Seat 3: Erik Seidel -- 698,000
Erik Seidel needs no introduction, but we’ll give him one anyway. The 8-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Famer has been putting up results from around the world since 1988, including a career year in 2011 when he won $3,090,693. That made him the all-time money winner until Antonio Esfandiari took over those honors this summer with a win the$1-million buy-in Big One for One Drop.
Among the former Wall Street man’s 2011 accomplishments are a fourth-place finish in the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller Event for $295,960; third in the A$100,000 Aussie Millions High Roller for $618,139; first in the A$250,000 Aussie Millions Super High Roller for A$2,500,000; first in the L.A. Poker Classic $25,000 High Roller for $144,570; first in the NBC National Heads-Up Championship for $750,000; and first in the $100,000 World Poker Classic Super High Roller for $1,092,780. Needless to say, Seidel is no stranger to Super High Roller events.
In April of this year, Seidel finished 46th in the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final Main Event for $33,006, his only EPT cash to date. Obviously he will be adding another here today after entering the final table fourth in chips, which is well-below chip average as the three players above him have separated themselves from the pack.
Nonetheless, Seidel managed to make the final table with an under-the-radar approach with practiced patience and balanced aggression. Combine that with his experience in these sort of events, and he has to be the odds-on favorite among the short stacks.