Professional poker player Erik Seidel says he chose to semi-retire this year — but not because his career was slowing down.
Seidel played his first major tournament in 1988, finishing as runner-up in the World Series of Poker main event. He became a full-time professional poker player in 1995, and over the course of his career has racked up winnings of more than $48 million playing in live poker tournaments, according to the Hendon Mob Poker Database, an online compendium of poker stats.
In recent years, the 66-year-old estimates he’s played roughly 130 to 150 events a year, including times he’s bought back in after being eliminated. Last year, his total tournament winnings topped $2.8 million, according to Hendon Mob.
But this year,…