Erik Seidel Is a Mere Mortal After All
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Erik Seidel's marvelous run through big buy-in events has come to an end after Daniel Stern dispatched him in the first round of the WSOP's inaugural $25,000 Heads-Up World Championship. During a hard fought match in which both players exchanged the chip lead, Stern steadily wore Seidel down with a series of great reads and a fortunate run of cards. A major blow to Seidel's chances occurred when Stern tabled the 
on a 
board. After the river fell, Stern fired 8,500 into a pot of over 15,000 and Seidel deliberated for three full minutes before making the call. Seidel's reaction to his opponent's hand suggested that Stern was behind before making two pair on the river. The end of the line came in short order when Seidel min-raised to 4,800 and Stern slid enough chips into the middle to put the legendary tournament player at risk. Seidel instantly made the call and flipped over the 
, which put him ahead of Stern's 
. The flop of 
was safe for Seidel, but the 
on the turn gave Stern an open ended straight draw and 8 additional outs. When the 
fell on the river, the railbirds gasped and Seidel graciously said "well done" before leaving the table.