Poker Profiles: Erik Seidel

If there is one Poker player who knows how to win big consistently, it would be Erik Seidel. His seven glittering bracelets are enough to attest to that. Seidel keeps the distinction of conquering the World Series of Poker three consecutive times -- a feat that is yet to be matched.

But as you may have guessed, it was never an easy climb. Seidel had to go through rough and tough times to get to where he is now. He never had relaxed games because all of them are full of intensity, reflecting the guy's heart burning for a win. No matter how many bracelets Seidel won, there is this final table occurrence that never leaves his mind. His heart-breaking loss to then newbie Johnny Chan at a WSOP main event was well-documented to educate players how breaks could be mean to the losing end. It did not help that the incident even landed airtime in a full-length film called "Rounders".

That incident with Chan aside, Seidel's Poker career is a sparkling one. Seidel started frequenting Backgammon tables before he turned 20. When he decided to go mainstream in exchange of a Brooklyn degree, he discovered that if he want to make more -- in terms of money and popularity -- he better take a career in Poker. During the first few games, Seidel was adamant whether he would do good at Poker as he was with Backgammon or not. Then a loop in his gambling career pushed him to take on a Marketing job. But he is better with cards than with stock so two years after, he came back to Poker and never looked back.

Succeeding in numerous No Limit Hold'em tables is where Seidel owe all his accolades and his wealth. Playing had brought him joy like no other and it continues to do so even after seven bracelets and a couple of million dollars. At present, Seidel is a Full Tilt Poker regular, frequenting the online casino site to take on players from all over the world. He is also busy being a family man, tending to his wife and lovable kids. When not gambling, Seidel is mostly found relaxing. He enjoys what he worked for best when no one is watching. He loves independent films, soothing music, and tennis. All three are the activities he prefer to spend time for when he is not playing his cards at the Poker table.