Erik Seidel: Biography, Career and Poker Results

June 6, 2025
Updated October 10, 2026

Erik Seidel is an American professional poker player, born in New York City in 1959, who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010 and has won ten World Series of Poker bracelets. He first came to wide attention as the runner-up to Johnny Chan in the 1988 WSOP Main Event, a hand later shown in the film Rounders, and he has kept winning major titles in every decade since, most recently a $1,704,400 WSOP Paradise Super High Roller in December 2023. ^[1][4]

Erik Seidel at a World Poker Tour event — “Erik Seidel” by World Poker Tour is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Table of Contents

Erik Seidel: key facts

Full name	Erik Seidel
Nicknames	“Sly”, “Seiborg” ^[1][2]
Born	November 6, 1959, New York City ^[2]
Nationality	United States ^[1]
Lives in	Las Vegas, Nevada ^[2]
Known for	1988 WSOP Main Event runner-up; tournament results across four decades and many poker variants
Poker Hall of Fame	Inducted 2010 ^[3]
WSOP bracelets	10 (236 WSOP cashes, 74 final tables) ^[2]
WPT titles	1 (WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic, 2008) ^[1]
Live tournament earnings	$49,263,841 as of October 5, 2026 ^[1]

Early life: New York, backgammon and Wall Street

Seidel was born on November 6, 1959, in New York City and grew up mainly with his mother, a music lover whose records ranged from Nina Simone to Paul Simon. His younger brother, Steve Seidel, shares that interest in music. ^[2][8] At the age of 12 he appeared on the television game show To Tell the Truth. ^[3]

As a young man he played tournament backgammon, then worked on Wall Street as a stock trader. According to the WSOP’s Hall of Fame announcement, the stock market crash of 1987 left him out of work, and he turned to poker full time. ^[3]

He is married to Ruah, and the couple moved from New York City to Las Vegas with their two daughters in the 1990s. ^[1] Maria Konnikova, whom he later mentored, wrote that he also keeps a part-time residence on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where he grew up. ^[8]

Beginning in poker: the Mayfair Club and the 1988 Main Event

Seidel learned the game at the Mayfair Club in New York, originally a backgammon and bridge club, where the regulars included Stu Ungar, Howard Lederer, Steve Zolotow and Dan Harrington. ^[1][3]

His first recorded live result was second place in the 1988 WSOP Main Event, worth $280,000. ^[1] In the final hand, Seidel bet into Johnny Chan on every street and moved all in on the river, only to find that Chan had slow-played a flopped straight. Footage of the hand appears in Rounders (1998), in the scene where Matt Damon’s character watches the match. ^[7] Three years later he finished second at the WSOP again, and in 1992 he won his first bracelet. He returned to the Main Event final table in 1999 and finished fourth. ^[1]

Playing style

Seidel started as a cash game player but is best known for tournaments. ^[1] By 2007 he had won bracelets in five different games: Limit and No-Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Pot-Limit Omaha and 2-7 Draw. ^[5] When he entered the Hall of Fame, the WSOP described him as “one of the greatest all-around tournament poker players ever” and “one of the true gentlemen of the game”. ^[3]

Opponents have pointed to his hand reading. After Seidel made a river call against him at the 2011 Epic Poker League final table, Chino Rheem said: “He made like a sick soul read. That’s why he’s who he is.” ^[9] In recent years he has continued to compete in high roller fields against much younger professionals. “I’m still trying to keep up with these guys,” he told PokerNews in 2023. ^[4]

Greatest achievements

WSOP bracelets

Year	Event	Prize	Source
2023	WSOP Paradise $50,000 Super High Roller (137 entries)	$1,704,400	[4]
2021	WSOP Online (GGPoker) $10,000 Super MILLION$ High Roller	$977,842	[5]
2005	$2,000 No-Limit Hold’em	$611,795	[4]
2007	$5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship	$538,835	[4]
2001	$3,000 No-Limit Hold’em	$411,300	[4]
1994	$5,000 Limit Hold’em	$210,000	[4]
1992	$2,500 Limit Hold’em	$168,000	[4]
2003	$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha	$146,100	[4]
1998	$5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw	$132,750	[4]
1993	$2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo	$94,000	[4]

The ninth bracelet, won online in August 2021 after a heads-up match against Francisco Benitez, ended a gap of 14 years and made him the first player with more than five bracelets to win an online WSOP event. ^[5] The tenth came at the first WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas, where he beat Seth Gottlieb heads-up from a prize pool of $6,850,000. It was the biggest WSOP score of his career and his first live bracelet in 16 years. ^[4] His WSOP.com profile lists career WSOP winnings of $14,566,195, and his ten bracelets tie him with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson for third all time, behind Phil Hellmuth (17) and Phil Ivey (11). ^[2]

He came close to an 11th bracelet at the 2026 WSOP, finishing second to Joshua Wang in the $3,000 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha event, a field of 892 players, for $271,371. ^[6]

