Interview with Erik Seidel

I caught up with Erik so I could get his toughts on the 2006 WSOP.

JG: When do you play?

ES: I play Monday.

JG: And how do you feel about the long time off before you get to play?

ES: I’m happy to have the time off. By starting in the final heat I’m sure to outlast a lot of the field.

JG: It’s been a long seven weeks of poker. How are you feeling?

ES: I was really worn down for a while, but now I feel fine. The days off have really helped. It’s cleared my mind. I feel ready for Monday.

JG: How did the WSOP treat you this year? Do you think you played well?

ES: You know, I think I was playing okay. My results have not been so great. I cashed three times, but they’re all minor cashes. But when you’re up against fields that are this big it doesn’t take that great a parlay not to do well – to not win one or make it to a final table. Of course it’s disappointing, but it is part of the game. And I’ve played long enough where it doesn’t get me down.

JG: I’ve heard you comment that you have to look at your results over a three-year time span.

ES: Yeah, and I think that even three years may not be enough. It definitely is a long-term thing. If you get caught up in how you did over the last week or month or even six months, you just don’t have a good enough understanding of random fluctuation.

JG: How do you feel when you see these kids like Madsen doing so incredibly well?

ES: One of the great things about the World Series and one of things that’s so thrilling every year is that you have people that break out and have amazing tournaments and come out of nowhere. Madsen was a college kid a few weeks ago. He managed to scrape together the cash to come here. I’m very excited because I just heard that we signed him, so he’s part of the Full Tilt team. I’m looking forward to getting a chance to know him. It’s a fun group of people at Full Tilt, and I’m looking forward to having a fresh face on board.

JG: What else struck you in this year’s WSOP?

ES: William Chen is a great story. He didn’t have any bracelets and then he won two. All these stories are just so great. It’s really part of the thrill of this tournament. History is made every year in some way. It’s fun to be a part of it, but I’m a poker fan so I love seeing these stories develop.

JG: How are you going to approach the Main Event? There are stories of some pretty wild play out there.

ES: I plan on encouraging as much wild play as possible. You know, I don’t want to have any preconceived idea of howI’m going to approach the tournament. But I may be a little more conservative because many of these people are not bluffable. If anything, that would be my approach but I’m not even sure of that. I’ll just see how it goes tomorrow and hope to not make too many bad mistakes.

JG: There are many pros who have not had great results but they’ve said they think they’re playing some of the best poker of their careers. Do you think you’ve been playing well?

ES: One of the difficult things in poker is that you really don’t know. There’s no way to judge how well you play. I used to play backgammon and there were times when I thought I was playing well and then I’d go over a match and find out I wasn’t playing well. We’re all capable of some self-deception, but I do think I’ve been playing well. I think I’ve been playing well the whole year, but I’m having an off year so far. I hope I’m right and I’m not deluding myself, in which case I’ll slowly go broke.

I’m optimistic going forward. The fields are really fun – really great. If I continue playing at this level, I think I should have some good results.