I also never had much of an interest in cards, meaning Seidel wouldn’t have to rid me of any bad habits. in psychology, and so I was well positioned to understand Seidel’s style of play. I was, however, an ideal pupil in a few ways. Seidel is notoriously reticent, and he hates sharing his tactics. Why on earth would a professional poker player- the professional poker player-agree to let a random journalist follow him around like an overeager toddler? It’s not for money or exposure. Three years ago, Seidel began to teach me how to play poker. But despite predictions that his psychological style of play would render him a dinosaur, Seidel stays on top. A conversation rarely goes for more than a beat without someone mentioning GTO (game theory optimal) or +EV (positive expected value). Printouts of stats columns are a common sight.

As with so many facets of modern life, the qualitative elements of poker have taken a back seat to the quantitative. The game has changed a lot in the past 30 years. 1, as he has since his career first started, in the late ’80s. Seidel stands out from other players for his longevity: He still contends for No. Many consider him the GOAT-the greatest of all time. He boasts the fourth-highest tournament career winnings in the history of the game, and is fourth in the number of times he cashed in the WSOP (114). He is in the Poker Hall of Fame, one of just 32 living members. He holds eight WSOP bracelets-only five players in the tournament’s history have more-and a World Poker Tour title. Thirty years later, Seidel has become the master. He’d made it past 165 other contenders to make the final table, the last man standing save one. This is the most famous poker match in the nonpoker world, in which Seidel’s set of queens falls to Chan’s straight, after the older player sets an expert trap for his less experienced victim.Īt the time, Chan was the reigning world champion and Seidel was at his first-ever major tournament. It’s the 1988 World Series of Poker final table showdown, between a young Seidel and Johnny Chan, the “master,” as Chan is repeatedly described by the commentators.

In several scenes, a real-life poker match plays in the background. I was watching Rounders, the 1998 Matt Damon movie about a brilliant law student who pays his way through school with his poker prowess, and in the end quits law altogether to play full-time. I first encountered Erik Seidel the way many poker newbies do.

Rounders celebrity poker