Famous Poker players
Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel left college in the late 70's to pursue a career as a professional backgammon player. He spent much of his time in New York's legendary Mayfair club, which was the proving ground for most of the world's best backgammon players. Billy Horan, Jason Lester, Roger Low and Paul Magriel were among the world-class players who made the Mayfair their home.
After a trip to Las Vegas for a backgammon tournament, where he played some low-limit poker, Erik returned to the Mayfair eager for a local game. Before long, the Mayfair was spreading a poker game most every night, and the regulars included Dan Harrington, Mikey Appleman, Jay Heimowitz, Steve Zolotow, Noli Francisco, and Howard Lederer.
Despite this early success, Erik didn't immediately turn pro. He returned to New York to trade options. Later, he became an independent options market maker on the AMEX. He made frequent trips to Vegas and spent a good portion of his time playing tournaments and high-stakes cash games.
Erik didn't take on poker as a full-time profession until 1995, when he and his wife moved to Las Vegas. Since then, he has become regarded as one of the best and most consistent players in the world. He has seven World Series of Poker titles and is the only player in the last 25 years to win World Series titles in three consecutive years. His most recent World Series victory came in the 2005 $2,000 No-limit Hold 'em event.
As of 2006, his total live tournament winnings exceed $5,000,000.
|