RON AND DON

Ron chats with poker great Erik Seidel about everything but poker

Dec 8, 2014, 11:25 AM | Updated: 11:43 am

Poker great Erik Seidel has far more interests than just playing cards, as Ron Upshaw found out. (A...

Poker great Erik Seidel has far more interests than just playing cards, as Ron Upshaw found out. (AP file)

(AP file)

Did you see the movie “Rounders” with Matt Damon?

A pivotal scene in the movie is where Damon’s character is watching an old VHS tape of the World Series Of Poker.
On the TV, you see Johnny Chan playing heads up with a young man playing in his first World Series event for a World Championship.

That young man is Erik Seidel. Erik was a New York backgammon champ that had recently taken up poker, and found himself playing for a Championship Bracelet right out of the gate. He took second that time, but has since gone on to win eight World Championship Bracelets, and sits at 5th all time on the money list with career winnings of over $20.5 million dollars.

He was inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010, and was recently in Seattle to catch the Stevie Wonder concert.

I saw his tweets about touring the Experience Music Project Museum, and reached out for an interview. He agreed when I told him that I didn’t want to talk much about poker.

I’m fascinated by talking to people who are great at what they do, especially when they are great at things that I’m interested in.
So I hope you enjoy this interview with Erik. We talk about music, what it’s like growing up in New York in the 60’s and 70’s.
Playing backgammon at world class level, the stock market crash of 1987, and more.

Enjoy.

Ron

Ron and Don

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Ron chats with poker great Erik Seidel about everything but poker