| Standing the Test of Time |
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| From the Editor - From the Editor | |||
| Written by John Wenzel | |||
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Michael Kaplan has a very revealing interview with longtime pro Erik Seidel in this issue that you definitely don’t want to miss (page 26). Seidel is a former Wall Street trader and ex-backgammon pro who long before the poker boom cut his teeth at New York’s tough underground club, the Mayfair. Today he is tenth on the all-time tournament money list. In a world of flash-in-the-pan tournament winners, one-hit wonders who think they’re serious pros and Internet players who overnight are “stars” because they’ve experienced the upside of variance for a year or so, Erik Seidel keeps chugging along. He burst on the scene with a famous second-place finish to Johnny Chan in the 1988 WSOP Main Event, but didn’t let that disappointing defeat ruin him. Instead, he used it as a springboard to great things. He won his eighth WSOP bracelet in 2007 and a WPT title last year. What is impressive about Erik is that he remains humble, doesn’t care about looking “cool” at the table and seems to have avoided the dangerous reef that has sunk so many pros and pro wannabes: Ego. These days, it seems anyone who has won a tournament or played for a year or two on the Internet and is in the plus column is suddenly an expert and considers himself a “player.” In the grand scheme of things, these new players don’t have the experience to be world-class and haven’t played long enough to know if they are even long-term winning players. But next thing you know, they are calling other players “donkeys,” blogging, doing videos, trying to get on TV and aggressively seeking sponsorship. Seidel doesn’t seek these things. He likes a “quiet life” and is more concerned about the downside of TV appearances: giving away information on how he plays. “A lot of people who make noise about being on TV are people who aren’t such great players and they need the extra money,” he says. “For them there are two parts to the job: playing poker and marketing themselves. It’s important for some people but not necessarily for me.” Maybe Erik’s attitude comes from a time when you kept your poker life on the down-low. I can definitely relate to that. I spent the better part of two decades keeping my poker persona hidden from co-workers, friends and family. Back then, people didn’t want to hear about poker: They either didn’t believe you, didn’t care, thought it was “all luck” or thought it was sleazy. It’s gratifying to know that good players from those rough times are still successful. It’s no coincidence that etched on the Chip Reese trophy awarded to the WSOP $50k H.O.R.S.E. winner is Chip’s phrase: “Standing the Test of Time.” For that is the true measure of a pro – longevity. In the long run, it’s not about glory, it’s about endurance and being able to stand up to all the slings and arrows that this game will throw at you, both from within yourself, and without. It takes a long time before you can truly know if you are really a winning player, a bona fide pro who has stood the test of time. Someone like Erik Seidel. John “Johnny Quads” Wenzel Editor-in-Chief
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| Last Updated on Friday, 22 May 2009 18:02 |
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