Who is Erik Seidel?
In the late 1970s, Erik Seidel dropped out of college to become a professional backgammon player. He was part of the Mayfair club in New York, home to some of the best games players in the world. While in Las Vegas for a backgammon tournament, Erik picked up a taste for poker when he played low-limit games. He returned to the Mayfair and joined a group of players who were interested in poker, a group that included Howard Lederer and Dan Harrington.
Wall Street Stability, Crash
Wanting to have a more stable income, Erik Seidel became a Wall Street Trader in 1985. Ironically, this stable job didn’t last long, as Seidel was forced out after the stock market crash of 1987.
A few months later, with the help of some friends, Erik Seidel was playing in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Erik made it all the way to heads-up, where he was finally eliminated by Johnny Chan. The final hand has been made famous by the movie Rounders, making a hand that Seidel wants to forget unforgettable.
Erik Seidel returned to New York after the tournament and returned to Wall Street, playing poker on the side. It wasn’t until he and his wife moved to Las Vegas that he began playing poker full time.
Since that time though, Seidel has been immensely successful. He has won seven World Series of Poker bracelets.
WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Buy-In | Poker Game |
| 1992 | $2500 | Limit Holdem |
| 1993 | $2500 | Omaha 8 or Better |
| 1994 | $5000 | Limit Holdem |
| 1998 | $5000 | 2-7 Triple Draw |
| 2001 | $3000 | No Limit Holdem |
| 2003 | $1500 | Pot Limit Omaha |
| 2005 | $2000 | No Limit Holdem |
Erik Seidel and FullTilt Poker
Erik Seidel was formally a member of the FullTilt Poker team, a group of professional poker players who played exclusively on Full Tilt Poker.com. Seidel is just one among a large number of poker stars who used to play at Full Tilt Poker, until its insolvency in April of 2011.