Erik Seidel will undoubtedly remember the inaugural WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas as a historic moment in his illustrious poker career. He joined the elite club of 10-bracelet winners by triumphing in the $50,000 Super High Roller event, securing a monumental $1,704,400. This victory not only marks a significant milestone in his career but also stands as his largest cash win to date.
All 10 Erik Seidels WSOP bracelet wins
Year | Event | Prize |
1992 | Event #4: $2,500 Limit Hold’em | $168,000 |
1993 | Event #3: $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo | $94,000 |
1994 | Event #2: $5,000 Limit Hold’em | $210,000 |
1998 | Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | $132,750 |
2001 | Event #22: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $411,300 |
2003 | Event #8: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha | $146,100 |
2005 | Event #9: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em | $611,795 |
2007 | Event #54: $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship | $538,835 |
2021 | GGPoker Event #11: Super MILLION$ High Roller NLH | $977,842 |
2023 | Event #7: Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | $1,704,400 |
In a winner’s interview with PokerNews, Seidel expressed his elation, “It really is nice to get to double digits. 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.” Seidel’s achievement places him among poker legends such as Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan, cementing his status as one of the poker’s greats.
Top 5 WSOP bracelet winners
Rank | Player | Bracelet | Earnings |
1 | Phil Hellmuth | 17 | $17,904,130 |
2 | Phil Ivey | 10 | $9,602,883 |
3 | Erik Seidel | 10 | $9,488,340 |
4 | Johnny Chan | 10 | $4,715,015 |
5 | Doyle Brunson | 10 | $3,038,079 |
The $50,000 Super High Roller event, one of the highlights of the WSOP Paradise, drew 137 players, contributing to a prize pool of $6,850,000. Seidel entered the (unofficial) final table as a chip leader with 60 big blinds, significantly ahead of his closest competitors, Alex Foxen with 36 and Seth Gottlieb with 28 big blinds. Everyone else had 20 big blinds or less.
This is why Seidel needed only three hours to secure his 10th bracelet. The final hurdle was Gottlieb, who put up a fight and managed one double-up with AJ against Seidel’s QT on a 35T board.
But it was soon over after Erik Seidel limped on the button, and Seth Gottlieb opted to check. They both checked through to a QK6 flop and then saw a 5 on the turn. Gottlieb bet and Seidel made the call.
The 8 on the river prompted Gottlieb to continue with a bet and after confirming Gottlieb’s remaining stack, Seidel raised, while Gottlieb responded with an all-in shove, and Seidel instantly called. Gottlieb, realizing he was behind, acknowledged Seidel’s victory as he tabled the 97 for a rivered straight against his own K6 for two pair.
Gottlieb earned $1,052,800 for his impressive runner-up finish, while Seidel claimed his tenth bracelet, the first-place prize of $1,704,400, and an additional $25,000 bonus courtesy of the WSOP Paradise Parlay promotion.
2023 WSOP Paradise Event #7: Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em
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 |