Who do you look up to?

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly its because for the first time in a while, I have been a little disenchanted with poker. For example, I've only played 3 or 4 days on Full Tilt since my last post, and most of those have been due to Bmore's Brawl. I think my psyche needed a break from grinding out small pot win after small pot win, only to see all that hard work go down the drain when my 1.5 times the pot all-in on the turn gets called by a gut shot draw with two overs that don't matter......and he hits.......again. So, due to the miracles of modern technology, I've been shooting at bad guys from all over the globe playing Call of Duty 4 on Xbox and playing less poker.

All of that being said, I have been recently inspired by one particular player. This guy was recently highlighted in Bluff Magazine as someone who "plays the game right." He has as many bracelets at the legend, Johnny Moss, and has been a force on the poker tournament scene since the late 80's. He is one of the few who holds a WSOP bracelet and a WPT title. On top of that he has already won more than $1.8 million in 2008. Despite all of these accomplishments, he is still most famous for bluffing off all of his chips in one immortalized hand. One of his best friends is possibly the most successful poker player/businessman (not to be confused with a businessman/poker player). He is feared and respected by anyone who knows poker, but is known by few who aren't serious poker fans. When poker players sit around the table and debate who is the best player in the world, his name rarely comes up, but his accomplishments trump nearly all of the players who's names do come up.

Of course, I'm talking about Mr. Erik Seidel. In an era when flash is worth more than cash at the table, Seidel has quietly put together a resume that is more impressive than many of the names we idolize. Quick, who has more bracelets, Ivey or Seidel? Who has won more money in tournament poker Men the Master, Scotty Nguyen or Seidel? And yet he is most famous for bluffing off his chips to Johnny Chan in the one real poker scene in Rounders.

What do I like about Erik that has me returning to the tables with a renewed sense of purpose? Well first of all, he has gone about winning without being loud like Hellmuth, over-promoted like Negreanu, idolized like Ivey, or revered like Brunson. For the ESPN buffs, remember the line about Chris Carter, the Vikings WR? All he does is catch touchdowns! Well, all Seidel does is win at poker. He doesn't dance, he doesn't sing, he doesn't whine. He just wins.

And so I am returning from my brief hiatus with the resolve to just win. I'm going to do everything I can to take ego and entitlement out of my game. I'm going to focus on making good decisions and having a long memory regarding those decisions, but a short one regarding the results. When I win I will be pleased, but not elated or excited. When I lose I will be disappointed, but not angry or upset. When Aces get cracked, well, that happens, on to the next hand. I've seen enough in my time playing this game that nothing should surprise me. I've also seen enough to know that if I'm playing my "A" game, I can beat most of the people I play against over the long run. So bring on the gut shot draws, two outers on the river, heinous flops, terrible turns and miracle river cards, they won't disturb my inner "Seidel" as I play my best and go home with some cash...