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Mark Seif
Mark Seif
Mark Seif
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Mark Seif (born October 4, 1967) is an American poker player, California attorney, and TV show host.

Key Information

Personal life

[edit]

Seif was born in Cairo, Egypt before moving with his family at the age of two, to Southern California.[1][2] Seif attended LaSalle High School in Pasadena, California, and graduated in 1985. He then received a bachelor's degree in Economics from UCLA in 1991 and a Juris Doctor in 1997 from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.[3][4]

Seif worked for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office from 1994 to 1996 as a California Supreme Court certified law student practitioner, and assisted in the prosecution of the O. J. Simpson case. Subsequently, in 1997, Seif joined the national labor and employment law firm of Fisher & Phillips in their Newport Beach, California office. There he represented management exclusively in several high-profile sex harassment lawsuits. Seif left the firm in 1999 to become General Counsel of Preferred Capital Corporation, a business financial services firm in Tahoe City, California. In May 2001, Seif quit practicing law to pursue a full-time career as a professional poker player and TV personality.

In 2016, Seif founded PRIME Soccer Club, a competitive sports organization in Southern Nevada, where he serves as executive director. Seif currently resides in Henderson, Nevada and has two daughters, Sarah and Ashley.[3]

Poker career

[edit]

In May 2001, Seif quit practicing law to play poker full-time. In August 2002, he was one of six finalists at the inaugural World Poker Tour World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker Championship in Los Angeles, California at the Bicycle Club Casino.[5] Seif finished in fourth place in that tournament that was broadcast several months later across the United States and later internationally.

In May 2003, Seif had his first cash in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the $3,000 no limit Texas hold'em event, where he finished in 9th place with a final table that included poker professionals Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Erik Seidel among others.[6]

Seif is best known for being the only player to win two WSOP bracelets in back-to-back events in 2005 in the $1,500 limit hold'em shootout and the $1,500 no limit hold'em events. He bested a field of 2,013 players to win his second bracelet at a final table that included poker professionals Minh Nguyen, Greg Raymer, Dave Ulliott, and Bill Gazes among others.

Later in 2005, Seif won the United States Poker Championship in seven-card stud at the Taj Majal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[7] He also made the final table at the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker that same year.

In 2007, Seif purchased a US Poker Bowl franchise named the Detroit Absolute Nuts, who went on to win the first ever US Poker Bowl Conference Championship.

Seif was a color commentator for the Professional Poker Tour television series which aired on the Travel Channel starting in July 2006 and ended in late 2009. He has been a spokesperson for Absolute Poker since 2004. It is estimated Seif earned in excess of $2 million per year as the public face of Absolutepoker.com, one of the biggest and highest revenue online poker sites in the world until April 15, 2011, when the US Government seized the domain names of the three leading online poker sites including Absolutepoker.com, Fulltiltpoker.com and Pokerstars.com forcing the poker sites to permanently shut down US operations. Several years later, Pokerstars.com re-entered the US market in the state of New Jersey, but with limited success.

As of 2023, Seif's total live tournament winnings exceed $3.1 million.[8] His 26 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,086,415 of those winnings.[9]

WSOP bracelets

[edit]
Year Tournament Prize
2005 $1,500 Limit Texas hold'em $181,330
2005 $1,500 No Limit Texas hold'em $611,145

Mark Seif Quotes

[edit]
  • "There are three ways to play pocket jacks, and they're all wrong."[10]
  • "To play great poker, sometimes you've got to go broke."[11]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Mark Seif

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Mark Seif is an American professional poker player known for winning two World Series of Poker bracelets in consecutive events during the 2005 WSOP. This achievement, capturing back-to-back bracelets at the same WSOP series, highlighted his skill during the poker boom of the mid-2000s. Seif turned to professional poker full-time after a career as a California attorney. He has since accumulated significant live tournament earnings, with notable success beyond the WSOP including multiple World Poker Tour final tables. In addition to competing, Seif has contributed to poker media as a commentator and co-host on television programs covering the game. His enduring presence in the poker community reflects both his competitive accomplishments and his transition from law to a prominent role in the sport.