Other major results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
2011	Aussie Millions A$250,000 Super High Roller	1st	A$2,500,000 ($2,472,555)	[1]
2016	$300,000 Super High Roller Bowl	3rd	$2,400,000	[1]
2015	EPT Grand Final €100,000 Super High Roller (71 entries)	1st	€2,015,000	[12]
2022	EPT Barcelona €100,000 Super High Roller	2nd	€1,286,490	[1]
2011	WPT World Championship $100,000 Super High Roller	1st	$1,092,780	[11]
2008	WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic Main Event	1st	$992,890	[1]
2011	NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship (64 players)	1st	$750,000	[10]
2008	Aussie Millions Main Event	2nd	A$1,000,000	[1]
2010	NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship	2nd	$250,000	[1]

2011: “The Year of Seidel”

PokerNews named Seidel’s 2011 season one of the top stories of the year. In January he won the A$250,000 Super High Roller at the Aussie Millions, a field of 20 players, beating Sam Trickett heads-up. ^[13] That result is still the largest of his career. ^[1] In March he beat Chris Moneymaker in two straight matches to win the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, a year after losing the final to Annie Duke, and the $750,000 prize moved him to first place on the Hendon Mob all-time money list with $14.7 million. ^[10] In May he beat Erick Lindgren heads-up to win the WPT World Championship $100,000 Super High Roller, then the largest buy-in in WPT history. ^[11] He finished the year with $6,530,134 in tournament winnings. ^[9]

At the 2015 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo he started heads-up play against Dzmitry Urbanovich with a chip deficit of about 3 to 1 and won after a four-hour match, a result that moved him from fifth to third on the all-time money list. ^[12]

Poker Hall of Fame, 2010

Seidel and Dan Harrington, his friend from the Mayfair Club, were announced as the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2010 on October 19, 2010, becoming its 39th and 40th members. At that point Seidel had eight bracelets and more than $10 million in tournament earnings. They were inducted on November 8, 2010, at the Rio in Las Vegas during the WSOP Main Event finale. ^[3]

Film, TV and the book The Biggest Bluff

Beyond the footage in Rounders, Seidel appears briefly in the film Lucky You. ^[1] He also had a non-speaking cameo in a 2009 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which he said came from a charity auction. ^[7]

Seidel has not written a poker book, but he is a central figure in one. He mentored the writer Maria Konnikova as she prepared for the 2017 WSOP Main Event, and she described their work together in her 2020 book The Biggest Bluff. Konnikova told PokerNews: “It’s almost like he’s capable of living these two completely full and fulfilling lives in parallel,” referring to his poker career and his interest in music, art and travel. ^[8]

He was also a member of Team Full Tilt. PokerNews describes his role there as that of a sponsored professional rather than part of the site’s management. ^[1]

In his own words

“I’m very honored to be elected to the Poker Hall of Fame this year and it’s an extra bonus for me to be going in with Dan Harrington.” 2010. ^[3]
“I didn’t play particularly well against Chan.” On the 1988 Main Event and its portrayal in Rounders, adding that he came around to the film “even if I have to play the donkey.” 2023. ^[7]
“It’s a nice thing. I’m not going to throw it back.” On passing Daniel Negreanu for first on the all-time money list, 2011. ^[9]
“I’ve always loved music. I grew up in a family where there was always music around. I dunno, some people take Prozac, I listen to music.” 2022. ^[8]
“Part of it is just I love the game. I love to wake up and play, so hopefully I can keep that enthusiasm.” After his tenth bracelet, December 2023. ^[4]

Iconic hands and moments

Johnny Chan vs. Erik Seidel, 1988 WSOP Main Event

PokerGO’s footage of the final hand of the 1988 Main Event, the hand used in Rounders. ^[14]

“Poker Veteran Schools Internet Kid In €2 Million Heads Up Match” (PokerStars)

Daniel Negreanu vs. Erik Seidel, Poker Rivals (PokerStars)

FAQ about Erik Seidel

How old is Erik Seidel?

Erik Seidel was born on November 6, 1959, so he is 66 as of October 5, 2026. ^[2]

What is Erik Seidel’s nationality?

He is American. He was born in New York City and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. ^[1][2]

What is Erik Seidel’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $49,263,841 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews, which uses data from The Hendon Mob. PokerNews notes that his cash game results are not public. ^[1]

How many WSOP bracelets does Erik Seidel have?

Ten. The first came in 1992 and the most recent at WSOP Paradise in December 2023. Only Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey have more. ^[2][4]

Has Erik Seidel won the WSOP Main Event?

No. His best finish is second, to Johnny Chan in 1988, for $280,000. He also finished fourth in 1999. ^[1]

Is Erik Seidel in Rounders?

Yes, through real footage of his 1988 Main Event heads-up match against Johnny Chan, which Matt Damon’s character watches in the film. ^[7]

When was Erik Seidel inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame?

In 2010, together with Dan Harrington. ^[3]

Who is Erik Seidel’s wife?

He is married to Ruah, and they have two daughters. ^[1]

What is Erik Seidel’s biggest tournament win?

The A$250,000 Super High Roller at the 2011 Aussie Millions, worth A$2,500,000 ($2,472,555). ^[1]

Related Poker Legends

Read more about Johnny Chan, who beat Seidel in the 1988 Main Event, Dan Harrington, his Mayfair Club friend and fellow member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2010, and Daniel Negreanu, his opponent in the PokerStars video above.