There are just some things in life that you can rely on: the sun rises and sets, the tides rise and fall, and Erik Seidel wins big poker tournaments. This time, he did it playing online from Canada on GG Poker in WSOP Online Event #11: $10,ooo Super Millions High Roller, where he collected $977,842 in first-place prize money and his ninth WSOP bracelet.
The win gave Seidel his first new bracelet in 14 years, and tied him with the also legendary Johnny Moss. The only players with more bracelets are Phil Hellmuth with 15, and Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, and Doyle Brunson, who each have 10.
Seidel had already been a highly successful poker player with four WSOP bracelets to his name before his first WSOP appearance — a second-place finish to Chan in the 1988 Main Event — earned him national attention after being immortalized in the popular poker film Rounders.
In his latest win, Seidel bested a 624-player field after reaching Tuesday’s final table in seventh place. Two early eliminations gave him the chip lead, which would change several times throughout the remainder of the final table. Eventually, Seidel reached heads-up play against Francisco Benitez, who held a 4:1 chip lead.
All-Time WSOP Bracelet Winners
1. Phil Hellmuth – 15
2. Phil Ivey – 10
Johnny Chan – 10
Doyle Brunson – 10
5. Erik Seidel – 9
Johnny Moss – 9
7. Men Nguyen – 7
Billy Baxter – 7
9. Daniel Negreanu – 6
Chris Ferguson – 6
John Hennigan – 6
TJ Cloutier – 6
Jeff Lisandro – 6
Layne Flack – 6
Ted Forrest – 6
Jay Heimowitz – 6
Seidel made short work of the final stage, quickly doubling through Benetiz when pocket queens held against pocket jacks. From there, Seidel played his way into the lead and, after just 20 minutes, claimed the title and the bracelet. Shortly after the match, the ever-humble Seidel tweeted his thanks to his fans and supporters.
Thanks everyone for the kind words, I’m totally thrilled! Really caught me by surprise because I’m so out of my element online. Hope I can sleep 🍾🏆
— Erik Seidel (@Erik_Seidel) August 17, 2021
“Thanks everyone for the kind words, I’m totally thrilled! Really caught me by surprise because I’m so out of my element online. Hope I can sleep,” he shared.
Seidel is currently fourth on the all-time money list with nearly $38 million in lifetime tournament earnings, and holds WSOP bracelets in five different poker disciplines, including Limit Hold ’em (2), No-Limit Hold’em (3), PLO (1), PLO-8 (1), and No-Limit 2-7 (2).