Early life and education

Childhood and immigration

Mark Seif was born on October 4, 1967, in Cairo, Egypt. He immigrated with his family to Southern California at the age of two. Raised in Southern California, Seif attended high school in Pasadena.

Academic background

Mark Seif earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1991. He subsequently attended Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where he received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1997. These academic credentials provided the foundation for his subsequent professional pursuits in law. Mark Seif began his legal practice while attending Loyola Law School, from which he earned his J.D. in 1997. During this time, he was selected as one of a handful of law students statewide to serve as a certified law student practitioner for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted felony preliminary hearings and trials under supervision and contributed to the high-profile O. J. Simpson murder case. Following his admission to the California Bar in 1997, Seif joined the national labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips in its Newport Beach office as an associate attorney. There he specialized in representing management in employment matters, including sexual harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination, wage and hour issues, and complex civil litigation. He subsequently served as General Counsel for Preferred Capital Corporation, a business financial services firm based in Tahoe City, California. Seif left full-time law practice in May 2001 to pursue poker and television opportunities.

Poker career

Transition to professional poker

In May 2001, Mark Seif left his legal career to become a full-time professional poker player, driven by a strong passion for the game despite his prior success in law. He used savings from his legal practice to build a poker bankroll and began grinding at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, though he initially struggled with discipline and external distractions such as stock market investments that led to significant losses and multiple times going broke. Seif later reflected that achieving consistency required intense focus, which he developed by narrowing his cash game play and establishing a disciplined routine. His first major public exposure arrived in August 2002 with a fourth-place finish in the inaugural World Poker Tour Legends of Poker No Limit Hold'em Championship at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, a $5,000 buy-in event that provided a final table appearance and helped elevate his profile as the WPT's televised coverage began airing the following year. This result marked an important early milestone in establishing his presence among professional players. In May 2003, Seif recorded his first World Series of Poker cash by finishing ninth in the $3,000 No Limit Hold'em event at the 34th WSOP in Las Vegas, reaching the final table in a field of 398 entrants alongside prominent competitors including eventual champion Phil Hellmuth, runner-up Daniel Negreanu, and third-place finisher Erik Seidel. These pre-2005 accomplishments laid the groundwork for his subsequent recognition in the poker world.

2005 World Series of Poker achievements

Mark Seif achieved a historic milestone at the 2005 World Series of Poker by winning two gold bracelets in back-to-back events during the same series, a feat unique in WSOP history. This accomplishment stood out amid a series featuring several multi-bracelet winners, as Seif secured his victories within just one week, outpacing other notable performers that summer. On June 17, 2005, Seif won his first bracelet in the $1,500 Limit Texas Hold'em event, earning $181,330. Six days later, on June 24, 2005, he claimed his second bracelet by winning the $1,500 No Limit Texas Hold'em event for $611,145, which remains his largest single tournament cash. The no-limit victory came in a field of 2,013 entrants with a prize pool of $2,777,940. These back-to-back triumphs showcased Seif's versatility across limit and no-limit formats of Texas Hold'em, cementing his place in WSOP lore during a year of expanding field sizes and growing competition.

Tournament record and statistics

Mark Seif has compiled a strong record in live poker tournaments over more than two decades, amassing total live earnings of $3,413,276 and ranking 802nd on the all-time money list. His largest single cash stands at $611,145. Seif's most prominent successes have come at the World Series of Poker, where he has won two bracelets and accumulated $1,229,870 in earnings from 52 cashes while reaching seven final tables. The two bracelets, both captured in 2005, remain the defining achievements of his WSOP career. On the World Poker Tour, Seif has recorded 14 cashes totaling $762,866, with three final table appearances but no titles. His largest WPT cash came in 2008-2009 at the Borgata Poker Open, where he finished fifth for $287,500. These results, combined with consistent performances across various major tours, underscore Seif's longevity and skill in competitive tournament poker.

