Things you might not know:
- Seidel started playing backgammon while attending Brooklyn College and dropped out to play professionally.
- For eight years he pursued backgammon with his home base at the legendary New York card room, the Mayfair Club.
- Seidel played backgammon against Chip Reese, Stu Unger and Puggy Pearson, all of whom suggested he try poker.
- In 1985, Seidel became a stockbroker, playing poker in the evenings, but with the stock market crash of 1987, he was out of a job and back to poker full time.
- Seidel played poker at the Mayfair Club with future bracelet winners Howard Lederer, Jay Heimowitz, Steve Zolotow and Dan Harrington.
- The 1988 WSOP Main Event that Seidel finished second in was his first major tournament.
- Seidel is married with two adult daughters.
- Seidel prides himself on strict money management and has never gone broke.
- Seidel has a very charming dry wit behind his polite and quiet table manner.
Some of Seidel's amusing Tweets:
- I'm voting for Harry Reid for many reasons, but mostly because he makes me feel charismatic.
- Last few years whenever i travel I'm being followed by a wailing baby. it's an obvious extortion plot, I'm ready to pay.
- Just left the drive thru at my bank. The tube came back w cash/receipt + a Chilean miner
- To protest Nobel prize winner Liu Xiaobo's incarceration in China, I'm boycotting Panda Express until he's freed
- Capers r a weird food ingredient. No one likes them but they show up everywhere, they r like the food version of Donald Trump
- Failed to cash in any of the London events. First thing when I land in the US I'm calling a career counselor.
- Researchers warn multiple concussion's can cause brain damage, equivalent to watching Fox News 3-4 hours a week.
- Nothing like that feeling after an intense workout…so I’m told.
- Obama got so much TV coverage this weekend, I thought he was dating a Kardashian.
- Once the baby started to grow hair, the gig was up for John Edwards.
- My wife thinks I’m lazy, she’s trying to get me out of bed. She doesn’t want to recognize the extra effort to reduce my carbon footprint.
- Senate votes to allow guns to be transported on Amtrak trains. I’m betting this is going to improve on time performance
Erik "sly" Seidel is an extremely respected poker player who has typically shied away from much public attention. He has always been reticent about showing his hole cards or teaching other players too much. He is a member and part owner of Team Full Tilt.
Big hand between Erik Seidel and Gus Hansen:
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