Erik Seidel is simply the fifth participant in event poker historical past to have captured ten or extra World Series of Poker gold bracelets. The 64-year-old took down the 2023 WSOP Paradise $50,000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em excessive curler occasion on Saturday, Dec. 9 to enter a four-way tie for second on the all-time WSOP titles leaderboard with fellow legends of the sport Johnny Chan, Phil Ivey, and the late Doyle Brunson. Only 17-time WSOP champion Phil Hellmuth has gained extra bracelets.
“It really is nice to get to double digits,” Seidel told PokerNews live reporters after coming out on top. “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 Las Vegas resident defeated a subject of 137 entries within the high-stakes affair held on the Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, incomes $1,704,400 for the win. This was the fourth-largest rating but for the longtime poker professional, whose very first reside event money was his runner-up end within the 1988 WSOP principal occasion that was immortalized within the cult basic poker film Rounders.
The Poker Hall of Fame member now has greater than $46.7 million in lifetime event earnings, good for ninth place on the all-time cash listing. More than $9.3 million of these scores have are available in bracelet occasions.
The first of Seidel’s ten bracelets was gained again in 1992 within the $2,500 restrict maintain’em occasion on the twenty third annual WSOP. He gained the $2,500 Omaha eight-or-better occasion the next yr and the $5,000 restrict maintain’em occasion the yr after that. He recorded his fourth and remaining bracelet win of the Nineties by taking down the $5,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven single-draw lowball occasion, lengthy thought of one of the hardest tournaments on the schedule.
Seidel gained one other 4 bracelets within the 2000s, beginning by taking down the $3,000 no-limit maintain’em occasion in 2001. Just a number of weeks previous to Chris Moneymaker successful the principle occasion, Seidel got here out on prime within the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha re-buy occasion along with his sixth profession bracelet. Two years later, he emerged victorious in a $2,000 no-limit maintain’em occasion with what was then a career-high payday of $611,795. His eighth bracelet got here within the $5,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven single-draw lowball re-buy occasion on the 2007 collection.
While he had loads of success on the reside felt throughout the 2010s, Seidel was unable so as to add to his bracelet whole throughout that whole decade. More than 14 years after his final victory, Seidel lastly got here away with bracelet no. 9 by successful a $10,000 excessive curler no-limit occasion throughout the 2021 WSOP Online pageant.
In addition to the cash and the coveted {hardware}, Seidel was additionally awarded loads of rankings factors for his most up-to-date win on the collection. The 924 Card Player Player of the Year factors he secured for his eleventh final-table end of the yr had been sufficient to maneuver him into 76th place within the 2023 POY standings offered by Global Poker. He additionally secured 750 PokerGO Tour factors because the champion, adequate to position him eleventh on that high-stakes-focused leaderboard.
This newest win got here in an occasion that ran over the course of two days. The subject of 137 entries produced a prize pool of $6,850,000 that was paid out among the many prime 21 finishers. The cash bubble burst late on day 1, leaving simply 17 contenders heading into day 2. Seth Gottlieb held the chip lead at the beginning of the day, with Seidel scorching on his heels.
Plenty of superstars fell on the best way to the ultimate desk, together with two-time bracelet winner Daniel Dvoress (seventeenth), bracelet winner Santhosh Suvarna (14th), and Chris Brewer (thirteenth), bracelet winner Ivan Luca (twelfth), two-time bracelet winner Nick Petrangelo (eleventh), and Michael Watson (tenth), who’s a World Poker Tour champion and two-time European Poker Tour principal occasion winner.
Huge congrats to
Erik_Seidel</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/WSOP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">
WSOP Bracelet #10, beating out this insane remaining desk. What a legend!!: @PokerNews pic.twitter.com/PvPlB4iBlx
— Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) December 9, 2023
Seidel had overtaken the lead by the point the sector mixed onto one desk. Bracelet winner Timothy Adams (ninth – $162,800) was the following to depart, along with his A-7 unable to return from behind in opposition to the A-Q of Koichi Chiba. Gottlieb moved in entrance throughout eight-handed play, then prolonged his lead when his Ok-Q gained a race in opposition to the pocket sixes of four-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos (eighth – $205,000).
Seidel closed the hole a bit when his A5 beat out the OkQ of WPT champion Jonathan Jaffe (seventh – $261,400). Seidel flopped the nut flush to depart Jaffe in want of working playing cards for a straight flush, which by no means got here.
Bracelet winner and WPT champion Alex Foxen was the following to fall. He misplaced all however a pair of huge blinds in a preflop flip in opposition to bracelet winner Orpen Kisacikoglu however was finally despatched to the rail by Seidel after a battle of the blinds. Neither participant had a lot to talk of preflop, however Seidel made jacks and tens to win the pot and get rid of Foxen in sixth place ($337,300).
Chiba’s run got here to an finish when his Ok-Q bumped into the pocket kings of a surging Kisacikoglu. The Japanese newcomer to the reside high-stakes scene earned $440,500 for his efforts.
Bracelet winner and ten-time Triton Poker title earner Jason Koon was the following participant to sq. off in opposition to Kisacikoglu in a preflop all-in. He three-bet shoved from the small blind with Q10 over Kisacikoglu’s cutoff open. Kisacikoglu known as with 88 and made quads by the flip to depart Koon drawing useless. Koon earned $582,100 because the fourth-place finisher. His $52.8 million in recorded cashes is nice for fourth place on poker’s earnings leaderboard.
Seidel started to drag away throughout three-handed play. Gottlieb was the quick stack for a bit however managed a double-up via Kisacikoglu to swap spots within the chip counts. Kisacikoglu finally bought all-in with Ok9 trailing the Ok10 of Seidel. Neither participant linked with an ace-high runout and Kisacikoglu was eradicated in third place ($778,300). The Turkish participant now has practically $17.1 million in lifetime earnings after this newest deep run.
With that, Seidel took roughly a 5:3 chip lead into heads-up play in opposition to Gottlieb. He was pulling away within the early going, and was one card away from closing out the win after his Q-10 suited had outflopped Gottlieb’s A-J. A rivered wheel for Gottlieb in that hand noticed him shut the hole significantly, however Seidel was nonetheless forward when the ultimate hand of the event was dealt.
With blinds of 200,000-400,000 and a giant blind ante of 400,000, Seidel limped in from the button with 97 and Gottlieb checked with Ok6. The flop got here down OkQ6 to offer Gottlieb kings up and he checked. Seidel checked behind along with his air and picked up a gutshot straight draw on the 5 flip. Gottlieb guess 700,000 and Seidel known as. The 8 accomplished Seidel’s straight and Gottlieb guess 2,800,000. Seidel raised to 9,500,000. Gottlieb moved all-in along with his two pair and Seidel shortly known as to earn the pot and the title.
Gottlieb was awarded $1,052,800 because the runner-up, the most important event rating but for the startup founder from New Jersey.
Here is a have a look at the payouts and rankings factors awarded on the remaining desk:
Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points | PGT Points |
1 | Erik Seidel | $1,704,400 | 924 | 750 |
2 | Seth Gottlieb | $1,052,800 | 770 | 700 |
3 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | $778,300 | 616 | 467 |
4 | Jason Koon | $582,100 | 462 | 349 |
5 | Koichi Chiba | $440,500 | 385 | 264 |
6 | Alex Foxen | $337,300 | 308 | 202 |
7 | Jonathan Jaffe | $261,400 | 231 | 157 |
8 | Adrian Mateos | $205,000 | 154 | 123 |
9 | Timothy Adams | $162,800 | 77 | 98 |
Winner picture credit score: WSOP / Matthew Berglund.