Erick Lindgren
After almost 10 years as a successful professional poker player, Erick Lindgren is now one of the most recognizable personalities in the game. He was born on August 11, 1976 in Burney, California, where his father owned a tire shop. Erick was a hometown sports hero in basketball, football and baseball; he even dreamed of playing in the NBA or NFL.
However, Erick decided to pursue a different dream; he enrolled in classes at Butte Junior College not far from home. Soon he would discover the Colusa Indian Casino near the campus; where he learned to play Texas Hold’em while working for the casino as a blackjack dealer. The problem was that Erick preferred to spend his time competing in small-stakes casino games rather than studying. His new hobby was so lucrative that he dropped out of college to become a full-time poker player, although he didn’t want to tell his parents about his new career because he feared their reaction.
Lindgren turned out to be a pretty good poker player. At the age of 21, he worked as a proposition player at a San Pablo, California casino. There, a number of older and more experienced fellow players offered him advice to improve his game and become a better player. Erick needed to supplement his earnings; therefore, he decided to fill his apartment with three computers to compete simultaneously in around eight games on different poker rooms.
All his hard work finally paid off after moving to Las Vegas in 2002. There, Lindgren won the $3,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event at the Bellagio Five Diamond Poker Classic. In 2003, he won his first World Poker Tour Championship title in the $4,000 No Limit Hold’em Championship event at the UltimateBet.com Poker Classic II in Palm Beach. Erick kicked off 2004 with his win in the $7,000 Limit Hold’em Championship event at the PartyPoker.com Million III Limit Hold’em Cruise. Also in 2004, Erick earned the first World Poker Tour Player of the Year award.
His other accomplishments include wins in the Professional Poker Tour No Limit Hold’em event at the 2005 L.A. Poker Classic, in the $3,000 No Limit Hold’em event at the 2006 Five Star World Poker Classic and at the $120,000 Full Tilt Poker Pro Showdown in 2006 in Las Vegas. Also in 2006, Erick placed second in the $5,000 Short Handed No Limit Hold’em event at the World Series of Poker. He recently won the A$100,000 Hold’em event at the 2007 Aussie Millions in Melbourne. Erick still lives in Las Vegas, where he plays in some of the most prestigious events.
Erick Lindgren has live tournament winning exceeding $10.3 million and 40 WSOP cashes.
World Series of Poker Bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize(US$) |
| 2008 | $5,000 Mixed Hold'em | $374,505 |
| 2013 | $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em /Six Handed | $606,317 |
