Scott Seiver Bets Big on Himself and Wins 5th WSOP Bracelet

Before the World Series of Poker got underway, Scott Seiver made some big bets on himself. That may pay off in a major way after Seiver scored his fifth WSOP gold bracelet and $426,744 on Tuesday after winning the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship.

“This one stands out the most,” Seiver told the PokerGO Podcast when reflecting on his WSOP wins. “All the others were series where I was playing say 15, 20 events, I was playing cash 24/7, and I would win a bracelet and it was great. But this year, I came in with the goal and the mindset of, ‘I want to play a lot of tournaments, I want to win a lot of bracelets, and I want to see what it looks like if I really dedicate myself to this.’ So it feels that I’ve ‘earned’ this more, or at least I get to enjoy this more because I set out as a goal to win this bracelet, and I did.”

The win produced even more for the poker pro originally from Columbus, Ohio, who now has more than $26 million live tournament poker winnings, according to The Hendon Mob. Taken by “Team AJ's Eagles” as part of Daniel Negreanu’s annual $25K Fantasy Draft, Seiver is said to have made some large wagers on himself to secure the league’s player of the year title.

The renewed determination has made other players take notice. That includes six-time bracelet winner Shaun Deeb, who believes Seiver has a good shot to win this year’s title.

“He made a large fantasy POY bet with someone else (Michael Moncek) who would have been my normal pick because that's how I bet it,” Deeb told PokerGO. “Me and him (Moncek) have a personal POY bet as well.”

Deeb had hoped to draft Seiver himself, but wasn’t able to make that happen. Missing out has now cost his team a potential 101 points in the standings already. If Seiver continues with an even bigger summer, that may also be more costly.

The wagers on himself were just an extension of Seiver’s renewed focus on adding to his bracelet total this year. He also sees the big bets as a way to keep his head in the game throughout the long grind of the series.

“I wanted to win bracelets and then as a way to keep myself motivated, I thought trying to bet on it would help in a way and why I wanted to get drafted in a $25K Fantasy team,” he says. “I like AJ Kelsall a lot … and it feels nice to be part of something where I can win a bracelet and it helps him and his victory. He was on my rail for this and there’s just something about tournament poker that provides camaraderie, that is very lonely and isolating in a cash game world.

“So I mostly wanted a reason internally to play these tournaments and then betting was just a way to get me to do it.”

Seiver now sits tied for the top spot in the $25K with John Riordan. Along with faring well in that league, he also was the most popular player drafted in David “ODB” Baker’s popular $500 league with 34% of teams selecting him.

For complete standings in the $25K and ODB fantasy leagues, click here.

“It’s very validating,” Seiver says. “It’s part of why I wanted this. In tournament poker, and the fantasy things have helped so much with this, in general this is one of the only things that help people cheer for other people with reason and with cause. I’ve always liked the idea of ‘we’re part of a group and all in this together and my victory has people happy that it happens as opposed to all of us finding our individual earnings and individual wins.’ I love it. Honestly, it means the world to me.”

If the big finishes keep coming, Seiver may have even more cheering ahead if he can finish on the positive side on some of those wagers.

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