Television and media appearances

Professional Poker Tour and hosting

Mark Seif served as co-host on the television series Professional Poker Tour. As a professional poker player with notable tournament success, he brought expert insight to the role, appearing as himself in 15 episodes credited as Self - Co-Host. The series aired from 2006 to 2007, with Seif's contributions concentrated in 2006. The show featured high-stakes, invitation-only poker events, and Seif shared hosting duties with Matt Corboy, providing color commentary and analysis during broadcasts on the Travel Channel. His participation as commentator complemented his reputation in the poker community, offering viewers professional-level perspectives on the gameplay. Mark Seif has appeared exclusively as himself in various poker-related television broadcasts, specials, and films beyond his co-hosting work on Professional Poker Tour. His credits include an appearance in one episode of World Poker Tour in 2003, participation in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2006, and one episode of the 2009 World Series of Poker in 2009. He was also featured in the 2006 documentary No Limit: A Search for the American Dream on the Poker Tournament Trail, which chronicles the experiences of professional poker players competing on the tournament circuit. In 2008, Seif appeared as himself in the short film Frankie 13 vs. the World and received a special thanks credit.

Personal life

Family and community involvement

Mark Seif is the father of two daughters, Sarah and Ashley. He founded PRIME Soccer Club, a competitive youth soccer organization in Southern Nevada, in April 2016 and continues to serve as its executive director. The club focuses on youth development in the region, including areas such as Las Vegas and Henderson. This role highlights his ongoing commitment to community involvement through sports programs for young athletes.

Residence and later activities

Mark Seif resides in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Nevada. In his later years, Seif has focused on community involvement through his leadership position with PRIME Soccer Club, where he serves as executive director of the youth soccer organization based in Henderson, Nevada. The club is described as the fastest growing youth soccer club in Southern Nevada and underscores his ongoing commitment to local youth sports and family-oriented activities in the region. Recent mentions of his association with the club, including in media appearances, indicate this role remains active.

References

  1. https://www.wsop.com/players/mark-seif/
  2. https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/26-mark-seif
  3. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1969580/
  4. https://prabook.com/web/mark.seif/2271710
  5. https://alchetron.com/Mark-Seif
  6. https://www.homepokergames.com/seif.php
  7. https://rocketreach.co/mark-seif-email_9074382
  8. https://www.linkedin.com/in/markseif
  9. https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/193916
  10. https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/ca-mark-seif-361328.html
  11. https://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article/professional-poker-tour-selects-veteran-poker-pro-and-hollywood-personality-as-hosts-158544
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20101016043911/http://www.markseif.com/bio
  13. https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/26887-poker-strategy-take-your-tournament-game-to-the-next-level
  14. https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=4608
  15. https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=5549
  16. https://www.worldpokertour.com/live_update/seat-4-mark-seif-borgata-poker-open-level-30-60000-120000/
  17. https://www.poker.org/latest-news/livid-double-bracelet-winner-penalized-hand-killed-in-huge-wsop-pot-anRaY9u0vj4y/
  18. https://www.wsop.com/news/the-longest-goodbye-looking-back-at-the-2005-wsop
  19. https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=213
  20. https://www.wsop.com/players/mark-seif
  21. https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/mark-seif
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800295/
  23. https://www.espn.com/espn/poker/news/story?id=2312230
  24. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1969580/bio/
  25. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478217/
  26. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213823/fullcredits/
  27. https://www.worldpokertour.com/live_update/proud-papa-mark-seif-wpt-world-championship-level-28-200000-400000/
  28. https://www.primesoccerclub.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1124898
  29. https://www.primesoccerclub.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1327572
  30. https://www.primesoccerclub.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1327918
  31. https://www.primesoccerclub.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1111593
  32. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/courtrooms-cash-games-and-comebacks-mark-seif-tells-all/id1713397052?i=1000705180907
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