Erik Seidel (Sly)

If we had to reduce Seidel's bio to a single sentence, we could write: "Erik Seidel is an outstanding tournament player". Among all the titles he has won, he notably has 9 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets. It's no coincidence that, in 2010, he was inducted into the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame, which also includes Stu Ungar, Paul Magriel (inventor of the M concept in poker) and Dan Harrington (who coined the term "continuation bet" or "cbet"). Before being a poker player, Seidel was a pro backgammon player and a trader at the American stock exchange.

A pro player since 1992

Erik Seidel was therefore a pro poker player even before poker became fashionable in 2003. In 1992, he won a WSOP bracelet in a $2,500 event. Another important detail in Seidel's career, which makes him the legend he is today, is that he excels at several types of poker. Most players will focus on a single variant, Texas Hold'em No-Limit for example, but Seidel excels in NLHE, Limit Hold'em, Omaha 8 or better, 2 to 7 Draw, Pot Limit Omaha and 2 to 7 Draw Lowball to name but a few.

One of the biggest winners in poker history

In 2022, Seidel's total tournament winnings were nearly US$40 million, placing him 4th on the all-time poker biggest winners list (he's 8th in 2023). The fact that he's been playing and excelling for so long (1992) is what's most impressive (especially when you consider that poker is changing and evolving faster and faster).