A Little Poker Chat by the Fireside
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Erik Seidel vs. Johnny Chan Part Deux
There's one poker movie everyone knows. Matt Damon, Ed Norton, John Turturro and John Malkovich as the immortal Teddy KGB. Here's a quick discussion of the poker professionals in the movie 'Rounders'.
Everyone remembers Johnny Chan from his cameo in 'Rounders'. Not only did Matt Damon bluff him at the Atlantic City tables, but the video of his 1988 World Series of Poker (WSOP) win over Erik Seidel was replayed over and over in the film. Erik Seidel, however, is not a poker nobody. Seidel is one of the strongest and most consistent professional poker players. His career tournament earnings alone are over $9 million. But where does he rank among the best?
Let's look at how he compares to the other poker pro in 'Rounders', Johnny Chan. Comparing him to Johnny Chan is difficult, as it is difficult to compare any two poker players. Career winnings can be skewed because of the number of tournaments entered. Purses and payouts have also been increasing exponentially in the last few years. Johnny Chan won the 1988 Main Event and won $700,000. Seidel's 2nd place finish there earned him $280,000. In the 2007 WSOP Main Event, 4th place took home $1.85 million. Some players excel in cash games but fair poorly in tournaments. Some of the greatest tournament players consistently lose their shirts in cash games. Now there’s a few ways that it’s difficult to compare poker players, what is a good way to rank them?
The measure of the true poker champion is the number of WSOP gold bracelets. Bracelets are given out only to the winner of each event. The most gold bracelets held by anyone is 11 by Phil 'the Brat' Hellmuth. Johnny Chan is tied with poker legend Doyle Brunson with 10. Seidel has earned 8 pieces of jewelry, ranking him 5th all time for WSOP bracelet winners.
Seidel is a consummate professional who many only recognize as 'the guy who lost to Chan in Rounders'. He is due much more respect and recognition than this. After all, underestimating your opponent is the surest way to lose at poker.
