Erik Seidel Joins Elite 10-Time WSOP Winners Club with Ivey, Chan, and Brunson
4 minutes
Last Updated: December 10, 2023
The inaugural WSOP Paradise is well underway, and it’s been a special one for one poker legend, who has reached a very special milestone by winning his 10th career WSOP bracelet.
Erik Seidel, who started his tournament poker career back in the late 1980s, has been a true staple of the poker world and one of the most recognizable names in the game for decades.
Now, Seidel joins a very exclusive club of poker players who have won 10 or more WSOP bracelets, with his $1.7 million victory in Event #7 – $50k Super High Roller marks his personal best at the Series as well.
By winning his 10th bracelet, Seidel edged closer to Phil Hellmuth, the only player to have more, although Phil’s 17 seems like a mountain to climb for any would-be challenger.
Nevertheless, the victory showed the poker world that the 64-year-old poker pro from New York still very much has what it takes to compete with the very best, especially since it came in one of the most star-studded fields of the Series.
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Seidel Overcomes a Stacked Final Table
Event #7 of the inaugural WSOP Paradise was always going to be a special one, as the high buy-in was bound to attract some of the most talented players around.
Indeed, the event brought together the absolute crème de la crème of the poker world, and managed to accumulate 137 entries in total, a great number for a high roller event of this sort.
Of those 137, 21 made the money, and 17 made it back to Day 2 to play down to a champion. Among that group were some of the very best high stakes tournament players in the world, including the likes of Sorel Mizzi, Chris Brewer, and Nick Petrangelo, all of whom busted the event before the final table.
Despite all of those busting in the buildup to the final table, the final eight was absolutely stacked with big names and top talent.
The likes of Adrian Mateos, Jonathan Jaffe, and Alex Foxen all made the final table, but would bust in 8th, 7th, and 6th respectively, while GGPoker Ambassador Jason Koon would fall in 4th.
Turkish high roller Orpen Kisacikoglu fell in third place, leaving the Hall of Famer to play heads up with cash game grinder Seth Gottileb, as the two entered the final table as chip leaders and kept it that way to the very end.
Seidel showed tremendous respect for his opponent and spoke the very best of him in a post-match interview, but was able to overcome him in the heads-up match and earn his 10th gold bracelet in style.
Erik left a star-studded field of young and talented players in the dust and showed that he can still compete at the very highest level, as he has been confirming with his incredible performances on the high stakes circuit without breaks for more than three decades.
Building Poker Legacy since the 1990s
Seidel started playing tournament poker in late 1980s and broke onto the scene by winning his first WSOP bracelet in a $2,500 Limit Hold’em event in 1992.
Since then, he’s had one of the most productive careers of all tournament players in the world, accumulating more than $45,000,000 in tournament cashes, making 51 WSOP final tables, and taking down 10 events outright.
Not only has Seidel dominated for so many years, but his bracelets were also won in a variety of poker games, as he’s proven himself to be one of the most well-rounded players on the circuit.
Seidel has won bracelets in Limit Hold’em, Omaha 8 or Better, Deuce to Seven Draw, No Limit Hold’em, and Pot Limit Omaha, with few other players having as much success in so many different games.
In recent years, Seidel has been specializing in high stakes events, and that’s resulted in his winning the $10k Super Million$ High Roller in 2021, his only online bracelet, as well as the $50k Super High Roller in Paradise.
Here is a full round-up of all the 10 WSOP bracelets won by the Hall of Famer during his illustrious career:
| Year | Event | Prize |
| 1992 | $2,500 Limit Hold’em | $168,000 |
| 1993 | $2,500 Omaha 8 or Better | $94,000 |
| 1994 | $5,000 Limit Hold’em | $210,000 |
| 1998 | $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | $132,700 |
| 2001 | $3,000 No Limit Hold’em | $411,300 |
| 2003 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha | $146,100 |
| 2005 | $2,000 No Limit Hold’em | $611,795 |
| 2007 | $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | $538,835 |
| 2021 | $10,000 Super Million$ High Roller – Online | $977,842 |
| 2023 | $50,000 Super High Roller | $1,704,400 |
What’s Next for Erik Seidel?
It’s been an amazing journey for Erik Seidel, whose long WSOP bracelet hiatus between 2007 and 2021 had many begin to doubt his relevance in the poker world.
The New York native proved them all wrong by coming back to the big stage and capturing two major bracelets in the span of just three years, while also being a big factor on the international high stakes tournament circuit away from the WSOP.
At 64 years of age, Seidel is now considered a veteran of the game, but his youthful demeanor and willingness to compete against the young guns have proven that age truly is just a number.
Seidel remains every bit as competitive and willing to play any poker game for nearly any stakes, and it appears it will be some time before he is no longer competing at the highest levels.
For the time being, we can expect to see plenty of more Erik Seidel in the biggest buy-in tournaments out there, as he continues his quest to immortalize his poker legacy and perhaps even try and catch Phil Hellmuth as the most decorated WSOP player of all time!
