Ronald Reagan was president, Michael Jordan hadn’t made his NBA debut, and the Berlin Wall was still standing the last time Erik Seidel entered a backgammon tournament.
More than 40 years later, the ten-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner decided to give it another shot. And despite joking that he’d probably be sent straight back into retirement, the Poker Hall of Famer nearly won the whole thing.
The 66-year-old entered the $2,500 Super Jackpot at the 2026 Las Vegas Open, taking on some of the world’s best backgammon players before finishing runner-up in a final that went right down to the wire.
Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent
Ahead of the tournament, Seidel took to X to announce his return, although he wasn’t particularly optimistic about his chances.
“Playing my 1st backgammon tournament in over 40 years tmw vs some of the worlds best. Likely it’ll send me back into retirement, but I’ll try again in 40 years,” he wrote on October 6.
As it turned out, Seidel had little reason to worry as the poker legend navigated his way through the $2,500 Super Jackpot field and reached the final, where he narrowly missed out on the title.
On Thursday, Seidel returned to X with an update that was considerably more positive than his original prediction.
The final went right down to the wire, with the players tied at 16-16 in a match played to 17 points.
For someone who hadn’t competed in a backgammon tournament in over 40 years, finishing runner-up against elite opposition isn’t a bad way to come out of retirement.
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What Is Backgammon, and Why Do Poker Players Love It?
For those unfamiliar with backgammon, it’s a two-player board game where opponents race to move their 15 checkers around a board and remove them before the other player can do the same.
Players roll dice to determine how far they can move, but deciding which moves to make is where the skill comes in. There’s also a doubling cube, which allows players to raise the stakes during a game.
Like poker, backgammon combines luck, probability, risk management, and strategy. You can’t control the dice any more than you can control the cards you’re dealt, but making better decisions than your opponent over time can give you an edge.
It’s a game Seidel knows particularly well. Before becoming a poker professional, he was a serious backgammon player in New York, spending time at the famous Mayfair Club, where both games attracted some of the sharpest minds around.
“I loved backgammon and it was the perfect time to be playing in New York.” Seidel told PokerNews in 2019. “There was always a game going on at the Mayfair. I started to make money playing the game. At that time, it was a bridge and backgammon club.”
Seidel eventually turned his attention to poker, famously finishing runner-up to Johnny Chan in the 1988 WSOP Main Event. That heads-up battle would later be immortalized in the poker movie Rounders.
He’s since built one of the most successful careers in poker history, winning ten WSOP bracelets and earning induction into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Seidel Isn’t the Only Poker Star With Backgammon Skills
Seidel isn’t the only poker player capable of holding his own against the world’s best backgammon players.
In July 2025, Czech poker pro Zdenek Zizka won the Ultimate Backgammon Championship (UBC) in Monte Carlo, defeating Denmark’s Thomas Myhr to successfully defend the title he’d won in 2024.
Just weeks before his UBC triumph, Zizka won his first WSOP bracelet in the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event, defeating Shaun Deeb heads-up to collect $232,498.
Poker legend Gus Hansen was also a professional backgammon player before making the switch to poker.
Calum Grant
Senior Editor & Live Events Executive