WSOP Main Event Day 7: Erick Lindgren stands out above the rest
July 16th, 2011 | by Jessica Teakle |LAS VEGAS — On Sunday, one blog post I wrote mentioned that five star players remaining might prove to be better-known to the public than the rest of the field. Four of those five — Allen Cunningham, Eli Elezra, Sorel Mizzi and Jean-Robert Bellande — fell by the wayside on Day 6. It’s time to remind readers of why they know Erick Lindgren.
Lindgren, a competitive athlete before he found poker, burst onto the scene with his 2002 victory at the Bellagio’s Five-Diamond Classic in 2002. He followed that with five WPT cashes in the next two years, including two wins, at the Ultimatebet.com Poker Classic II ($500,000) and the PartyPoker.com Million III Championship ($1,000,000). With the wins coming in the midst of poker’s explosion, he became one of poker’s stars. It was around that time he became affiliated with Full Tilt Poker.
Despite his roots in cash-game play, Lindgren thrived on the tournament circuit. According to the Hendon Mob database, he managed to earn more than $1 million every year from 2004 to 2008 with assorted wins and high finishes in major events around the globe:
2004: $1,089,326 2005: $1,042,998 2006: $1,647,085 2007: $1,088,175 2008: $1,501,493
After finally earning his first WSOP bracelet in 2008 en route to winning WSOP Player of the Year honors, Lindgren eased up on his tournament schedule but remained active in cash games and nonpoker gambling, notably golf. In 2007, he famously won more than $300,000 by shooting four rounds of under-100 golf carrying his own bags on the notoriously tough Bear’s Best golf course. Between the gambling, the success and a matter-of-fact charisma that screams authenticity, Lindgren is one of poker’s truly beloved sons.
“He’s the glue of his poker generation,” agent Brian Balsbaugh said. “He’s the guy who gets everyone together. Without question, if there was a locker room on the poker tour, he’d be the most popular guy in it. Bill Simmons has this quarterback test asking, ‘If four quarterbacks went out to a car, who would they give the keys to?’ If Erick was in the conversation, it would definitely be him.”
With a tremendous career, massive popularity among his peers and the potential for a remarkable ambassadorship, Lindgren would make for a popular champion among those left in the running at the 2011 main event. For all he’s accomplished, for all the money he’s earned, the November Nine would represent the pinnacle of his career.
Tags: Rest