It’s 37 years since Erik Seidel shot to fame as a New Yorker who made his debut at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The Mayfair Club member made it all the way to a heads-up confrontation with Johnny Chan, only for ‘The Orient Express’ to win his second consecutive WSOP Main Event. Since the ‘Look to the Sky’ in 1988, however, Erik Seidel has carved out not only a career at the felt that is arguably the most impressive of his peers, he’s won 10 WSOP bracelets – six in hold’em, four in other formats – exactly the same number belonging to Chan.

On the eve of the 56^th annual WSOP in Sin City, we caught up with one of PokerStake’s most successful players and a legend of the game to find out how he’s approaching another huge summer.

The Summer Series and Winning at High Rollers

“I still have a long way to go. It’s a journey you can never complete.”

So much has changed at the World Series of Poker since Erik first attended the annual celebration of poker. He’s full of praise for the organisers and thinks the recent return to the Vegas Strip has been a positive for everyone who loves poker.

“The WSOP is such a massive undertaking. I think they’ve done a very good job at pulling it off each year,” Erik says. “It’s a good location for us. Also, I have to give a shout out to the Wynn Las Vegas for running a great summer series. They do an incredible job, and I look forward to playing some events there this summer. ARIA is going to be running some good events also.”

Erik won his 10^th WSOP bracelet in The Bahamas in the winter of 2023 when he won $1,704,000 in the Super High Roller event. Erik thrives in the toughest tournaments and has proven it once again over the course of the past few years featuring in many high roller events in Las Vegas on the PokerGO Tour.

“The high rollers can be really fun. It’s a real test to play against these guys. If there’s a ‘secret sauce’, it’s that I still love it. I feel very fortunate to get to play these events. Much credit to Jason Koon, he has been such a generous friend and has helped me so much in trying to adapt to the modern game. I don’t think I’d be able to play higher than $10k [buy-ins] without some of the things he’s shared with me. I’ve also done some work with Daniel Dvoress and Nick Petrangelo, both are great teachers. All this is to say I still have a long way to go. It’s a journey you can never complete.”

The Poker Hall of Fame

“The poker community is very lucky to have her.”

In recent years, many WSOP legends have advocated for more players to be inducted into Poker’s Hall of Fame. Erik – a member himself – is one of them. Recent years, where many greats of the game have had to be overlooked due to only one inductee making the cut have confused the 2010 inductee.

“I’m baffled by this,” he says. “Compare it to other Halls of Fame and it’s really hard to understand. There is a long list of people who should be in. I also like Daniel Negreanu’s idea of having an industry entry every few years. Isai Scheinberg should be in; it’s amazing the impact he’s had on the game and I’ve heard so many good stories about how well he treated employees. I met him recently but have only heard great things about him over the years. Matt Savage should also be in; he’s been an innovator and a leader in the industry for so many years.”

Last year saw a first bracelet win for a peer of Erik’s in Maria Konnikova. The Russian-American, a three-time bestselling author, is now a fellow PokerStake seller and Erik believes that she is a special talent.

“Maria is very serious about the game and has worked really hard. It doesn’t hurt that she’s brilliant as well. The poker community is very lucky to have her, and I think her podcast with Nate Silver will bring more people into the game. On a personal level, she’s a great friend and it’s always a big bonus when she’s playing in the same events and we get to hang out.”

Eyes Open for This Year’s Vegas Run

“I love PokerStake. It’s a real service to the players.”

In a recent interview, Erik admitted that he’s a huge admirer of Taylor Swift, surprising some poker fans. But as we spoke about modern influences, he said that her attitude to life as a mega star of her industry is inspiring.

“My oldest daughter is a super-fan. I admire the way Taylor has survived super stardom. It seems pretty impossible to live a life with the kind of scrutiny she’s under and she’s done it with grace and generosity,” he says. “I like how when she’s in New York, she goes out and tries to live her life. I can’t say I’m an expert on her music, I like the albums she’s done with Aaron Dessner.”

⁠As a star of the poker world, Erik approaches this year’s raft of 100 WSOP events with the same humility – to work hard, play his best and see what happens seem to be his lifelong goals. He foresees himself playing between ‘25-30 events’ and will sell to some of these on PokerStake. This reporter knows from experience how much fun it can be to sweat Erik as he battles for victory.

“Nice to hear you’ve been on board for some of the those runs, I appreciate the confidence,” he says. “I love PokerStake. It’s a real service to the players and fun for people to take a small piece of players and get to sweat them.”

With a packed summer of action ahead of him, Erik Seidel shows no signs of slowing down as he bids to increase his winnings in WSOP events to over the $10 million mark. You can be ready to invest in Erik’s PokerStake action as soon as it is available by following his player plage on the site now. For the latest packages, player news and action, head to X and follow PokerStake throughout the 2025 World Series of Poker.