuth.
In 1995, Eric Seidel made the decision to move his family to Las Vegas.
"It's worth admitting that my wife is an even bigger gambler than I am. She was the one who insisted on the decision to move from New York, as it wasn't cheap to live there. And I must say that it was a very smart and necessary decision. I continued to play poker professionally, but I also had time to drive the kids to school in the mornings and pick them up after school.”
According to official figures, since 1988, Eric Seidel has earned a total of $45.5 million in prize money. On the All Time Money List, he ranks 7th among the players who have won the most prize money. At this point, Eric has won a total of 10 WSOP bracelets, the same number of titles held by Phil Ivey, John Chen, and Doyle Brunson. Phil Helmut is the only player with more, numbering 17 in total.
"I never set myself a specific goal of winning a bracelet. However, this trophy will not be out of place in my collection of memorabilia".
The secret to Seidel's successful game lies in one simple principle, he loves the competitive spirit.
"I love to get wins. It makes me feel special in the morning when I realize I have an exciting challenge ahead of me at the poker table. Playing against other players is truly my passion, I enjoy competing against young and talented poker players, anticipating and understanding their thinking. Every new game always has a lesson in it".
Eric Seidel Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 4th Annual Diamond Jim Brady, Los Angeles | 1st | $ 144,000 |
| 2002 | The Third Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open, Tunica | 2nd | $ 258,020 |
| 2007 | 2007 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Melbourne | 2nd | $ 437,404 |
| 2011 | 2011 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Melbourne | 2nd | $ 2,472,555 |
| 2011 | Ninth Annual Five Star World Poker Classic, Las Vegas | 1st | $ 1,092,780 |
| 2013 | European Poker Tour - EPT Barcelona, Barcelona | 2nd | $ 745,224 |
| 2015 | European Poker Tour - EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, Monte Carlo | 1st | $ 2,222,222 |
| 2016 | Super High Roller Bowl 2016, Las Vegas | 3rd | $ 2,400,000 |
| 2020 | partypoker LIVE - partypoker MILLIONS World Bahamas, Nassau | 4th | $ 1,275,000 |
| 2021 | World Series of Poker - WSOP ONLINE 2021 at GGPoker (International), Online | 1st | $ 977,842 |
| 2022 | European Poker Tour - EPT Barcelona, Barcelona | 2nd | $ 1,320,344 |
| 2023 | World Series of Poker - WSOP Paradise, Paradise Island | 1st | $ 1,704,400 |
Just a Few Fun Facts
As truly a remarkable person, Eric Seidel has many fascinating facts about him. Below are just some of them:
- The film Rounders (1998) featured footage from Saidel's final heads-up against Chen.
- In 2010, the player was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame along with another famous player Dan Harrington.
- The poker player is a music lover. In his free time, Eric loves to attend music festivals and premieres of musicals.
