Seidel goes close again in Hollywood

You can count on your fingers the amount of tournaments Erik Seidel hasn’t won in 2011. The Hall of Famer has bagged more than $4million in just over three months, and going into the WPT Hollywood Poker Open this week he was undeniably the standout name in the field.

And when the final table began to take shape with Seidel sat comfortably in the middle of the pack, who would have argued against him winning his fourth title of the year and the $274,000 top prize.

Well, Mike Scarborough had other ideas, and once a tough six-man final table, which included up-and-coming youngsters Tom ‘kingsofcards’ Marchese and William Reynolds, had been whittled down to two players, he wrestled the title from Seidel’s grasp.

With a 4-1 chip lead over the veteran, Scarborough didn’t take long to wind things up. After only 12 hands Scarborough called Seidel’s A-9 shove with J-10, hitting a straight on the turn to end the eight-time bracelet winner’s chances.

Here’s how the final table finished up:

1. Mike Scarborough $273,664
2. Erik Seidel $155,103
3. William Reynolds $110,788
4. Tom Marchese $77,551
5. Andy Whetstone $62,041
6. Ali Eslami $50,962