Aggressiveness: 7
Looseness: 6
Short-handed: 7
Limit: 7
No-limit: 8
Tournaments: 8
Side games: 6
Steam control: 7
Against weak players: 7
Against strong players: 7
Best game: No-limit hold’em tournaments
Weakness : Seven-card stud and its variations. Erik was once a successful side game player, but he has dedicated himself to becoming a top tournament player. He is a great thinker who doesn’t like to share his insights. He is excellent at mixing speeds and at playing with a diverse set of opponents. He is also a very down-to-earth person, a trait that seems to work against him since buffoonery makes for better television. He is easily one of the top five no-limit hold’em tournament players in the world, but is often overlooked.
Amusing anecdote
Erik is very protective of his hole cards. Even at a final table with hole card cameras, he has occasionally hidden his cards. Most people assume he doesn’t want to reveal his strategy. But maybe he doesn’t want to show what good cards he catches! I remember back in 1994 when he won the $5,000 limit hold’em event at the World Series of Poker. I congratulated him on his win and with typical humility he said, “Actually, with the cards I held, it would have been embarrassing not to win.”
Title: Music of the Night
Artist: Michael Crawford
Year: 1988
Reason for this song choice
Music of the Night is from the musical Phantom of the Opera. The phantom was a musical genius who lurked behind the scenes. Also, the lumbering melody of this song fits Erik’s gait.