One of the most famous poker players in the world has moved on from the game. This player is a Poker Hall of Famer, a four-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, including one from the Main Event, and has more than $7.6 million in lifetime earnings according to the Hendon Mob.
Do you know who it is yet?
If not, here are a few more hints. This player’s best live cash of a smooth $1 million, his only seven-figure score, came in the 1990s. This player was also a force on Poker After Dark, took down the 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Championship, and won the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions, He also won titles at Late Night Poker, the Carnivale of Poker, and the Full Tilt Poker Doubles Championship alongside partner Allen Cunningham. Finally, he’s known as one of the best prop bettors in the history of poker.
The player we’re talking about is the 6’7” Huck Seed, winner of the 1996 WSOP Main Event.
Spotted in Vietnam
This past weekend, Life of Poker was offering live updates from the Hanoi Series of Poker (HSOP) Main Event in Vietnam. While there, they grabbed Seed for a quick interview on a 10-mintue break, and while the Poker Hall of Famer wasn’t too talkative, he did let slip some interesting tidbits.
For instance, he revealed that he was in Vietnam visiting some friends – brothers Paul and Peter Kiem, and Robert Kiss – who wanted to play the tournament, so he decided to join.
Seed also claimed, incorrectly, that “I haven’t played in over ten years.”
According to the Hendon Mob, Seed’s last tournament cash came back in the 2016 WSOP when he finished 32nd for $2,597. While Seed amassed low six-figures in tournament winnings in both 2012 and 2013, his most impressive run came during the four-year period of 2008-11 when he amassed $3,188,179 in tournament winnings ($707,980 in 2011; $1,091,248 in 2010; $878,894 in 2009; and $510,057 in 2008).
“Life is short, and I don’t believe you should do one thing all your life.”
Why hasn’t the poker world seen much of Seed?
“Change of lifestyle,” Seed told Life of Poker. “Life is short, and I don’t believe you should do one thing all your life.”
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Seed, who is still based in Las Vegas, admitted that he no longer actively follows the poker scene, and that he has no plans to continue playing the game.
“I have no plans to play after this,” he reveled. Unfortunately for Seed, his “last” tournament did not end with a cash as he busted out of the money. Instead, it was Nguyen Van Que and Dung Trinh doing a heads-up ICM deal that saw them each take home ₫650,000,000 ($27,695 USD).
A Hall of Famer Worthy Poker Résumé
Seed was born on Jan. 15, 1969, and grew up in Corvallis, Montana. Given his 6-foot-7 height, Seed had a knack for basketball and was a member of both the 1987 Montana All-State and Caltech basketball teams. In 1989, he took a leave of absence from college and started playing poker becoming a “young gun” of the game at the time.
According to The Hendon Mob, he earned his first tournament cash in 1990 and has since amassed more than $7.6 million in tournament earnings. A four-time bracelet winner, Seed won his first in the 1994 WSOP when he took down Event #3: $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for $167,000.
In 1996, he made history by taking down the WSOP Main Event for a career-high $1 million.
In 1999, Seed made another run at the Main Event title but ultimately fell in sixth place after being eliminated by eventual champ Noel Furlong.
In 2000, he won Event #17: $1,500 Limit Razz for his third bracelet, and follow that up with a win in the 2003 WSOP Event #27: $5,000 Limit Razz for his fourth, in which he defeated Phil Ivey heads-up. That same year, he also won the WSOP Tournament of Champions for $550,000. Toss in a pair of 50K Poker Players Championship final table appearances and a win in the 2009 NBC Heads-Up Championship, and Seed’s résumé ranks among the best in the game.
In 2020, Seed became the sole inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame, thus becoming the 59th individual inducted.
“Hearing the news that I am being inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame this year brought back memories of my early poker days, walking into the Binion’s Horseshoe, about to start a poker session, admiring all the Poker Hall of Famers on the wall,” Seed said at the time. “It feels good to be included with all the poker legends that I once idolized and competed against over the years. Thank you everyone.”
