Erik Seidel: World Series Of Poker ‘Bracelets Handed Out Like Halloween Candy’

Erik Seidel has 10 World Collection of Poker bracelets, which places him in a three-way tie with Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan for third place, behind solely Phil Ivey with 11 and Phil Hellmuth with 17.

The Poker Corridor of Famer simply celebrated his sixty fifth birthday however remains to be as sharp as ever, and given how energetic he stays on the excessive curler scene, including a minimum of a pair extra bracelets appears seemingly.

Final December, the New York native banked $1.7 million within the $50,000 tremendous excessive curler on the inaugural WSOP Paradise sequence, and this yr he has added a number of different wins and closing desk appearances.

This week, Seidel was amongst those that jumped within the $25,000 tremendous excessive curler occasion on the PokerStars North American Poker Tour cease at Resorts World Las Vegas. He spoke with Card Participant in regards to the variety of alternatives gamers have lately to win bracelets, and his personal push for gold.

What began within the ‘70s with only a handful of tournaments has grown significantly for the reason that poker growth. The WSOP now provides on-line bracelet occasions a number of occasions throughout the yr in Canada and controlled states Nevada, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and U.S. gamers should journey or be situated internationally to play on GGPoker, which not too long ago bought the sequence. Of the practically 250 bracelets up for grabs in 2024, about half had been awarded on-line, whereas stay occasions performed out in Las Vegas, the Czech Republic, and the Bahamas.

“I believe it’s at all times enjoyable to win one,” Seidel stated. “I do assume that it’s gotten a little bit out of hand, that they’re type of handing them out like Halloween sweet. I believe that they’ve type of diminished the worth of it. However I do get pleasure from taking part in the WSOP. It’s at all times enjoyable to play, however I’m undoubtedly not a type of folks that’s like flying to Mexico to play [online].”

The Poker Corridor of Famer now has $48 million in stay event winnings, good for eleventh place on the all-time cash record. Practically $10 million of that has come on the WSOP, cashing 160 occasions in bracelet occasions.

One in every of Seidel’s bracelets did come on-line, when he took down the $10,000 buy-in GGPoker Tremendous Million$ excessive curler in 2021 for $977,842, and he does play the larger buy-in on-line occasions throughout the summer time, with a pair deep runs this yr.

However Seidel identified that he and different bracelet leaders like Phil Hellmuth aren’t actually chasing all the net alternatives.

“Hellmuth, he’s solely actually taking part in the stay occasions, and he’s not likely going to Europe, and he’s not flying in right here to play the net factor,” he stated. “I’m not attempting to chase him down, for certain.”

Seidel stays a well-liked determine with poker followers. Whereas he has a quieter persona than gamers like Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu, he obliged a number of railbirds who requested images with him on the NAPT sequence whereas on breaks within the motion.

“That’s virtually at all times nice,” he stated. “It’s folks simply being good. Generally on the sequence it may change into a little bit overwhelming. However on the whole, particularly if it’s out on the street, it may be very good.”

Whereas he didn’t money within the tremendous excessive curler, there may be additionally a $10,000 excessive curler on the schedule in addition to the $5,300 important occasion. Seidel is happy to see PokerStars bringing greater stay occasions again to Las Vegas.

“I believe it is a nice, great point for poker,” he stated. “I’m actually completely happy to see them doing it.”

Leaderboard: WSOP Bracelets

Rank
Participant
Bracelets

1
Phil Hellmuth
17

2
Phil Ivey
11

T-3
Erik Seidel
10

T-3
Johnny Chan
10

T-3
Doyle Brunson
10

6
Johnny Moss
9

T-7
Males Nguyen
7

T-7
Billy Baxter
7

T-7
Scott Seiver
7