Former New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders defensive end/tackle Richard Seymour, an NFL Hall of Famer, won a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) High Roller event at Harrah’s Cherokee.
Seymour outlasted a 234-entry field in the $2,200 event to win his first WSOP Circuit ring, $106,577, and a $5,000 WSOP Paradise package.
WSOPC Cherokee High Roller Final Table Results
Richard Seymour outlasted a star-studded final table full of big-name WSOP Circuit grinders to earn the six-figure prize.
Notables included Johnny Bromberg (4th, $34,162), Maxwell Young (5th, $24,571), Donovan Dean (7th, $13,717), Preston McEwen (12th, $5,910), and Ari Engel (13th, $5,910).
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Seymour | $106,577 |
| 2 | Bradley Butcher | $71,039 |
| 3 | Unknown Player | $48,676 |
| 4 | Johnny Bromberg | $34,162 |
| 5 | Maxwell Young | $24,571 |
| 6 | Tanupat Punjarojanakul | $18,124 |
| 7 | Donovan Dean | $13,717 |
| 8 | Charles Dawson | $10,661 |
| 9 | Christopher Hill | $8,514 |
Richard Seymour’s NFL career
Seymour was the sixth overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft after a phenomenal career as a Georgia Bulldog, where he was a First-Team All-American.
Seymour would terrorize opposing quarterbacks from the onset, winning the Super Bowl in three of his first four years in the NFL with the Tom Brady-led Patriots.
From 2003 to 2006, Seymour was, undoubtedly, one of the most dangerous defensive weapons in the NFL. He earned First-team All-Pro honors from 2003 to 2005 while being named a Second-team All-Pro in 2006. He was also elected as a Second-team All-Pro with the Raiders in his penultimate season as a pro in 2011.
Seymour racked up 57.5 sacks and 496 tackles across 12 NFL seasons and was one of the most impactful interior defensive linemen of all-time. Legendary former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick claimed, “We would not have won three championships in four years without him.”
Richard Seymour’s poker career
With the win, Seymour’s career earnings are now a hair under $1,000,000. However, after earning over $90 million in the NFL and as a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s safe to say that poker is simply just a hobby for the 46-year-old.
Seymour doesn’t have many results on his Hendon Mob, 37 in total, but he has enjoyed some big scores. In 2018, in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller, Seymour finished third for $376,360 in an extremely star-studded final table that included the likes of Jonathan Jaffe, Justin Bonomo, Felipe Ramos, and Daniel Negreanu.
Seymour also reached the final eight in last year’s $25,000 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, cashing for $75,000.
This is only the second recorded victory of Seymour’s career, with his first coming in a $125 nightly tournament at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. However, it wasn’t an outright victory, as it was a five-way chop with all five players receiving a $968 prize.
Other sports stars to earn big poker results
Richard Seymour isn’t the only other former professional athlete to earn poker hardware.
Former Germany international forward Max Kruse won a bracelet in the €1,650 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max event at WSOP Europe in 2022.
Jan Vang Sørensen, a former Danish footballer with Odense BK, won a pair of WSOP bracelets. Sørensen won a $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha event in 2002, followed by a $5,000 Seven Card Stud event in 2005.
Former Ireland international and Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino won the £3,150 GUKPT London Main Event in 2009, taking home a massive $283,412 prize.
Professional MMA fighter Terrence Chan won an online WSOP bracelet in 2023, winning the $2,500 limit hold’em championship on GGPoker, earning $64,021.
Greg Mueller, who played professional hockey in Germany, won three WSOP bracelets, winning two in 2019 and another in 2019.
Mario Mosböck briefly played in Austria’s top flight and has won three Triton titles and has well over $20,000,00 in career tournament earnings.
Dutch field hockey Olympic gold medalist Fatima Moreira de Melo became a PokerStars Team Pro. She recorded a slew of big results, including a second-place finish in a 2013 £1,100 UKIPT Main Event for £59,660.
England international Teddy Sheringham made huge headlines in 2010 when he reached the EPT Vilamoura Main Event final table, though he ultimately finished in fifth for €93,121.
