Henderson player calls Binion poker win unexpected

Monday, May 11, 1998 | 9:57 a.m.

Henderson resident Erik Seidel entered today's finale to the World Series of Poker with the hottest hand, having placed in the money in two of the last three open events, including a victory in the $5,000 buy-in no-limit deuce-to-7 draw game.

Seidel and more than 300 other players will compete in the four-day, $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas hold 'em world championship at Binion's Horseshoe htel-casino, which will pay $1 million to the winner.

The 38-year-old former Wall Street options trader and master backgammon player collected $132,750 for his victory in deuce-to-7, a form of draw poker where the best possible hand is 7-5-4-trey-deuce unsuited.

Seidel moved from 17th to 10th place on the World Series all-time career earnings list ($1,292,146) with his win and a fourth place finish in the $3,000 buy-in no-limit Texas hold 'em game during the third week of action in the 29-year-old granddaddy of all gaming tournaments.

He said his victory was unexpected, as only the elite high-stakes gamblers participate in this dying discipline of poker that also is called Kansas City lo-ball. (The field of 26 this year was down six from last year and has been diminishing over the years.)

"I feel this event has the strongest players, so it takes a lot to get through the field," Seidel said. "Tonight I got there when I needed to, hitting a number of draws while my opponents didn't hit theirs in many cases."

A case in point came when Seidel squared off against two-time world champion and Poker Hall of Famer Doyle Brunson for a big pot when the field was down to three.

Brunson drew a 10 to fill a 10-8-4-trey-deuce, while Seidel drew an eight to best him with a 9-8-7-5-deuce.

Brunson, who had a first, second and 10th place finish during the first two weeks of action, collected $44,250 for his third place finish in deuce-to-7 to move into fourth place on the all-time World Series money list ($1,744,209).

Brunson, 64, the first player to win $1 million in the tournament's history, was one of the favorites heading into the final event. He finished 16th in last year's title tilt.

Seidel burst on the poker scene in 1988 when, as a virtual unknown, he placed second to Johnny Chan, the tournament's all-time money-winner $2,391,094 in the $10,000 buy-in no-limit game.

Since then, Seidel has placed in the money 18 other times, including three other titles.

Seidel holds the distinction of being the only player among the top 10 money winners who has not won the no-limit hold 'em world championship.

The defending champion is three-time world poker titleist Stu Ungar.

Also expected to participate in today's event is actor Matt Damon, who recently won the Oscar for best screenplay for "Good Will Hunting." He will star in "Rounders," a film about a college student torn between his desire to become a lawyer and his dream of dropping out of school and becoming a professional poker player.

In other recent World Series action: