Erik Seidel Joins Exclusive 10-Bracelet Club, Wins WSOP Paradise $50,000 Super High Roller ($1,704,400)
It's a special day in The Bahamas as Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel won his tenth bracelet by taking down Event #7: $50,000 Super High Roller at 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise for $1,704,400, the biggest WSOP score of his illustrious career.
Seidel, whose first bracelet dates back more than three decades from a victory in Event #4: $2,500 Limit Hold'em in 1992 when the World Series was held at Binion's Horseshoe, joins an elite club of players with ten bracelets that includes Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan and the late Doyle Brunson. The only player with more bracelets is Phil Hellmuth with 17.
“It really is nice to get to double digits," Seidel told PokerNews in a winner's interview. "Any time you win a bracelet is just an incredibly special thing. To get to ten, I don’t know, it’s a beautiful feeling. It’s just so nice when things go well like this.”
The Super High Roller event attracted 137 entries in total to create a prize pool of $6,850,000 with 21 players who cashed. Seidel topped a powerhouse final table that included Alex Foxen, Jason Koon, Jonathan Jaffe and Adrian Mateos.
$50,000 Super High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erik Seidel | United States | $1,704,400 |
| 2 | Seth Gottlieb | United States | $1,052,800 |
| 3 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | $778,300 |
| 4 | Jason Koon | United States | $582,100 |
| 5 | Koichi Chiba | Japan | $440,500 |
| 6 | Alex Foxen | United States | $337,300 |
| 7 | Jonathan Jaffe | United States | $261,400 |
| 8 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | $205,000 |
"I Love the Game"
While Seidel won an online bracelet in 2021 in GGPoker Event #11: Super MILLION$ High Roller NLH, a victory that brought him $977,842, his win at Atlantis Resort marked the Hall of Famer's first live bracelet victory in 16 years.
When asked what it took to take down the Super High Roller event, Seidel told PokerNews "it takes a lot of luck, it takes everything going your way."
"You just hope that when you’re in a spot like this you run well and the cards cooperate," he said with a giant grin, "and they did today.”
Seidel's first WSOP cash dates back to 1988, when he finished runner-up to Chan in the Main Event in a clip memorialized in the poker classic Rounders. Still, he manages to not only compete against, but sometimes get the best of, today's elite high-stakes grinders.
"I’m still trying to keep up with these guys," he said. "I’m talking to people, working hard and playing ... Part of it is just I love the game. I love to wake up and play, so hopefully I can keep that enthusiasm.”
Erik Seidel's WSOP Bracelet Wins
| YEAR | EVENT | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Event #7: Super High Roller No-Limit Hold'em | $1,704,400 | |
| 2021 | GGPoker Event #11: Super MILLION$ High Roller NLH | $977,842 | |
| 2007 | Event #54: $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship | $538,835 | |
| 2005 | Event #9: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em | $611,795 | |
| 2003 | Event #8: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha | $146,100 | |
| 2001 | Event #22: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em | $411,300 | |
| 1998 | Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | $132,750 | |
| 1994 | Event #2: $5,000 Limit Hold'em | $210,000 | |
| 1993 | Event #3: $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo | $94,000 | |
| 1992 | Event #4: $2,500 Limit Hold'em | $168,000 |
Besting A "Dangerous" Opponent
Seidel was second in chips of the 17 players who returned to Day 2, behind only Seth Gottlieb, a lesser-known face on the high-stakes tournament circuit who primarily plays cash but still had $1.4 million in live earnings headed into the Super High Roller event. It was fitting, then, that the two made it to heads-up play as the New Jersey native tried to overcome the old-school legend sitting across the table.
“Seth is a really dangerous player," said Seidel. "He plays high-stakes cash, he understands the game, he’s had a lot of success. He kind of came out of nowhere but he’s been doing well the last few years playing cash and playing tournaments. He’s no amateur. He’s a very dangerous person to play (against) and he puts you under pressure.”
The third-place of Orpen Kisacikoglu, who was down to a single big blind on Day 1 before spinning it up to a $778,300 payday, set up a brief heads-up battle that Seidel entered with a sizable chip lead after his king-ten pipped the Turk's king-nine.
That heads-up battle almost ended in a few hands as Seidel open-jammed with queen-ten and was called by Gottlieb with ace-jack. A ten-high flop gave Seidel the lead before running Wheel cards gave Gottlieb a straight to even things out against the Poker Hall of Famer.
The double-up proved futile as the duo got to the river in a two pair versus straight cooler that saw all the chips getting in the middle. Seidel held the nuts with nine-seven, just a few pips off of the cards Chan held when he made a straight to win the 1988 Main Event.
In addition to the seven-figure score, Seidel picked up a nice $25,000 bonus from GGPoker after making his third WSOP final table of the year.
That wraps up PokerNews' coverage of a historic $50,000 Super High Roller at WSOP Paradise. There's still plenty of action to take place here at Atlantis Resort, so be sure to check out the live reporting portal for additional coverage.