Ep. 98: Erik Seidel

Talking Beats with Daniel Lelchuk

"It's not the kind of job where you can show up and go through the motions and do well-- particularly at a high-roller event. There are plenty of amateurs today that would have been dominant players fifteen years ago."

Star poker player Erik Seidel is here, talking poker and much more. Far from just a simple “how to” conversation about poker, Erik and Daniel delve into many subjects surrounding the world of poker. They discuss the complex history of the game, its rapid developments, and the major changes technology has brought to the poker world. An interesting point Erik highlights is how much the level of play has improved with the huge influence of technology as a tool for studying the game. As Erik puts it, his study used to take place while playing, but now a huge amount of preparation must be done before the game begins.
In addition to his expertise in poker, Erik is a great music lover and passionate traveler—- things for which he and Daniel share a passion.

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Erik Seidel is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada, who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title. Seidel was born in New York City. He played professional backgammon in his youth. He eventually became a trader on the American stock exchange stock market, and then moved on to poker. Seidel was one of the group of now famous players from the former Mayfair Club in New York City, including Stu Ungar, Jay Heimowitz, Mickey Appleman, Howard Lederer, Jason Lester, Steve Zolotow, Paul Magriel, and Dan Harrington.

In May 2015, Seidel won the 2015 European Poker Tour Grand Final €100,000 Super High Roller for €2,015,000. Seidel mentored journalist Maria Konnikova, starting in 2018, teaching her poker and the mindset that it requires. Seidel taught Konnikova Texas Hold'em and eventually she participated in tournaments and won $350,000. In 2020, Konnikova published a book about her experience: The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, And Win.

Seidel lives in Las Vegas and New York City.